New Professional Development Certificate Program from The National Institute for Genealogical Studies

From The National Institute for Genealogical Studies:

To help their students meet the expectations of a growing genealogical consumer community, The National Institute for Genealogical Studies announced today their new certificate program in Professional Development.
"This certificate fills an important niche for the genealogy community" says Louise St Denis, Managing Director of the National Institute. Louise adds, "After 15 years of providing genealogical education we felt it was time to expand our offerings to include an eleventh certificate especially designed for those working in the field of genealogy."
Of the certificate program, National Institute instructor and professional genealogist Melanie D. Holtz, CG stated "Having a solid foundation in professional genealogy is key to your success, whether you are just beginning your business or seeking ways to expand your knowledge and experience.  The National Institute for Genealogical Studies' new Professional Development Certificate is unique in that you reap the benefits of the knowledge and experiences of multiple genealogists who have walked this road before you.  The new Professional Development certificate with numerous in-depth skill-building courses, will bring strength to the learning experience."
Professional Development Certificate
The National Institute for Genealogical Studies offers eleven Certificate Programs including the Professional Development Program.  Courses in this new program include, Transcribing, Abstracting, & Extracting - Career Development: Choosing a Niche - Creating Programs for Adults & the Younger Generation - Organizing a One Name Study - Lecturing - Forensic Genealogy - Genealogy and Copyright - Palaeography - Document Analysis - DNA - Marketing - House and Farm Histories - One Place Studies - Analysis and Skills Mentoring - Methodology
To learn more about The National Institute's Certificate Programs, see their website at http://www.genealogicalstudies.com.

The director of this new program is Gena Philibert-Ortega, who holds two Master's degrees in Interdisciplinary Studies and Religion. She has made presentations in person and online on various subjects including genealogy, women's studies and social history. She is also the author of hundreds of articles in genealogy newsletters and magazines, as well as the blogs Gena's Genealogy and Food.Family.Ephemera. 

St Denis commented "We are excited to have Gena Philibert-Ortega's involvement in our Professional Development program.  Gena has had a successful full-time  genealogy career for over 12 years and her experience will assist others as they transition to professional work or continue in their careers."
Gena said "I'm excited about this opportunity to bring courses designed for those interested in professional genealogy. I'm looking forward to continuing to grow the program to meet the needs of the genealogy community."

She is the author of the books, From The Family Kitchen (F + W Media, 2012),  Cemeteries of the Eastern Sierra (Arcadia Publishing, 2007) and Putting the Pieces Together.  Gena is currently the editor of the Utah Genealogical Association's journal Crossroads. An instructor for the The National Institute for Genealogical Studies, Gena has written courses about social media and Google. She serves as President for the Southern California Chapter of the Association of Professional Genealogists and is a board member of the Utah Genealogical Association. Her current research interests include women's social history, community cookbooks, signature quilts and researching women's lives using material artifacts.
Everyone at The National Institute welcomes Gena Philibert-Ortega to her new position and looks forward to the growth of the Professional Development Certificate.
Enroll Now for a Special Offer
Enroll now in the Professional Development Certificate and receive 10% off your course package. Use code FGS2013 or call 1-800-580-0165.

I plan to complete my General Methodology Certificate by the end of this year or early next year, and I will definitely look into this program after that. It seems like a good opportunity to learn more about how to build a career in genealogy, which is my long-term goal. Congrats to Gena Philibert-Ortega on her new position!

Stop by Sewickley Public Library for How-To Day

Hi everyone! Tomorrow I'll be doing one of the many short presentations (around 15 minutes) at How-To Day, which is going on at libraries throughout the North Region of Allegheny County, PA.

My presentation will be on how to start your genealogy, including how to complete a pedigree chart.

Here's more information about How-To Day: http://howtoatyourlibrary.com. Hope to see you there!

Setting Some New Goals

My year on the BCG clock has expired, and I have decided not to get an extension. I definitely intend to seek certification in the future, but the more work I have put into my portfolio, the more I have realized that I'm just not ready yet. I'm at a point where I need to step back and reevaluate my goals.

I also think that I need to engage more with the genealogy community (online and locally). I have gained a lot of knowledge and experience over the last few years, but I still have a lot to learn. Hopefully, I can find more experienced genealogists to mentor me, or at least become more active in local genealogy societies. I plan to focus more on posting on this blog and working on Geneajobs.net more often as well.

It would also be a good idea for me to complete more research projects and take more classes at the National Institute of Genealogical Studies and elsewhere before I continue work on my BCG portfolio. I need to slow down and enjoy the experience of learning more about genealogical research.

I think I'm pretty good at this, and I look forward to getting better. I just can't be in too much of a hurry to do so.

Fearless Females - Family Documents

I haven't written on the blog in almost a year. It's been mostly a pretty hard year for me, but I would really like to jump back into the community and start participating more regularly.

I would like to one day specialize in researching female ancestors, particular in southwestern Pennsylvania. So, what better way for me to start blogging again than with a Fearless Females post? Thanks to Lisa Alzo at The Accidental Genealogist for the great daily prompts.

Today's prompt from The Accidental Genealogist: "March 9 — Take a family document (baptismal certificate, passenger list, naturalization petition, etc.) and write a brief narrative using the information."

This the state death certificate of Charlotte "Lottie" Templin, my husband's maternal great-grandfather. Lottie had a tough, short life. For years, my husband's family didn't know much about her - and we still don't know a lot, really. She lived all around the South growing up and had at least 10 brothers and sisters. She lived in "Indian Territory" (now part of Oklahoma) when she married Will Tamplin (some members of the family spell it "Tamplin," some "Templin").

She and her husband had 2 children in Oklahoma before moving to western Pennsylvania and having 2 more children. As you can see, she died when she was only 34 years old of pneumonia complicated by infection and "exhaustion psychosis." She died at St. Francis Hospital in Pittsburgh, which closed 11 years ago.

Poor Lottie. The more I learn about her life, the more thankful I am for my own.

My Irish Relatives From Centralia, PA

Hope you all are enjoying St. Patrick's Day so far! Last year, I wrote about my Irish ancestor, Jane (Johnston) Brenton. This year, I thought I'd share some information I've found only recently on my other Irish relatives.

My maternal grandfather's mother was Anna (Kane) Fritzley. Anna's family has been one of my favorites to research because of their unique location. They settled in Centralia, Columbia, Pennsylvania and lived there for some time.

Centralia, PA probably sounds familiar to you. That's because Centralia, once a thriving community based in the mining trade, is now a ghost town. There are conflicting reports as to the details, but basically, here's what happened: Centralia was incorporated in 1866 and quickly developed into a thriving mining town. At its peak, the town had over 2,000 residents, many schools and churches, a post office, etc. - the basics of a small, bustling industry town. The first infamous incident in Centralia history came in 1868, when the town's founder, Alexander Rea, was murdered just outside of town by the Molly Maguires.

However, this incident is now overshadowed by the mine fire which destroyed most of the town. No one knows for sure how the fire ignited. What is known is that around 1961, a fire ignited coal underground in south Centralia. Numerous efforts to extinguish the fire failed. The fire spread to the underground mines, and continues to burn today. The air around the fire is poisonous. The town is marked by empty lots with cracked ground, piping smoke from the fire below. Most of surrounding trees are now dead sticks. Most of the residents of Centralia accepted a buyout and moved long ago, but a few still remain. In 2002, the U.S. Post Office revoked Centralia's zip code. This is what Centralia looks like now:

View Larger Map

The street view and photos on Google Maps are very interesting as well. The spooky remains of Centralia have inspired many novels, films and other media including the film adaptation of the Silent Hill video game series and even an episode of The Simpsons.

My great-grandmother, Anna Kane, was born in Centralia in 1893 to Teddy and Sarah (Durkin) Kane. She had 2 sisters and 3 brothers (as far as I know). Her brothers and her father were coal miners, like most men in the town's largely Irish population at the time. I find it so interesting that they worked in the mines that would eventually ruin the town from below. 

Her father Thaddeus "Teddy" Kane was born in Ireland in 1868. He immigrated to the U.S. around 1881 and married Sarah Durkin in about 1892. Sarah Durkin was born in 1869 in Pennsylvania to Mark and Sarah (McAnally) Durkin. Teddy and Sarah Kane raised their children in Centralia, and as far as I know, they never left. 

Their daughter, Anna, married William Fritzley around 1910, and raised their family in Pittsburgh (including my maternal grandfather, William Fritzley). After Anna's husband died in 1955, she moved back to Centralia. She died there around 1971, so she would have been witness to the mine fire and multiple attempts to put it out. When she died, there was still hope for extinguishing the fire and saving the town. 

But in 1981, a young boy fell into a sinkhole caused by the fire and would have died from carbon monoxide poisoning if his cousin hadn't pulled him out quickly. This caused media attention to the fire to increase, to the chagrin of many residents. Starting in the mid-1980s, the residents started to accept federal buyouts of their Centralia properties and move away. But a few residents still remain in Centralia, and continue to wage a very contentious legal battle with the state to remain in their homes. Some claim that the state only wants them to move so that they can have access to the remaining coal below the town (estimates of the value of  the coal vary greatly from source to source). That may be true, but it is also true that Centralia is a dangerous place to visit. If you do, please use caution as in many places the ground is extremely unstable and the air is thick with carbon monoxide and dioxide. 

So, you can see why this is one of my favorite family lines to research. I look forward to finding out more about them. My goal is to find living relatives who can tell me more about their (or their parents' and grandparents') experiences in Centralia. 

I'm off to start my St. Paddy's day celebrations, and I'll leave you with one of my favorite Irish sayings: "It is often that a person's mouth broke his nose."

Sláinte!

Wedding Wednesday - I Got Married Today!

Newlyweds! Me and my husband, Joe Davies.
[edited to include a better picture :)]

Pennsylvania Birth and Death Indexes Now Available Online Per Act 110

Act 110, formerly known as Senate Bill 361, went into effect today. This act makes birth certificates 105 years old and death certificates at least 50 years old available to the public.

Here's how it has been implemented:

• Currently, indexes for birth certificates issued in 1906 and death certificates issued 1906-1961 are available at the PA Department of Health here. 
• The indexes are PDF documents, organized by year and then mostly alphabetically (some are indexed by the Russell system).
• You have to search through the index pages by scrolling through them. There is no searchable database online. Searching the PDF for a name has so far been unsuccessful for me. 

If you find a name, you can request a copy of the certificate in one of three ways:

• Visiting the State Archives research room.
• Sending a mail request to the State Archives for $15 if name and date are known ($25 if the request comes from outside PA) or $50 per hour if name and/or date are not know. The Archives estimates a processing time of 8-12 weeks.
• Obtain an non-certified copy from the Department of Health (with a known State File number, found via the indexes). The fee is $3. However, the processing time for copies of birth and death certificates has now increased to 16 to 18 weeks, presumably because the number of requests will increase due to Act 110.

 I am very excited to see this information online, and I hope that it becomes easier to access the index entries and certificates in the future.

Genealogy Education Opportunities

Ancestry.com Learning Center
New from Ancestry, this is a collection of Ancestry's articles. They cover mostly basic genealogy techniques, but there are tips for more experienced researchers as well. There are also tutorials on how to use the collections of Ancestry.com, and about recently released record collections.

More info: http://www.ancestry.com/cs/HelpAndAdviceUS

Federation of Genealogical Societies 2012 Conference

"Indians, Squatters, Settlers and Soldiers in the 'Old Southwest'"

August 29-September 1, 2012

Registration is now open for this year's FGS conference, hosted by the Alabama Genealogical Society. Programs for genealogists at all levels (over 175 sessions offered). In addition to  lectures and workshops, the conference features "Librarian's Day" on August 29th, and an Exhibit Hall with vendors and a special "Spotlight on Societies."

Early Registration (through 1 July 2012): Full Conference: $195, Single Day: $79

Registration (after 1 July 2012): Full Conference: $245, Single Day: $99

More info: http://www.fgs.org/2012conference

(Thanks to Adventures in Genealogy Education).

Forensic Genealogy Institute - Council for the Advancement of Forensic Genealogy

October 25 - 27, 2012, Dallas, Texas

Twenty-four hours of hands-on instruction on forensic genealogy, designed for experienced genealogists. Limited to 25 attendees. $400 for CAFG non-members, $350 for members. Registration deadline: March 27, 2012. 

 More info: http://www.forensicgenealogists.com/forensic-genealogy-institute.html

 (Thanks to GeneaPress).

Do You Know Bill Bateman from Chicago?

At the library where I work part-time, this photo was found in a donated book. No one knows who donated it. It has quite a bit of genealogical detail on the back, so I hope that a descendant of his sees this.

 

Here's the back of the picture:

The back says:
"William Harrison Bateman (Bill)
military academy, Chicago Ill
mother of Bill - Rosie Bateman
father of Bill a buyer
for Marshall Fields Chicago

Bill's sister - "Dick" Bateman
Gamma Phi Beta (Nat. Sorority
U. of Wisconsin -
married to Luke Goetzloff) spelling?

Bill served with General Patton
So. Africa
2nd World War

visited [?] & Jo Cucknells
in Charlottesvile [?] before leaving USA
for Africa

Following war employed by
Sherwin Williams Paint Co in
Chicago"

Unfortunately, there are no years on the back of the picture, but I hope there is enough detail that a relative will recognize him.

Many PA Birth and Death Certificates Will Become Open Records

After a long campaign spearheaded by People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access, Vital Records Law Senate Bill 361 was signed into law on December 15, 2011 and will take effect on February 13, 2012. This means that Pennsylvania death certificates over 50 years old and birth certificates over 105 years old will become open records, and will then be transferred to the holdings of the Pennsylvania Archives. 

I am elated to hear that Pennsylvania has taken the first step to catch up to other states in terms of vital record access. As the completely redesigned PaHR-Access site points out, the next step is to ensure that these records will become searchable online through the Pennsylvania Archives website. I look forward to helping with this effort in any way that I can. 

PaHR-Access has listed several ways that researchers can help with the campaign to get these records online here.

Names, Places and Most Wanted Faces

I haven't been writing nearly as much as I'd like, so here's a good time to jump back in: Thomas MacEntee has suggested that bloggers revive the Names, Places and Most Wanted Faces blogging meme from Craig Manson of GeneaBlogie. Thomas explains how it works:

"To participate, do the following at your own blog and post a link back here in the comments:

1. List your surnames in alphabetical order as follows:

[SURNAME]: State/Province (county/subdivision), date range

2. At the end, list your Most Wanted Ancestor with details!"

So, here are mine:

1.

ATTANUCCI: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1840-1900

AZZOLINO: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1840-1900

BOEHM: Hessen, Germany, 1786-1840; Pennsylvania (Allegheny County) 1840-present

BOYD: Pennsylvania (Allegheny County), 1800-1900

BRENTON/BRINTON: Pennsylvania (Washington County), 1740-present

BROCK: Ohio, 1820-1850; Pennsylvania (Washington County), 1850-1900; West Virginia (Marion County), 1895-present

DAVIES: Pennsylvania (Beaver County), 1919-present

DURKIN: Pennsylvania (Centralia, Columbia County), 1860-1940

ELLER: Pennsylvania (Beaver, Lawrence and Fayette counties), 1860-present

FERGUSON: Pennsylvania (Fayette and Westmoreland counties), 1880-1930

FRITSCHLE: Baden, Germany, 1785-1852;

FRITZLEY: Pennsylvania (Allegheny and Beaver counties), 1852-present

HAYES: Ireland, 1820-1870; Pennsylvania (Beaver County), 1870-present

KANE: Pennsylvania (Centralia, Columbia County), 1880-1971

MERALILLO: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1830-1920

MUSCIANESE: Campania, Italy (Pastorano, province of Caserta), 1820-1921

OVERAND: Scotland (Lanarkshire), 1836-1863; Pennsylvania (Allegheny and Westmoreland counties), 1863-1940

SWIFT: Pennsylvania (Fayette, Washington and Westmoreland counties), 1820-1953

TEMPLIN: Pennsylvania (Allegheny County), 1905-present

WAGNER: Bavaria, Germany (Schedendorf), 1860-1923

WRIGHT: Pennsylvania (Washington County), 1840-1910

2. Most Wanted Ancestor:
Charlotte DUBREE/DUEBEL
b. abt. 1885 in Arkansas
m. abt. 1905 to William TEMPLIN
d. probably between 1920 and 1930
Lived in Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.

Reader Poll - Genealogy Education

In an upcoming post, I am going to talk about major genealogy education providers. In particular, I'd like to compare and contrast aspects of each of them which may be important to prospective students, such as cost, degree or certificate received, available class topics, etc. 

In this vein, I'd like to ask for your help. It would be great to hear many different perspectives on this question: 

When choosing a genealogy education program, what factors are most important to you?

I would really appreciate any feedback that will help me make meaningful and helpful comparisons between programs. Please answer in the comments section here, on Facebook or Tweet me.

Good News for Pennsylvania and Virginia Researchers: Legislatures Reconsidering Restrictions on Vital Record Access

Betty Lou Malesky at Green Valley News reports that the legislatures of both Pennsylvania and Virginia are considering easing their restrictions on vital record access. I've written before about how difficult it is for researchers to obtain vital records in Pennsylvania, and discussed to efforts of People for Better Pennsylvania Historical Records Access (PaHR-Access) to allow researchers to obtain vital records in a reasonable manner, while keeping any privacy concerns in mind.

This is very exciting news for Pennsylvania and Virginia researchers. In Virginia, some would like to restrict access even further - closing birth records for 125 years and marriages and deaths for 75. Currently, they are closed for 100 and 50 years, respectively, and can only be accessed by immediate family members if that time period has not yet passed. The Virginia Genealogical Society has urged the Virginia Legislature to reconsider these restrictions, and according to the above article there are currently 8 proposed options for doing so. Although it is unfortunate to see that longer waiting periods have been proposed, this serious discussion about the needs of genealogical researchers does inspire hope. If you have an interest in Virginia research, you are urged to contact the Virginia Joint Commission on Health Care by October 6th. Please see Ms. Malesky's article above for details.

In Pennsylvania, Vital Records Bill SB-361 has been unanimously passed by the State Senate and will now go to the State House of Representatives for consideration. If this bill passes, death certificates over 50 years old and birth certificates over 105 years old would become open records, and would then be transferred to the Pennsylvania State Archives. Pennsylvania researchers interested in seeing this bill passed should contact the House Health Committee members as soon and as often as possible. Thanks to PaHR-Access for tracking the progress of this legislation, and posting a list of House Health Committee members to contact here.

SNGF - My Matrilineal Line

I am trying to get back into posting regularly after a long absence, as life has been extra...interesting...lately. I am working on a few things at the moment, aside from client work. I'm currently doing research for an article about the Crawford Expedition, in which I'm fairly sure my ancestor was a prominent participant.

In the meantime, I thought I'd jump back in here with something fun. Randy at Genea-Musings posted this challenge:

"Hey genealogy buffs - it's Saturday Night again -- time for more Genealogy Fun!!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1) List your matrilineal line - your mother, her mother, etc. back to the first identifiable mother. Note: this line is how your mitochondrial DNA was passed to you!

2) Tell us if you have had your mitochondrial DNA tested, and if so, which Haplogroup you are in.

3) Post your responses on your own blog post, in Comments to this blog post, or in a Status line on Facebook or in your Stream at Google Plus.

4) If you have done this before, please do your father's matrilineal line, or your grandfather's matrilineal line, or your spouse's matrilineal line.

5) Does this list spur you to find distant cousins that might share one of your matrilineal lines?"

Here's my matrilineal line:

a) My mother, Laura, whose maiden name was Fritzley.
b) Helen Ada Brenton (1924 Brownsville, PA - 2008 Pittsburgh, PA), married William Fritzley.
c) Gertrude Ada Swift (1903 Scottsdale, PA - 1953 Brownsville, PA), married Everett Brenton.
d) Delilah Ferguson (1872 Mount Pleasant, PA - 1936 Mount Pleasant), married Robert Swift.
These next two generations are unverified; many online family trees have them, but I haven't found anything to support them yet other than a few census records.
e) Catherine Pletcher (1832 Westmoreland County, PA - 1895 Bullskin, PA), married George W. Ferguson.
f) Phoebe Nichols (1802 Liberty, PA - 1872 Ruffsdale, PA), married David Pletcher.

I intend on having my mitochondrial DNA tested as soon as I can save up for it, and I'm very much looking forward to the results.

This line is one that I don't have much information about past my great-great grandmother, Delilah (Ferguson) Swift. I know there must be many, many distant cousins out there, and I hope to find more of them soon!

Sorting Out Contradictions in Ancestry.com Member Trees

There's been a delay in posting the next generation in my Brenton family study, because I've run into some problems. My last post was about Isaac and Jane Brenton. I have Isaac's parents as Joseph Brenton and Louisa Hair. On Ancestry.com, there are at least 10 public member trees that include Joseph and Louisa. All of them contain conflicting information. I'm currently going through all of them and sorting out the conflicts.

I'm having some trouble figuring out how to handle this via the blogosphere. What should I post regarding public member trees on Ancestry?

The bottom line is that I will have to spend some more time writing this report, since there are many conflicts to resolve. I will also be contacting the owners of the trees once I do that, so that we can (hopefully) work together to figure out the facts regarding our common ancestors.

MyHeritage Family Goals and the FamilyConnect App for iPhone and Android

I recently noticed that MyHeritage has a new app for iPhone and Android called FamilyConnect. It is free to download from the App Store or Android Market. You need a MyHeritage.com log-in to use it, since it connects to your family tree there. The MyHeritage site is also free to use, although to store trees with more than 250 people and/or use more than 250MB of data, someone in the family needs to sponsor a paid subscription. If you set a Family Goal, which I'll talk about it in a bit, your family can share the cost of the site.

After you log-in to the FamilyConnect app with your MyHeritage log-in and select your family site from the list (if you belong to more than one site), it loads the most recent photos uploaded to your family website. From there, there is an option to save a photo you've selected to your phone, or share the photo via email with other family members on the website. I was actually glad to see that you can't share the photo on Facebook or Twitter, since my site is private and membership is by invitation-only. You can also take a photo to share on the family site or share one from your phone. The apps settings include the ability to limit who appears on the apps email contact list by how closely they are related to you.

This seems like a great start for keeping connected with your family through MyHeritage on-the-go. The app is very user-friendly, has a friendly, simple look, and ran quickly on my Motorola Droid running Android 2.2.2.

However, it would be great to see some more options, such as:

• Viewing at least a few generations of your family tree on your mobile phone.
• Being able to see the latest family newsletter from your phone through the app.
• An option to use the MyHeritage message feature.
• The ability to share videos as well as photos. 
• An "invite family members" button.

Generally, it would be nice to see a "light" version of the site on the app, similar to a Facebook or Twitter app. Obviously, that kind of thing requires a great deal of development, so I look forward to seeing updates to the app as they are released. 

Another new feature on MyHeritage.com is the Family Goal. The option to set one up is on the left hand site of the home page once you log in. If you are already paying for a subscription on a monthly basis (as I was), you will have to cancel the plan in order to set up a Family Goal. I chose a PremiumPlus subscription at (unlimited data) $119.40 per year  as this is the only option that could fit all of the data on my site.

I was glad to see that the invitation to donate to the Family Goal was customizable, as I was already uncomfortable asking for money (however, the cost of the site had become difficult to pay on my own), and I didn't want my family members to receive a generic email.

The Family Goal ran for two weeks, and I'm happy to say that my family met the goal, so our site is paid for until next year. Thanks to everyone who donated, I really appreciate it! I do wish the Family Goal could have run for longer than that, to give me a chance to get in touch with more family members. Overall, I was very happy with it, and having the site up for another year is a big relief.

One-Line Study - Isaac Brenton

On Saint Patrick's Day, I wrote about my great-great-great grandparents, Isaac and Jane (Johnston) Brenton. That post covered my Irish roots via Jane. Today, I'm going to continue with my one-line study with Isaac Brenton (father of Johnston P. Brenton).

Isaac was born about 1830 in East Pike Run, Washington County, Pennsylvania^1-5. He worked on the family farm there when he was young, along with a few of his siblings^3-4. I am not sure when he married Jane. I do have a general idea - their first child (that I know of) was born in 1859⁶, so they were probably married before that. Jane would have been about 20 in 1859⁷, so most likely only a few years before that at most. Knowing when Jane immigrated to the U.S. from Ireland would help to narrow the date further, but I am having trouble finding those immigration records due to Jane's common name.

So far, I know of nine children that Isaac and Jane had together. The 1910 Federal census indicates that Jane had 9 children, and that 7 of them were still living at that time⁸. As I indicated in the last post, two of their children (J.P. and William) opened a very successful butcher shop together in West Brownsville, Washington, PA⁵. Three of their children (J.P., Henry and Mary Louise) married, settled nearby, and had children. James, William, Emily and Elizabeth never married^9-11. They lived together and helped support each other in West Brownsville area, not far from their brother J.P. and his wife Lena.⁵

Isaac, along with his brothers, were enumerated on a Civil War draft in 1863⁴, but I have not found any service records for any one of them, so I cannot tell whether any of them served. There was a space of a few years (from 1861 to 1865) where Isaac and Jane did not have any children, as far as I know. This may mean that he did serve in the war. I will continue to search for evidence of what he did during those years.

The last census on which I've found Isaac is the 1870 Federal Census¹. According to an undated, unsourced list of deaths in a 1904 directory of West Brownsville, Isaac died 11 Jul 1877¹². I haven't been able to find solid evidence to back this up, however.

I do know that Jane was enumerated on the 1880 Federal Census, living with her unmarried children in East Pike Run (perhaps on the family property there)⁹. She also lived with them in West Brownsville, according to the 1900¹⁰ and 1910⁸ Federal Censuses. In 1910, that household lived a few houses away from Isaac and Jane's daughter Mary Louise and her husband David Watkins⁸. Jane died on 24 Mar 1918 in West Brownsville, and was buried in Bridgeport Cemetery in Brownsville, Fayette County, PA⁷.

I hope to find some other death records soon to verify Isaac's death date, as well as some property or tax records to tell me a little more about Isaac. A search for his will came up empty. The best source I have for the details of Isaac's life is a few sentences from Joseph McFarland's 20th Century History of the City of Washington and Washington County, Pennsylvania and Representative Citizens⁵:

Isaac Brenton, also a native of East Pike Run Township, was born on the farm on which his father, Joseph Brenton, a native of Virginia, settled at an early period. He married Jane Johnston, who was born in Ireland, and came to this country during her girlhood days, with her parents, Thomas Johnston and wife...

This is a good start, but all of the statements need to be further verified. Also, the account is a little suspect (expected for secondary information like this), since part of it is not correct; that is that Joseph Brenton, Isaac's father, was a native of Virginia. I am confident that Joseph Brenton was not from Virginia. His wife was most likely from Virginia, and that is probably where the mix-up occurred. The Brenton family, generations before, did briefly live in Virginia, but they had always lived in the same area. There was a heated border dispute between Pennsylvania and Virginia, so that many people in what is now Western Pennsylvania were not sure exactly whether they lived in Pennsylvania or Virginia at a given time. This has made land record research for that time especially fun (i.e. complicated). I will detail this further with the information I have gathered about Isaac's parents (and grandparents) in the next few posts.

(Sources below the cut).

Nearly Wordless Wednesday - Gertrude and Minnie Eller and Joe Davies

Gertrude "Gert" (Eller) Davies and her sister Mary Ann "Minnie" Eller, walking Gert's son Joe Davies into the ocean (or trying to). Very cute family moment. Gert and Minnie's sister Myrtle ("Mert") did her best to duck out of frame. Oops.

There is nothing about this picture I do not love.

One-Line Study - Johnston Playford Brenton

Last week's post continued my one-line study of my Brenton ancestors with my great-grandfather, Everett Mansell Brenton. I'm going to write summaries of my progress so far in a "Brenton Study" page on the blog soon.

The next ancestor in my study is Johnston Playford Brenton, Everett's father and my great-great grandfather.

 J.P.'s headstone in Taylor Cemetery, Brownsville, Fayette, PA. Courtesy of Joseph Howard Matthews.

Johnston (J.P.) was born in Pennsylvania on 28 Feb 1859 to Isaac Brenton and Jane K. Johnston (Brenton)1-3. He was their oldest child (as far as I know) and it seems that his parents gave him his mother's maiden name as his given name4 - a bit unusual, as it was more traditional to give a child his/her mother's maiden name as a middle name.

He resided in Washington County for his most of his lifetime. His father owned a farm in East Pike Run township, and he worked as a farmhand there in his youth5. On 1 Oct 1896, he married Lena Wright, also of Washington County (West Brownsville)6. This marriage was the focus of the post "Did J.P. and Lena Elope?" as I (still) don't know why they married in Marion County, West Virginia when they had no known connections there (and they were both over 21 at the time of their marriage). They had 7 children together, as mentioned in the last post: Everett, Bessie, Mary Virginia, Sara, one child still living, and two children who died very young (Emery and Robert).

For a few years in the early 1900s, J.P. and his brothers owned Brenton Brothers Meat Market in West Brownsville7-11, where he and Lena moved after they married. Unfortunately, it seems from "street view" on Google Maps that the market is no longer there.

Around 1919, Lena became ill with tuberculosis, and she and J.P. (along with 3 of their daughters) moved to Los Angeles to seek treatment12-14. While in Los Angeles, J.P. (around 60 years old then) worked as a laborer in a tire plant. Lena succumbed to her illness in 1924, at age 5515.

J.P. himself became ill around 192616, and moved back to Washington County around the same time. He  moved in with his daughter Bessie and her husband Addison Wise in North Bethlehem17. On 7 Apr 1931, J.P. died at age 7218 and was buried in the family plot in Taylor Cemetery (pictured above).

Next week, J.P.'s father Isaac...

(Sources below).

One-Line Study - Everett Mansell Brenton

First, a little background: in a previous post, I discussed studying the Brenton line of my family in preparation for my BCG portfolio (a study focusing on my direct ancestry). The beginning of that that study was my grandmother, Helen (Brenton) Fritzley, who was born 28 Mar 1924 to Everett Brenton and Gertrude (Swift) Brenton in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania. She was the focus of the post linked above.

This post goes forward in the study with the next ancestor in the Brenton line: Everett Mansell Brenton, my great-grandfather.

Everett's headstone in Taylor Cemetery, Brownsville, Fayette, PA. Courtesy of Joseph Howard Matthews.

Everett Brenton was born 18 Apr 1898 in West Brownsville, Washington County, PA.^1-5 His parents were Johnston Brenton and Lena (Wright) Brenton.^1-5 He went to school with some of his siblings in Bentleyville, a nearby town.⁶ His World War I draft card describes him as being tall with a medium build, brown hair and blue eyes.⁴ For most of his life, he was a brakeman on the railroad, like many men in the West Brownsville area.^4,5,7 In fact, the town of West Brownsville has train tracks running down Main Street.⁸

Everett had four sisters: Bessie Irene^2,3,5, Mary Virginia³, Sarah Jane^3,5, and a sister who is still living. He had two brothers who died very young: Emery and Robert Clayton, who are also buried in Taylor Cemetery.

When Everett was 22, he eloped on 11 Sep 1920 with 17-year-old Gertrude Ada Swift to Cumberland, Maryland⁹, where (it so happens) minors did not need parental consent to marry. Gertrude's parents were well-regarded in the Brownsville community (connected by bridge to West Brownsville). It seems Gertrude was unable to get their consent to marry Everett.⁹

Remember kids, listen to your parents.

Everett and Gertrude's marriage did not end well - I will spare the details, as some of Everett's close family is still living. They separated in 1932, and their divorce was finalized in 1934. They had 5 children, who Gertrude supported after the divorce with the help of her mother, Delilah Swift.⁹

As far as I know, Everett never remarried. He continued to work on the railroad, as a brakeman and later a conductor^9-12. He remained in the Brownsville area until his death in 1965, at the age of 66.¹² He was buried in the same cemetery as his father and siblings.

(Sources below).