Part 714p - Smith Groh Genealogy - The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway - 1893 - There's No Place Like Home

Good Day,

I suppose I should not be surprised that something new in my genealogy search for the life and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway is always going to show up.

And yes I know that Michigan is not Kansas, but I didn't think I would have to stumble over an article from a newspaper from South Dakota.

From a 13 May 1893 issue of The Daily Huronite I discovered the reporting that a tornado hit in the vicinity of Pinckney in the Putnam Township.

Reading the article I immediately focused on the surname Placeway. It was William Placeway. "The cyclone next struck the premises of William Thompson and William Placeway, half a mile further east, destroying all their farm buildings, orchards, windmills, etc." All-things-being-equal this William Placeway was the father of ggg-grandfather Brayton C.. This could be gggg-grandfather William H. Placeway.

Logically, ggg-grandfather Brayton C. and his twin brother, ggg-granduncle Clayton C., who were born in 1888, would have been about five years old in 1893 at the time of the tornado strike. According to The Daily Huronite Article "All the members of both families (i.e. Thompson and Placeway) were injured, but it is said none seriously."

To further provide additional support that this may have been our Placeway Family, I then read in the article that "A cyclone passed two miles east of this village (i.e., Pinckney) at 2 o'clock a.m... It first struck the barns and buildings of Louis Dryer... The cyclone next struck the premises of William Thompson and William Placeway, half a mile further east..."

I then discovered an 1875 Putnam Township Land Map. This map provided me with the location of the Village of Pinckney and the various locations Placeway (in yellow) and Thompson (in blue) properties. It is almost conceivable to track the actual path of the 1893 tornado.

1875 Putnam Township Land Map U.S.,
Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

The W. H. Placeway indicated on the 1875 map, all-things-being-equal, has to be gggg-grandfather William Henry Placeway, father of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. But there is a modicum of doubt as the map was drawn in 1875, 13 years before the 1893 tornado.

And then I chanced upon another Land Map; a 1915 Putnam Township map. Property owned in the name of W. H. Placeway are on the map. Some of the W. H. Placeway properties are almost in the same location as indicated in the 1875 map. This information provides further support that the 1893 tornado did destroy Placeway buildings and property, as reported by The Daily Huronite of South Dakota. The only issue now is that gggg-grandfather William Henry had passed away four years earlier in 1911 on a visit trip to Iowa.

1915 Putnam Township Land Map U.S.,
Indexed County Land Ownership Maps, 1860-1918,
Library of Congress, Washington, D.C.

A point of information regarding the 1915 Putnam Township map is that I have highlighted, in yellow, a property labeled "Roy Placeway". From my research and discovery to date I believe, that this Roy Placeway could be ggg-grandfather Brayton's 1st cousin, older by 12 years.

This Mystery of GGG-Grandfather Brayton C. Placeway Posting has certainly challenged my search and research skills. And all I can say is that "You were there, and you were there... and most definitely he was there."

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 713p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – 1916 Flint to Perry

Good Day,

Here is another article, actually a social news-note that I just stumbled upon, in my genealogy search to reconstruct the life and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway is dated 29 November 1916. This note is from the “Perry Paragraphs” of The Flint Daily Journal. “Mr. and Brayton Placeway… motored to Perry, Sunday…”

A logical conclusion could be that this was ggg-grandfather Brayton and his second wife, Johanna (née Plischke). The month is November 1916; the notice for his subsequent and intended divorce from Johanna appeared in The Flint Daily Journal a year later in November 1917.

A quick search of information of Flint, Michigan, details that the population of the area increased from about 13,000 in 1910 to somewhere in the vicinity of 86,000 in 1916. That is about a 560% increase. Astounding… and then I learned that in 1908 one William Durant organized the General Motors Company and these were the early boom years of the automobile industry. Sort of explains why “Mr. and Mrs. Placeway motored to Perry”, a short 35 miles away.

Now my curiosity is peaked. It is recorded that gg-granduncle Robert Arthur Placeway, all-things-being-equal was ggg-grandfather Brayton C.’s son, was born on 9 July 1916 in Cook County, Illinois. And then ggg-grandfather Brayton is living, as reported by the 1920 US Census, with his first wife, ggg-grandmother Mary (née Seigel), their daughter, gg-grandmother Edith (née Placeway) and son, gg-granduncle Robert. I need to now find the Birth Registration for gg-granduncle Robert Arthur Placeway.

This is getting a wee bit confusing… and I was warned.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 712d – Brunhammer Doherty Genealogy – 1893 Birth and Baptism – Grandfather Gerald Doherty

Good Day,

The Doherty Genealogy and Family Line research and search carries on. From the 1893 recordings of the St. Paul’s Register of Baptisms I have located the Baptism Registration of Grandfather Gerald Doherty.

Here is the image as downloaded from the St. Paul’s Register of Baptisms from Item 5 of the microfilm FHL [1788084]. Due to the size of the page and image, I had to copy the left and right size of the page individually. I then cut and paste the two pieces to create a single image.

My transcription –

292

Register of Baptisms

1893 Date – March 26
Name of Child – Gerald
Lawful Child for – Gerald P Doherty & Mary
Born – March 11
Sponsors – Cornelius McLaughlin & Marg Doherty
Name of Priest – M Y Fallon

Comments, ideas, thoughts, and questions definitely welcomed.

Enjoy,

Jim

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Part 711p - Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway - 1906 Detroit

Good Day,

And my genealogy hunt continues to understand the life and times of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway... and continues.

Last night I stumbled across, through Genealogy Bank, a couple of articles, actually minuscule notices from a couple of newspapers. All-things-being-equal they each had to have something to do with ggg-grandfather Brayton.

The first is from the 19 July 1906 issue of the Pinckney Dispatch.

If this is ggg-grandfather Brayton, the Local News blurb writes that he is visiting his parents. It indicates that he now, at 18 years old, is living in Detroit, Michigan about 60 miles away from his parents, gggg-grandparents William and Arvilla (nee Spaulding)Placeway.

A couple of facts can be extrapolated from the news note. This include:

1. Pinckney, Michigan is where ggg-grandfather Brayton and his twin brother, ggg-granduncle Clayton were born.

2. GGGG-Grandfather William Placeway did not pass away, as yet, until 1911, when he was visiting one of his daughters in Iowa.

My question - What was ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway doing in Detroit? Guess I'll have to keep searching and research more documents and data bits.

Social notes from city and town newspapers are sometimes a great place to find a small detail(s) of an ancestor's life.

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

Jim

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Part 710p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – Whatever Happened to Johanna (née Plischke) Placeway?

Good Day,

Sometimes in the search and understanding of genealogy, documentary information and data may provide an answer. And then, sometimes the information does not get you any further ahead.

Accordingly ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway filed for a divorce from his 2nd wife Johanna (née Plischke) of Austria, per The Flint Daily Journal of 17 November 1917. (See Part 697p.) Also I have the 1920 US Census that on 9 January 1920 ggg-grandfather Brayton was living with his first wife, ggg-grandmother Mary (née Seigel), his children, and his in-laws. They were living in Wauwatosa City, in the County of Milwaukee, Wisconsin.

I chanced upon the 1920 US Census for one Johanna Placeway. This Johanna Placeway is a roomer on 8 January 1920 at 816 Buckham Street in Flint City, in the County of Genesee, Michigan. She was employed as a "Drill Press Operator" at an "Auto Factory".The distance between Johanna and ggg-grandfather Brayton is one day, per the dates of the Censuses, and due west across Lake Michigan about 250 miles, as the crow flies.

There are a couple of points recorded in the 1920 Flint City Census that peak my interest and genealogical curiosity. The Johanna Placeway enumerated on the Census has to be ggg-grandfather Brayton’s wife or ex-wife. Her birthplace, as well as that of her parents, is listed as “Bohemia”. (See Part 694p.) And of course these listed points raise some questions.

1. Johanna Placeway is noted as Married – “M”. My question – When did ggg-grandfather Brayton’s and Johanna (née Plischke)’s 17 November publication for divorce become final?

2. The year of immigration to the United States recorded for Johanna is “1900”. She is also listed as “Na” – “Naturalized” in the year “1915”. The year 1915 makes sense; based on the 1 February 1915 Emergency Passport Application issued at the American Embassy in Berlin, Germany to both ggg-grandfather Brayton and his wife Johanna. My question – Did Johanna visit/come to the United States in the year 1900? Why?

3. Was ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway legally divorced from his first wife, ggg-grandmother Mary (née Seigel)?

And I guess I just keep on searching…

Stay tuned, and enjoy,

Jim

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Part 709p – Smith Groh Genealogy – The Mystery of Brayton C. Placeway – Updated Ancestral Mapping

Good Day,

Visual tools are complimentary in genealogy to the detail and information found. I have used Ancestral Atlas, an ancestry mapping software, to provide a graphic mapping and overview of key pinpoints and locations that ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway.

This current mapping begins with the pinpoints of ggg-grandfather Brayton’s birth in 1888 and follows through to the enumeration and recording of his residence with his family per the 1920 United States Census. I have added the connecting red dotted lines to provide the connection between key locations.

As I follow the life and times and mysteries of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway, I will be adding key pinpoints to track his various locations and occupations.

To date, and between 1888 and 1920 these are the various recorded and reported jobs attributed to ggg-grandfather Brayton.

1888 – 17 April – Birth of twin brothers Brayton C. and Clayton C. Placeway, Putnam, Livingston, Michigan, USA

1900 – 11 June – Student, Putnam, Livingston, Michigan, USA

1906 – 1915 – Employed with Barnum & Bailey Circus, Europe

1910 – 15 April – Apprentice Seaman, U.S. Navy, Portsmouth, Virginia, USA

1906 – 1915 – English/German Interpreter, Gas Company, Gablonz, Austria (albeit Jablonec nad Nisou, Bohemia)

1915 – 1 February – Theatrical Artist, Berlin, Germany

1920 – 9 January – Stuffing Clerk, Express Company, Wauwatosa City, Milwaukee, Wisconsin

Definitely to be continued. Stay tuned.

Enjoy,

Jim

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My Tangent - Not Only Genealogy But Muffins Too...

Good Day,

Yes, I am obsessed with genealogy... and quilting. But I do have a couple other likes that from time-to-time bide my time.

Today was the third time in a couple of weeks that I set myself back to another one of my long-lost loves; baking.

Who'd'a thought that running a bakery that many years ago would necessarily put me back into the mood to start again? But first, let me explain, I'm not starting a bakery... I'm just doing the baking. I think that there is also the sticker shock after I purchased some baked goods at a specialty coffee and goodies shop.

And I've started off with muffins.

The first batch - Banana, sour cream, and toasted walnuts. Didn't have enough sour cream so I substituted half required with yogurt. Not a bad result, and they didn't last long out of the oven.

The next dozen was Cranberry and orange. But this one doesn't count. This was from a box off the shelf. I was being a bit lazy and thinking that everything would be pre-measured and in easy plastic compartments if I used a box/package. I definitely wanted to see and taste if there was a real difference between homemade and packaged goods. Damn right there's a difference... But I am confused, why did the package mix instructions only state that the resulting batter would make 11 regular-sized muffins?

My next homemade batch was a mixture of cornmeal, flour, bacon, green onions, and three types of cheeses: Asiago, white cheddar, and mozzarella. These were terrific, and you can tell that "Chopped" is definitely having a lasting effect on my approach to cooking.

Today's experiment was blueberry, sugar, and grated lime peel. The recipe called for lemon peel, but I only have a key-lime tree in the back-yard. A blueberry sugar reduction was made to swirl into the batter of each muffin. Also a mixture of sugar and lime peel was mixed and sprinkled on top. Fresh out of the oven, only half a dozen left.

And yes, the above image of six lime-sugared blueberry muffins are the ones out of my oven.

And here's to fairly good baked goods.

Now I will focus on A Genealogy Hunt on my Mystery of the genealogy and life of ggg-grandfather Brayton C. Placeway. Also, got to work on the next new Quilt SB designs.

Enjoy,

Jim

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