From Sea to Shining Sea

#52ancestors
No. 22—May 28-June 3
So Far Away: From Sea to Shining Sea
By Myra Vanderpool Gormley © 2018


 If you want to hear experienced genealogists chuckle, just comment that “Our ancestors did not move much in the old days.” Then prepare to hear dozens of stories about their roaming ancestors. 

While I was aware of the various migrations paths that my early American families followed, especially in Colonial times, what surprised me most was how fast they left the East Coast and headed west. It was like they had an itch to travel. 

Some of them didn’t even wait for the Revolutionary War to end before they headed off to greener pastures in Tennessee. From there, it was a hop, skip and jump to the heartland of America — Missouri — where some of my family were before 1820. Then it took only a couple more decades and they were on the West Coast, in Oregon, Washington and California. 

My 3g-grandfather, William Vanderpool (1808-1884), was born in the northwest corner of North Carolina and died in the Cherokee Nation in 1884. If he had made the trip — as the crow flies — it would have been about 1,285 miles. But, William zig-zagged his way to the Indian Territory and in the process accrued about 2,100 miles — and it took him 56 years to do so. 

He married his first wife in 1828 in Tennessee, moved back to North Carolina, then on to Indiana, down to Kentucky, off to Missouri, Iowa, and Kansas; back to Missouri, down to Arkansas, and finally over to Indian Territory. That’s excluding a few moves back and forth between Missouri and Arkansas. 

He had 19 children by two wives and 17 of his children grew to adulthood. He moved so often that I found him twice in the 1850 census. 

His occupations, other than moving and producing children, included Missouri State legislator, a farrier for the Union Army, postmaster, blacksmith, a grist mill operator, an intruder, and a farmer. 

As might be expected, he had no moss on him, anywhere. 

Marching to Brandywine

#52andestors Week 21—Military
Marching to Brandywine 
By Myra Vanderpool Gormley © 2018 





Johann Michael Treece (called by his Rufname — Michael — as was the German custom) served during the American Revolution on the American side. He was one of many young men of Germanic origins who did. By the middle of the 18th century, about 10 percent of the American Colonies (estimated at 2.5 million) spoke German. 

Michael purportedly was the youngest child of Peter Treece (Dreiss) and Anna Catherine Volck (Folk), His father arrived in Philadelphia on the Mary on 29 September 1733. (Strassburger, Ralph Beaver, and William John Hinke. Pennsylvania German Pioneers: a Publication of the Original Lists of Arrivals in the Port of Philadelphia from 1727 to 1808.Vol. I, Genealogical Pub. Co., 1980, pp. 130-133). His mother, Anna Catherina Volk, was born in 1715 in New York but she was the child of a German couple — Andreas Volck and Anna Catherina Meckel — who were part of the band of Palatine emigrants who arrived on the Globe in 1708 led by the Rev. Joshua Kocherthal. (Knittle, W. A., Ph.D. (n.d.). The Palatine Emigration of 1708. Retrieved May 26, 2018, from http://threerivershms.com/knittlech2.htm) 

He noted many years later, in 1833, when he applied for a soldier’s pension, that “during the whole time I was in the service of the United States and for some time after, I could not talk or understand one word of the English language.” 

His service in the Pennsylvania militia from Northampton County included being drafted at times and volunteering at others — usually serving in two-month stints. He also served as a substitute at one point. He was among those who marched into the neighborhood of Philadelphia to Germantown “where we joined General Washington, and we marched to Brandywine.” 

Marquis de Lafayette

As an 18-year-old private he participated in the Battle of Brandywine on 26 September 1777 as part of Ritter’s Company of the Pennsylvania militia. Sir William Howe, the British commander, defeated the Americans that day with American losses estimated to have been 300 killed, 600 wounded and 400 taken prisoner. While some family historians have read Michael Treece’s Revolutionary War pension application to claim that he was wounded at Brandywine, a closer examination shows that he was referring to the then 19-year-old Marquis de Lafayette, not himself, who was shot in the leg. Additionally, some have claimed Treece was a “hero” at this battle, but I find no evidence whatsoever to confirm this. 

Treece followed a typical migration pattern from Pennsylvania to North Carolina soon after the Revolutionary War and thence to Tennessee in the early 1800s. He married twice and had children by both wives. The name of his first wife is undetermined so far, and by her he had five or six children, one of whom was my ancestor — Mary Magdalena Treece who married Henry D. Fricks about 1804 in North Carolina. By his second wife, Malinda Vaught (Voght) (Faught) (Fite) he had seven children. They married in 1812 in Claiborne County, Tennessee. 

He died quietly in 1840 in Grainger County, Tennessee — an unsung Patriot. 

Thank you for your service.

It's All Greek, et cetera, to Me

It’s all Greek, et cetera, to Me

#52 Ancestors — Another Language May 14-20, 2018

By Myra Vanderpool Gormley ® 2018

Little did I know when I began this journey — digging in the past to learn more about my ancestors — that I would have to deal with several languages and plenty of jargon. But, that’s really been part of the fun of genealogy — exploring history, languages, and technology — plus dealing with my own preconceived notions about my family’s place in the big picture.

In my ignorance and naiveté, I had no idea what “family” really meant and how many ancestors I had that I might actually find historical evidence about, or how many surnames would be involved, and what my ancestors’ roles, especially in American history, were. I was fortunate. I started out knowing the names of seven of my eight greats. Plus my Dad passed along the family legend that our Vanderpools went back to the early Dutch in New Netherland. At the time, I didn’t realize how much of a head-start I had compared to some.

The up-close personal look at history and my ancestors’ part in it also has been fun. It started that day long ago when dad took me to the scene of a lesser-known Civil War battle, usually referred to as an “engagement” in official annals, the one at Honey Springs which took place on 17 July 1863 near what’s Checotah, Oklahoma today (then Indian Territory) and just a few miles from where my dad grew up. I don’t recall exactly how old I was, but I think pre-school. Of course, the early memory is imperfect, but the importance of history was etched into my heart. My father never saw a “historical monument” sign that he ignored, and I suspect that is one of the reasons all four of his children became “history buffs.”

It would be years later when I discovered that my family had fought on both sides of the Civil war — despite family legends to the contrary — and to the consternation of a few relatives who clung to their Confederate myths. History began to come alive for me as read about my ancestors’ participation in this war, and the more I read, the more I wanted to learn, and the more I dug into the records.

Along the way, I learned to decipher chicken-scratch type penmanship, jargon used by genealogists, medical, legal and military fields, plus the geeks. I’ve struggled with long-forgotten Latin and math and pondered over old English, German, Dutch, French and Swedish at times.

Who would have thought that I’d ever use or have to figure out Roman numerals again or that something as ordinary as a calendar date could turn out to be complicated, what with the Julian (Old Style), Gregorian (New Style) and Quaker calendars (the latter did not write the name of a month until 1752, but chose to use numbers with March as the first month.) I certainly did not know that when I started my family tree research.

My vocabulary has been enriched with such additions as Ahnentafel, pedigree, FGS (Family Group
Sheet), GEDCOM, html, PDF, ultimo, consanguinity, La Grippe, King’s Evil, in room of (meaning in the place of) executor, administrator, dowry and dower, entail, primogeniture, download, upload, codicil, et. ux, intestate, DNA, metes, bounds, grantor, and grantee. I’ve also learned that a mistress was not what we think of today, and I’ve learned never to call a consort a relict and vice versa.

Plus, I’ve learned that there were no rules about spelling — especially when it comes to names.

Oh, my Darling Clementine

52#Ancestors No. 19
May 7-13, 2018
By Myra Vanderpool Gormley ® 2018

Among the dozen or so women in my family tree that I know next to nothing about, is Clementine Johnson. At least I think her maiden name was Johnson. That’s the claim from a cousin who purportedly once saw the family Bible. I’ve never been able to track down a copy of the Bible, so I rely upon the second-hand information.

You’d think that woman who had 15 children and lived for 72 years would have left more clues and information about her family. Of course, there’s the possibility that she did not know much about her forebears either.

Periodically, I tackle this genealogical problem of learning more about Clementine by exploring the data I have compiled on her 11 children who survived to adulthood. I dig out my Research Log and see if I’ve overlooked something and I continue to research Clementine’s children, grandchildren and even the great-grandchildren.

She married Randle Hensley about 1829, probably in Tennessee, although a marriage record has not yet been found. They lived in Tennessee, North Carolina, Georgia and Alabama.

The six sons have been the easiest to track, but four of the daughters have left fairly good trails. Then

there’s the one daughter, Elizabeth. I don’t know whether she ever married. She was 17 in the 1850 census and so far, I haven’t found a marriage record for her — and she is not with her family in the 1860 census, but I’ll keep looking.

Since Elizabeth was one of the older children, she may be the one who has the information I need to find my darling Clementine, who hopefully, is not lost and gone forever.

A Close-up of Papa's Will

#52Ancestors

Week 18 (April 30-May 4):

A Close-up of Papa’s Will

By Myra Vanderpool Gormley © 2018

David George Sr. made his will 2 July 1861 in Henry County, Georgia and died two months later. He meticulously laid out the way he wanted his estate to be handled. On the initial reading, one notes that he divided it equally among his 12 (and named) children — and everything was to be sold after the death of his wife, Sarah (he left her more than 400 acres of land, plus personal property). His widow would outlive him by 15 years, and the results of the Civil War changed the fortunes of this and many other Georgia families, of course.

In the will, were the following bequeaths:

SIXTHLY — To my daughter Margaret Awtrey, wife of Eldridge Awtrey, (my 3-great-grandmother) for her sole and separate use for and during her natural life, free and exempt from the debts and liabilities of her present or a future husband, I give and bequeath one-twelfth part of the money arising from the sale of property remaining after my bequest to my wife are satisfied, after the following deductions have been made from said twelfth part, namely, four hundred dollars ($400) for a piece of land heretofore given her. And ten ($10.00) dollars for a cow more given to her than the rest of my children. The property in this article contained at the death of Margaret Awtrey shall pass to and become the property of the children, and representatives of children, of said Margaret forever (I mean by the representatives of children, the children of children) . . . [Margaret was then about 49 years of age and had been married to Eldridge Awtrey for 30 years, and was the mother of nine children.]

ELEVENTHLY, To my daughter, Mary Bartlett, wife of Robert E. Bartlett, I give and bequeath, in like manner, for and during her natural life, free and exempt from the debts and liabilities of her present or future husband, a twelfth part of the net money arising from the sale of my property, heretofore directed to be sold, without any deductions and I hereby appoint my son Casey [Carey] W. George trustee of the money in this article to my daughter, Mary Bartlett. The money in this article contained (at the death of my daughter Mary Bartlett) shall pass to and become the property of the children, and the representatives of the children, of said Mary forever — (I mean by the representatives children, the children of children.) [Mary was 37 years old, married young, in fact she had been married 22 years and was the mother of eight children at the time her father wrote his will].

Eighteenthly, I hereby appoint my son David George trustee of the money devised to my daughter Margaret Awtrey, wife of Eldridge Awtrey, in the sixth article of this will and of all other moneys hereafter devised to her in this will.

Nineteenthly, After the death of my beloved wife, I desire and direct that the property given to her in the third and fourth articles of this will be sold by my executors hereinafter named and appointed, and that the net proceeds be equally divided among the above named legatees: that the shares of Margaret Awtrey, wife of Eldridge Awtrey, and of Mary Bartlett, wife of Robert E. Bartlett, go to them with the same restrictions that the sums heretofore devised to them in the Sixth and Eleventh articles of this will, and that the same individuals by [be] trustees of said moneys, that have heretofore been appointed to the sums of money heretofore bequeathed to the said Margaret and Mary.

However, taking a close-up look at David George’s will, a couple of things puzzle me. He had five daughters, and they were all married at the time his will was made, but he treated the daughters differently.

My Margaret was his eldest child and she was to have $400 deducted from her total amount of the estate “for lands given to her” and $10 deducted for a cow (her father evidently kept track of everything, and her inheritance at her death was to go to her children, plus her brother, David George Jr., was the trustee of this money. His daughter Mary (wife of Robert E. Bartlett) was left her inheritance without deductions, but her brother, Carey George, was to be the trustee of the money and upon her death, it was to go to her children.

His other daughters Martha (wife of John J. Stanley), Louisa (wife of Pleasant P. Johnson) and Sarah (wife of Francis M. Clayton) were left their inheritances without any deductions or restrictions. His seven sons were left their shares without any deductions or restrictions.

Now, it is not unusual to find inheritances being settled up this way, particularly when some of the heirs have received loans, land, or property that the others did not. And, I understand 19^th-century culture whereby the men handled the money, but after a close-up look at this estate, my question is “Why were Margaret and Mary treated differently from their sisters?

The genealogyist part of me is delighted to have an ancestor who left a detailed will, naming all of his children, plus full names of all of the daughters’ husbands. However, the writer part of me has a gut feeling there is much more to this story, which means back to the records in the red clay country of Georgia to see if I can unearth the real reason why he treated Margaret and Mary this way.