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.