Part 671p – Groh Smith Genealogy – Updated and Divided Placeway Descendant Chart – The Cloud Does NOT Have All The Answers

Good Day,

I continue my journey into the reaches and discovery of the Placeway Family Line… specifically that of soon-to-be great-great-great-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway. All-things-being-equal I have chanced upon, in the Cloud, notation, information, and data back until the 7-times great-grandparents Robert and Mehitable (née Hamilton) Placeway (aka Plaiceway).

And here is where I most certainly do NOT “throw caution to the wind”.

As you know A Genealogy Hunt is my journal.

It is the chronicle of my work and effort to search and research those branches and family lines and ancestors that are in some way connected. But I have to keep reiterating to myself “Prenez garde!” I need to ensure that I check all sources of information and data. I need to ask myself “And where did that piece of newsflash come from?” There is a great deal of data and information, via the Internet, that is not sourced nor cited. And further I want to know “Where the hell did that bit of detail come from?”

Information discovered on the Internet, aka extracted from the Cloud, is a great stepping-stone. It is that nugget that can either provide the answer, or lead you through a doorway that may provide you with the sources that you are searching.

My work and efforts in the realm of genealogy lead me down many paths. Each doorway is a panorama of that which passed by in a brief moment of time.

With the newly added figures to my original Placeway Descendant Chart, I have had to divide the single Chart into two… otherwise I will have to provide a bevy of magnifying glasses for all readers. Here are the new Placeway Descendant Charts I and II.

The Placeway Descendant Chart I now includes the conceivable addition of 7-times great-grandparents Robert and Mehitable (née Hamilton) Placeway and of 6-times great-grandparents William and Mercy (aka Mary) (née Robbins) Placeway.

The Placeway Descendant Chart II includes the conceivable addition of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway’s second wife Johanna Plischke.

If you have any questions, comments, and ideas, make sure that you contact me.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 669mp – Groh Smith Genealogy – New Information and Updated Miller Descendant Chart

Good Day,

No rest for the obsessed…and at times I need a wee bit of motivational inspiration.

Sometimes I wish, without a Ouija board, that the ancestors in my genealogy search and research would just reach out and say… “Hey Smith, you’re on the right path!”

Definitely would be nice.

And I continue the gathering and collecting of information, data and details for the new Groh Smith Genealogy.

Last night I decided to hone in on the Placeway Family Line.

I believe I discovered a tremendous amount of data and possible evidence of great-great-great-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway. This not only includes his ancestors, but if the information is correct it certainly reveals a glimpse into his life and occupations.

As I check up on the details and the possible sources, I have updated my Miller Descendant Chart.

Note that all new and updated data, from my previous Descendant Chart has been added in red. This Chart will soon change as the number of ancestors to be included has increased exponentially. Going forward you will soon see a new Miller Descendant Chart and a new Placeway Descendant Chart.

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

Enjoy,

Jim

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June 27, 2009 - Great-Grandmother Marie Descendant Charts

Morning,

As I wrote on Part 10 I would try and figure a way for you to read the information provided on great-grandmother Marie Descendant Chart and I think that I have come up with a manner which may be more "eye-friendly". I have de-constructed the single Chart and have created unique ones for each one which should include each sibling's as well as great-grandmother Marie's immediate family. You can put your magnifying glasses down.

Shortly I will be adjusting the Descendant Charts on the left-hand side of my Blog page. As information changes and new data is presented and found I will try to make sure that there are concurrent changes as applicable.

And yes, I'm obsessed!

Jim

----------------------

Bonjour,

Comme je l'ai écrit sur la partie 10, je voudrais essayer de figure une façon pour vous de lire les informations fournies sur mon arrière-grand-mère Marie Descendant Chart. Je pense que je suis venu avec une manière qui mai être plus facile pour les yeux. J'ai construit de la même carte et ont créé uniques pour chacun d'eux, qui devrait inclure chaque frère ou sœur, ainsi que l'arrière-grand-mère Marie de la famille immédiate. Vous pouvez mettre vos loupes bas.

Peu de temps je serai adaptant les tableaux Descendant sur le côté gauche de ma page de blog. Comme l'information et les nouvelles données sont présentées et a trouvé, je vais essayer de faire en sorte qu'il ya des modifications le cas échéant.

Et oui, je suis obsédée!

Jim

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June 26, 2009 - In Transit to Saint-Sauvuer and Great-Grandmother Marie - Part 10

Afternoon,

And before I continue I just received an email from cousin Yann who lives in France. His great-grandmother was Marie-Eugénie Berthe (née July) Clergeau Rénier, another younger sister to great-grandmother Marie Antoinette. Remember I mentioned the letter to Mr. Rénier in my Blog posting on May 23, 2009. I also offered to provide a French translation of my Blog, but any French reader will have to bear the embarrassment of my "bi-lingual-ness." So beginning today my best effort in French of the text of my Blog will follow the English composition, and with the help of Google Translate.

Here's Update 6 of the Descendant Chart including the great-grandaunt Marie-Eugénie Berthe, and the Bulah finds from Part 9. Once you click on the Descendant Chart you're going to have to get out your magnifying glass, until I figure out how to increase the viewing size.

I know why great-grandmother Marie traveled to San Diego, in 1919... to visit her sister great-grandaunt Célestine. But why did great-grandaunt Célestine leave Barbados in 1906?

And how did she get to San Diego? Great-grandmother Marie was going to visit family, and that makes sense. It states the same recorded on the 1919 S.S. Parima Manifest. (See the Manifest in Part 5.) So can I say that great-grandaunt Célestine was going to visit family. I haven't a clue... yet.

According to the 1906 S.S. Trinidad Manifest, Lines 22 and 25, and the column entry "Whether going to join a relative; and if so, what relative, the name and address" it is written that both she, great-grandaunt Célestine and her daughter, Muriel are "In Transit to Quebec".

Okay, and which member of which family was living in Quebec that they were going to visit? Well, Quebec is a bloody big place, that is until I noticed that something was also written in the same column of the Manifest. I only noticed the addition when I zoomed in using one of the software tools that I use. Written faintly underneath "In Transit to Quebec" is "Convent Sacre Coeur St. Sauveur."

Right, who's in St. Sauveur? Why the Sacre Coeur Convent? I used to ski at St. Sauveur, north of Montreal. Why was a young widowed mother, Célestine with her infant daughter making a trip in 1906 from Barbados to St. Sauveur, Quebec, Canada. But was this the Saint-Sauveur, north of Montreal or the Saint-Sauveur, a district of the city of Quebec? ? This is another puzzle that I haven't been able to figure out.

The next records pertaining to great-grandaunt Célestine I have are the 1920 US Census in San Diego... and her Death Certificate. But here's the computational problem. She arrives at New York in 1906, is headed for Saint-Sauveur, is recorded in San Diego in 1920, and passes away in Los Angeles in 1946. Simple math - 40 years. Her Death Certificate, see Part 8, states that she, If Foreign Born, How Long In The U.S.A.?, 40 years. A match. And per the Death Certificate great-grandaunt Célestine had lived in Los Angeles, In This Community 8 yrs., and In California 36 yrs. Where did she live for four years? I don't have the answer. Did she live in another state in the US? Or did she actually live in Saint-Sauveur, Quebec, in Canada? And why can't I find a recording of her name on a 1910 US Census? Nor on a 1930 US Census?

These questions still continue today. They are unknowns. Anybody? My head is beginning to hurt.

To be continued in Part 11.

Enjoy, and now on to a French translation.

Jim

-------------------
Bonjour,

Et avant que je continue, je viens de recevoir un email de mon cousin Yann, qui vit en France. Son arrière-grand-mère était Marie-Eugénie Berthe (née Juillet) Clergeau Rénier, jeune sœur de m'arrière-grand-mère Marie-Antoinette. Rappeles-tu j'ai mentionné la lettre adressée à M. Rénier, dans mon Blog annonce le 23 Mai 2009. J'ai aussi proposé de fournir une traduction française de mon blog, mais tout lecteur français aura à supporter la honte de mon "bi-langue-ness". Donc, à partir d'aujourd'hui de mon mieux en français du texte de mon blog va suivre la composition de l'anglais, et avec l'aide de Google Translate.

Voici la mise à Carte 6 de la Descendant graphique, y compris mon arrière grand-tante Marie-Eugénie Berthe, et de la Bulah trouve sur la partie 9. Une fois que tu cliques sur le graphique Descendant tu vais avoir à sortir ton loupe, jusqu'à ce que je figure sur la façon d'augmenter le format d'affichage.

Je sais pourquoi mon arrière-grand-mère Marie s'est rendu à San Diego, en 1919 ... pour rendre visite à sa sœur de mon arrière grand-tante Célestine. Mais pourquoi mon arrière grand-tante Célestine quitter la Barbade en 1906?

Et comment a-t-elle se rendre à San Diego? Mon arrière-grand-mère Marie allait visiter de la famille, et qui a du sens. Il précise la même enregistré sur la 1919 SS Parima Manifest. (Voir le manifeste dans la partie 5.) Alors que je peux dire que de mon arrière grand-tante Célestine allait visiter de la famille. Je n'ai pas la moindre idée ... pourtant.

Selon le manifeste de la SS Trinidad de 1906, les lignes 22 et 25, et l'entrée de la colonne «Que va rejoindre un parent, et si oui, quel parent, le nom et l'adresse», il est écrit que les deux, elle, mon arrière grand-tante Célestine et son fille, Muriel sont «en transit au Québec».

Bon, et membre de la famille qui vivait au Québec, qu'ils allaient visiter? Eh bien, le Québec est une très grande place, qui est jusqu'à ce que j'ai remarqué que quelque chose a été écrit dans la même colonne de la Manifest. J'ai seulement remarqué que le plus lorsque je zoom en utilisant l'un des outils logiciels que j'utilise. Ecrit légèrement en dessous «en transit au Québec» est «Couvent Sacré-Coeur Saint-Sauveur.»

Droit, qui est à Saint-Sauveur? Pourquoi Couvent du Sacré Cœur? J'ai utilisé pour faire du ski à Saint-Sauveur, au nord de Montréal. Pourquoi une jeune mère veuve, Célestine avec sa fille faire un voyage en 1906 en provenance de la Barbade à Saint-Sauveur, Québec, Canada. Mais est-ce le Saint-Sauveur, au nord de Montréal ou de Saint-Sauveur, un quartier de la ville de Québec? ? Ceci est un autre casse-tête que je n'ai pas été en mesure de comprendre.

Les documents relatifs à la prochaine arrière grand-tante Célestine j'ai le recensement de 1920 des États-Unis à San Diego ... et son certificat de décès. Mais ici le problème de calcul. Elle arrive à New York en 1906, est dirigée de Saint-Sauveur, est enregistré à San Diego en 1920, et passe à Los Angeles en 1946. Simple mathématiques - 40 ans. Son certificat de décès, voir la Partie 8, elle dispose que, si nés à l'étranger, combien de temps aux USA?, 40 ans. Un match. Et par le certificat de décès mon arrière grand-tante Célestine a vécu à Los Angeles, dans cette communauté à 8 ans., En Californie et 36 ans. Où a-t-elle vivre pendant quatre ans? Je n'ai pas la réponse. At-elle vivre dans un autre état des États-Unis? Ou at-elle fait vivre à Saint-Sauveur, Québec, au Canada? Et pourquoi ne puis-je trouver un enregistrement de son nom sur un recensement de 1910 des États-Unis? Ni sur un recensement de 1930 des États-Unis?

Ces questions continuent encore aujourd'hui. Elles sont inconnues. Quelqu'un? Ma tête commence à faire mal.

A suivre dans la partie 11.

Bon chance,

Jim

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June 25, 2009 - Bugs, Spiders, Butterflies and Great-Grandmother Marie - Part 9

Morning,

I've come up with a brilliant idea! And except for the one little small detail, it really makes sense. It's the "creepy crawly" effect. I spent the day yesterday cleaning the kitchen pantry. And as usual there was the normal infestation of those type of bugs that attack all type of grain and grain-based food. It seems that as the weather gets warmer, the infestation grows. And then the infestation attracts the spiders. Well the spiders eat the bugs.

So I thought that I could train an army of spiders to co-exist in my pantry and give them free access to all the bugs they want. There's only one problem. When I reach into the shelves I'm greeted with web filaments, and there is one thing I detest, spider web threads coating my skin. And so out came the pantry contents, I vacuumed and cleaned, and sprayed the interior of the cupboards with a diluted bleach mixture. And I'll get bay leaves to spread around.

And then I had to clip the Italian parsley outside which was under attack by an army of black swallowtail caterpillars. They love parsley and so do I... and so I'll have to plant more next season... for me and the black swallowtails.

Brilliant colors of green and yellow and black, and every time I touched one of the buggers it shot out a pair of retractable orange antennae. I love butterflies, so I just moved them to another part of the backyard. And there's a new batch of monarch caterpillars on the milkweed. And that's my lesson in entomology.

Following Part 8 of my trek to learn as much as I can about my great-grandmother Marie Antoinette C. (née July) Abraham, I continue.

As a side note, and regarding collateral research I discovered more information of 2nd cousins once removed Patricia and Beverly Bulah, also spelled Beulah. Per the California Death Index, 1940-1997 cousin Patricia (née Beulah) McKenna was born in California, 14 December 1921. She passed way in Los Angeles, on 31 December 1983. Her sister, cousin Beverly (née Bulah) Moodie who was born 2 May 1925, in California and passed away 20 July 1986 in Ventura, California. I also discovered from the same Index that their father Charles Bulah was born 7 Jan 1893 and passed away in Los Angeles on 26 July 1969. His mother's maiden name is given as Buell. I wonder if that has anything to do with the fact that the data entry for her granddaughter Patricia's named is entered in the index as Patricia Beulah (née Beulah) McKenna.

I then discovered that great-grandaunt Célestine's daughter, Muriel C., 1st cousin twice removed remarried to a Thompson, no other information. And both the California Death and the Social Security Death Indexes report her passing in March 1980 in Ventura, California.

But I need to get back to my great-grandmother Marie, my bloodline. It does not appear that great-grandaunt Célestine line, of my collateral line, will provide me any more immediate clues to great-grandmother Marie, at this juncture... so I think.

So I've answered the question as to why great-grandmother Marie left Georgetown, British Guiana and ended up in San Diego, California; to see her sister, great-grandaunt Célestine. Makes sense, so far... but the next question could be "Why did great-grandaunt Célestine Marie (née July) St. Philippe go to San Diego?" And one thing you learn in the practice of genealogy is never to assume anything. Come up with some logical and not so logical possibilities, but never assume. You have to have something to back up the statements.

In this case I could "assume" that great-grandaunt Célestine, with Muriel, left Georgetown, British Guiana for San Diego. When I first read the 1920 US Census I read what I could decipher was that Muriel was born in Berbice. (Check back to Part 3 for a copy of the 1920 Census.) Well my limited knowledge is that Berbice equals British Guiana (now Guyana). So again "Why did great-grandaunt Célestine travel from British Guyana to California?" The 1920 Census reports that she and Muriel immigrated to the United States in 1908. Okay, find a 1910 US Census. Muriel would have been about 6-years old when they arrived. Maybe her birth location could be a bit more legible. To date I haven't found a copy of a 1910 US Census which includes their names.

Next step look for a passenger manifest. Success! The 1906 List Or Manifest Of Alien Passengers For The Commissioner of Immigration from Barbados... but under the spelling of Mrs. Celestine St. Philips, see the inserted clipping to the right. And two rows down, (I can't answer why not immediately after her mother), is Meriel St. Philips who is two years old. And it is written that her, Muriel's Country of Nationality is Barbados. So my question changes... "Why did great-grandaunt Célestine leave Barbados and travel to the United States?" One point of note is that on the Manifest she is noted as "W" for Widow. And more curious, which of course has me baffled is that her Country of Nationality is France. But wait a minute. French Guiana is a French colony, therefore a part of France.

Well, why did she leave Barbados?

To be continued in Part 10...

Enjoy,

Jim

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June 24, 2009 - Great-Grandaunt Célestine and Great-Grandmother Marie - Part 8

Afternoon,

No, my mind is not leaving me. It might be somewhere sitting at some bus-stop in downtown Tampa, but it definitely knows when to come home when it needs sustenance. On the other hand, some persons may believe that my brain left quite some time ago. That is, of course debatable.

For those of my readers who believe that the information provided in this serial, search, and research of the life of great-grandmother Marie Antoinette (née July) Abraham is similar to information that I provided over the prior couple of years, you're right. The current work is my organization and presentation of a new sifting of the data about her life, her descendants, and her ancestors. Your comments are received as compliments. You are reading my work. You're interested. Thank you!

And now back to great-grandmother Marie, I continue from Part 7.

Well, after discovering her Certificate of Death, my next step was to locate a similar document for her sister, great-grandaunt Célestine. Checking Ancestry.com I found an entry for one Celestine Mary Stphilippe. All-things-being-equal, this had to be her, I think. The date of death is 29 Jan 1946; place of death Los Angeles; and her birth date 10 Dec 1872. And again great-grandaunt is listed as being born in Other Country. Data-entry errors abound; her name and place of birth... so when I'm looking for someone's information I have to consider how to and take into account how information can be entered into records incorrectly. Check out great-grandaunt's name on the printout on the right: STPHILIPPE, CELESTIN M. And it does provide the initials of her husband: J H.

And I contacted the County of Los Angeles and within a short time I received a copy of her Death Certificate. Three new bits of information:

1. Her complete name is recorded as Celestine Mary St. Philippe,
2. Her husband's name is recorded as John Henry St. Philippe, and
3. Her father's name is listed as Henri July.

Great-grandaunt Celestine's father has the same name almost, as the name provided on great-grandmother Marie's Death Certificate - Henri versus Henry. The informant is her daughter Muriel (née St. Philippe) Bulah, 1st cousin twice removed.

And at this point I get a bit confused. Listed on both Death Certificates, the 1940 one for great-grandmother Marie Antoinette C. and the 1946 one for great-grandaunt Celestine Marie is the same word "Unknown" for the name of their individual mothers, who I would venture to hope is the same person. The two informants are their respective daughters; grandaunt Cécile and 1st cousin twice removed Muriel. I have a question, for which I don't think any of us can answer. How could two daughters not know, at least some part of the name of their grandmother, great-grandmother Marie's and great-grandaunt Celestine's mother? (And seriously, I don't know the answer... and I don't think I ever will.)

My next move was to see if I could find a 1930 US Census for both great-grandaunt Celestine and her daughter Muriel. And I haven't! I then thought that as cousin Muriel's married name on her mother, great-grandaunt Celestine's Death Certificate is Bulah there could have been a chance that cousin Muriel could have been married at least sometime shortly before the 1930 Census. And sure enough I was able to locate her as Muriel C. Bulah, and her husband Charles H. and their two daughters, Patricia; aged 8, and Beverly; aged 4 11/12. They were living in Los Angeles, California, but still no found record of great-grandaunt Celestine.

And a few name possibilities of searching for her are:

1. Celestine St. Philippe
2. Celestine M. St. Philippe
3. Celestine Marie St. Philippe
4. Celestine Mary St. Philippe
5. C. Marie St. Philippe
6. Mary St. Philippe
7. Celestine Stphilippe
8. Mary Philippe
9. And all other permutations and combinations of the name, ad infinitum... I can come up with at least 55 possible combinations, based on some of the recordings I've come across.

Any thoughts? And she could have been living in San Diego or Los Angeles or anywhere in-between...

Updating the Descendant Chart follows:

To be continued. Enjoy,

Jim

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June 22, 2009 - The Story Continues - Great-Grandmother Marie - Part 7

Afternoon,

And as I stated in Part 6, I need to find more facts about great-grandmother Marie. So far I know that she:

1. Was born in Bordeau, France. (I believe the spelling should be Bourdeaux.)
2. Was born about 1860/1.
3. Lived in Georgetown, British Guiana, now Guyana.
4. Had five children: a son - Frederick, born 1885; and four daughters - René, Edmée, Jeanne, and Cécile, born 1896.
5. Became a widow in 1901.
6. Traveled to visit her sister, Mrs. C. St. Philippe in San Diego, California in 1919.
7. Lived in San Diego, California in 1920 and 1930.

My sources are The Argosy newspaper, the 1920 and 1930 US Census, and a 1919 SS Parima Passenger Manifest and Immigration Papers.

And so I tuned in Ancestry.com and began a search using the name Marie Antoinette Abraham. The first entry of four entries that appears is a reference to the California Death Index, 1940-1997. This is a data entry without any image of a document... but it is her. Great-grandmother Marie passed away on 25 January 1940 in San Diego. Her name is entered as Marie Ac Abraham, and her Father's Surname or maiden name is July. It's definitely her! The Birth Date provided is 2 Jan 1861, another almost match, but her Birthplace is entered as Other Country. (I guess the recipient of information didn't know how to spell France... or there wasn't any room for any non-United States location on the form.)

I wonder what the "Ac" stood for in her name, Marie Ac Abraham? "Ac" as far as I know is not a usual abbreviation for the name Antoinette. The 1919 S.S. Parima Immigration and Passenger List does have her name listed as "Marie Antoinette Abraham". So where does the "c" come in? Is there another name?

And I thought to check Ancestry.com for grandaunt Cécile B. (née Abraham) Ham. I found the following:

1. One entry under Cecile B Abraham; a New York Passenger List, 1820-1957. The 1919 S.S. Parima manifest.
2. An incorrect entry which is her: Cecelia Abraham; Birth: abt 1894 - British Columbia; which is the 1920 Census entry.
3. A Social Security Death Index entry: Cecile Ham; Death: Oct 1971 - San Diego.
4. A California Death Index, 1940-1997 entry: Cecile B Ham; Birth: 28 Sep 1896, South America, and
5. A 1930 United States Federal Census entry: Cecile B Ham; Spouse: Loyd W. Ham; Residence: 1930-San Diego.

None of the above entries/documents provided any more clues regarding great-grandmother Marie. The 1930 US Census did provide an entry to grandaunt Cécile and Loyd (which I believe should be Lloyd) Ham's son, Phillip L., my 1st cousin once removed. He is enumerated at six years old.

And so I decided to contact the County of San Diego to try and get a copy of great-grandmother Marie's death certificate after finding her name listed on the California Death Index, 1940-1997, (to the left). I did find a copy of the Death Index!

Within weeks I had the copy. Great-grandmother Marie passed away on the 25th of January, 1940 at home at 1421 B Street in San Diego at 9:45 am. The informant of her passing was her daughter, grandaunt Cécile (née Abraham) Ham. Great-grandmother's name is now entered as Marie A. C. Abraham.

The information provided on the Certificate of Death corresponds to information previously found, and I zero in on a piece of new information; the name of her father, my great-great-grandfather Henry July. The information is a bit sketchy, but it is a start.

And I've added more information to the progressive Descendant Chart.


To be continued...

Jim

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June 21, 2009 - Great-Grandmother Marie Antoinette (née July) Abraham - Part 6

Morning.

Happy Father's Day and the honeymooners are home, and the canine motel has been reduced by eight legs. Already the quiet seems weird, as all canine residents are asleep at chosen points in the house.

And great-grandmother has a sister, great-grandaunt Celestine (née July) St. Philippe and a niece, Muriel, my 1st Cousin twice removed. So what next?

Two avenues of search:

1. Find copies of the 1930 Census for San Diego; and
2. Search for possible death records.

Family lore had it that great-grandmother Marie Antoinette had passed away in California. And for that matter I should check and look for the same for great-grandaunt Celestine.

Eureka!

1930 US Census found.

Line 25 ABRAHAM, MARY A.; age - 68; birthplace - France. The house address 1421 B Street, San Diego Township, San Diego, California. Ten years later, referencing the 1920 Census great-grandmother Marie is still living at B Street. The house numbers are different, 1421 versus 925, but that doesn't appear to be a big deal. And her name is now Anglicized... It's now written as Mary instead of the French Marie. But it's her!

And I can confirm the family tale that two of her grandsons; Fred A. and Harold S. Brebner are living with her on the date of the Census reporting, April 4, 1930. The boys are 18 and 16 years old, respectively. It appears that great-grandmother Marie got part of her April 26, 1920 wish to come true; the wish she had written "I want my twoo boys and my little Cécile to keep me company during the day." Reported on the 1930 Census, the boys immigrated to the United States in 1920. Isn't the adage something to the effect of "one shouldn't wish for something too hard, for it may come true"? And yes, I know I'm taking a bit of literary license, but quoting a phrase from a 1923 letter from great-grandmother Marie to grandmother Jeanne, "I have alot of work to do wash and iron the cloths, cook, and do the house work for I have two bad boys who dont help me and there is no servants to do it for me", it certainly seems that the two grandsons may have been a handful. And of course they would be! Can you image a 62-year old grandmother handling two youngsters; Fred an 11-year old and Harold a 9-year old?

There are a few other letters from "Aunt Catoche" to my grandmother Jeanne. We can speculate that this may have been great-grandaunt Célestine. Catoche is not grandaunt Cécile, as she, grandaunt Cécile is referred to by "Aunt Catoche" in a couple of the letters. Also, the constructions of the letters can be considered "Franglish-type" as at times the grammar and spelling of words are a combination of English and French. To date I have not found any other family member or relative that may fit the bill that Catoche was not great-grandaunt Célestine (née July) St. Philippe. And I'll keep looking.

But on to reconstruct the live of great-grandmother Marie Antoinette (née July) Abraham. As the 1940 US Census has not been released, my next task is to locate any other reference specific to her. A death record?

To be continued...

Enjoy,

Jim

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June 18, 2009 - They're Sisters - Great-Grandmother Marie - Part 5

Morning,

Supper last night, Cauliflower and Mushroom Gougère and a fresh salad... Took a bit of time, about an hour prep-time, and about an hour baking. Mr. Green Jeans got the thyme out of the garden... Not bad.

And I left off in Part 4 asking the questions "Who is Celestine St. Philippe? Is Mrs. St. Philippe related to great-grandmother Marie? Is she a younger sister? Is she Aunt Cotoche?" Was she the reason that great-grandmother Marie and her daughter, Cécile ended up in San Diego?

Well, when I checked out the information on the 1920 US Census page, the same page that included both great-grandmother and Mrs. Celestine St. Philippe, I couldn't help but notice that great-grandmother immigrated to the United States in 1919. I also remarked that the widow St. Philippe immigrated to the United States in what appears to read "1908". Okay, that is at least 11 years before great-grandmother Marie... but at the same time one could say that it could be a viable reason for her being in San Diego. Thinking about it, I knew that I could look for some immigration paperwork: Marie Abraham in 1919; and Celestine St. Philippe around 1908. And off to the races... sorry... Ancestry.com.

Deborah, it may have been that great-grandmother Marie wanted to go either of the two World's Fair hosted by San Diego... I'll never know, but she was about five years too late for the Panama-California Exhibition in 1915... and a wee bit too early for the 1935 California Pacific International Exposition... though she may have attended. Thanks.

Bingo! I discovered a two-page passenger manifest for a "Marie Antoinette Abraham" and "Cecile B. Abraham", Lines 2 and 3 respectively, which indicates that they sailed from British Guiana & The West Indies on the 28th of September 1919, (on the left). And hallelujah, the manifest was typed! This means that I do not have to learn an author's script and decipher his writing idiosyncrasies. The ship was the S.S. Parima and had arrived in New York on 10 October 1919, (on the right). The brochure inserted above is of the "Quebec Steamship Company" which owned the S.S. Parima which I believe was scrapped in 1925.

New York? October? Quite a distance from San Diego. But the identified 1920 Census was created on the 3rd and 5th of January. That would mean that great-grandmother Marie and grandaunt Cécile would have two-and-a-half months to get to San Diego. Not impossible, but one hell of a distance more after traveling about 2600 miles, 4100 kilometers. Their trip would be another 2400 miles, 3900 kilometers, which means that they were only halfway to their intended destination. And on page 2 of the Passenger Manifest there it is, in response to "Whether going to join a relative or friend; and if so, what relative or friend, and his name and complete address." Great-grandmother Marie was going to join her "Sister, Mrs. C. St. Philippe, 1108 East St. San Diego Ca."

Mrs. Celestine St. Philippe was my great-grandaunt and her daughter was my 1st cousin twice removed. Great-grandmother Marie was going to visit family. She and grandaunt Cécile were going for a "3 Months" stay... and she intended "to return to country whence he (they) came after engaging temporarily in laboring pursuits in the United States." Well I know that that's not true, the letter, inserted in Part 3, great-grandmother Marie wrote from San Diego to my grandmother Jeanne was dated "April 26 1920".... and it doesn't read like she intends to return shortly back to British Guiana... but then I could have misread something in the translation?

I've included another update to great-grandmother Marie's Descendant Chart. All new additions, changes, and/or insertions are highlighted in red.


And there are a couple additional bits of information, her daughter, my grandmother's name is indicated as "Janet" in Column 12 of the Manifest, and great-grandmother's place of birth is included as "Bordeau, France" on the immigration page. (Please note that information can always change and one source does not necessarily stand alone.)

To be continued...

Enjoy,

Jim

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June 15. 2009 - Great-Grandmother Marie and Aunt Cotoche? - Part 4

Morning,

But again, why did she up and go to San Diego?

Continuing from Part 3, in the 1920 letter great-grandmother Marie writes that "I dont go out much except to go to Aunt Cotoche." And who is/was Aunt Cotoche?

The Wikepedia reference to the name Cotoche I found was Cabo Catoche. It is/was a place in the Yucatan Peninsula, not necessarily a nickname... and I won't even attempt to speculate here.

Throughout the small collection of letters there appears to be numerous references to persons by nicknames, and I suppose that this is common... I've always been known by the family as Jimmy. Every Census I've ever filed or responded to I use my birth name James... but Cotoche. Different time. Different place. Different language.

And I'm thinking that in not too many cases a 59-year old widow with a single daughter who had lived, and "in-tune" with her surroundings in another part of the world, would venture out alone in 1919 to a strange country, not saying that California is strange, but you know what I mean, I thought that there must have been some relative, friend or acquaintance that they were going to visit. Why not? On that note I began looking through the 1920 US Census pages before and after the enumeration of great-grandmother Marie and her daughter, grandaunt Cécile. I was looking for someone maybe with some French roots, that is, either they or a parent born in France. Made sense. Great-grandmother Marie was listed that she had been born in France.

I was using Ancestry.com and knew that there were only 15 pages allocated to the same Enumeration District, No 296, as that of great-grandmother. I scanned each page image... approximately 451 people. I focused on those people who had any reference to France in their individual information. On the same page, just below the entry for great-grandmother Marie, I noticed a listing on Line 93 for a Celestine St. Philippe, a widow and age 48 years, and Line 94, her daughter Muriel, age 16 years. I could not make out completely the entry for Celestine St. Philippe's place of birth, but her daughter Muriel's parents' location of birth was entered as French Guiana. Close! Very close... but not France. And Cayenne, French Guiana (now Guyanne) is close, as the crow flies by 416 miles or 670 kilometers, to Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana). And even today French Guiana is a part of France.

And who is Celestine St. Philippe? The widow Celestine, according to the 1920 USA Census taken in San Diego, lived around the corner from great-grandmother Marie, only two minutes away? Is Mrs. St. Philippe related to great-grandmother? Is she a younger sister? Is she Aunt Cotoche?

To be continued...

Enjoy,

Jim

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June 14, 2009 - Great-Grandmother Marie - Still Why? - Part 3

Afternoon,

As I ended Part 2 I stated that great-grandmother Marie "decided to go on a trip." And of course, I don't know if she did decide to go on a trip, nor have I been privy to any such detail, but she did end up in San Diego, California... quite a distance from Georgetown, British Guiana.

And so I began checking out United States Census records. But where to start my search? How could I narrow down the time frame? Four facts were certain:

1. Great-grandfather Frederick Abraham had passed away 13 July 1901 in Georgetown, British Guiana,
2. Grandparents Jeanne Abraham and Hubert Smith were married sometime after 23 March 1918 in Georgetown, British Guiana,
3. Granduncle Frederick Abraham was killed 2 October 1918 in Joncourt, France, and
4. My father, Frederick Smith, who was born 6 April 1920 in St. George's, Grenada and grew up in Georgetown, British Guiana, never met his grandmother Marie.

It would appear that a review of 1920 US Census records may provide some information.

The obvious first place to start would be California as correspondence between my grandmother Jeanne (written as Jeannette) and her mother, my great-grandmother Marie indicated. One of a few letters from my great-grandmother was addressed and dated "925 B. Street. San Diego, Cal." and "April 26 1920", respectively.

Please note that great-grandmother Marie writes her granddaughter's name, my aunt Cecile (née Smith) Olton, as Cécile. (Cousin Zoë just confirmed that her mother was named Cécile, and now I understand why I had to learn placement of accents when I learned French in school in Montreal.)

I wonder who were the "my twoo boys" she mentions in the letter? A guess: As my father was born on the 6th of April, great-grandmother Marie's only other grandchildren at about that time in 1920, were my 1st cousins once removed; Frederick A., born 17 November 1911, and his brother Harold Simpson, born circa 1913, Brebner.

And a review of a 1920 US Census in San Diego, dated the 3rd and 5th of January 1920 revealed on Lines 82 and 83 a Marie Abraham, as Head of House living with her daughter, Cecelia, (aka Cécile). The address of the house was at 925 B Street, San Diego Township, County of San Diego, California, a match with the April 25th letter.


The 1920 Census contains other key notations:

1. That great-grandmother Marie and her daughter, grandaunt Cécile immigrated to the United States in 1919;
2. That great-grandmother Marie was born in France; and
3. That grandaunt Cécile was born in British Guiana.

It also includes, what looks like, that great-grandmother Marie was 59 years old and a widow, and that grandaunt Cécile was 26 years old and single. This would mean that great-grandmother Marie was born about 1861 and grandaunt Cécile was born about 1894. This certainly works for grandaunt Cécile as she would have been about seven years old when her father passed away in 1901, as mentioned in The Argosy obituary referenced in Part 1. The obituary also implies that the seven-year old was the youngest in 1901 so I may infer that grandaunt Cécile was the youngest Abraham child.

But again, why did she up and go to San Diego?

I've included an update to great-grandmother Marie's Descendant Chart with changes and/or additions in red.


Keep in touch... Thanks David, Chris, Paula, Sandy, Lola and Zoë. I would certainly like to hear from anyone if you have any information, thoughts, changes, etc...

Enjoy. To be continued...

Jim

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June 13, 2009 - Great-Grandmother Marie - Why? - Part 2

Evening,

Panic in the menagerie this afternoon. A really large white duck flew into and slammed into the screen over the pool and patio. You can imagine the trotting and galloping of six quadrupeds... It was like the Kentucky Derby. All six, chasing an unknown thing, a white blur, round and round the pool. They really had to have been confused! Not one barked. So much for the excitement in my life.

Initially, the "why" great-grandmother Marie went to San Diego, California in the United States from Georgetown, British Guiana was an unknown. Today I can make a few assumptions but I'm not going to go into that at this point in time. I'll let you develop your own hypothesis for her reasonings. I'll just present the facts, and the myths as I find them.

Growing up, I had heard that my father's mother, grandmother Jeanne (née Abraham) Smith Mann's mother, my great-grandmother, Marie Abraham had been French and was from France. That was an accepted truth... I had no reason to question it. I never met my great-grandmother Marie, and as I discovered neither had my father. And all of the recent questions I asked provided answers that she, great-grandmother Marie, was from France.

My first discovery as indicated in Part 1, was that great-grandmother Marie and great-grandfather Fred Abraham had five children; a son and four daughters. Great-grandmother Marie became a widow as quoted from the Demerara, Saturday, July 13, 1901 edition of The Argosy on the 12th of July; "which occurred at his, (Mr. Fred Abraham's), residence, Croal Street, shortly before nine o'clock yesterday morning."

The clip of the inserted map provides a present day map of Georgetown and the location of Croal St, at the left end of the map.

Allen Morrison's website, titled The Tramways of Georgetown provides a good series of pictures and drawings of what Georgetown may have looked like about when great-grandfather Fred Abraham passed away in 1901.

The next critical date that I have, (thanks for the copy, Zoë), is the British Guiana Marriage Licence for my grandparents Hubert Lloyd Smith and Jeanne Lucie Ernestine Abraham. This date was 23 March 1918. See an enlarged image of the original Licence by clicking on the insert to the left. (You should note that there are no ages or dates of birth provided on the Marriage Licence, and so this point we can only guess.)

Family lore indicated that two of my grandmother's three sisters; grandaunts Edmée and Renée were possibly already married. (You'll note that I now type grandaunt Edmée's name and not Esme, as indicated on the first Descendant Chart. Again family lore and other sources have presumed it to have been either Esmé or Edmée.)

A major event in the life of great-grandmother Marie appears to next have been the death of granduncle Frederick Henry Abraham, her only son. He was killed in World War I near Joncourt, France on 2 October 1918. (See my blog posting of May 23, 2009.) This was more than likely a devastating blow. And with the small amount of information gathered, she was alone, a widow in a foreign country - British Guiana, with a foreign language - English and with only her youngest daughter - grandaunt Cecile.

And so she decided to go on a trip.

To be continued in Part 3...

Enjoy,

Jim

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June 12, 2009 - New Hard-Drive and Great-Grandmother Marie - Part 1

Evening,

The PC is back. A new hard drive and cleaned... and polished, and ready to go. And the change was seamless! All I had to do was plug all my components in to the correct sockets and up-up-and-away. Thank-you to Bella for trying to be so involved in what I was doing.I shooed her away.

Bella, in the back, decided to join Tinker, in the front, sunbathing on the porch. (Thanks Ray for the touch-up.)

I did find a relatively new Trojan on my old hard-drive last week, "Trojan-pws-daonol". This Trojan had nothing to do with my hard-drive giving up it's ghost, so-to-speak. But it did do exactly what the numerous postings I read about it said it would do. On the day it arrived, it shut down and screwed up my PC audio system. The next part of the Trojan issue is that the dastardly spammer can remotely access a PC and copy out IDs and passwords. It is so new that a number of people in-the-know didn't even know about it. Don't know how it got in... I don't open strange emails or attachments and I have various levels of up-to-date firewalls... but it got in and did a number on my audio system... I was able to quarantine and eliminate the Trojan using Spy Sweeper. I ran Spy Sweeper a second time and Norton as a backup check, and both showed a follow-up non-existence and non-presence of the pain. I got rid of the Trojan and was able to reset my audio, which is now working better than ever.

And on to my genealogy. Why did great-grandmother Marie Abraham leave British Guiana and move to California?

When did she leave? How did she travel the approximate 4200 miles, 6730 kilometers or 3630 nautical miles? From Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana) to San Diego, California, USA? Why did she take her youngest daughter, grandaunt Cecile with her? And again, why did she go? Was there someone there waiting for her?

Cousins Toni and Zoë had gathered a number of letters, photographs and a few documents that they had received from their Mother, my aunt Cecile. All-things-being-equal Aunt Cecile (née Smith) Olton may have been named for grandaunt Cecile (née Abraham) Ham. (Thanks David and Toni, to date I have not found another ancestor named Cecile, in my research.)


Taking the initial information that I was able to amass, I put together a descendant chart of my great-grandmother Marie (née July) Abraham. Bits and pieces of the puzzle began to take shape in the recreation of this family. Click on the descendant chart to see an enlarged depiction of the initial family information. Please note that this descendant chart will continue to evolve during the course of this research project.

An obituary from The Argosy, a Georgetown, British Guiana (now Guyana) newspaper, dated 13 July 1901 stated that great-grandfather Fred Abraham "is survived by a widow and five children, the eldest of whom is a boy aged fourteen and the youngest is aged seven."

This information determined that great-grandmother Marie's eldest child, granduncle Frederick Henry, (aka, at times, Frederic Henri), was born about 1887. Her youngest and fifth child, probably grandaunt Cecile, may have been born according to the obituary around 1894.

Beginning with this information I then began the trek to get to know my great-grandmother Marie, the great-grandmother who passed away about 11 years before I was born. One thing that is almost definite is that my great-grandparents, Fred and Marie Abraham had five children, living in 1901; a son and four daughters. I noticed that The Argosy article does not mention the name of my great-grandmother or the five children... Curious?

Part 2 to follow,

Enjoy,

Jim

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May 23, 2009 - A Memorial - 2nd Lieut. Frederick Henry Abraham - Part 1

Good day,

And the question was, "Where is the final resting place of my granduncle Frederick Henry Abraham?" He was killed in World War I on the 2nd of October, 1918, and I wanted to find his final and exact resting place.

I had been told that granduncle Frederick Henry's grave was someplace in France, somewhere near the northern border in a place called Joncourt... and that's almost halfway between Brussels and Paris. I had gathered some bits of information, data, and photographs from family and friends. (Thanks Toni and Zoe.) These pieces most certainly held the keys to where granduncle Frederick Henry was laid to rest.

Granduncle 2nd Lieutenant Frederick Henry Abraham, pictured at the left, was born on the 4th of July, 1886 at Soesdyke, Demerara, British Guiana, which is now the country of Guyana.

His parents were Frederick and Catherine Marie Antoinette (née July) Abraham. Frederick Henry was the only son of five children. His sisters were: René Marie Hyde (née Abraham) Brebner, Edmée Blanche Émeline (née Abraham) Salmon, Jeanne Lucie Ernestine (née Abraham) Smith Mann (my Grandmother), and Cécile Blanche (née Abraham) Ham. He was my father's uncle.

Grandmother Jeanne had in her possession a letter dated the 30th of November, 1918. The letter is addressed to a Mr. Rénier and was written by a Lt. Col. Compton Smith of the 16th Lancashire Fusiliers. The letter is a letter of condolences to one Mr. Rénier on the death of his nephew, Frederick Henry Abraham. And no one had any idea who was this Mr. Rénier.

After much discussion and research I finally discovered that Mr. Rénier was married to one of my great grandmother Catherine Marie Antoinette's sisters, great-grandaunt Marie Eugénie Berthe (née July) Rénier Clergeau. And that would make Mr. Rénier, the husband of great-grandaunt Marie Eugénie Berthe, my great-grandaunt Marie Eugénie Berthe, my Great-granduncle. I had discovered this marriage from a notation added in the margin of her 1868 Birth Register from Cayenne, French Guiana, known today as Guyanne.

Transcribing great-granduncle Valentin Aimé Rénier's letter I understand a brief but detailed account of granduncle Frederick Henry's passing on the 2nd of October in 1918.

"Dear Monsieur Rénier

Your nephew 2nd Lieut Fred Abraham was killed on October 2nd, just South of JONCOURT, RAMICOURT road about 9.15 am.

The Battalion was attacking RAMICOURT, and your nephew was in command of the left front company (D). This company was checked by machine gun fire from the direction of WAINCOURT, and your nephew very gallantly endeavoured to bring a Lewis gun into position to fire on the hostile machine-gun. He was shot in the head while so doing, and passed away at once without pain.

He is buried just EAST of a sunken road, about 1000 meters EAST of JONCOURT. The cemetery where he lies contains about 130 graves of those who fell on the same day. The cemetery is marked by a cross on a mound, but the actual grave is only marked by a stick with a time disc bearing number 453. This number is, however, registered, and a cross with his name will be put up in due course by the British Graves Registration Commissioners.

I enclose a map on which I have marked by means of arrows the position of his grave, the place where he fell, & the position (approximately) of the machine gun which killed him. I hope this will enable you to identify the localities.

Your nephew was exceedingly popular with both the men & officers of this regiment, and much respected in account of his character & gallantry.

If there is any further assistance that I can give you in any way, I shall be most happy to do so, if you will let me know.



Yours sincerely,
Gd Compton: Smith Lt. Col.
16th Lancashire Fusiliers"

And no one has a copy, that I am aware, of Lt. Col. Smith's map. But today's technology, especially Google Earth, is a tremendous tool which helps in mapping directions and points of interest. And that's just what I did... I took the points as outlined in the letter and was able to find the location were granduncle Frederick Henry was shot by the enemy, and from what direction.

Check out the map. It was constructed with Google Earth and CorelDraw 4... It's a wonder of what we can visualize through today's modern technological innovations. My family history comes alive and at my personal computer I can feel the moments of my granduncle Frederick Henry.


Enjoy,

Jim

To be continued... Check back.

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