Remembering Them and Celebrating Life

Memorial Day for our family history is on many levels "the day of the year."  So, how should I celebrate here on Indiana Ties?

A bit of history first: Memorial Day was officially proclaimed on 5 May 1868 by General John Logan, national commander of the Grand Army of the Republic, and was first observed on 30 May 1868, when flowers were placed on the graves of Union and Confederate soldiers at Arlington National Cemetery. As of 1971, by act of Congress, the date became the last Monday of May.

Today, most of us include moments of reverence and thankfulness for those who died for our freedom in our Memorial Day. But we have added many other types of weekend activities. And I think they all enhance the meaning, creating family history.  We have family/friend get-togethers. For those of us who grew up around or were fans of the Indianapolis 500-mile Race, we might have extra "Race Weekend" events. Across the country, there are tributes to all deceased veterans, including the traditional Air Force flyover at "the track."  Some of us make our visits to the cemetery and decorate the graves of our loved ones. Or maybe, the long weekend is a chance to just relax or plant flowers.  There are a lot of positive and exciting events connected with Memorial Day.  They can all be ways of celebrating life.

Now that I have my Indiana Ties blog, I've decided to add one more, for me that is.  I'm going to start my own tradition of  Family Memorial Days. After all, they are why I'm here.  On the 30th of each month I will write a memorial here for one of my family who was born or died that month.

I thought it appropriate that I choose as my first Family Memorial ~ Barney Kuhn ~ who died 25 May 1880 in Connersville, Fayette County, Indiana.  He was a Civil War veteran and my great uncle.  Barney did not die in the war but contracted a malarial type disease during his service in Louisiana. He died as a result of the disease that he fought for fifteen years after the war.  His widow proved, for pension purposes, by affidavits from those who served with him and doctors who treated him later, that his illness was connected with those miserable conditions that we know about from recounts of the Civil War.  He was 34 at the time of his death.

Barney, sometimes identified as Benedict, was born in Neustadt, Kurhessen, Germany in Aug, 1845.  He emigrated with his sister and brother in 1857.  Information is sketchy about his whereabouts between 1857 and 1860, but by 1860 he is in Connersville, Indiana, working and living on another man's farm.  He remains there waiting for his parents and other siblings to also arrive from Germany in 1862.

Barney was 19 years old when he enlisted in Co. A, 16th Indiana Infantry, in September, 1864.  He served until the regiment was mustered out in June of 1865. Most of that service involved duty in Louisiana.

After returning from the war, he was reunited with his parents and brothers and sisters in Connersville and went back to working as a farm laborer. From all indications he tried to make a normal life for himself, becoming a godparent for one of his nephews and seeking out a young woman to marry.  In 1870 he married Theresa Griener, a lady who had arrived in Connersville after the war.  Theresa and Barney's family grew to four children in the next ten years.  The records show that he was never fully recovered, having severe bouts of chronic pain in the stomach and bowels, enlargement of the spleen and bronchial cough.  He wasn't able to live out a full life with these afflictions and left his family without much means of support.  However, Theresa was able to attain a pension based on his medical problems and the circumstances of his death.

Barney Kuhn is buried in the City Cemetery, Connersville, Indiana.  R. I. P.

Discoveries at the Indiana State Archives

I had a "field day" at the Indiana State Archives. The historical records were just waiting for me to scoop them up.  This facility well known to many, I realize. But, maybe there are a few researchers who might learn from my experience, so I'm spreading the word.  Besides, it's fun to talk about the times when I find good stuff!

First step, take a look online. There are nearly 3 million records indexed and searchable online at the Indiana Digital Archives.  This includes institutional records, military, naturalization and other indexes.  To learn more about the collections, browse at: Indiana Digital Archives.

To determine if there were any records on my family, I used the People Search for a few family names that I had selected that could apply to the indexed collections.  For instance, my great grandfather, Charles Albers, is still quite a mystery.  I don't know if he came to Indianapolis from Germany with his family or alone, and who his parents were.  I had an age and year of arrival from a census so that's where I started. A search on the online naturalization collection produced a match for those facts and the location of the record. Great, I then was armed with that information for my trip to the State Archives. When I arrived this helped the staff to quickly retrieve the book containing his Declaration of Intention to become a citizen.  Now I have Charles Albers date of arrival, 15 Jan 1884.  One more piece that may lead me to the rest of his (and my) ancestors.

But there was more family history waiting for me at the Archives.  Another collection caught my attention on the website. It relates to a great uncle who seemed to disappear. My Aunt Peg told me she wondered as a child where  her Aunt Ida's husband was and why no one ever talked about him.  Where was her cousins' father? There was a story among those digging into family history that concerned his conviction for a murder while working as a guard on the railroad.  But no one knew anything for sure.  So, I've kept this in mind, but never uncovered more.  Then I came across the Indiana State Prison records as one of the online collections at the State Archives.  I fed his name into the search for that index and, voila!  There was a matching name and a time frame that seemed plausible. But, I would have to see if my trip to the State Archives confirmed the actual identity of this person. 

Visiting the Indiana State Archives is convenient for me because my home is only a few miles from the facility.  But for many who live elsewhere, the northeast side location might be out of the way.  But once you are there, parking and access is simple.  The building is not as "archival" safe as it should be.  They say there are many leaks in the roof when it storms.  So, I would suggest that you proceed to capture whatever records you need quickly. But the research area is comfortable and easy to use. My encounter with the staff went smoothly.  I had my list ready and was offered every assistance I needed.  Copies of the records are $1.00 per page...a little steep.  But, I felt the documents were worth that to me.


Records that are in hard copy, such as the old naturalization volumes that are large bound books from the 1800s are brought from the archives by a staff person. And there is no digital photography allowed.  So, after I confirmed the family record, a staff person produced a $1.00 copy for me.  When using the microfilm I made copies directly from the microfilm machine.  At the conclusion of my research, all copies were tallied for a total charge.  Additionally, a helpful staffer mentioned that if I wanted to email them the next time before I came with my list of records, they would have them ready for me when I arrived. Actually, I enjoy looking at the microfilm, the files and books myself.  It seems something would be lost if I just came to pick up some copies.  But, it's a nice option if time is at a premium.

Oh yes, getting back to the mysterious prison record. Locating the chosen name on the microfilm of the State Prison records was easy. As I scoured the microfilm record for details tying my new find to my great uncle, I found first that the crime this person was convicted of was actually conspiracy to commit felony and blackmail....not murder.  He was serving one to five years and these years did fall between when my  great uncle's children were born.  Then at the bottom of the form was the line of information that cinched it: Next of kin:...the full name and address of my great aunt.  Now we have the answer to what occurred.  But again, this takes me down another path of finding the rest of the story.  When were they back together?  How long and where?  Another day's sleuthing.

This was definitely a good day of discoveries. I think these historical finds rate a genealogy dance.
I wish you the same kind of success in your family hunting.

Genealogy info:  The family lines related to the above post are Albers and Weber. Visit my Family Lines page to read more about them.
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Taking Genealogy To My iPad

My iPad stepped up another notch on my favorites list recently. Although, I've enjoyed this handy companion for over a year, I haven't moved fully into the genealogy realm with it. Probably because I am not really a true Mac convert. You see, the iPad is my only device that isn't Windows. Am I the only one still hanging out in that category?  Just straddling both worlds and still having a good time.

Having said that, a couple of apps that operate on both Mac and Android are definitely favorites because I can use them with my iPad, smartphone and pc. Namely, Dropbox and Evernote.  You could call them genealogy helpers, I guess.  The notes and storage for documents and photos and websites sure provide research assistance. Also, if I want to store a pdf of a family group sheet or descendant report in one of those apps, I have that with me as a reference.  And both of them have free versions that are more than adequate.  In fact, I have earned extra space on my Dropbox account by referring others and downloading the app on my smartphone as well.

But a few recent research trips reminded me that I would like more. I decided to look into a means of having my genealogy database on my iPad without switching to a new software program.  Did I say I really like my Roots Magic software; and there's no version for Macs?

Well anyway, stored somewhere in my blog-reading memory was info about an app called GedView.    I can't believe I didn't go there sooner.  This is $3.99 that is well spent.  It's so friendly. Within a few minutes of downloading the app on my iPad, I had my full Gedcom loaded and was navigating through my families, sources, notes and facts.  You can store multiple gedcoms; even create a new tree within the app.   It's very easy to delete a tree and upload a new file, so there shouldn't be any reason not to have the most current information loaded.  I have only a short exposure to the GedView app, so I'm still getting the hang of it.  But, even with my first glimpse, I'm very impressed.  I am sure this is not news to many genealogists, but I just wanted to share my experience for those that are just moving to iPad and want to get a quick fix on genealogy. 

Let's head for the library, courthouse and cemeteries, Honey!
 

Just Thinkin' About Our Photos

 Thanks Jan, for permission to use this photo

It's so fast and easy!  Yesterday I downloaded Instagram on my smartphone and learned to post photos (with enhancements) directly to Facebook and Twitter.  How cool!  Still not sure if I'll use it much, but it's fun to know I can.  Then I got to thinking about how we take photos, where we take them and how we use them now.  What are the restrictions that might apply to any photo I would take on-the-go?  Things happen so much more quickly lately since we have these conveniences that we might not stop to think what's involved. 

Well, a funny thing happened this morning, as they say.  I was reading some of the feeds on Twitter and saw the Lifehacker blog that many times is very helpful and thought-provoking reading.  There it was....a plethora of information on all the issues around our rights and responsibilities connected with photography in public.  Generally, "If you can see it, you can shoot it" is the rule, but it isn't really that black and white.  

On another side issue, Lifehacker also reminds us that Instagram requires that we grant usage permission for our photos when we upload. He says:  "This doesn't mean they get ownership of your photos, but it does mean they can use them any way they like." 

I'll think a little more about my usage.  Just sayin'.

Thanks Lifehacker.  Thought maybe others would like to read this:  Lifehacker blog on Photography Rights

Repeating Research Isn't Always Bad

Occasionally I recheck the same resources. Surely I'm not alone! Sometimes I simply fail to record the first search that turns up zero. But sometimes I repeat on purpose to see if new information may be posted.  For example, a few weeks ago I decided to recheck Ancestry.com on one of my great great grandmothers, Katherine Birkenstock Kuhn. I have a block of time in the 1870-80s when I'm not quite sure where she is. So, the other day I took a quick look (if there really is such a thing as a "quick" search. ;) Up pops a family tree containing Katherine and her husband, Martin Kuhn.

Gottfried Kuhn, 1890

First of all, I should say that finding a tree with these names isn't new. I've found other family trees including them, but usually I find nothing new, or even worse, the couple has been 'hijacked' into a tree with the wrong family line.  But this particular find looked promising, listing sources that seemed to have credence, matching families, etc. I soon became attracted by the one person that didn't match with my line, an older son in the family. I always thought that the birth of Katherine's first child at age 34, as my family records showed so far, was suspicious. This child born when she was 28 could be a fit. However, this prospective new lead was never in Indiana with all of my Kuhns so far. He lived in Ohio and California and Kentucky. That doesn't mean he wasn't in the family, right? I decided to email the owner of the tree to ask for more information.

Well, as I said, that was a few weeks ago.   Since that time, without relating all the many conversations and passing of Kuhn sources, information and photos, I now have a new found cousin...a descendant of Gottfried Kuhn, my great grandfather's brother.  This has been a lot of fun to get acquainted online with another great great granddaughter of Martin and Katherine Kuhn who lives across the country from me.  She is a dedicated family researcher who is generous in sharing her information.   One of the bits of family history that was revealed is that after Gottfried married and had children in Cincinnati, the family moved to California.  After some years there, he divorced his wife and left that family to move back to the Midwest.  He married again and had another family. I know, you're saying, "So what. That's not unusual."  But, the second family was in the dark about the first one until generations later when someone investigated a rumor that they might have more family on the west coast.  The history is now being shared by the many descendants in Gottfried's line.  The more the merrier.

But wait! On top of that, my connection also resulted in another researcher in this line sharing the news that there was a bigamist in the Kuhn line in the 1890s.  Another brother of my great grandfather (and Gottfried) left his family in Connersville, Indiana, and married another lady in Ohio. Neither wife knew of the other, but somehow the truth came out and he ended up in jail.  The newspapers in Ohio had several accounts as the trial and sentencing went on, right down to the second wife asking the court to declare her marriage officially void, just for the record. You never know what this digging will turn up! (BTW, the rest of the family is upstanding.)

So then what about why I started this quick repeat research? Do I have Katherine Kuhn's gap of years solved?  Not yet.  I haven't found her living with Gottfried or anywhere else during those years. Maybe I won't.  But I am still searching....hoping to prove where she was from about 1873 to 1883.  But, writing this post has sparked a few more ideas....let's see...look closer at church records, more city directories elsewhere than my usual sources.... This story isn't finished yet.

However, if I hadn't been repeating my research I might not have met another cousin nor made these interesting family ties.

For a report of the Descendants of Martin and Katherine (Birkenstock) Kuhn, Click Here.

Why This Family History Blog?

Welcome to Indiana Ties.  This blog is my latest form of family history adventure.  I have my husband to thank for introducing me to family research in 2002 in the dark microfilm room in the state library. Finding marriage records in the basement archives of the courthouse and more history online had me definitely hooked. A very rewarding highlight of these ten years has been talking with family about their memories and sharing the information I uncover. This led to writing my family stories and newsletters. Now it's time to take it a step further.   My design for this genealogy blog is to connect our history with more family members and find more opportunities to learn from other genealogists.

But why call the blog Indiana Ties?  Well, the majority of my ancestors originate in Germany and all eventually made their homes in Indiana.  Thus... Indiana Ties.  My families do meander through various states and grow many branches, and some even are stalled out. So, I'm getting out the fertilizer to try out this new ground.  I hope there are family members and fellow family historians who'll climb with me, or at least hang around to watch for a few new leaves to sprout. 

Thanks for visiting.
Nancy Hurley

What Is It About Those Ancestors?

Do you know why finding a new piece of family history is so exciting?  Maybe it's just the success of locating an elusive, hidden fact.  Maybe it's completing that quest, getting a step closer to  making the pieces all fit.  Or just perhaps it's the connection to someone in our past that's personal. After all, they are who we are.  I think it's all of the above.   Digging into our family history to find what our ancestors were like, where they lived and what kind of experiences they went through in their lives satisfies a curiosity and completes a picture.

I know one thing for sure.  The challenge of finding those pieces of the family history puzzle draws me deeper into the mystery.  As I complete a portion of the challenge, I write that chapter.  Then I want to learn more.  The searching is also a good deal of the enjoyment, since there are people you already know and those you meet who become important parts of the trip.  Some contribute their knowledge or recollections, others share in the excitement, and some are new cousins who would never have crossed paths if not for a common interest in a third great grandparent.

What is it about those Ancestors?  It's success.  It's personal.  It's curiosity.  It's Who We Are.