180? He doesn't look a day over 40!

It was on this date back in 1830 that this dapper fellow was born in rural Campbell County, Virginia.

My ancestor James Lorenzo Morgan went on to have some pretty interesting adventures.

If ye socks don't believe me, pick up a copy of the book I wrote about him:

http://search.barnesandnoble.com/Like-The-Cats-Of-Kilkenny/William-Morgan/e/9781425912017/?itm=2&USRI=like+the+cats+of+kilkenny

1997 Morgan Family Reunion Picture

Yours truly was pleasantly surprised today to discover his cousin Michelle had scanned and uploaded this picture of a reunion held at Aunt Diane and Uncle BG's house in Orlando back in 1997.

Do ye socks recognize any of these folks?!

Did you hear about the Morgans?

No, I'm not about to regale ye socks with tales from a recent family reunion.

Believe me, said tales would be much more interesting than the recent flick bearing that title.

To call the movie "predictable" would be too kind. Cliche after cliche played out to its foregone conclusion as the at-odds couple from the big city found themselves unwillingly transplanted in America's heartland. Familiar with the formula?!

Hugh Grant and Sarah Jessica Parker are unwatchable in their "leading" roles.

In fact the film would have been better if it focused instead on the supporting roles played by Sam Elliott and Mary Steenburgen.

Bottom line: Skip it, or prepare for a nap.

WDYTYA - WWI

"So, what's with all the jumble of letters?!?" ye socks may be asking after seeing the title of this post.

No, it wasn't a transcript of the Scrabble tiles I drew recently . . . they were worse!

Rather, they are the abbreviated way yours truly refers to the new series "Who do you think you are?" and "World War I."

Tonight's episode featured research on actor Matthew Broderick's family history.

He was surprised to discover his grandfather, a quiet postal worker who died before Matthew arrived on the scene, was a decorated veteran of the First World War.

He even got to visit a battlefield in France where his grandfather treated his comrades who were wounded in action.

All this got me thinking of my own great-grandfather, pictured here.

He was also a WWI veteran.

Also treated wounded soldiers in France while serving with an Army Hospital unit.

Also worked for the post office after coming back home.

Also died before yours truly arrived on the scene.

The similarities were almost uncanny.

Anyway, it got me thinking about the all-too-often-overlooked legacy the "war to end all wars" has in the annals of American family history.

Ye socks whose ancestor(s) may have been inducted in Florida to serve in the "Great War" will be interested in checking out this site:

http://www.floridamemory.com/Collections/WWI/

Happy hunting!

1910 Census

OK, getting off the political soapbox I've been on lately . . .

Today, yours truly is contemplating the census, instead.

I saw on TV today, that we should be receiving our 2010 census forms in the mail in March.

It got me wondering how this year's stats will stack up to the data collected a hundred years ago.

I pulled out the file of 1910 Census data I've collected on my forebears.

I found my Morgan ancestors were living over in Crystal River, while my Cox family was already living here in Orlando. Within a couple of years they would become next door neighbors in the latter place.

My Macy great-grandfather was still living with his folks in Pine Castle, a little town south of Orlando. His wife was still living on her father's farm up in Chambers County, Alabama.

My mother's people were still clustered in the crowded neighborhoods of Jersey City, New Jersey; though her Jackson forebears were working in the not-too-distant beach resort town of Long Branch. Every one of the households included at least one person who was born in a foreign country (Ireland).

The average household included six people. Nearly half were engaged in some form of agriculture. And, one was still working as a blacksmith, a line of work that has definitely tapered-off over the last century.

As peculiar as these enumerations may seem to those of us living in 2010, I wonder how much more peculiar they will seem to some as-yet-unborn descendants in 2110. Probably only slightly moreso than the data we'll be submitting on our own households this year . . .

Name that ghost!

Let me preface this post by saying it is merely the result of there being no Gator game to watch today.

Thus, yours truly found himself watching the Biography Channel's new series "Celebrity Ghost Stories."

Thru with the mocking laughter, yet?

OK, so the new show included the story of Joan Rivers' supposedly haunted apartment in New York City. I won't bore ye socks with the absurd details of her consultations with a voodoo priestess, but she did make the claim that the ghost who continues to lurk around the premises is a niece of J.P. Morgan named "Mrs. Spencer."

The genealogist in me found that vague identification unacceptable. So, after rolling my eyes at my own willingness to watch such tripe, I decided to attempt to at least ascertain precisely who the poor soul is supposed to be doomed to sharing the same cramped apartment with Ms. Rivers.

So far, no luck.

For starters, there were TWO men named John Pierpont (JP) Morgan:

1. John Pierpont Morgan, Sr. (1837-1913) had four younger siblings, though only three sisters survived childhood to marry and have children of their own. The eldest was Sarah (1839-1896) who married kinsman George Hale Morgan and had at least one daughter: C. Lucy Morgan (1872). The second was Mary (1844) who married Walter Haynes Burns and also had at least one daughter: Mary Ethel Burns (1873). The third was Juliet (1847) who also married a kinsman, John B. Morgan, and had at least one daughter: Ursula Junius Morgan (1869). I couldn't find any marriage records for these nieces, but they were probably too old to be the culprits. Rivers said her ghost died only a couple of years before she moved into the apartment in the early 90s.

and

2. John Pierpont Morgan, Jr. (1867-1943) also had three sisters. I couldn't find anything about the youngest, Anne Tracy Morgan (1873-1952). But, the two older sisters did marry and have children. The first was Louise, who married Herbert Livingston Satterlee. They had at least two daughters, Mabel Satterlee Ingalls and Eleanor Satterlee Gibbs, but no Spencer marriage record for either. The second was Juliet (1870), who married William Pierson Hamilton (a grandson of Alexander Hamilton). They had two daughters: Helen, who married Arthur Woods (not Spencer!); and Elizabeth (who died in 1919).

I know, many of ye socks out there don't care for my postings of this much genealogical gibberish. So, I won't belabor the point any further. The bottom line is, I couldn't find any niece of either J.P. Morgan who carried the Spencer surname.

The thought did occur to me that the niece in question might have been a niece by marriage, but it's getting too late in the evening to go chasing down that line of thought. Anyone out there want to pick up where I left off?

120 years ago today . . .

Taking a break from the soap box pontificating today to mark the wedding anniversary of my great-great grandaprents: William Swinney Morgan and Lola Estelle Blakesley.

Lola was quite literally the "girl next door" when William met her out in Kansas City.

They were married on this date in 1889, and had six children: Ed, Agnes, Lola, William, Isabel, and Laura.

Kinda glad they did, or yours truly wouldn't be around to rant in the blogosphere!

A sad week indeed

It began with the news that Tom McQuoid lost his battle with cancer. Then there was the anniversary of 9/11.

Today, I am sad to report to ye socks that our extended family also incurred a triple loss this week.

The first two were not entirely unexpected, but the third was a shock:

1. Bernice Bradley Cox passed away at the age of 96, actually just a few days short of her 97th birthday. Her late husband Gerald was the son of my great-uncle Henry Cox (one of the 14 older siblings of my great-grandmother Sarah Cox Morgan).

2. Eva Hand Cox passed away at the age of 86 up in Tavares with her 4 daughters by her side. I always enjoyed visiting with her at our reunions in Montverde, and was inspired by her strength of spirit. She raised those girls on her own after her husband Carl's untimely death back in 1951, and will be buried by his side on Monday in the little cemetery adjoining our reunion hall. Carl was the son of my great-uncle Jim Cox (another one of those 14 older siblings I mentioned above).

And, finally

3. Stephen Robert Lee was taken at the relatively young age of 47 at a hospice in Altamonte. He was the son of one of the sweetest ladies I have ever known, Lois Newell Lee, who survives him. (Lois' mother Agnes Morgan Newell was the eldest of my great-grandfather's sisters.) Stephen is also survived by his wife Dawn; son Sam; sisters Patricia and Joanna; three nephews; and a niece.

My heartfelt condolences go out to all the members of my extended family who are feeling these losses most closely.

Founded in 1923

Ye olde genealogy database brought it to the attention of yours truly that it was on this date back in 1923 that his great-grandparents were married in Orlando, Florida.

A little internet surfing revealed that was a banner year for new beginnings around this little corner of heaven, not just the next chapter in the Morgan family history.

1923 also saw:

* The construction of Orlando's first public library building, thanks to the donation of a generous winter resident named Albertson.

* The opening of Dubsdread Golf Course in College Park.

* The completion of the State Bank of Orlando building downtown.

* The first spring training game at the new baseball field named for local legend Joe Tinker, of "Tinker-to-Evers-to-Chance" fame.

* The founding of an impressive municipal utilities complex along the south shores of Lake Ivanhoe.

Unfortunately, all of these foundations proved somewhat shaky over the long run. My great-grandparents' marriage ended abruptly and tragically in 1927. And, the municipal institutions didn't fare much better:

* The original library was replaced by one of the most hideous structures in the country, and dropped the generous Mr. Albertson's name in the process.

* Dubsdread failed during the Great Depression and had to be taken over by the city government.

* The State Bank of Orlando doesn't exist anymore.

* Tinker Field has for years been sitting largely unused in the shadow of the Citrus Bowl during Spring Training.

* And, the municipal utility building was long ago taken over by the Dr. Phillips Center for the Performing Arts.

Kinda makes you wonder what the fate will be of all the big brainchild projects currently underway in The City Beautiful, doesn't it?

1920 Census records raise more questions

Following up on yesterday's post, I've been trying to answer some of the questions raised in the New York Times article about the 1921 murder of Dr. William Strother of Lynchburg, Virginia, at the hands of his neighbor Jesse Ford.

I thought a good way of putting the principle figures into context would be to see how they were enumerated in the 1920 Census.

If ye socks have not yet discovered Heritage Quest, yet, you need to check them out. Most public libraries (at least those in this little corner of heaven) offer free access to their indexed census images simply through obtaining a library card.

Here's what I uncovered in this case:

1920 Cenus, Campbell County, Virginia, page 272a
1208 Floyd Street, Lynchburg, renters:
(all white, born in Virginia, as were their parents)
* Ford, Jesse W., head of household, 28, married, engineer/contractor.
* Ford, Juanita, wife, 24, married.
* Ford, James R., 4, single
* Ford, Barbara J., daughter, 1, single.

Mr. Ford was evidently the son of a couple who owned a home nearby at 1223 Floyd Street, enumerated on the same page:

* Ford, James R., head, 51, married, general contractor.
* Ford, Barbara A., wife, 50, married.
* Ford, Abigail, daughter, 24, single, bookkeeper.
* Ford, Grace, daughter, 19, single.
* Ford, Elizabeth, daughter, 14, single.

However, I didn't find Dr. Strother anywhere on Floyd Street. Nor was he enumerated on either the preceding or following pages in Lynchburg. Instead, I found him living in the countryside beyond the city limits. Here's the extract on his household:

1920 Cenus, Bedford County, Virginia, page 87b
Boonsboro & Coleman Falls Road, Forest District, owners:
(all white, born in Virginia, as were their parents)
* Strother, William A., head, 35, married, physician with country practice.
* Strother, William M., son, 13, single, attending school.
* Strother, Paul M., son, 12, single, attending school.
* Mitchell, Lorna, housekeeper, 30, widow.

Note, the census record correctly give the murdered doctor's middle initial "A," whereas the newspaper article says "M." His middle name, as given on his tombstone at Spring Hill Cemetery in Lynchburg, was Alexander.

But, it also raises some new questions. Like, if the doctor was married, as the enumeration states, where was his wife?! Also, what prompted him to leave his "country practice" and move into the city, where he would lose his life within a year's time?

I suppose this case serves as a pretty good example of why genealogy is a never-ending project. Each new tidbit of information prompts more questions.

If any of ye socks can answer some of the questions surrounding the doctor's murder, or can suggest additional avenues of research, yours truly would greatly appreciate hearing from ye!

GoogleNews unearths 88-year-old family scandal

Here's an online research tool that I recently discovered and thought I would share with ye socks.

The next time you go to http://www.google.com/, click on the "more" option on the toolbar. Then select the last item on the list, "even more." This will take you to a page crowded with icons that will help you narrow your internet searches. If you scroll down to the NEWS icon, click on the hypertext link "archive search." This will let you search thru a bunch of old newspapers whose indexed images are available online.

But, be forewarned. You never know what you're going to uncover when you start rooting around ye olde family tree.

In my case, I uncovered an 88-year-old family scandal surrounding my great-grandfather's cousin Dr. William M. Strother. (The doctor's mother was Roberta Morgan Strother, daughter of my Civil War ancestor James Lorenzo Morgan.)

Anyway, here's a transcript of an article published in the New York Times back on 25 September 1921 that gives the (somewhat cryptic) details of the doctor's murder:

KILLS PHYSICIAN IN OFFICE

Lynchburg Man Then Helps Own

Wife Carry Body to Veranda.

Special to the New York Times

LYNCHBURG, Va., Sept. 24. -- Dr. William M. Strother was shot and almost instantly killed this morning at his home by Jesse Ford, Lynchburg superintendent for the J.R. Ford Company, contractors, who was living near Dr. Strother's home.

Ford surrendered, and a Coroner's jury, at which his wife testified, held him for the murder. Ford went to Dr. Strother's home, and after talkin with him briefly shot him several times. It is said that Dr. Strother fired twice at Ford as the latter walked away and then fell dead.

Mrs. Ford is said to have come out of Dr. Strother's house, and at her solicitation Ford Assisted her in carrying the body of the physician to the veranda of the house.

Dr. Strother was a native of Lynchburg and a member of one of the most prominent families of the city.

As with any new tidbit of genealogical information, this one leaves yours truly with more questions than it answered. The only question I ever had about Dr. Strother before finding this article was wondering why he died at such a relatively young age (38). Well, now I have THAT answer. But, what about the questions the Times article fails to answer. Like, what was Mrs. Ford doing in the doctor's home to begin with? And, was Ford ever tried for the murder? If so, what was the verdict? And, if found guilty, what was his sentence? I couldn't find any more articles on the subject, so would welcome any light ye socks can shed on the case!

Give us liberty!

In these days leading up to our big national holiday, I've been thinking about how those days leading up to the orginal Declaration of Independence must've been like for our foresocks in the dryer.

According to my handy almanac of American history, I find it was on this date back in 1776 that Virginia ceased being merely a colony by adopting its first state constitution and making the great patriot Patrick Henry its first governor.

Years ago, while visiting the old Morgan family ancestral stomping grounds in Campbell County, Virginia, I took a brief detour to visit Governor Henry's retirement home at Red Hill.

The grounds are a lot more rustic and secluded than those of Mount Vernon or Monticello, allowing visitors to feel a more personal connection to the place.

I suppose that's why Henry remains my favorite among the founding fathers. Kind of an offbeat selection, I suppose. But, I'm known for such . . .

Morgan genealogy updates

Just a quick post to update ye socks who aren't completely weary of all the genealogy-related material in the dryer lately.

I recently received copies of some old newspaper clippings pertaining to the Morgan family in Virginia, and have added them to my ongoing online collection at: http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~oldpinecastle/morgan/index.html

Of haplotypes and subclades

If those terms don't mean anything to you, don't feel bad. You'd have to be fairly obsessed with the field of genetic genealogy to be familiar with them.

In researching my own genetic origins, I have found that my paternal ancestry is part of Haplotype I. You can see from this map of Europe, that it's fairly common on that continent.

The eggheads have computed the rise of the haplotype to about 28,000 years ago.

Obviously, it's splintered since then.

Those splinters are known as "subclades."

A couple of my recently-discovered long-lost Morgan cousins have had their DNA tested and been told that we belong to subclade I2b.

But, in reading about it online today, I am beginning to think there may be a problem with that. Our YCAII markers (19,19) don't seem to fit nicely into that pigeon hole . . . then, again, I'm not a geneticist, so what do I know?

Guess this means I need to do a little more reading.

It's stuff like this that will kill a weekend for a genealogy geek . . .

Happy Thanksgiving Meme & Tag

OK, ye socks, I have been tagged by my friend Judith in an online Thanksgiving game started by our mutual friend Julie.

Now that I'm "it," I'm supposed to give two reasons why I'm thankful this year, and then tag another blogger.

So, here goes . . .

1. My family. I'm thankful my Mayflower ancestors had the courage to make that historic voyage to graft our branch of the family tree onto American soil. They and every one of the succeeding generations all the way down to my little niece and nephew have been and are a continuing blessing.

2. My health. I'm thankful not to be burdened with any chronic illness or impairment. I could be in better shape, 'tis true. Maybe, I'll make a New Year's resolution to work on that . . . but for now let's focus on the holiday at hand!

Finally, I do hereby tag my high school classmate Michelle! Ha, ha! You're it! No tags back!!

I can be so childish during the holiday season, no?!

Ansearchin' by flashlight

The 58th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy is inviting bloggers to post on the theme of "Halloween Hauntings . . . Fact or Fiction?"

Kinda appropriate since Hallowe'en is only a few weeks away . . .

I'll let ye socks determine just how much truth is in the following second-hand account:

Twenty years ago, Skip Morgan's full time job was as a pilot in the U.S. Air Force. His part-time obsession was genealogy. The little library near his base in West Texas had a remarkably good collection of research material, and it was there he discovered a book that listed the final resting place of his great great grandparents James Lorenzo Morgan and Martha Virginia Brown Morgan.

(Shameless plug: For a compelling account of James and Martha's experiences during the U.S. Civil War, check out my book Like the Cats of Kilkenny.)

Their names were recorded among the many early burials at the Washington Cemetery in the little Missouri River town of Glasgow--about halfway between Kansas City and St. Louis.

As luck would have it, just a few days after Skip discovered this little genealogical tidbit, he was sent on a mission to Whiteman Air Force Base. It was just over 90 miles away from Glasgow, a trip that would take over two hours to make-- even for somebody who knew the backroads of rural Missouri. And, he was only going to be there overnight. But, Skip was undeterred.

Upon landing at Whiteman, the intrepid genealogical sleuth commandeered one of those old blue Air Force trucks all of we brats recall so fondly from our childhood bases. You know the ones with the yellow lettering and bad suspension. Soon, it was carrying him up bumpy Highway 65 to Marshall, and east on county roads 41 and 240 to Glasgow.

Unfortunately, by the time he got to the little river town, the sun had long since set and all the businesses were closed. There was no one about to tell a stranger where the cemetery was. And, it would be a peculiar question to ask, anyway. So, Skip decided to just cruise up and down the streets until he found it.

Fortunately, Glasgow is a small town, and his cruising did not take too long. He found the cemetery just before midnight, which would have deterred almost any non-genealogy addict.

Grabbing a flashlight from the glove compartment of the truck, Skip began exploring the eerily quiet cemetery. There were none of the proverbial hoot owls or spooky winds that generally accompany late night visits to such places, just a lot of quiet and a lot of dark.

He made his way to the biggest monument he could see outlined against the night sky, and flashed his beam onto the obelisk. Amazingly, it had been erected in memory of his namesake William D. Swinney--an uncle to both James and Martha! Surely, their stones must be nearby!

So, Skip began circling the Swinney plot as slowly and methodically as his excitement would allow. Around and around he went, shining his small light on stone after stone, looking for his elusive ancestors. But, all his patience was for nought.

It should be mentioned that the cemetery in question is not on a level piece of ground. So, before too long, our intrepid genealogist found himself atop a small rise. Frustrated, he was just about to admit defeat. Then, out of nowhere, a breeze blew across the garden of stones and he could have sworn it whispered something in his ear, "Over here!"

He spun around to see whose voice might have been carried on the wind, turning so quickly as to lose his footing. His flashlight fell from his hand and rolled down the rise, and Skip would have gone tumbling after if he hadn't reached out to grab a nearby stone to regain his balance.

Muttering a curse of resignation, he carefully made his way down the rise to recover his still shining flashlight. He knew he better get out of there before he caused any alarm amongst the townfolk, and he had to cover the 90+ miles back to his base for the return flight the next morning. But, as he knelt to pick up the flashlight, he noticed its beam was illuminating the same stone that had steadied him atop the rise.

A chill went down his spine as he read the name: James Lorenzo Morgan.

A pair of old family portraits

My cousin Patricia was kind enough to scan and forward these two old family portraits over the weekend, and I post them here for the enjoyment of ye socks who are not yet completely bored with my genealogical pursuits.



The first (rather faded) portrait is of my great-great grandfather (and namesake) William S. Morgan, and his wife Lola Blakesley Morgan. It was probably taken shortly after they were married in Kansas City, in 1889.




The second portrait is of Lola's parents Mary and Edson Blakesley. We still can't quite figure when the Unicorn-do was popular. The date on the photo says 1892. But, I must say that Grandpa Blakesley's mustache is ALMOST as hip as the one gracing the upper lip of yours truly.

Some lab work

Ye socks who may be as addicted to genealogical pursuits as yours truly have no doubt explored the LDS church's great web site www.familysearch.com.

But, ye may not be aware that they have a bunch of records that they're still trying to get completely indexed.

And, if ye can exercise just a little patience, they'll let you browse thru the unindexed images in the "labs" section: http://labs.familysearch.com

I was pretty excited to see one of the projects they're working on is the 1935 Florida state census.

I know, it doesn't take much to excite a genealogy addict, does it?!

Anyway, it didn't take me long to stumble across the image posted here, an enumeration of my great-grandfather's household in Orlando. Here's a transcription in case you have difficulty zooming-in on the jpg:

Orange County, Precinct 11, Orlando, 17 East Muriel:
* Morgan, William S., 35 M W husband, b Missouri, high school education, owner, government mail carrier.
* Morgan, Mrs. William S., 31 F W wife, b Georgia, college education, housewife.
* Morgan, Edith, 10 F W daughter, b Florida, in school.
* Morgan, Billie, 9 M W son, b Florida, in school.
* Morgan, Dorothy, 6 F W daughter, b Florida, in school.
* Morgan, Richard, 5 M W son, b Florida.
* Morgan, Eunice, 0 M W daughter, b Florida.

I think the greatest thing about this record is that it lists my Aunt Diane by her first name "Eunice" and that she was zero-years-old!

Shout out to my Bodo!

Well, I FINALLY got a hold of my baby sister on the phone today, after repeated failed efforts and much consternation.

Anyway, I had fun talking with her.

But, she did TRY to give me a hard time about my delinquent postings here in the dryer.

She should have known better.

I mean, after all, her little blog hasn't been updated since JUNE 19th!!

And, I have access to a virtual library of embarassing old photos of her teenage years.

The one posted here is fairly tame (NYC, 1989), but she should be forewarned that I've got some real doozies in my arsenal!

Rev. Billy Gene Brown (1931-2008)

I am very sorry to report the death of my great-uncle Billy Gene "BG" Brown.

He ended a 6-year battle with Parkinson's Disease at 4:15 yesterday morning, requesting his body be donated to medical research to help find a cure for this terrible illness.

BG celebrated his 76th birthday this past December 7th. Though born in Miami, he spent his formative years in Plymouth and attended Apopka High School.

After serving with the US Navy (and riding out a terrific hurricane in Charleston Harbor!) he returned to this little corner of heaven to marry my great-aunt Diane Morgan on August 28, 1953--almost 55 years ago. Together they operated His Way Ministries for many years. They have three children (David, Debbie, and Danny) as well as several grandchildren and great-granchildren.

Memorial services are scheduled at two of the churches BG served as pastor:

* 7/6/08 (Sunday) - 1pm - Corinth Baptist Church, Clinton, Missouri.

* 7/19/08 (Saturday) - 2pm - Rosemont Baptist Church, Orlando, Florida.