Out On A Limb With Jean

           Our  LAREW side of the family is also descended from the Colonial family of STOCKTON from New Jersey.   My grandmother, Helen Esther VANHOOSER LAREW, was the daughter of Orlena America STOCKTON (1865-1955).   ( Do any of my older relatives remember Orlena’s passing in 1955?   I’m sure it was hard on our grandmother Helen and her siblings.)    The STOCKTON family has been in America since Richard STOCKTON, Sr.   (1630-1707) arrived in about 1656, landing on Long Island, New York, along with his son Richard II (1654-1709), from whom my STOCKTON lineage can be traced.   By 1692 they were residing in Burlington County, New Jersey.   Since there is a 20-year gap between the birth of his son Richard II in England, and his first child born in New Jersey, it is reasonable to assume that Richard, Sr. was a widower.   He and his wife Abigail had seven children born to them in New Jersey. Richard II marrie...

        We have a rich Christian heritage in our families.   Since all of our family lines date back to the Colonies, it is quite possible many, if not all, of our ancestors came to America for religious freedom.           My Uncle Harold CHURCHWELL (1915-1997) noted that early Churchwells were Primitive Baptist – no musical instruments were allowed in the church, and they regularly practiced foot-washing as part of their worship service.   The earliest records I have are for my 2x great-grandfather, Thomas CHURCHWELL (1810-1880), who joined with the Missionary Baptist Church.   When my Grandpa, William Thornton CHURCHWELL (1890-1954) moved the family to Washington County, Colorado, the nearest church was a Methodist church in Last Chance.   My mom told me her dad used to always say, “We are Baptist, even if we are going to a Methodist church.”   My great-grandfather, John Glover WALLIS (1861-1945), joined...

          I realize it has been two months since my last post!    Craig & I were traveling in the Deep South – Alabama, Mississippi & Louisiana – and enjoying the many sites, cuisines, and the occasional beach.   Whenever we travel, I try to see if I have any family history in the area and where to look for any additional family records, and this trip was no different.   I am very fortunate to have pension and/or military records for 5 of my 6 Civil War ancestors (the 6 th soldier was enlisted only a few months when he was elected to the Missouri State Congress and resigned his position).            Since we were going to be near Marengo County, Alabama, I conducted a Google search for a certain 2 nd cousin twice removed by the last name of PATTERSON, and I found him named in the wedding announcement for his daughter.   I then searched for her name and found her address (it’s kind ...

            There are probably very few Americans whose DNA would show only one ethnicity.   With the lineage of both the LAREW and the CHURCHWELL sides dating back to Colonial days, when asked about my heritage I would always say I am “Heinz 57” – a little bit of everything.   But how does one calculate the percentages of their ethnicity?   I could say I am half French and have English, but that’s just going off of my last name and my mother’s maiden name.   If you know who your ancestors are going back several generations, you can figure out your percentages.            Take my husband Craig for example.   He would say he’s half German and half Polish, and he would be partly correct.   His mother, Theresa SZCZESNY, was 100% Polish, so he is 50%, which means our daughters are 25%.   But he is not 50% German since his dad, William HOFFMANN, was not 100% German; his maternal gr...

            My previous post was on causes of death, so it seems natural to follow a discussion of death with a discussion of cemeteries.   I find it an interesting fact that every culture around the world and throughout history has some sort of ritual surrounding the disposition of human remains.   Depending on the cultural or religious practices of any given ethnic group, rituals surrounding the treatment of human remains might consist of a funeral pyre, funeral scaffold, burial cave or catacomb, in-ground burial, above-ground mausoleum or cremation niche, or an urn of cremains kept by a loved one.   American is a fairly young country, unlike most of the rest of the world, so most of the cemeteries in the U.S. do not practice strict perpetual care rules.   In places like Germany the body is removed after so many years to make room for another burial.   The practice is, if no relative is paying the annual $1000 to $5000 fee ...