Out On A Limb With Jean

           Orphaned children have been around since the beginning of time.  Scripture tells us how dear they are to God when you read the verses regarding the command to make provisions for widows and orphans.  Psalm 68:5 tells us, “Father of the fatherless and protector of widows is God in his holy habitation.”  In biblical times, since women rarely earned any money of their own, a child was considered an orphan if the father and wage earner died.  In my own family I have found that when a mother of an infant or young child died, often the father would find someone else to rear that child, presumably so he could continue to work and care for the other children.  Here are a few orphans from some of my family trees – some lost their mother, some lost their father.    ETTA MAUDE SIEBERT CHURCHWELL Etta Siebert's mother died of pneumonia when Etta was 9 months old, so her maternal grandmother took her to rear. Her grand...

          In celebration of Craig's and my 42nd anniversary, I thought Marriage records would be a fitting topic for July.  Marriage records have changed over time, and were not required by U.S. states until between 1911-1962.  Fortunately, counties began keeping track in the 1700s, but, unfortunately, courthouse fires or floods destroyed many early records.  Often, one marriage would contain more than one entry; according to the North Carolina archives, records (1741-1868) might  include: 1. A Marriage bond – a statement of intent of the prospective groom to marry the prospective bride, and was filed with the clerk of the county court in which the bride resided. A security deposit was made by one or more bondsmen, and would be forfeited if the marriage did not occur; and 2. A Marriage Return – after a wedding, the minister who officiated the ceremony was to submit a Return with the County Court.  Many times this was not done a...

           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...