Searching for American Legion Inventory of Military Graves

Larry's Question:

Im researching Bartholomew Ozbun b.1844 TN, m. Hellen Wentworth. I located Bartholomew and Hellens headstones at Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Haxton, Kansas. On the left is a grave marker for Confederate Service and on the right is a American Legion marker.

I thought I had read somewheres that in the 1930s the American Legion undertook to survey cemeteries and mark the graves of veterans of all wars. Would you know of a publishcation of this inventory. As hard as Ive looked I have not come across the Confederate Unit Bartholomew may have served.

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Larry. It is important to include County names when asking for assistance. Not everyone you write to will be as familiar with your ancestors' geographic locations as you are. I was unable to quick;y find the county for Haxton, Kansas.

I had not heard of the American Legion supplying Confederate grave markers, but of course anything is possible. You should write to the local American Legion and ask them about the grave markers (and about Bartholomew as the Legion marker would indicate that he was a member): American Legion, 6521 Nieman Rd, Shawnee Mission, KS 66203

The Kansas Sons of the Confederacy might be able to assist you. The Pleasant Valley Cemetery may be able to provide some clues, as I am sure that whoever did place those markers had to have the cooperation of the Cemetery.

But do be aware that whatever qualifications were required to earn a marker, that documentation, if it ever existed, is probably long gone. And the documentation may have been more anecdotal than official: in the not too distant past, if a lady or a gentleman declared that they were born in Atlanta or that Dad served in the Confederate Army, it would have been impolite to demand proof.

Bartholomew's obituary may contain his service information. You can find obituaries in many online newspaper sites such as Ancestry.com, GenealogyBank.com or NewspaperArchive.com

1890 veterans schedule may exist for where he was in 1890; you might get a starting point for where to look for muster rolls if you trace his whereabouts in 1860 and 1870 and those of his male siblings. I use Ancestry.com for census research but you can also use onther online resources.

Using National Archives UK to find Australian Ancestor

Trevena's Question:

do you answer questions about England and Australia as well?

I am trying to find a signature for my Captain Henry Dunsford for when he was master of the ship "Jane Cain", British ship but registered in Australia.
Henry was born in Plymouth in 1818 and served in the Merchant navy and/or Honourable East India company. He lived in Australia from about 1834/4, but sailing back and forth to England. In 1848 he Captained the ship "Elizabeth Jane" and then in 1848 and 1851 Captained the "Jane Cain". He was married to Mary at the time and she had two children in Sydney Australia, Henry Frederick 1845 and Sophia Louisa 1846, and on the way back to England in 1849 had a third child Fanny Nelson P Dunsford.

Henry took his Masters exam in London England in March 1849. He appears on no census either in England or Australia, but on an electoral roll in Australia in 1855/6 but that was after he returned to Australia and married Caroline Sarah Litten at St Pauls, Geelong in 1854. I can find no marriage for him and Mary, did he ever marry her or was it a poor man's divorce or did he marry Caroline bigamously? I don't think I will ever find that one out, but if I could et his signature for the "Jane Cain" as Master or as discharging sailors, I would know for definite it is the same Henry, as Fanny's baptism record shows her father Henry as the Master of the " Jane Cain" and I have his signature from his marriage certificate to Caroline Litten to compare it with. Bit of a puzzle this one, can you help me at all?

Olive Tree Answer: Dear Trevena, I'm happy to attempt to answer any query sent to me. If I can't answer a query, I have some knowledgeable and generous genealogy friends who have volunteered as Guest Genealogists.

The National Archives has a research guide to Merchant Seaman log books and crew lists as well as Merchant Officers service records. You might also want to read my article explaining how to use the National Archives website Ordering Documents Online from National Archives in Kew England - a Comedy of Errors Part 1

You might want to order a copy of the marriage between Henry Dunsford and Mary Petters (Dec 1841; Barnstaple, vol 10 page 34) and the one for Henry Dunsford and Mary Meeds (same citation). The 1851 census, as you already know, shows Mary Dunsford, captains wife, born (and residing in) Clist Honiton, Devon.

Finding an Ancestor's Civil War Service Record

Claire's Question:

My great-grandfather's (Jeremiah McCarthy) death certificate notes that he was a Civil War army veteran. A letter from my aunt (his granddaughter) many years ago related that as a young man Jeremiah was paid to be a substitute soldier. However, I can find no official proof of his service. I believe he was born (1847 approx) and resided in Bucks County, Pennsylvania prior to the war and in (Hampden County)
Massachusetts thereafter until his death (1920). Some censuses show his place of birth as New Hampshire, but I can find no proof of that
and most of his siblings were born in Pennsylvania. I have been unable to locate any official record of his service, which is needed
in order to have the VA issue a headstone for his gravesite.

Ask Olive Answer
You do not mention whether you have checked for a Civil War pension for Jeremiah. I would try to look it up for you but you did not include his wife's name.

Check the 1890 veterans schedule, if one exists for Jeremiah's location at that time.

Who supplied the information for the death certificate? Was it a knowledgeable family member, or perhaps a neighbor? Does his obituary or those of his children indicate Civil War service?

Look for records of the Hampden County GAR; and in local newspapers in Massachusetts for a mention of Jeremiah as a GAR member. Online newspapers you can check are GenealogyBank.com , Ancestry.com or NewspaperArchive.com

Getting around a Genealogy Roadblock in England

Donna's Question:

In searching my husband's family tree, I've hit a road block at his great-great-great-greatgrandfather, William Jackson. William came here from England, according to the DAR, to fight as a patriot in the Revolutionary War and was born in the early 1750's. They have no other information that would help me trace the tree back in England. No town, or county, or any place to even start, and with a common name like William Jackson, it won't be easy to latch on to the right Jackson roots. What would you suggest I do to get started?

Olive Tree Answer: Hello Donna, If you are very fortunate, the English Jackson family was comfortably well off. And William's parent or sibling or Great Uncle Chauncey left a will which bequeathed half the family silver to William. Or perhaps William did right for himself in the Colonies, and he left a little something to his nephew Percival back in England.

There are several hundred years' worth of wills tucked away at the National Archives. Some of them are indexed and available online. There are also very nice Research Guides to help you. Just remember that you will have to search for odd spellings of where William lived, in addition to "America" or "Virginia". You may want to read my article explaining how to use the National Archives website Ordering Documents Online from National Archives in Kew England - a Comedy of Errors Part 1

The newspaper (and patience) is your friend. William's attorney may have sent to England to have a notice appear in the local papers that might have gone something like this.... "William Jackson, late of Little Tripworth by the Sea, having died in Tappahannock Virginia on the 14th ult....." Newspapers here may contain legal notices, or reports of passengers recently arrived. You can try href="http://click.linksynergy.com/fs-bin/click?id=kDILR5MB3OY&offerid=145147.10000004&type=3&subid=0" >NewspaperArchive.com or GenealogyBank.com for online newspapers.

You say William was born "early 1750s." It would help if you had a more precise birthdate (as well as an exact death date). There are a wealth of English parish records. Some of them are available online. Armed with a birthdate and some idea of location, you can do a credible job of finding suitable candidates for further research.

You did not mention William's wife. Were they married here? Or in England? Where is her family?

Look also to pupil lists at English schools. Men who succeeded in the Colonies sometimes sent their sons to England to be educated. And check incoming passengerlists for William's sons or grandsons returning from England.

Follow the male heirs. In later documents, perhaps obituaries, you might find a mention of "educated at Oxford" or something similar.

Finding a Belgium Ancestor

Jane's Question:

My grandmother who we always knew of as Lucie Stiren from Hondelange,Belgium came to the US in 1915 according to census records. I had gotten some information on birth from a relative in Belgium which had her name as Suzanne Lucie. She married Paul Paquet in the US (Michigan) and am told they met here.

I have been unable to find Lucie coming in on any ship and would really like to. He sister came with a gentleman and was listed under his name and her
last name wasn't listed. So I am thinking Lucie could have come with a family or something and I'll never find her? If her last name wasn't listed
was this a common thing or did it just happen that way with her sister.

Anyhow any suggestions as to finding the ship Lucie or Suzanne-Lucie Stiren came on would be appreciated.

Hello Jane,

In the past, I have had some success locating European passengers to Michigan on Canadian passenger lists on Ancestry.com. I did a quick look for you, but did not find anything evident. You may want to spend some time looking further at Canadian (and Great Lakes) passenger lists.

Escanaba, Delta County, is where Paul and Lucie lived 1915/1930; Escanaba is the county seat for Delta County.Paul states that he has been naturalized. The LDS have films for Delta County Naturalization records, 1867-1955;you may be fortunate and find that Paul included his wife's information. Footnote.com also has Naturalization Records from NARA

LDS (and the Delta County Genealogy Society) have newspaper indices from 1909. I did find a number of Belgians in Escanaba; there may have been social notes published in local newspapers (e/g/ "Miss Lucie Stiren was the guest of Mr and Mrs Joseph Bintz this weekend; Miss Stiren is the sister of Mrs. Bintz and she has just arrived here from Belgium.")

I found these census records on Ancestry.com
1910 census, delta escanaba Joe Mary Bintz (census taken 14 april) mrried 0 yr mother 1/1 Mary 0 years old

1920 census, Delta Co, Bark River: Joe, Mary, Anna 14, Emil 5, Helen 3, Leona 11 mos

I also found this marriage record:

Groom name: Paul Paquet
Groom age: 36 years
Groom birth year: 1881
Groom birth place: Luxemburg
Bride name: Lucie Stiren
Bride age: 27 years
Bride birth year: 1890
Bride birth place: Belgium
Marriage date: 28 Apr 1917
Marriage place: Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Father of groom name: Nicholas Poquet
Mother of groom name: Margaret Lieber
Father of bride name: Nick Stiren
Mother of bride name: Madaline Horwick
Film number: 2342720
Digital GS number: 4210010
Image number: 195
Reference number: v 2 p 39 rn 6486
Collection: Michigan Marriages 1868-1925

and this appears to be Lucie's sister:

Groom's name: Joseph Bintz
Groom's age: 37 years
Groom's birth year: 1873
Groom's birthplace: Belgium
Bride's name: Marie Stiren
Bride's age: 27 years
Bride's birth year: 1883
Bride's birthplace: Belgium
Marriage date: 08 Apr 1910
Marriage place: Escanaba, Delta, Michigan
Groom's father's name: Nicholas Bintz
Groom's mother's name: Annie Heisen
Father of bride's name: Nicholas Stiren
Mother of bride's name: Helene Harnich
Film number: 2342688
Digital GS number: 4209131
Image number: 579
Reference number: v 2 p 5 rn 3773
Collection: Michigan Marriages 1868-1925

1917 draft: Paul Paquet May 7 1879 in Lux. wife lucie which I found on Ancestry.com

1920 census, Delta Co, Escanaba
Paul (arr 1905)(Naturalized 1906??)
Lucie (arr 1915) ,
Henry 1+

1930 also escanaba
Paul (arr 1916 Naturalized)
Lucie arr 1915
Paul H 11
Nicholas 7
M. Rodolph 5

Looking for Virginia Ancestors

Joan's Question: I am looking for John and Sarah Bennett/ Bennit that had a son named Jehu/ John born in Virginia about 1766.

The 1832 publish date of the family Bible says Jehu was born in 1772, son of John and Sarah. The 1850 census for Baltimore Hundred, Delaware states Jehu was born in 1766 in Virginia. He is in the 1800 census for Baltimore Hundred, Delaware. He got land in 1794 in Baltimore Hundred, Delaware.

Olive Tree Answer: Dear Joan - The Virginia Library and the Maryland Archives should be your favorite websites for the next few months. A wealth of material is available online at both locations.

Finding out if Balamonte is a Jewish name

Peter's Question:

My dad is Jacob Baiamonte who was born in Palermo, Sicily. My grandmother contends we are Jewish but my father says she
nuts...because we are all Catholics.

I have been DNA tested by FamilyTreeDna (Dr. Bennett Greenspan) in response to my grandmother's allegations...and the results show that grandma was correct...because I have all the genetic markers of the Cohanin and Jewish people.

My question: Where do I go from here? None of the names of my family are typically Jewish names and we have deep roots in Italy. I have the family records back to the late 1600's and all the name are Italian and Catholic. How can I have someone go into the archives of the Cathedral in Palermo and dig farther back...and also check the tax and notary records. I don't know any genealogists there.

Ask Olive Answer Hello Peter - That's an interesting bit of family lore. There are quite a large number of Jewish families in Italy who have been required by circumstances to outwardly adopt other religions.

As you have family records "back to the 1600s" you should be able to find evidence of this, if it exists: adult baptisms, or civil registrations for births and marriages. If your information indicates Catholic records all the way back, then your quest for your Jewish origins will be a difficult one. Many records were destroyed during World War II; those few Jewish records which survived are now held in Israel.

The JewishGen organization has many resources which might help you, including the Jewish Family Finder. There you will be able to search by surname and by location.

The LDS has films of civil registrations for the Palermo area from 1820 to 1908 for births, marriages and deaths; some years are indexed.