Sometimes It's All About Timing

There are times that certain ancestors grab my attention out of the blue. I can't explain how this happens or why... it just does. A couple weeks ago I started thinking about Ann M (Berryman) Fry. She was married to George Fry whom I blogged about here. They were only married a few years when Ann died, leaving behind two sons one of which was Tyree Curtis Fry, my gg grandfather. I always wondered how Tyree got his name and where it came from. I also wondered about Ann. Where did she come from? Why haven't I looked into this sooner, and what is making me think of it now? So I suddenly decided to do a little digging on Ann.

I found Ann listed in the 1860 Platte, Clay County, Missouri census with her father Charles Berryman as head of the house. There were a couple children listed, Ann is 14, but no mother. Next I checked the 1850 Gallatin, Clay County, Missouri census, where the mother, Manerva Berryman, is listed. My hypothesis is that Manerva died sometime between the two census years. What made me gasp though, was the name of Ann's brother listed in the same census, Tyre C Berryman. Apparently Ann named her second son after her brother. In my search I discovered this same brother would also move (follow Ann and her husband?) to Colorado. I was unexpectedly touched by this. As far as I can tell this is the only sibling that moved to Colorado. What makes this especially powerful is that Ann became ill in Denver and died in 1873 before any of them settled onto the land there. Her brother easily could have gone back to Missouri where the rest of the family stayed, instead he remained.

After this nugget of information was found I turned to Find A Grave. Sadly I couldn't locate a grave on the site for Manerva/Minerva. It either hasn't been posted yet, or it has been lost to time. I did however find the grave for Charles Berryman. He died in 1864 and appears to be buried in an obscure family cemetery, Eberts Cemetery, located on somebody's farm in Clinton County, Missouri.

Find A Grave, Find A Grave Index, 1836-2011, digital images (http://www.findagrave.com: accessed 25 July 2013), photograph, gravestone for Charles H. Berryman (died 1864), Clinton County, Missouri.

The photo was posted just 1 month ago on Find A Grave! How is that for timing? Some may say it was luck, coincidence, or just diligent researching. A Roman philosopher, Seneca, said "Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity." While I do agree with this to a point, sometimes it's all about the timing too.

An Unexpected Bonding Over Genealogy

As parents we often wonder how we can get our children interested in things we are interested in. It is a natural tendency to do this, as a way of sharing our interests, a way of communicating, and perhaps trying to bond with our children in some way. Sometimes our children show a keen interest, a polite interest, or... well... absolutely no interest.

For the past year my 7 year old has been trying to make sense of what I do. Just trying to pronounce genealogist was the first hurdle. At first he was saying geologist, to which I informed him that would mean I study rocks and land formations. Then the pronunciation evolved to gemologist, and I explained that was the study of gems, which are a different kind of rock. Finally, he got it down to genealogist and I was thankful he didn't progress onto gynecologist (my mother-in-law gets confused with that one), since I didn't want to enter into that discussion with my 7 year old.

So I've taken him to cemeteries. We've gone to a Civil War reenactment where I tell him in passing about an ancestor who was a cavalry man. A couple weeks ago we went to a rodeo and I told him about his great great grandfather who was a cowboy for a time. And of course I show him photos occasionally. I never make a big deal out of any of this, it's just conversation and a little sharing of family history. He shows interest in the moment and then moves on with his life, and that's okay.

Last night, I was not feeling well, and decided after getting my boys to their rooms for the night that I wasn't up for watching a two hour movie (a usual Saturday night activity). Instead, I decided to catch up on an episode of "Finding Your Roots" on dvr and then call it an early night. The episode featured Robert Downey Jr. and Maggie Gyllenhall. I had seen a portion of this episode, but was really interested in seeing all of it. I was particularly interested in Robert's German line. Robert's German ancestors came to Pennsylvania around the same time my German ancestors (the Fry/Frye/Frey's) did. He also had a relative apply to the DAR through a chapter in Huntington, Pennsylvania, which is where a different line of my German ancestors (the Brumbaugh's) were living for a time.

Anyway, shortly after I started watching the program I heard a noise behind me and it was my 7 year old. I don't know how long he had been standing there, but he said, "This looks very interesting. Can I watch it with you?"

I was surprised and patted the space next to me. We watched the show together for about 40 minutes and he was completely fascinated the entire time. At one point he wanted to know if I had been born in 1842 (gak! note to self... I need to show him a timeline). He enjoyed watching "Finding Your Roots" so much that he asked if he could watch future episodes with me. I never would have thought that such a sophisticated program would have appealed to my 7 year old. It just goes to show that bonding over genealogy with family (or friends and strangers) can happen in the most unexpected ways.

More Death Certificates

I was thrilled to finally receive two death certificates that I had ordered from Colorado, after a little back and forth that required me to send them a family tree. Strange, I know, but whatever it takes right? Anyway, one thrilling fact was that neither of these two ancestors died from cancer. It seems lately I've been making the grim discovery of an increasingly large amount of cancer related deaths in my heritage. Which reminds me, I need to make that doctor's appointment (I'm a little paranoid now).

Tiery/Tirey Curtis FRY was my great great grandfather. In most documents I find he usually goes by the name Curt or Curtis, hardly ever Tiery/Tirey. He was born in Missouri on 18 November 1870, and died in Paonia, Delta County, Colorado on 10 May 1949 from chronic congestive heart failure. All of the information on the death certificate matched with the information I already had, which is great. I thought that was curious though. Why? Well Tiery's mother, Anna (Berryman) FRY died when he was about 3 years old. So who was this informant that supplied the correct name of a mother for him? The informant (person who supplies the personal details for the death certificate) was listed as Mrs. Jess BARROW. Don't you just love that women are identified by their husband's name (argh)?! After a little searching of census records I determine it is his daughter Marguerite, and (bonus!) I now have her husband's name!

The other death certificate is of my ggg grandmother, Mary Caroline (Risenhoover) Alderson. She was born in Arkansas on 17 September 1855, and died in Paonia, Delta County, Colorado on 7 November 1933 from cerebral hemiplegia. Again the information matched with what I had and I was struck by the accuracy of it. Mary's father, Asa Risenhoover, died about 1855 or 1856. The informant this time was Mrs. Gus W. Roeber (again with the man's name!). So back to the census search and my lineage software to determine that it is her daughter Fannie. In my notes (taken from a cousin's information) I had recorded that she had died many years before 1933, so I was thrilled to discover proof of her still alive. Yay!

I never know what to expect when I receive death certificates and tend to keep my expectations low. How thrilling to make these discoveries! I'm also deeply impressed that two children of the deceased were able to provide accurate information, especially on people that their parents most likely had no memory of to pass on.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun-List Your Matrilineal Line

Every Saturday night Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings posts a fun activity to do. Tonight's mission, should you chose to accept it (sorry, couldn't help myself) is to list all the women as far back as you can go on your mother's side. Also, if you've done a mtDNA test then list that too, which I haven't

So here's to the ladies....

a) Cinamon
b) Mom (still living) married Stephen Whitsett
c) Mary Lou Brumbaugh (b. 21 April 1931 OH  d. 21 Nov. 2005 TX) married LIVING
d) Anna May Fry (b. 2 May 1896 CO  d. 22 Oct. 1976 WA) married Albert Miles Brumbaugh
e) Louilla "Lula" Alderson (b. 8 Oct 1872 MO   d. 21 Feb 1927 CO) married Tiery Curtis Fry
f) Mary Caroline Risenhoover (b. 17 Sept. 1855 AR  d. 7 Nov 1933 CO) married Samuel Alexander          
                                                                                                                                     Alderson
g) Delila Caroline Kirby (b. 6 Aug. 1838 AL  d. 1 Dec. 1891 CO) married Asahel J. Risenhoover

I'd like to do a mtDNA test at some point. Until then I have plenty of research to keep me busy with the people listed above.

Tombstone Tuesday-Annie Fry

I don't know much about my ggg grandmother, Anna/Annie Fry. I know she married my ggg grandfather, George W. Fry in Missouri and they had two sons. The youngest son was born in 1871 and is my gg grandfather. Through family members that I have only exchanged emails with, I found out that Annie died around January 1873 in Denver, Colorado. Nothing else is known.

So the other day, after lunch my son wanted to watch a movie (one that we have watched together countless times), and I decided to amuse myself with Find-A-Grave while I sat next to him. I plodded through a list of ancestors and had a hit. Annie Fry! The gravestone is not in the best of conditions. It is located at Fairmount Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. I was very excited to see that an age was listed on the gravestone. This means I have an approximate birth date now.

There are other ancestors of mine that are buried in Colorado. They are listed on the Find-A-Grave website with no photo. I've requested for a volunteer to take one. We'll see what happens.

Isn't it funny how there are times you can reach such frustration in your research trying to find clues. Then you come across some very unexpected clues or answers that makes it all worth it. This was one of those times.