Thursday, December 31, 2015

Happy New Year's Eve 2016: Some Historical Highlights


As we get ready to celebrate the dawning of a New Year; a glimpse back in time...

December 31- New Year's Eve- On This Date In History
  



Some Famous Births on New Year’s Eve:

British General Charles Cornwallis, 1st Marquess Cornwallis- 1738
George Meade, American Civil War General- 1815
Elizabeth Arden, Canadian cosmetics businesswoman- 1878
Sir Anthony Hopkins, Welsh Actor
John Denver, Singer-Songwriter- 1943
Sir Ben Kingsley, English Actor- 1943
Val Kilmer, American actor- 1959
 

Famous Deaths: Historical figures and celebrities who died on New Year’s Eve:


Humphrey de Bohun, 3rd Earl of Hereford, died in Essex, England , 1297
Frederick III, Duke or Lorraine, 1302
Thomas Beaufort, 1st Duke of Exeter, England, 1424
Richard Neville, 5th Earl of Salisbury, England, 1460
Gustave Courbet, French Painter, 1877
Alexander Popov, Russian Physicist, 1905
Malcom Campbell, English race car driver, 1948
Ricky Nelson, American Musician and Actor, 1985
Michael Kennedy, American politician, 1997

Some Marriages, Births, and Deaths In My Family Tree On New Year's Eve:


William Samuel Thompson, born 31 December 1691 at Blair Manor in Ayrshire, Scotland.  (He was my maternal 6x great-grandfather)


William Jasper Harrison marriage to Annie Elizabeth Mosher; 31 December 1871 in Maries County, Missouri. (He was my paternal great-uncle)


Charlie Jackson Clark, died 27 Dec and was buried on 31 December 1965 in Henry County, Tennessee. (He was my maternal 2nd great-uncle)


Claude Eugene Harris marriage to Ruby Helen Baker, 31 December 1937 in Phelps County, Missouri. (He was my paternal 3rd cousin, 1x removed)


Harriett Jane Tucker, died 31 December 1955 in Calloway County, Kentucky. (She was my maternal 1st cousin 2x removed)


William Lester Clark, died 31 December 1967 in Graves County, Kentucky. (He was my maternal 1st cousin, 2x removed)


WELCOME TO ANOTHER NEW YEAR, 2016




Tuesday, December 29, 2015

December 29th: On This Date In History

On This Day In History:  December 29th

 Famous Births:

A few notable people who were born on this date include:

Empress Elizabeth of Russia, born 29 Dec 1709
Andrew Johnson, 17th U.S. President; born 29 Dec 1808
Mary Tyler Moore, American Actress; born 29 Dec 1936
Jon Voight, American Actor; born 29 Dec 1938

Historical Events:

A few things that happened in history on this date are:

29 Dec 1170 – Thomas Becket, Archbishop of Canterbury was assassinated in England.
29 Dec 1778 – British soldiers captured Savannah, Georgia during the American Revolutionary War
29 Dec 1813 - British soldiers burned Buffalo, New York, War of 1812
29 Dec 1851 - First American YMCA opened in Boston, Massachusetts
29 Dec 1966- The Beatles began recording Penny Lane at Abbey Road Studio

Family Births In My Tree:

Some of the ancestors in my tree who were born on December 29th include:

Henry St. George Tucker , born 29 Dec 1780, Williamsburg, Virginia (my paternal 2nd cousin, 6x removed)

Henry Harding, born 29 Dec 1723, Bucks County, Pennsylvania (my paternal 5x-great-uncle)

Mary Lavinia Crider, born 29 Dec 1835, Caldwell County, Kentucky (my maternal 2nd cousin, 3x removed)

Tyre Newton Harrison, born 29 Dec 1875, Marion County, Missouri (my paternal 2nd cousin, 2x removed)

Daniel Luten Baldridge, born 29 Dec 1872, Fulton County, Kentucky (my maternal 1st cousin , 3x removed)

Margaret Lunsford, born 29 Dec 1596, Sussex, England (my paternal 10x-great-aunt)

Family Marriages In My Tree:
Some of the ancestors in my tree who married on the 29th of December include:

Wyatt Wallace to Elizabeth “Bettie” Crider, 29 Dec 1823, Pittsylvania County, Virginia.  (She was my maternal 1st cousin, 4x removed)


Thomas A Hudspeth to Martha “Patsy” Brooks, 29 Dec 1831, Maury County, Tennessee.  (He was my maternal 3x-great-uncle)


George G. Thornton to Nancy Isaacs, 29 Dec 1831, Washington County, Kentucky.  (He was my maternal 3x-great-uncle)


William Cecil Kelly to Lucretia “Creasy” Fore, 29 Dec 1885, Rolla, Phelps County, Missouri.  (She was my paternal 2x-great-aunt)


Raymond Huskey to Cyntha Brown, 29 Dec 1924, Phelps County, Missouri.
 (He was my paternal 2nd cousin, 1x removed)


George Thomas Berger to Augusta M. Adkins, 29 Dec 1935, Pittsylvania County, Virginia. (He was my 5th cousin, 1x removed)

Family Deaths In My Tree:

Some of the ancestors in my tree who passed away on December 29th include:

William L. Crider, died 29 Dec 1941, McLennan County, Texas. (He was my maternal 1st cousin, 3x removed)

Minnie May Huskey Black, died 29 Dec 1971, Phelps County, Missouri. (She was my paternal 2nd cousin, 2x removed)

Anna Groff Kreider, died 29 Dec 1784, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania. (She was the wife of my maternal 6th great-uncle)

William Calthorpe, died 20 Dec 1420, Norfolk, England. (He was my paternal 25th great-grandfather)


Friday, December 18, 2015

Crazy Cat Lady: My Cats


As I update this Blog in preparation for the passing of another year, and a New Year dawning soon: mention of my two new family additions seems appropriate.   Oscar and Ernie joined our household in October 2015.  They are both rescues from the local Humane Society. Oscar was about 4 months old when I adopted him, and Ernie was about 6 months old.   They are typical active, happy, playful kittens who keep me entertaind and sleep-deprived (they love to wake up in the middle of the night and chase each other through the house). 


Ernie

Oscar

Earlier that same month, October 2015, I lost my dearest beloved little cat-buddy of 15 years, Shadow Kitty (below).   He too had been a rescue from the humane society. I adopted him when he was about 6 months old.  He was a faithful and loyal friend for 15 years.   He traveled across the United States with me many times by plane and car; on both pleasure and work-related trips, and became my experienced and confident road warrior companion. He was healthy right up to his final few weeks, when his kidneys began to fail as part of the aging process.  He stopped eating and drinking, and then the end came quickly.  He passed peacefully over to the Rainbow Bridge at home, warm and snug in his own bed,  with me gently petting and consoling him.    I will miss him forever. 

Shadow Kitty

Thursday, December 17, 2015

Christmas Blog Caroling 2015: O Come All Ye Faithful



To quote one of my Geneblogger and Facebook Genealogy friends Bill West:  "It's become a Geneablogger tradition to join our friend FootnoteMaven in the annual Blog Caroling Event,when geneabloggers post their favorite Christmas carols. "

So, in the spirit of the holiday season and reminiscing of Christmas times past (it is also Throwback Thursday, after all), this prompts my own fond memories of years spent in school choirs while growing up.  My favorite time of year for choir rehearsals and performances was always the Christmas season. From the time I was in elementary school through high school, the weeks preceding Christmas were always spent rehearsing carols for the Big Christmas Show.    One year, in 3rd grade, I did an unintentional solo when every single member of our 3rd grade choir except myself failed to utter a sound when they opened their mouths to sing for our parents.   All of them got stage fright, except for me.   I did not even realize that I was the only one actually singing until afterwards, when our choir director (who as also my teacher) asked the audience to applaud "our soloist" and pointed at me.  I did not know whether to be mortified or proud, but am sure I turned at least 3 shades of red.  

Meantime, fast forward to the high school years.   I attended what was then considered a really big school of about 3,000 students in Orange County, California. I won't state the years here, except to say it was a long time ago.   I still have fond memories of our big Christmas programs every year though.  I began in 9th grade in our multi-grade Girls Glee choir, which was a very large choir.  We sounded great because we had so many voices.   Each year I progressed into a more advanced and smaller choir group, eventually into a mixed choir, and every year looked forward to the Christmas show rehearsals and performances.  We practiced the songs for weeks, and it always got us into the spirit of the season.  I'm not sure I had one favorite carol; I generally enjoyed them all. 

One of my all time favorite carols, for listening and performing, has always been: 

 O Come All Ye Faithful .


O come all ye faithful joyful and triumphant
Oh come ye O come ye to Bethlehem;
come and behold him born the King of angels;
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.
God of God light of light
Lo, He not the virgin's womb;
Very God begotten not created:
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come let us adore Him, Christ The Lord.
Sing choirs of angels sing in exultation
Sing all ye citizens of heaven above;
Glory to God in the highest:
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ The Lord
See how the shepherds summoned to his cradle,
leaving their flocks, draw nigh with lowly fear
we too will thither hend our joyful footsteps;
Oh come let us adore Him,
Oh come let us adore Him,
O come, let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.


Songwriters
Halford, Robert / Ramirez, Roger / Wade, John Francis
Published by
Lyrics © Sony/ATV Music Publishing LLC, OXFORD UNIVERSITY PRESS


 


Autosomal DNA Testing and Results- My Ancient And Recent Ancestral Origins


Harrison - Crider Ancestry
Fan Chart
My Direct Ancestors
6 Generations
Above Is My Simplified Compiled Family Tree Chart Based On My Own Research
(Chart Completed Using a Familysearch Tool)


In 2014 and 2015, I completed Autosomal DNA testing with two companies, Ancestry DNA and 23AndMe.  These tests reflect what my Autosomal DNA says about my geographic and ethnic ancestral origins on both the maternal and paternal sides of my tree. I will share a few screen shots from these reports, below.  This blog posts pertains only to those Autosomal DNA testing reports.


(Note: I had previously completed MtDNA testing for maternal ancestry only with Family Tree DNA.  A female can only be tested for MtDNA and Autosomal DNA. As for my paternal ancestry origins; a 4th cousin from my same paternal surname line who is a proven descendant of our common ancestor also provided his YDNA test results through Family Tree DNA and the Harrison Patriarchs Project, which is not the subject of this blog post and will be covered in another post). 

Ethnicity Estimates and Origins Map
Ancestry DNA
(based on my own Autosomal DNA sample and report)


The above map shows the overall ancient ancestral origins of my direct ancestors on both the maternal and paternal sides of my tree, based on my Autosomal DNA testing report completed using Ancestry DNA. The report and map retrieved in my results package online in 2015 indicates that my ancestral roots are 59% Western European, 29% from Ireland, and 5% from Great Britian; with 7% indicated as "Trace Regions". 


British Ancestry- England, Scotland, Wales 

The above map is a subsection of the first map, and reflects my own ancestral roots in England, Scotland and Wales based on my Autosomal DNA report with Ancestry DNA. The report states: "Results map shows 5% for my overall ancient British ancestral roots (England, Scotland, Wales), however this overlaps with the the Ireland ancestral roots map showing 29% overall roots (depending on the generation/ time period, some of that may fall under England, Scotland, or Wales). Primarily located in: England, Scotland, Wales. Also found in: Ireland, France, Germany, Denmark, Belgium, Netherlands, Switzerland, Austria, Italy. "


The above map is a subsection of the first map, and reflects my Irish ancestry.  Ireland= 29% overall of my ancestral roots . Primarily located in: Ireland, Wales, Scotland Also found in: France, England.

The above map is a sub-section of the first map and relfects my overal Western European ancient ancestry, based on my Autosomal DNA test and report completed with Ancestry DNA.  Western European ancestry (ancient through more recent ancestry) = 59% of my overall ancestry. The report states "Countries include Scandanavia, Denmark, France, Italy, Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Netherlands, Belgium. Population History: Prehistoric Western Europe- Due to its location and geography, Western Europe has seen many successive waves of immigrants throughout its history. Both peaceful intermingling and violent invasions of newcomers have resulted in a greater diversity in the genetics of the population, compared with neighboring regions. The first major migration into Western Europe is arguably the Neolithic expansion of farmers who came from the Middle East. From about 8,000 to 6,000 years ago these farmers filtered in through Turkey and brought with them wheat, cows and pigs. It is possible, too, that these people could have been the megalithic cultures who erected enormous stone monuments like the famous menhirs of Stonehenge. There were dozens, if not hundreds, of monuments scattered throughout prehistoric Europe, some serving as tombs, others possibly having astronomical significance. Photograph of Stonehenge taken in July 1877 by Philip Rupert Acott. Owned by Tamsin Titcomb. Celtic and Germanic tribes: Although “Celtic” is often associated with the people of Ireland and Scotland, the Celts emerged as a unique culture in central Europe more than 2,500 years ago. From an epicenter in what is now Austria, they spread and settled in the areas of today’s western Germany and eastern France, generally near the Rhine and Danube Rivers. By 450 B.C., their influence and Celtic languages had spread across most of western Europe, including the areas that are now France, the Iberian Peninsula and the British Isles. The Celts either conquered or assimilated the previous inhabitants of the area, and almost all languages and cultural and religious customs were replaced. The only exception, most scholars believe, is the Basque language, which managed to persist in the Pyrenees of southern France and northern Spain. In the early 4th century B.C., Celtic tribes in northern Italy invaded and sacked Rome, setting the stage for centuries of conflict. In the 5th century B.C., Germanic peoples began moving south, from Sweden, Denmark and northern Germany, displacing the Celts as they went. It is unclear what prompted their movement, but it may have been climate related, as they sought warmer weather and more fertile farmland. The Germanic tribes’ expansion was checked by the generals, Gaius Marius and Julius Caesar, as they approached the Roman provinces around 100 B.C. This map shows the expansion of Celtic tribes by 275 A.D. (in light green) from their presumed origin, the Bronze Age Hallstatt culture (in yellow). Dark green areas show regions where Celtic languages are still spoken today. The Romans: After Rome defeated Carthage in the Punic Wars, the Republic had extended its borders to include the entire Italian Peninsula, Carthage’s territories in North Africa, most of the Iberian Peninsula, Greece and parts of Anatolia. It began turning its attention northwest toward the Celtic-dominated region known as Gaul, which more or less covered the area of modern-day France. Part of Rome’s motivation was to secure its frontier, as conflict with the Celts was a chronic problem. Julius Caesar led the campaign to conquer Gaul. A Celtic chieftain, Vercingetorix, assembled a confederation of tribes and mounted a resistance, but was defeated at the Battle of Alesia in 52 B.C. The battle effectively ended Celtic resistance. The Gauls were absorbed into the Roman Republic and became thoroughly assimilated into Roman culture, adopting the language, customs, governance and religion of the Empire. Many generals and even emperors were born in Gaul or came from Gallic families. Vercingetorix Throws Down His Arms at the Feet of Julius Caesar by Lionel Royer. For the most part, by 400 A.D., Western Europe was split between the Roman Empire and the restless Germanic tribes to the northeast. Celtic culture and influence still held sway in parts of the British Isles, and the Basque language continued to survive in the Pyrenees. It is interesting to note that the Basque share genetic similarities to the Celts of Ireland and Scotland, despite being culturally and linguistically dissimilar and geographically separated. While the exact relationship of the groups is difficult to determine, this does highlight the interesting interplay between genetic origin and ethno-linguistic identity. The Migration Period: By 400 A.D., the Roman Empire had been split into pieces. Rome was no longer the heart of the Empire, as the seat of power had been moved to Byzantium in the east. The Romans had begun to adopt Greek customs and language as well as Christianity, which had become the official state religion. Control of the provinces in the west had waned, and Rome itself was militarily weakened. About this time, there was a period of intensified human migration throughout Europe, called the Migration Period, or the Völkerwanderung (“migration of peoples” in German). Many of the groups involved were Germanic tribes, whose expansion had previously been held in check by the Romans. To some degree, the earlier Germanic tribes of the Migration Period, notably the Goths and Vandals, were being pushed west and south by invasions from the Middle East and Central Asia. The Huns swept across eastern Europe, followed by the Avars, Slavs, Bulgars and Alans. These successive attacks may have been a factor in several waves of population displacement and resettlement. Seven large German-speaking tribes—the Visigoths, Ostrogoths, Vandals, Burgundians, Lombards, Saxons and Franks—began pressing aggressively west into the Roman provinces and, in 410, the Visigoths attacked and sacked Rome. The western part of the Roman Empire was rapidly overrun as the invaders swept in, eventually dividing the remainder of the Roman provinces into new, Germanic kingdoms. An anachronistic 15th-century miniature depicting the sack of 410. The Frankish Kingdom- The Franks conquered northern Gaul in 486 A.D. and established an empire under the Merovingian kings, subjugating many of the other Germanic tribes. Over the course of almost four centuries, a succession of Frankish kings, including Clovis, Clothar, Pepin and Charlemagne, led campaigns that greatly expanded Frankish control over Western Europe. Charlemagne's kingdom covered almost all of France, most of today's Germany, Austria and northern Italy. On Christmas Day, 800, Pope Leo III crowned Charlemagne “Emperor of the Romans.” This upset the Byzantine emperor, who saw himself as the sole ruler of the Roman Empire, but by 812, he was forced to accept Charlemagne as co-emperor. In 843, Charlemagne's grandsons divided the Frankish empire into three parts—one for each of them. Charles the Bald received the western portion, which later became France. Lothair received the central portion of the empire, called Middle Francia, which stretched from the North Sea to northern Italy. It included parts of eastern France, western Germany and the Low Countries. Louis the German received the eastern portion, which eventually became the high medieval Kingdom of Germany, the largest component of the Holy Roman Empire. Statue of Charlemagne, by Agostino Cornacchini (1725). Located at St. Peter's Basilica, Vatican. Division of the Frankish Empire Among Charlemagne's Grandsons, 843 A.D. Charles the Bald Lothair Louis the German- Additional cultures of note: In addition to the Basque in the area of the Pyrenees in southern France, there are a number of other cultures with unique ethnic or linguistic identities in Western Europe. Among them are the Normans of northern France. Descended from Viking settlers who arrived sometime during the rule of the Frankish kings, the Normans controlled a powerful region known as Normandy. Their territories were subject to the French crown, which countenanced them in exchange for protecting the northern coast against other Viking raids. Just to the west of Normandy was Brittany, named after the Celtic Britons who arrived there from the British Isles in the 5th century. Some scholars believe that the migration may have been due to the Anglo-Saxon invasion of England after the collapse of the Western Roman Empire. Brittany resisted the Frankish kings and remained independent until 1532. It is one of the few places where Celtic languages are still spoken."


The above chart is from the Autosomal DNA Testing Report that I obtained on myself through the 23AndMe testing service.   While it breaks the results down a little differently than the Ancestry DNA report, the overall results are about the same as far as ancestral origins and regions/ percentages. I'm primarily Northwestern European in origin. 


The above map is from my 23AndMe report on my ancestral origins based on my Autosomal DNA sample provided in 2014, indicating that my ancestral roots are concentrated primarily in the blue and green sections on the above globe of the world (European ancestry). 

The above chart is the Chromosome View of my Ancestral Composition based on the report I obtained through the 23AndMe DNA testing service in 2014. 

All of the above information based on my actual DNA testing is very consistent with the results of my own "old school" research in tracing my family tree.   I have discovered that I have a significant amount of Scottish ancestry, some Irish ancestry, and deep roots in the rest of Northwestern Europe. I am aware from my research that I have lots of German and Swiss ancestry on the maternal side of my tree, as well as some French.   My paternal ancestors were mostly English, Scottish, and Irish with a sprinkling of French. 

Tuesday, May 19, 2015

Tombstone Tuesday: Charles Drumm (1917 - 1928)

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)


          Charles Drumm        
Born: 1 September 1917, St Louis, Missouri
Died: 3 July 1928. Cape Girardeau, Missouri
(photo by Andrew, Find A Grave volunteer)


This post is to memorialize a cousin I never met, who only made to age (almost) 11 years.  Some of the following information is from the Find A Grave Memorial page that I personally created for Charles. (Find A Grave Memorial #46995296).  His story is based on oral family history shared with me by my Dad, a newspaper obituary, and a Missouri death certificate.

Charles Drumm was the son of Edna Katherine Harrison Drumm Loraine (my paternal aunt) and her first husband, T. J. Drumm. He was the grandson of John P. Harrison and Susan Allen Harrison. He was the great-grandson of John Milton Harrison and Mary Jane Coppedge Harrison.

Charles was my dad Marvin's nephew, being the child of Marvin's older sister Edna.  Charles and Marvin were close to the same age and playmates. Charles was thus my first cousin, though he was born and died decades before I was born. 


Charles died tragically from accidental drowning shortly before his 11th birthday. He attended a family-community holiday picnic on July 3rd, 1928 at Apple Creek, Cape Girardeau, Missouri. Some of his cousins and other children (including my own Dad) went to play at a pond of water by the dam at the mill. Charles was unable to swim, as were most of the other children in attendance that fateful day. Charles was either wading or fell in the deep water, and was pulled under by the currents. He struggled briefly, but there was no one within reach who could swim and rescue him in time. Someone threw him something to grab onto to try to float with, probably a piece of driftwood, but by then it was too late. My Dad was haunted his entire life by the memory of seeing only Charles' one hand grasping and thrashing above the water for something, anything....and then it slowly faded and the water was still.

Charles Drumm's obituary was published in the St. Louis Post-Dispatch, page 23, July 5, 1928 . Stubbs Mortuary in Chaffee, MO handled final arrangements.  He is buried at Saint Ferdinand Cemetery in Hazelwood, St. Louis County, Missouri.  


Rest In Peace, young Charles.  Below is his death certificate:


Tragedy was to befall much of the rest of Charles' immediate family as well.  His step-father Joseph B. Loraine, Edna's 2nd husband, was electrocuted by lightning; his only sibling, a half-brother John B. Loraine was killed in WWII; and his mother Edna died of Leukemia. My research to date has been unable to determine what happened to his biological father, T. J. Drumm. That may be another line in the tree to pursue "some day" to solve yet another mystery. 

Sunday, May 10, 2015

Sentimental Sunday: Mothers In My Family Tree In Heaven- A Video Memorial

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist

A video collage of some of the mothers in my family tree. 
My mother, grandmothers, great-grandmothers, great-great-grandmothers
and some of my aunts. 

All were mothers, all are missed. 
Happy Mothers Day In Heaven




Saturday, May 9, 2015

Sentimental Sunday: In Memory of Susannah Allen Harrison, My Paternal Grandmother

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Susannah "Susan" Allen Harrison
1875 - 1933
Wife of John P. Harrison
Mother of Marvin M. Harrison

My Paternal Grandmother
A Video Memorial, Scenes From Her Lifetime



Friday, May 8, 2015

Friday's Faces: William Jasper Harrison

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)
Friday's Faces: Spotlighting Some Faces In My Tree;
William Jasper Harrison


William Jasper Harrison 
1852 - 1917, Missouri
My Great-Grand-Uncle

There are some people in my tree that I know are related to me but that I don't know a great deal about, other than census records, birth or death records, marriage records and maybe a fuzzy photo or two. I am still piecing together their life stories. 

I don't know a lot about great grand-uncle William Jasper Harrison, other than that he was the brother of my great-grandfather John Milton Harrison, and the son of my 2x-great-grandparents William Harrison and his wife Nancy Shepherd Harrison. He was born in 1852 and died about 1917. 

Jasper married Annie Elizabeth Mosher in 1871 in Maries County, Missouri. He was the father of at least 5 children, and raised his family in Johnson Township, Maries County. He would have been too young to serve in the Civil War, at the age of only 9 years in 1861 when the war commenced. However, his older brother John Milton Harrison served in the Union Army, and many of their other relatives and neighbors also joined the Union Army.  Missouri was technically a neutral territory, but there were Confederate sympathizers and Bushwackers among their Maries County and Phelps County neighbors, and tensions ran high throughout the war. 

The photo and some information on Jasper comes from a local area history book: "History Of High Gate Missouri, the First 125 Years, 1850 -1975" by Glenis L. Southard.  This photo and various articles from the publication have been widely circulated on the internet. Other information comes from his Find A Grave Memorial page (reference F.A.G. memorial # 61286311).  He is buried at High Gate Cemetery in Maries County, Missouri.

I definitely see the Harrison family resemblance in this photo, fuzzy though it is. Based on my scant family history photo collection, he looks a lot like his older brother, my paternal great-grandfather John Milton Harrison. He also greatly resembles my paternal grandfather, John P. Harrison, who would have been Jasper's nephew. He reminds me quite a bit of my own brother as well, John David Harrison.  Jasper physically resembled his own father too, William Harrison (my 2x-great-grandfather), who was tall and lean; though somewhat less than he resembles his brother and nephew. This suggests that some of his (and their) physical features are probably inherited from the maternal Shepherd side of his genetic tree. Jasper was about age 65 when he passed away, and rests near many other Harrison kin at High Gate Cemetery in Maries County, Missouri. 


Headstone of William Jasper Harrison and Anna "Annie" Mosher Harrison
Find A Grave Memorial# 61286311
Photo by Gravefinder1



High Gate Cemetery, Maries County, Missouri
Photo by Find A Grave contributor/volunteer SteveZ
Cemetery notes and/or description:
At the intersection of State Hwy H and State Hwy U. This cemetery is 1000 feet east-southeast of the High Gate Baptist Cemetery.







Thursday, May 7, 2015

Throwback Thursday: Fond Memories of Cruising With My Brother

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)

Throwback Thursday:
Fond Memories of a 2009 Cruise

Photo Dated May 7, 2009
 John David Harrison (1947 - 2009), Jackie Jackson, Bev (The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist)

The cruise was a spur of the moment trip. There was a flu epidemic and lots of last-minute cancellations, so some relatives and I decided to take advantage of the sale the cruise line was running to fill some cabins. I literally booked my cabin 3 days before the cruise departed. What was supposed to be a Mexican Riviera cruise turned into a West Coast cruise, due to a flu outbreak in the Mexican ports. That was fine with us, and is actually the main reason I decided to book. Besides the great deal; we got to cruise conveniently round-trip from Long Beach, California and got to stop off in Seattle, San Francisco, and Victoria, B.C.  It is one of my favorite cruises, of the nearly 30 I have been fortunate enough to take so far.  
Carnival Splendor
The 3 of us had a great time: myself, my divorced brother Dave (who went by John in his later years, but to me he will always be just "Dave"), and my step-niece Jackie.  We spent a full day in San Francisco, dining at a favorite restaurant on Fisherman's Wharf, riding the cable cars up and down the famous hills, sightseeing, shopping, and snacking on shrimp cocktails. Cruising under the Golden Gate Bridge was a highlight. Another full day was spent in Seattle, returning to all my favorite places from when I used to live near there, including of course the flower market at Pikes Place Market and the Space Needle.  I love the Pacific Northwest. Last but not least, another full in-port day was in Victoria, B.C. Sightseeing that day included a carriage ride through a beautiful flowering garden park, and High Tea and the lovely and famous Empress Hotel. 

San Francisco Cable Car


Empress Hotel, Victoria, B.C.

Empress Hotel and Flower Gardens, Victoria, B.C. 

Puget Sound, Seattle, Washington

On board ship, we all sang casual karaoke every night, Dave gambled a lot in the casino, and Jackie and I hung out around the ship doing stuff one does on a cruise.  Dave and Jackie both decided to compete for spots in the big Karaoke Idol show to be held on the main showroom stage on the final night of the cruise.  Dave was "voted" in by other passengers to portray Elvis in the show, and Jackie was voted in to portray Madonna. I will never forget seeing my brother up on that big stage, in full Elvis regalia; singing his heart out to a packed audience, and backed up by the ship's full band and professional dancers. Dave was serious about his karaoke, had done a lot of it by then, and was comfortable performing.  This was SERIOUS karaoke! They were competing for the title of Karaoke Idol. The huge ship's audience intimidated Dave just a little though. It was not his best performance, but it is one of my favorite memories of him. Jackie did a pretty good job too as Madonna.  There were a few other singers, and the show was a big hit with the audience.

Carnival Splendor

Sadly, little did I know at the time, it would be the last time I would see either of them.  They lived in California, I lived in Arizona, so get-togethers were not frequent. We kept in touch via Facebook, mostly. My brother Dave passed away suddenly just a few short months after our cruise adventure, in December of 2009. Jackie was gone within a few years after that, claimed by a complicated illness.  I am still here. I miss them both. I have fond memories of our time together on this cruise that I will cherish forever. I am so very glad we went. 

Things I learned from their untimely passing:  Carpe Diem. "Seize The Moment". Do it now, don't put things off, for we never know what tomorrow may bring.  Hug your loved ones close, and mend fences before it is too late. Work on doing your Bucket List things now, not later. Most of all, learn forgiveness. It is healing and freeing, even if those you forgive still hold their own grudges.  

I am sure they are both smiling down, saying :"Dang, we did have a pretty good ride and a lot of good times on earth, especially those cruises!". 





Tuesday, May 5, 2015

Tombstone Tuesday: A Daughter's Sacrifice For Her Mother - Georgia Ann Harrison Finn (1861 - 1923)

Georgia Ann Harrison Finn
Daughter of John Milton Harrison and Mary Jane Coppedge Harrison
Wife of John R. Finn

Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison, A Genie In Arizona)
Georgia was my grand-aunt.  According to oral family history passed down to me by my aunt, Lona Harrison Curtis; Georgia passed away from an apparent heat stroke while walking to go visit her mother at the St. James Soldiers' Home for invalids. Her mother, Mary Janes Coppedge Harrison (who was known simply as "Jane Harrison"), had suffered from some form of senility (possibly what we now know as Dementia/ Alzheimers today) and had been placed in the care facility then known as the Soldiers Home for Veterans and Dependents in St. James, Missouri. Previous to that, Georgia was her mother's primary caregiver. Once Jane Harrison had reached the point of needing a nursing home, Georgia walked several miles a few times per week to visit her mother there. The last time she made that walk was on a hot humid summer day in July. She never made it to her destination. 

Find A Grave Memorial # 62303110

Monday, May 4, 2015

MILITARY MONDAY: THOMAS CALVIN ALLEN, CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY


Copyright 2015, The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist (B. Harrison)
Conferedate Flag from Mississippi, 
image found on Pinterest

THOMAS CALVIN ALLEN 
1845 -1899
COMPANY I, 12TH KENTUCKY REGIMENT CAVALRY
 CONFEDERATE STATES ARMY

 My maternal great-grandfather,
Father of Ida Mae Allen Crider, 
Maternal grandfather of Augusta Crider Harrison 

Military
1863- 1865
Age: 18 at enlistment
Kentucky and Tennessee - 
Civil War- Confederate Soldier, Co I , 12th Kentucky Regiment Cavalry. Enlisted in Hickman, KY. Surrendered with his company at Selma, Alabama in 10 April 1865. Pardoned with company. Source- widow's pension application filed in state of KY.

12th Regiment, Kentucky Cavalry [also called 1st KY & TN Rgt] - mustered into Confederate service at Verona, Mississippi, in September, 1863. General Lyon's Brigade. Action in TN, MS, AL. merged into the 8th Kentucky Infantry (Mounted) Regiment.

Marriage:  18 Sep 1877
Age: 32
Troy, Obion County, Tennessee, USA
Lucy stated on her widow's pension application in 1912 that they were married in Obion Co, TN. Marriage record is found there also. They lived in Kentucky before and after the war. 

Military Page on Ancestry.com, created by The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist, 
B. Harrison 


Confederate Widow's Pension Application of Lucy F. Allen

Letter from Lucy Fannie Clark Allen's Widow's Pension File


Source: website at www.nps.gov/civilwar/search-battle-units-detail





Find A Grave Memorial
Compiled and Written by
The Hopelessly Hooked Genealogist
B. Harrison
(F.A.G. genie-in-az)
Direct descendant of 
Thomas Calvin Allen