52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History- Pets

I had an assortment of pets growing up from livestock to domestic pets. One of my first pets was a rabbit. Not a very friendly rabbit. I also had many cats which tended to be rather aloof and not too cuddly. We also kept some birds which the cats often harassed. I did enjoy several litters of kittens which were born in our garage. I remember the mother cats tried to move their kittens into my closet :D. 

I remember I also had a tiny turtle named Timmy who would often escape his home. We would have to comb the house to find him.

We also had a rooster which would wake the neighbors up so we had to get rid of it. 

I became very attached to my apricot poodle named Romeo. I got him around the time of my Junior High School graduation. He was much more fun than the cats. He was a very lively companion, and like a little brother to me. He lived to be about 15 years old. It was a very sad day when he had to be put to sleep.

I don't have any pets now. Just no time to care for a pet now. 

More Fun with Maps

The findagrave website has so much great information besides cemetery listings. I found a picture of the marker above at that site. It put me on the right track as to where the Looneys lived. They were neighbors of my likely ancestors Andrew Forgey and Margaret Reynolds. I noticed a street called Looney's Gap road. I thought that Andrew's land may have been located around there. No, after using this sign to do more internet research I determined that the Looneys originally lived near the Forgeys on Possum Creek, but later relocated to the location where Looney's Gap Rd. is, which is on Big Creek. So Andrew did not live near that road.

When I looked at Andew Forgey's land grant again I noticed it specifically says he lived in North Stanley Valley.

I would like to do some research with Tract Books to pinpoint the location of the land.

I am very curious as to whether descendants of Andrew Forgey still own any of his 400 acre land grant?

Stanley Valley

I've been touring the area where my ancestors lived using google street view. They lived in Stanley Valley, Hawkins County, Tennessee and later migrated over the border into Scott County, Virginia.
Stanley Valley is a narrow valley so it should be fairly easy to pinpoint where the family lived.
The only coordinates I have are Possum Creek and according to a great-grandson of the family they lived 17 miles from Rogersville. Using these directions I believe I have been able to get pretty close to where they lived. It's been really wonderful to actually see the area :)! It's really moving seeing the area.

I have also been able to see the ancestral land in Scott County thanks to the directions of distant cousins. Its a very lush green area.
I've contacted a local expert in Hawkins County, TN hoping to get advise on how to pinpoint the exact location of the Forgey land.

St. John Vianney Church

The church I have been attending since childhood was burned in an arson fire on Friday night. It is really heartbreaking for all of us. One of the Priests ruptured a tendon a couple of months ago and just came to for today's Palm Sunday service, which was held in the church hall. He was given a standing ovation. As he said "We will rise again." The rectory was saved but the heat from the fire blew out all the windows and much of the interior was melted. Luckily none of the priests were killed. A fireman had to pull one of them to safety. The church is a total loss. The damage is estimated at 8 million dollars.

It's sound like it's going to take two or three years to rebuild. I feel sorry for anyone who had the church booked  for their wedding :(. It is nice that people are sharing their pictures of the church as it was at this facebook site https://www.facebook.com/RebuildStJohnVianneyChurch

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History- Sports

In the late 1970's and early 1980's some of my best days were spent with by father at Dodgers' baseball games. That was a classic era in Dodger baseball.  In Fielder's Steve Garvey, Ron Cey, Davy Lopes, and Steve Yeager behind the plate. I also remember Fernando mania. Whenever he pitched in his early career the stadium would be packed.  

We would always sit in the left field section so I could watch my favorite player Bill Buckner.

Family nights and celebrity nights were some of my favorite. I remember getting Tony Danza's autograph at a celebrity night. I remember that he was one of the nicest celebrities I have ever met. I dropped my pen into the Dodger dugout and he retrieved it for me. 

We always ate a couple Dodger of dogs every game. There is nothing better than a tasty Dodger dog on a beautiful day at the stadium!

Dodger Stadium has always been located in a bad section of Los Angeles, a gang ridden area. The recent beating of a fan really saddened me, but was not completely a surprise given the fact that gang members live in the area and attend games. Hopefully increased security will prevent this from happening again.

BYUtv - The Generations Project: Emily

BYUtv - The Generations Project: Emily

I really enjoyed this Generations Project episode! Emily brought up some questions that never occurred to me :D. It isn't everyday that someone shows up to the Family History Library in Salt Lake City asking how their ancestor smelled. Researchers were able to come up with a reasonably good answer for her. They drew a conclusion about what he likely smelled like from the occupation listed on the Census for him. They even found a description of the odors associated with his occupation (which was teamster).
I have not put much thought into the self-esteem level of my ancestors either. I have noticed that some were more successful than others. I've also noticed that some siblings have been more successful than other. In the case of  my Forgey family I have noted that James Forgey seemed to be financially better off than his brother my ancestor Hugh. His father Andrew seemed to favor James more than Hugh also. I don't know whether it affected his self-esteemed or not?
Still working on organizing my genealogy.
The Second Life meeting yesterday was done in voice chat. It was very interesting regarding government land records. I found out that cash purchase entries rarely contain anything other than the patent and receipt. My ancestors only purchased land this way, they did not homestead.

Need to Organize My Genealogy

I have been studying Myrt's April organizational checklist and looking at Elyse Dorflinger's videos. I have not been good when it comes to organizing my genealogy. I tend to organize every now and then but don't keep it up. My resolution for this year is to simplify everything so it isn't so challenging to maintain. Ease of access is definitely what I am striving for. I need to buy some file folders and hanging folders. I use binders also. The hanging folders will mainly contain misc. info and collateral lines.
My email boxes and computer files need some more work too!

Don't Know the History

After attending several webinars on writing your family history I decided to get started writing about the Tennessee Forgeys. I soon realized that I did not have a good handle on the history of the area they came from :(. I have really been studying early maps and all of the early histories I can find online. The early history tends to be somewhat sketchy. I would like to use some statistics about the early population but I am finding that this kind of info was never recorded in late 18th Tennessee. I am finding some very interesting historical info to add to the family history however.

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy & History- Spring

Spring in California

You know it's spring in Califonia when the hills are yellow with the blooms of the mustard plant. It's a nice change from the dry brown scrub which cover the hill sides the rest of the year.

California has some beautiful gardens which are gorgeous in the Spring. The Huntington Library, Descanso Gardens, and the LA County Arboretum are great place to visit and enjoy the Spring :)! 

Absconding Cousin

According to Gov. John Reynolds his father Robert was persuaded, by glowing reports of New Spain which he heard from neighbors in Knox County, TN, to migrate to that area. Knox County Court Records give an alternate reason.
"Of a certain Robert Reynolds at a court of pleas and quarter sessions of Knox County...who has since absconded is now (as your petitioner is informed) in the Spanish Dominions..."
When the family arrived in the Spanish Dominions they found out they would be required to 
convert to Catholicism. They were Ulster Protestants and could never agree to such a thing.

So the family settled in Illinois Country, east of the Mississippi, instead. The area west of the Mississippi was the Spanish Dominion.

John Beaird's Times

Hugh Forgey's brother in-law's life really reflected the times he lived in. I have been searching for more about him at Google Books. I have found more about his campaign against the Cherokees. There was a great deal of anger among the white settlers at that time because of the murder of a white man by the Cherokees. I guess John Beaird's attack was fueled by anger over this murder and previous murders. He received the support of the local white population in eastern Tennessee.

He apparently also brought a slave into Indiana Territory (now southwestern Illinois) and a court case ensued.  I would like to research this some more. Could not access the full case at Google Books.

John's close associate Robert Reynolds petitioned to allow slaves to be brought into the area. He was also a pro-slavery delegate to the Convention called by Gov. Harrison.

Assembling the Puzzle...

Knollwood Home of Robert B. Reynolds

I have found the family histories for the Reynolds family complicated and confusing. Everyone seems to have their own complicated numbering system etc., which they understand but is difficult for an outsider to interpret. After looking for several days now at everything I've collected on the family I now understand who's who.

Three Reynolds siblings migrated to America from Ireland, Margaret Reynolds was the first to come with her husband Andrew Forgey abt. 1768.  A little more than a decade later her brother James Reynolds and sister Ellen Reynolds followed, around 1785. James and Ellen lived near their sister briefly then relocated to Knox County, TN.

James Reynolds had two sons John and Robert. Robert migrated to Illinois around 1800. John remained in Knox County, TN. John was often referred to as the Major Reynolds. Hugh Forgey was taxed in John Reynolds Militia company in 1806 .

John Reynolds had a son named Robert Bannon Reynolds who built the house Knollwood, pictured above. According to one of the Reynolds' researchers Robert Bannon visited James Reynolds Forgey in Surgoinsville at which time he shared the Reynolds family history? This is kind of odd because the Forgeys seemed to be acquainted with John Reynolds his father? It's strange they had not heard the family history before?

Palma Scheumack was likely a descendant of Robert Bannon Reynolds because she had a needle point of  Knollwood  in her home?

One Big Family

I had no idea how closely these families were associated with each other until reading their histories at Google Books. When I got the Archibald Fisher Probate records last year I noticed Robert Reynolds' had purchased some items from the estate sale. I figured he was probably related to Margaret Reynolds-Forgey. Now I know he was her nephew. John Beaird and his children developed close ties with Robert Reynolds and his children. Both men lived in Knox County, TN and migrated to southwestern Illinois. Since both the Beairds and Reynoldses were related to Hugh Forgey and Catherine Fisher I am hoping that those families may have some info about the Forgeys? The Reynolds family did write letters. I don't know whether the Beaird family wrote many letters? My plans are now to contact the Mesa Arizona FHC. Palma Scheumack had a collection of Reynolds family letters and may have used that FHC or deposited some of her research there? Hopefully I can get a lead on where her genealogy records may be?

I found two references today to the relationship between the Beaird family and the Reynolds family. According to Gov. John Reynolds a connexion of his father married John Beaird.

The reference I found in the History of St. Clair Illinois alludes to a kinship relationship. Palma Scheumack did not believe there was a blood relationship. Reynolds'cousins, i.e. Hugh Forgey's children, were cousins of John Beaird's children. Sort of a convoluted relationship :D.
"John Beaird was a prominent citizen of Knox County, Tennessee, which county he represented in the Tennessee Legislature. He was usually selected as leader when the community had trouble with the Indians. He was brave, energetic, and a successful Indian fighter. He came with his family to Illinois in 1801 and settled four miles from Kaskaskia. His son, Joseph, lived for some years in Cahokia, and was a member of the Legislature for several terms. The family was related to that of Governor Reynolds, and when John Reynolds, afterward Governor, started out to practice law, he made his home for a time with Joseph Beaird, at Cahokia. William A. Beaird, another son of John Beaird, naturally possessed a good mind, but obstinately refused to get an education or to receive any information thru the medium of books. However, by observation and experience, he did acquire much practical knowledtge. He never married. He served as Sheriff of St. Clair County from 1815 to 1830. He died in Belleville in 1843."

John Reynolds Biography

Great find at Google Books! It looks like the Reynolds family researchers drew heavily from this book. It's nice to find the source material they used :D! It was 97 degrees here today and a little hard to get my head around all of this today :)! A lot to think about. According to this account Robert Reynolds, Margaret Reynolds Forgey's nephew, was born in Co. Monaghon Ireland. His wife was from Dundulk Co. Louth. Creggan Co. Armagh would have been close to these places. This does support what was found in the 1766 Religious Census for Ireland; and Creggan as their place of origin. Hugh Reynolds must have migrated to Creggan. The Reynolds family has been in Co. Monaghon for 300 years according to a family member still living in that area.
Joseph Beaird is mentioned as a cousin of John Reynolds. Below is a snippet from Palma Scheumack's Reynolds Family Letters. I can sort of see now why Joseph and his brothers were thought of as cousins.