Diary of James Milo Nosler: Time in Nebraska and "Total Defeat"

James Milo Nosler (1843-1886), my 3rd great uncle who kept a diary for many years.  He was the youngest brother of my 2nd great grandfather, William "Will" Nosler (1840-1914).  The following is continued from my post "Diary of James Milo Nosler: Moving to Missouri".

These are a few bits from an obviously tumultuous time in James Milo's life, bouncing back and forth between older brothers and brothers-in-law:

When Docks ["Doctor Benjamin Franklin Hunt, 1832-1910, James's brother-in-law through sister Ellin] went back to town, Will went with.  I was fifteen years old when we lived on the Perkins farm [probably the Christopher Perkins in Ray and Clinton County, Missouri] and from that time have fended for myself.  During this winter I went to school awhile [presumably in Missouri] until Will [his brother William Nosler, 1840-1914, and my 2nd great grandfather] came back from Iowa when I quit and soon after went with Jerries to Nebraska [likely Nemaha County, Nebraska].  They soon returned but I staid and farmed with Bird [another brother-in-law, Bird Vowell, 1826-1902, who was in Nemaha in the 1860 Census].  I got five acres of corn for my summers work.  

The general area where James would be about 1860 (Nemaha).
From the "1856 Nebraska And Kanzas Atlas Map". Published by J. H. Colton & Co.

I went to church one night with Francis Cook [not sure which church, presumably in Nemaha County or Johnson county,  Nebraska there appeared to be an English Cook family, maybe this Francis was a member?  I don't know if this Francis was a boy or girl].  This was my first adventure on that time.  I was soon after "outwitted (or outmitted)" by Rachel Bents [probably the Rachel Bentz (1843-1924), daughter of John and Rachel Bentz, who lived in the next county over, in Johnson County, Nebraska by the 1860 Census, and later married Robert Shelly Brown.]], and that was my only total defeat in that time.  It dampened my powder completely and I made no more advances in Neb.  

Did he have a crush on Rachel, or did she beat him up?  Or both?  Not sure what is going on in that passage.









© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday/School Days: Slaters in Severy, circa 1905

Posed side by side in the front row of this 8th grade class in Severy, Kansas, are my maternal grandfather Harry Allen Slater and his sister Opal.

[Courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Free Webinar: "History Lives at JSTOR"

JSTOR!  Why do I neglect this source so much?

Just found this free webinar, "History Lives at JSTOR" presented by Sarah Kim (the senior marketing manager at JSTOR) and available through Legacy Family Tree Webinars***.

I have a free account at JSTOR and this webinar is a great reminder to use it.  I just don't have enough hours in the day!






***Legacy Family Tree Webinars is mostly a subscription webinar library, but they do offer a few free webinars here and there.  I recommend the subscription--it is a pittance for what you get.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Gone for Soldiers: Willet Orlando "Richard" or "Dick" Worden (1843 - 1912), Soldier, U.S. - Part 2

On this day in 1863 General Grant's Union Army of the Tennessee had been concentrated at Hard Times Landing (in Louisiana) making final preparations to cross the Mississippi south of Vicksburg to attack the city from the rear. My maternal great great grandfather Dick Worden was there as a private in the 24th Iowa Regiment, now part of the Thirteenth Corps under General McClernand, Hovey’s Division.

[Map of the country between Millikens Bend, La. and Jackson, Miss. shewing the routes followed by the Army of the Tennessee under the command of Maj. Genl. U.S. Grant, U.S. Vols. in its march from Millikens Bend to the rear of Vicksburg in April and May 1863.

Source: Library of Congress Geography and Map Division Washington, D.C.]

[Detail of above map highlighting Hard Times; Port Gibson in shown toward the lower right hand side.]

Here's a disparaging comment about Hard Times from a regimental history of the 24th Iowa:*

Here the army...proceeded on its way down the river to a point about four miles above Grand Gulf, and which is well named Hard Times, it having the appearance of being able to maintain a very poor family in a very poor way during a favorable season. 

I found the following description of the 24th Iowa's movements leading up to April 28, 1863, in a 1910 historical sketch:

Upon the return of the regiment to Helena, in the early spring, the troops with which it was associated were transferred to the Thirteenth Army Corps and ordered to join General Grant's army, in its operations against Vicksburg, and were conveyed on transports to Milliken's Bend, where they disembarked and marched, over difficult and sometimes almost impassable roads, to Perkens' Landing. Here, on the 28th of April, they again embarked on transports and barges and moved down the river to a point about four miles above Grand Gulf, where, without disembarking, they witnessed the tremendous artillery combat between the gunboats and the rebel batteries at Grand Gulf, which lasted for several hours. The troops had, in the meantime, been awaiting orders to land and co-operate with the gunboats in their attack upon the enemy's works, but, after prolonged bombardment, without apparent effect, the gunboats withdrew, and the attack by land was also abandoned. The troops disembarked and marched down the levee to a point three miles below Grand Gulf, where they bivouacked until morning. 

Very soon Dick Worden would face his first enemy fire during the attack on Port Gibson on the east side of the Mississippi River.


*Iowa and the Rebellion: A History of the Troops Furnished by the State of Iowa to the Volunteer Armies of the Union, which Conquered the Great Southern Rebellion of 1861-5. Lurton Dunham Ingersoll, J.B. Lippincott and Company, 1866 - Iowa - page 504. Available as a free e-book here.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Alta Mae Slater (1917 - 1986), Teacher - Part 2, In Her Own Words

When the Casa Grande Historical Society mailed the package which brought us the first picture of Alta we ever saw among the other materials sent were her obituary and a long interview photocopied from the local newspaper* which together give us a view of her life in far greater detail than the usual records would provide.

[Casa Grande Historical Society]

Written by the Casa Grande Dispatch's Lifestyle Editor Mary Metzger for her "Bon Appetit" column, it includes several recipes which I may share another time.** Since the interview is an old photocopy, dark and somewhat hard to read, here's my transcription:

Alta Stirs Up Adventure Along With Food

     She spoke animatedly about her interesting experiences as she stirred the ingredients for her Marin Joe Special. She was having guests for dinner and she already had prepared the Cabbage and Egg Salad. A pungent aroma, emanating from a round loaf of freshly baked Patio Bread, filled the pleasant kitchen.
     Alta Norville is a fascinating person. She is a doer--when something arouses her interest she leaves no stone unturned until she tries it. She has been in many parts of the globe--Japan, Belgium, London, Paris, the Middle East--and while there has absorbed much about the world's people by living with them and learning their customs. "I always liked to poke around," she said.
     Originally from Colorado (just outside Denver), she is a graduate of the University of Colorado where she majored in American government, Latin and geography--she  did on the scene "post graduate" work in the latter.
     "When I got out of school there wasn't anything I could do," Alta laughed, "so I had to go back and get teaching credentials. I had six years of Latin and could read Italian with no problem."
     After World War II, Alta was teaching junior high school outside of Ames, Iowa. At that time she met her husband, H.S. "Pete" Norville who had served in the U.S. Navy in China and was working on his degree in engineering at Iowa State University. They were married and after Pete got his degree moved to Alton, Ill. where he worked for Western Cartridge (now Olin Industries). They were there for two years when Pete who was in the Naval Reserves "got a note from the government to report in a week to Korea," Alta said. He was with the Korean Navy while Alta lived with his mother in Missouri and taught school in West Richmond (part of St. Louis).
     When Pete returned from Korea he was assigned to the Navy in Washington D.C. and they lived in Air Force housing at Bolling Field. "I didn't like Washington at all," Alta said, "they had the hottest weather in 85 years and the coldest weather in 100 years. I saw everything that had to be seen and, regardless of what anybody says, military people are not accepted well any place except on military bases."
     From there they went to Japan for three years. "I loved that. We lived in a Japanese house with all Japanese neighbors. Pete sent me to school to learn Japanese. There wasn't any place I couldn't go. I had more Japanese friends than American friends so I saw a different side of Japan. I was the only wife among the Admiral's staff who could speak Japanese," Alta said.
     Their lifestyle changed when Pete was assigned to the Admiral's staff in San Francisco. For five and one-half years they were on the Admiral's party list. "Everytime he had a party, we were there," Alta said, "It really isn't fun to stand there and make sparkling conversation; your feet hurt and it's not glamorous."
     During that time Alta taught in the Oakland school system. She was a specialist in education for the academically gifted. She also was active in the National Council Teachers of English, National Association for Gifted and on the board for national assessment, a group headquartered in Michigan who decide "why Johnnie can't read."
     Meantime Pete decided to go into politics. He ran successfully for City Council in Corte Madera, Calif. serving for six years; two years as mayor. He also served on the executive board of the Association of Bay Area Governments and was president of the League of California Cities, Redwood Empire section.
     In 1961 he joined the Hexcel Corporation which involved a great deal of travel across the United States and later to Europe. Since he was traveling so much when Alta heard that the University of the Pacific was sponsoring an archeological expedition to the Middle East, "I put in for it for kicks and was accepted," she said.
     The whole thrust of the expedition was to follow the Romans out of the Middle East so the group started in Rome. It was at this point that Alta had a stirring experience. The American Council called and said the Pope wanted to talk to some Americans. He was staying at his summer residence at Castle Gondolfo so a bus was sent to bring the group there for the private audience. "I am not a Catholic but I was never so impressed by peace and tranquility as I was by this man," Alta said.
     Conversely Israel was a great disappointment to her because so many harsh things were being done in the name of religion--people being searched before they were able to enter a church. That was in 1972 when America had no diplomatic relations with Egypt so when one went to Israel you couldn't show a passport--one carried a paper that was stamped--for if the passport was stamped in Israel one couldn't go into Egypt. It was a time when men rode shotgun on the buses and kids held machine guns at the ready around the airport.
     From Lebanon they went to Egypt where the expedition worked with the University. Alta saw everything there was to see. "I rode a camel but I didn't go inside the sphinx because I have claustrophobia. We stayed in the winter palace at Luxor and saw the Valley of the Kings with the chief archeologist of the University of Cairo," she said. At the Sheapherd's Hotel there is a plaque stating Napoleon stayed there. "Cairo was the only city in [sic] was in that I have been literally frightened," Alta said, "we went into the market and there were so many people there you couldn't move. You're in a country with no diplomatic relations and all those people are saying 'buy this' and the beggars. Plus the fact that housing in Cairo is at a premium; yet the [sic] City of the Dead where they keep their dead and don't have a place for the living."
     From there they went to Iraq where they were met by the Belgian Council since America had no diplomatic relations with Iraq. "That was the high point of the trip," Alta said, "we went to Babylon and worked with the English archeological expedition."
     The next stop was Greece. Alta had studied Greek in school. "We saw all the things you read about. We saw where the Romans went. Greece is a clean country but this was around the hippy time and there were so many 'flower children' around the airports," she said.
     From there they went to Paris. "The best thing about Paris is that it was clean," she said. It was there she endured a humiliating experience. "Since we had come from Iraq we were body-searched," Alta said. "This is a really scarey [sic] business. There was this hard-looking woman and you don't say 'don't touch me' to her." They were looking for drugs. As a matter of fact when they returned to Oakland their luggage was searched for the same reason.
     It was ironic that after all she had been through on the trip when she returned home she stepped out the door of the back porch and broke two toes.
     The following summer Alta had a complete change of scenery--she applied for a fellowship to the University of London offered by the National Council of Teachers of English and got it. "You name any of the things to do with English literature and I have seen it," she said.
     When she returned home for the fall term at school, Pete told her the company was sending him to the Hexcel facility in Belgium for six weeks. "Away he went but the six weeks stretched into six months," Alta said, "so when he came home in April he asked if I could get a leave of absence from school to go to Belgium with him." She did and they moved into an apartment in downtown Liege. They were the only Americans there since most Americans lived in the suburbs. They joined the Liege Recontre (a group of Belgians who could speak English) and met all kinds of interesting people. Alta made a lot of trips with the Belgian women in the group--one of the husbands owned a bus company--Antwerp, the Austrian palace, even went to England.
     When there was a request for someone who had no accent to teach English in the University of Leige [sic] Medical School, Alta took the job on the condition that she would do it without pay. No one understood this but Alta wanted to be free to leave if Pete came in and said, "Let's go to Milan or wherever." She also tutored girls in English who were students at the University.
     Alta and some of her Belgian friends also were involved in a stint of brass rubbing--one pays a fee to rub the ancient brass plaques on floors or in the walls of churches and cathedrals. "You name it, anything in Europe we did," Alta said. That included attending a Givenchy fashion show in Paris after Alta had seen an article in the Christian Science Monitor on how to get to a couturier. "It was a gorgeous show," Alta said, "the cheapest thing in it was a raincoat priced at $1,500." One was not supposed to make sketched at the show but Alta did so she could describe the clothes to her friends when she came home. She also went behind the scenes and talked to the American models.
     When the Norvilles returned to the United States in 1976, Pete helped put up the Hexcel ski factory in Reno; then helped move the corporate headquarters from Dublin to San Francisco. Then they discussed where they would like to locate on a permanent basis where Hexcel had a plant. Since they had been coming to Casa Grande off and on since 1966 they decided this was the place they would like to come.
     Once they moved here, Alta read in the Dispatch about a meeting of the University Woman "and that opened the door for me," she said. She is active in the Casa Grande branch and first vice president of the state organization; serves on the Board of the Casa Grande Library, is active in the Casa Grande Valley Historical Society; the Silent Witness program and the Oasis Garden Club[.]

,

*The photocopy cut off the final digit of the year the piece was published but consulting a calendar proves that Friday, January 14, 198_ would have to be 1983, three years before her death.
**During our meet-up with my aunt and cousins last weekend they confirmed that Alta was definitely NOT a good cook.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Texas Land Records and Taxes

Have you used the federal Bureau of Land Management (BLM) site for land patents and related information?  If you have Texas ancestry it is important to know that the state of Texas also has a similar site for Texas land records, the Texas General Land Office (GLO).

Texas land records and tax records can be used together to discover where your ancestors were if they owned Texas land.

To view the interactive map you launch the GISWEB Viewer, which opens a new browser window or tab.

"The GISWEB, an interactive mapping application, provides access to vast collections of land and energy related data at the Texas General Land Office. The GISWEB display upland and submerged Original Texas Land Survey boundaries, Permanent School Fund land, upland and coastal leases, oil and gas well locations, and current imagery.

If you select Instructional videos it launches another viewer (which takes at least a few minutes to load so be patient), and eventually 19 minutes of short tutorials appear in the left-hand slide show directory.  I recommend spending some time getting acquainted with this. 

I knew that my 3rd great grandfather J. T. S. Warren (1825-1894) lived in the Douglassville area of Cass County, Texas:

I was unsuccessful in finding familiar names in the "Grantee" search for in Cass County, but using graphical search and the 1890 tax list for Cass County, Texas I had transcribed some years ago I found the general area.

from:
Cass County, Texas Records of 1890
Gen 976.4195 N2 CAS (at Carlsbad Library, San Diego, CA)

Assessment of Property in Cass County Texas
Owned by Residents and Rendered for Taxation

Owner                           Abstract#     Cert#             Original Grantee      Acres     Value$
Warren, J. T. S., Sr            1071             574              M. Ward                 250        +
Warren, J. T. S.  Sr            1068             3344/3445    J. Walling                50        450

Warren, J. P.                     1071            571              M. Ward                 150       +
Warren, J. P.                       55             577              P. W. Birmingham    100       450/300*

Warren, Bill (c)                  258             546              Jno. Davis               50          75

Warren, Joe (c)****          1070            2089/2199     J. Wadkins              137       274

Warren, Pompy (c)            1077            516               E. Watson               60        120

(NOTE:  I'm not sure what the *, +stand for.  (c) is almost certainly "colored".)

M. Ward = Matthias Ward?? 

From this it appears that J. T. S. Warren probably lived south of Douglassville, along the modern Texas Highway 8, in the M. Ward and J. Walling areas (they were the original grantees).  Notice that J. P. Warren (a son of J. T. S.) also lived in the M. Ward area as well as the P. Birmingham area on the right.

I learned to use tax records in another way from genealogist Kelvin Meyers in his Ancestry Academy ($) lecture on "Texas: Researching the Lone Star State" using the abstract number that was on the tax record for each owner.

Using one of the abstract numbers in the 1890 tax list, I searched again.

This gives a more specific part of J. Walling's area where J. T. S. Warren was taxed.

****I'm almost certain this is Joseph Warren (1821-1891), a former slave and land owner and ancestor of  Darelene Warren Rothwell, who wrote the award-winning 2005 book "East Texas Biographies: A History of African-American Families and Slaveholders in Cass County, East Texas, from the Colonial Days and Slavery to the Twenty-first Century".  Darlene was the first person I talked to about Warrens in Cass County.  She was very encouraging and helpful, even though it turned out we had no common relations or ties (there were two totally separate Warren lines in Cass County, naturally LOL).  The book was a private short run publication and may only be available directly from Darelene for purchase if she still has extra copies, but you can also check on WorldCat for availability.





© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Birthdays: Slater

I was born in this hospital 69 years ago so we know for certain where Alta was that day.

[San Diego, California, City Directory, 1941. Ancestry.com. U.S. City Directories, 1822-1995 [database on-line].

Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011.]

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Mountain View Cemetery - Casa Grande, Arizona

Actually it was last Friday that my daughter Christine, my grandson Marc, and I visited the cemetery where my mother is buried. It was nearly 5:00 pm but the temperature was still in the 90's and it turned out that our recollection of Alta's grave was imprecise, but we finally located it--it's the first grave in full sun in the middle row in this photo.

Much of the stone is covered with dirt washed by the lawn sprinklers but it's clearly her final resting place.

[My photos]

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Two Slaters

These portraits were probably taken at about the same age.

[Alta Mae Slater, courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

[Patricia Ann Currey (Slater), my photo]

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Braindead Thursday

Between getting ready for our little road trip and Prince's passing earlier today, I am brain dead.  Time for a Throwback Thursday, to a moment where I was probably a little bit sharper than right now:

Christine, about 1981/1982 in Encanto, San Diego, lost in thought.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Alta Mae Slater (1917 - 1986), Teacher - Part 1, to April 1947

After attending the local grammar school in Niwot and Longemont High School, my birth mother majored in History, with minors in American Government, Latin, and Geography at the University of Colorado, Boulder. She graduated in 1938.

[Alta Mae, seated second from right, 8th grade graduation. Courtesy of Olive Slate-Kennedy]

[Alta Mae at Longemont High, courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

[Coloradan Yearbook, 1938. Ancestry.com. U.S., School Yearbooks, 1880-2012 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA:

Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010.]

She's listed as a resident of Niwot in a 1940 city directory but isn't enumerated with the rest of her family in the U.S. Census of that year.*

When her youngest brother Jack was killed off the French coast in 1943, his obituary stated that Alta was teaching school in Arizona, but we haven't found any further information about the exact location.

By July of 1946 Alta was teaching school here in Coronado** and "hooked up" with a handsome young sailor who had just been transferred to the Naval Amphibious Base also in Coronado, awaiting his discharge so he could return home to Texas.*** I was born nine months later.

[Courtesy of James Turnbull]

[Source:The National Archives Publication Title: U.S. World War II Navy Muster Rolls, 1938-1949; Fold3 Publication Year: 2012. National Archives Catalog ID: 594996; National Archives Catalog Title: Muster Rolls of U.S. Navy Ships, Stations, and Other Naval Activities, 01/01/1939-01/01/1949. Short Description: Muster rolls of U.S. Navy ships, stations, and other naval activities, 1939-1949. Ship Station Or Activity: Eldorado-Hull Designation: AGC-11; Muster Date: 24-Jul-1946; Year: 1946]

*Could she have been visiting her paternal grandmother Rufina Ellen Tomlinson Slater and her aunt Opal as there's no sign of them in the 1940 U.S. Census either?
**What we little we know about Alta's life here in southern California comes from my birth certificate. The address listed here is that of the attending physician, W. B. Oster, who operated a home for unwed mothers.

[From my personal collection]

***We'll never know how they met. As far as we know Alta never told anyone in her family about this incident and its aftermath (although I think Pete must have known because she had a c-section which leaves a prominent scar), and Tracy, when my daughter spoke with him about 15 years ago, had no recollection of her at all. I'm sure it was a crazy time here in San Diego.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Visiting Alta's Grave A Second Time

As mom posted yesterday, we are going on a trip to see my biological grandmother Alta Slater's niece and sister-in-law in Arizona, and I'm hoping to visit Alta's graveside once more.  We originally visited it back in late 2001 when I was pregnant with my son. Now he is coming along with us.

Amazingly enough, Alta's grave is right on our way to see our relatives.

We'll drive almost 350 miles east from San Diego on Interstate 8 until we take this exit.  How convenient is that?

Mountain View Cemetery

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Monday Is for Mothers: Alta Mae Slater (1917 - 1986)

I grew up knowing that Mother and Dad weren't my birth parents (although they weren't totally candid, telling me that I came from a "broken home" because my birth parents had divorced, when actually they were never married). So I didn't expect to ever meet any of my blood relatives except for any children I might have.

The fact that the Curreys weren't allowed to formally adopt me (another thing I didn't learn until I was about to get married) meant that I had access to my original birth certificate which included the names of both of my parents. And Mother had saved a letter from the private detective they hired to locate my birth mother during the adoption process* so we knew her married name which made my daughter Christine's task a bit easier when she decided to try to track her down.**

[Alta (l), Courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

[From my personal collection]

Alta had no other children but her two Slater nieces remember her with love. (Her nephews' memories seem less fond.) As far as we know, she never told anyone about my birth and so I was a total surprise to her family! My aunt and cousins have been wonderfully welcoming to Christine and me, no doubt helped by the fact that I strongly resemble my mother.

This coming weekend we will be meeting up with my Cousin Susan at her mother's house in Arizona to scan the remaining photos in Aunt Olive's Slater family collection and hear more stories about my mother and grandmother. Stay tuned!


*Alta hadn't signed the final papers releasing custody of me.
**You can read a much-abbreviated account of Christine's search here.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Sunday Drive: Slater-Currey

The caption on this slide reads "Pat - State Park Crescent City  '48" so it must have been taken at Jedediah Smith Redwoods State Park.

[From my personal collection]

I was about a year old.

(I think the wagon is in Bonnie's garage in South Park now.)



© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Diary of James Milo Nosler: Moving to Missouri

James Milo Nosler (1843-1886), my 3rd great uncle who kept a diary for many years.  He was the youngest brother of my 2nd great grandfather, William "Will" Nosler (1840-1914).  The following is continued from my post "Diary of James Milo Nosler: Moving Around Iowa and Checking Out Nebraska, Kansas, and Missouri".

In April (1859) I think, we started to Mo. with those two horse teams, we had a dreadful wet spring and summer, and consequently, a bad time for moving. We got to Maye Ville (?) Mo. [I think Maysville Court House, De Kalb, Missouri] and there waited a few days for Jerry Dawsons (?) [Jerry Lawson, his brother-in-law] who intended to meet us there.  Just when we were ready to start they came and we all moved out together.  Went down toward Haynes Ville [probably Haynesville, Clinton County] and there layed over while the men looked around a few days, but they soon rented a farm of old Kit Perkins [possibly Christopher Perkins who bought land Ray and Clinton Counties in 1843] in Ray county and we all moved with the one horse with but one move.  It was here that father virtually gave Will and Souns (?) [likely Sons] freedom by giving us a part of the crop and boarding us with James.  This was caused mostly by family discords, as we never could regard our stepmother [Valeria Young] in any other light than that reflected by her own mercenary self, and she as wearily reciprocated our dislike for her.

The move in 1859 from Madison County, Iowa to Clinton/Ray counties in Missouri.  There was a stop in Maysville C.H.  Circled unlabeled area is the Clinton/Ray county region where I think they stayed a while. Brother-in-law Jerry Lawson was in the Knoxville, Ray, Missouri area in the 1860 Census (right next to the unlabeled circled area).  Closeup from Colton's Kansas and Nebraska (1858).  

Representing the unlabeled  area circled in the map above.  There was a Christopher Perkins who bought land in Clinton and Ray counties in Missouri that I think might be the "old Kit Perkins" that James Milo refers to.  Snapshot from HistoryGeo's First Landowners Project (which uses BLM data).

During the summer the old folks and Will went up to Iowa on business and brought back another team.  At this time Father could command perhaps as much as he ever could; he was worth about $10,000.  Soon after they returned, Jerries and I went with a load of apples.  Docks came back with us to see the country.  Father had bought a nice farm four miles south of Ninabile (?) [Mirabile, Caldwell, Missouri].

As James Milo indicated, his father had bought a farm in Mirabile (Rockford Township) in Caldwell County, Missouri (north from Ray County).

There he is, with his father John Nosler, stepmother (Valeria Young, labeled as C?), stepsister Elizabeth Dewey "Nosler", stepbrother James H Dewey "Nosler",  younger half-sibling Peru Nosler, and full-brother William H Nosler (my direct ancestor!).  Also note the next-door neighbors brother-in-law Jerry Lawson and sister Caroline (Nosler) Lawson with their young son John W Lawson.  1860 U.S. census, Caldwell County, Missouri, population schedule, Rockford township, p. 43 (penned), dwelling 284, family 284, J. Nosler; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 Apr 2016); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 610.

This census year turns out to be an interesting case of how one person can be recorded in two different places, as James Milo also appears with his brother-in-law "Jas H. Lawson" (Jerry Lawson) and sister Caroline in Ray County.  Given how much moving around he described in his diary it is not surprising.

James Milo Nosler was also counted as living in Ray County in his brother-in-law's household. 1860 U.S. census, Ray County, Missouri, population schedule, Knoxville township, p. 187 (penned), dwelling 1301, family 1301, Jas H. Lawson; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16); citing NARA microfilm publication M653, roll 643.

I'll admit it, I was a little disappointed that James didn't mention anything about the census taking in his diary. I keep hoping to find an example of a direct ancestor or collateral describing interaction with a census taker, but no luck this time.








© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Family Friday: Slaters at Coit Tower

Sightseeing at the Coit Tower in San Francisco in about 1957 are (left to right) my Aunt Olive, my birth mother Alta Mae Slater Norville and my grandmother Anna Delilah Webb Slater. You can see in the second photo that my grandmother's attention was actually directed at my cousin Susan.  (Apparently my Uncle Jim was hovering just outside of the photo since the plaid shirt shirt on the right side is labeled "Jim")

[Courtesy of Olive Slater-Kennedy]

My grandfather Harry Allen Slater died in 1956, and I don't think Jim is behind the camera so perhaps Alta's husband Pete Norville was the photographer?*

*He and Alta had moved to Corte Madera in 1957.

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

William Slater (1791-1847): A Few More Pieces of Information

In the past week I have found a few more items about my 4th great grandfather, William Slater (William T. Slater (About 1790? - 1847), Deserter, Farmer, Justice of the Peace).

Modern map showing where William Slater naturalized abt 1818 and had a lawsuit against him in April 1820 (in Jefferson County), and his marriage to Emily Jane Wilson on 30 July 1820 (in Crawford County).

A long time ago I found a message thread about one of William's sons that had William from Yorkshire, and I had also found an index reference to a William Slater applying for naturalization in Jefferson County, Indiana, but didn't have any further detail until the other day:

There he is.  From  "List of aliens who applied for citizenship in Jefferson County, Indiana : list of indentures of apprentices in Jefferson County" on FamilySearch.

Okay, it says York County, England, so I feel much more confident about about him being from Yorkshire now.

The index entry I had found before indicated that he naturalized in 1818, so at this point I'm theorizing that William Slater was 27 years old in October 1818 (the earliest date noted at top).

BUT, if he naturalized in 1821 then that would bump up his birthdate to about 1794.

And it could be any time in between those dates.  Based on the page number, it is probably closer to 1818 than 1821.

Notice that William's entry was on p. 135, and that there is a man named John Roberts (from Chester(?)County, Ireland, aged 22) a few lines up.

Is this the same John Roberts that is included in this lawsuit in Jefferson County, Indiana, in 1820, brought by Wm B. Benefiel against John Roberts and Wm. Slater?

From the Indiana Republican (Madison, Jefferson, Indiana) 13 April 1820.

This all leads to more questions, and more records (hopefully!).




© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

Working on Wednesday: Jesse Warren, Jr. (About 1790 - 1826), Farmer

This paternal third great grandfather was probably still a baby when his parents Jesse Warren and his wife Elizabeth moved their family from Virginia to Georgia in about 1791.

The first record we have of  Jesse Jr. is an 1812 Property Tax Digest for Captain Harper's District in Hancock County. He was about 22 at the time and didn't own any property yet. His tax appears to be the minimum amount possible, a poll tax of 31¼¢.*

[Ancestry.com. Georgia, Property Tax Digests, 1793-1892 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2011. Original data: Georgia Tax Digests [1890]. 140 volumes. Morrow, Georgia: Georgia Archives.]

Jesse Jr. was still living at home at the time of the 1820 U.S. Census; he's in the column for "# of free white males age 26-45." There are 16 enslaved persons in the household.

[1820 U S Census; Census Place: Capt Maddens District, Hancock, Georgia; Page: 94; NARA Roll: M33_7; Image: 99. Ancestry.com. 1820 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2010. Images reproduced by FamilySearch. Original data: Fourth Census of the United States, 1820. (NARA microfilm publication M33, 142 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.]

On December 24, 1824, Jesse Jr. and Timney P, Watts were married in Morgan County, Georgia. A little over a year later he would be dead.**

[Courtesy of Georgia Archives]

[Georgia Journal, Feb. 21, 1826 -- page 3.

Source: Georgia Historic Newspapers: Milledgeville]

His only child, my great great grandfather Jesse Thomas Simeon Warren, was only 4-1/2 months old. According to his grandfather Jesse Sr.'s will, written while his father was on his death bed, the baby hadn't been named yet.

Jesse Jr. left no will so the probate court named Thomas Watts*** as administrator after he and two other men posted a $10,500 bond. There are three male slaves included in the inventory of Jesse Jr.'s estate, Hall, Moses and Enoch, each valued at $450.

["Georgia Probate Records, 1742-1990," images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1961-30356-797-94?cc=1999178 : accessed 13 April 2016), Morgan > Administration and guardian records, appraisements, citations and sales 1825-1828 vol E > image 321+322 of 400; county probate courthouses, Georgia.]

In 1827 Jesse Jr's widow Timney married John P. Phillips who became the guardian of his son and administered the orphan's estate, filing annual reports with the courts.


*You can learn more about poll taxes here.
**Jesse Jr. died on February 6, 1826.Transcript of his obituary:

On the 6th instant, at his residence in Morgan county, Jesse Warren, Jr in the thirty-sixth year of his age, of a lingering disease, leaving a widow and infant son to lament their irreparable loss, and aged parents and brothers and sisters to lament the loss of a dutiful son, and an affectionate brother, and a number of friends and acquaintances who were conscientious to acknowledge him an honest man, a worthy friend and most (______?) citizen.

***A neighbor and almost certainly a connection of Timney's, possibly her father or brother.


© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.

DNA.LAND Updates Its Ethnicity Estimates

DNA.LAND has updated their ethnicity estimates (they call them "Ancestry Reports").

I submitted my parents' DNA back in October, when DNA.LAND's estimates were minimal at best*.

The following are the new estimates:

New "ancestry report" for Mom. This seems to be in line generally with what I've seen for her estimates everywhere else.

This is a big improvement from their first estimates, for sure.

New "ancestry report" for Dad.  There is that Ashkenazi again.  I have yet to figure out why both DNA.LAND and FTDNA estimate this for my dad, but Ancestry and the various GEDmatch tests don't.  After getting help from another user with expertise on Jewish ancestry on GEDmatch who analyzed Dad's estimates, it didn't appear that Dad had any consistent recent genetic ties to known Ashkenazi Jews, but I am assuming it is reflecting an older ancestor (maybe 1500 or before?).

*Previous posts about using various ethnicity estimators:

Ethnicity Estimates on Family Tree DNA Between Me and My Parents

DNA.LAND Results In!

What's the Same, What is Different? My Dad's DNA Ethnicity Estimates

© 2016 Copyright, Christine Manczuk, All Rights Reserved.