Roots Branches & Nuts

  Week 3: I choose Frankie Davis, my great-grandmother, for the exploration of Nickname. Many people assume her name was Frances. Almost every valid account I find of her lists her as Frankie. She was born in 1864 so the first census I find her in is 1870. In 1880, apparently the census taker didn't get all the information and Frankie is listed as a son. Wat and Frankie were married Feb. 6, 1881 in Ellenburg.  From  The Plattsburgh Sentinel, 11 February 1881 The 1892 NY State census show Frankie married to Watson Merrill and they have five children. The census in 1900, shows that Frankie had had 9 children and 8 were still living. This census also lists Bess as a son.  The 1905 NY State census. Previous census records list no occupation but here it shows she took in laundry. By 1910, Frankie's two oldest daughters, Edith and Sadie, were married and living elsewhere. The other 10 children are listed. The youngest, at five months old, is listed as "unnamed;" she eventu...

  Week 2’s theme is “Favorite Photo.” Yes, I’ve included this prompt in the last few years of 52 Ancestors, and for good reason: Photos capture our family history like few other things can. Besides, how can you limit yourself to one?! This week, tell the story of a favorite photo: who is in it, where and when was it taken, and – just as important –   why   was it taken? _______________________________________________________________________ This photo includes my brother's daughter, Betsy, me, my sister's daughter, Sarah, and my sister, Alison. We were the main organizers of the family reunion pictured below. It was taken in front of the lilac bush near my sister's house during the Barcomb Bash 2022. We gathered as many of our siblings and their children, significant others, and grandchildren as we could manage (actually, I think they all showed up!). First cousins were invited. This second photo was taken at the front of my sister's house. None of the cousins had arriv...

  Week 1: This week’s theme is “In the Beginning.” (According to “The Sound of Music,” the beginning is a very good place to start.) Who was the first person you wanted to find when you started your genealogy journey? Was there a family member who sparked your interest, maybe by giving you a bunch of genealogy “stuff”? This would be a great week to write about them!   I have been working on my genealogy since about 1973. I had a history class in high school and did a “family tree.” I did some research, sent away for information, interviewed older members of the family and learned how to put it down on paper. It was fascinating and probably not as accurate as it could have been. My maternal grandmother was one of 12 children and my mother and I made lists of all of them, their spouses and the children. Some of them married divorced people! Some of them married three times. Almost all of them went by their middle names, so who was who? One of the boys was Francis Clare ...