Tombstone Tuesday-Willis R. and Sarah E. May

Arcade Cemetery

North Plains, Washington County, Oregon

Willis Richard May was born June 4, 1867 in Story County, Iowa to parents James Monroe May and Susannah Arminta Ballard. He died October 31, 1954 in Banks, Washington County, Oregon.

Willis married:

Sarah Ellen Hutchison who was born March 22, 1871 in Boone County, Iowa to parents Daniel Hutchison, Jr. and Margaret McMillan Gilliland.

They married on April 11, 1889 in Washington County, Oregon and were the parents of 11 children with 10 of them surviving to adulthood.

Monday Madness - Judson Ball

Judson Ball was born ca 1820 and depending on whose census record you look at, he was born in either Ohio or Vermont.  This is the beginning of my frustration in researching the origins and family of whence he came. 

The earliest record I have is a deed where he purchased 40 acres of land from Abram J. Shaver and wife Polly in Van Buren County, Michigan during the month of September, 1839.  The 1840 census does not list him.  Possibly he was living with another family?  Maybe he was out of the area at the time.

In December of 1844 Judson marries Caroline Webber, daughter of John H. Webber and Levina Kimball in Van Buren and subsequently children are born to them:  Amelia, Sarah, Ellis Judson, Victoria and Emma Frances.  Amelia and Victoria marry German brothers; William and Augusta Kemeno and both families produced several children between them.  Sarah and Emma were married but did not give birth.  Ellis Judson who is my great, great grandfather, with his wife Evora had two children that survived to adulthood.  Their story will be a future post as it is a tragic one.

Judson is listed both in the 1850 and 1860 censuses and during these years also bought and sold land in Van Buren and Kalamazoo Counties frequently and made profits.

By the time 1867 comes around, Judson takes sick with "congestion and chills" and dies, this event is recorded in the Kalamazoo County death register with no real clue to who he really is.

I have been to Salt Lake City and dug into the records, especially the deeds trying to find anyone that could be a family member with no real clue to of a relationship.  One idea I had: Ellis says over and over that he was born in Kankakee County, Illinois so I even took my research over there to try find out why Judson and Caroline would be over there in 1855.  Also all the BALL families have been looked at and ruled out for now.  One challenge is that he lived a short life, he was alone and young when he ventured out, he died and no tombstone can be found and he left no probate record.

I have exhausted any thoughts and avenues that I could possibly come up with!  I even checked the county in Ohio that Caroline Webber and her family came from.

There has to be a family living at that time that is missing a sibling!   Who is his family and where did he come from?   One thing I know for sure, I will need to make a field trip and go to this area of Michigan and dig. 

HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY

Happy Valentine's Day

Today I feel it is appropriate to share a couple of Valentine postcards that I inherited from my mother that belonged to my Great Grandmother Nora Ellen Baley. These postcards mean so much to me because they show a side of her that is so unknown. Unfortunately, Nora died in 1937 when my mother was 6 years old.

Message says:

Lizzie to Nellie

Dear old Girl I would love to see you and have a long talk with you. I got your Valentine and think it was pretty. I bet you had a nice time in old Ark. (Arkansas where Nellie/Nora was born). I am going back about Easter Sunday to stay awhile while I and as ever Lizzie to Nellie.

I don't know who Lizzie is and it will warrant an investigation in the future. Here is another Valentine's postcard to Nellie:

This one had no message.

Enjoy the day.

Wordless Wednesday - Scripture Cake

A clipping found in Nora Ellen (Baley) Ball's Bible now in my possession.

Tombstone Tuesday - Andrew & Emma Smalley

Norway Cemetery, Norway, Coos County, Oregon

Andrew Smalley born April 3, 1853 in Falls Township, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. He died March 12, 1943.

Emma (Tillman) Smalley was born August 26, 1856 in Tunkhannock, Wyoming County, Pennsylvania. She died February 26, 1923 in Coos County, Oregon.

They were married in May 30, 1873 in Tunkhannock and were the parents of 14 children! My Paternal Grandmother, Etta Mae, was their youngest child born in 1901. They were married 28 years when she was born.

Weekly Genealogy Prompt #26 - Daniel Hutchison, Jr.

Daniel Hutchison in his Civil War uniform and his Fife

Daniel Hutchison, Jr. didn't have an unusual looking tombstone. I am assuming that it was military issued. I chose him for this weeks prompting because it is 4th of July and for his military service even though he served for a short time of around 6 months. He enlisted on 2 August 1862 at the age of 35 with Company I, 33rd Regiment, Iowa Infantry as a musician. He was honorably discharged on 11 Feb 1863 at St Louis, MO because he suffered from a disability. He received a pension around 1873. His physical description says that he was dark haired and blue eyed. He was a very small man at 5'2'!

I received this photo of him in his uniform and his fife which I believe to have been taken around that time frame. I did a little research as I was unfamiliar with the fife. According to Wikipedia,

"A fife is a small, high-pitched, flute that is similar to the piccolo, but louder and shriller due to its narrower bore. The fife originated in medieval Europe and is often used in military and marching bands. They were used as signaling instruments (opposed to musical instruments) by American units during the Civil War but gradually phased out by the 1880s."

Daniel was born May 4, 1827 in Holmes County, Ohio and was the son of Daniel Hutchison, Sr. and Rebecca Caster. Daniel married Margaret Gilliland on the 4th of July, 1850 in Fairfield, Jefferson County, Iowa. Margaret was the daughter of Archibald Gilliland and Margaret Withrow. Margaret, too was born in Holmes County, Ohio on October 24th, 1830. I am sure the Gillilands and Hutchisons knew each other in Holmes County. Daniel and Margaret did move around alot. From Iowa, to Kansas to Nebraska, back to Kansas. Four of their children married four May children with my Great Grandmother, Sarah Ellen, being the youngest of their children who married Willis Richard May. This resulted in several sets of double cousins!

The Hutchisons and Mays formed a mule caravan from Kansas to Washington County, Oregon around 1886. They settled around each other and many of them are buried in the Old Pumpkin Ridge Cemetery, which is now called Arcade Cemetery. Daniel died on April 23, 1903 in Washington County, Oregon and missed being recorded in the Death records.

The Mays and Hutchisons were very intertwined and very family oriented. To this very day, they still have annual family reunions in Washington County and hopefully I will be able to attend with my Mother.

Arcade Cemetery, North Plains, Washington County, Oregon (Not in Illinois Infantry, Iowa)

Wordless Wednesday - Granville Ball