Gerry's Genealogy hiatus is over, I hope.

 I was quite involved with my Soroptimist club the last three  years, and of course, we were faced with the Covid-19 Pandemic, so I didn't do much writing.  I'm still working with Soroptimist, but I don't have quite the pressure that I did as Treasurer.

Covid-19 is still around and keeps mutating with some variants being quite dangerous, especially for immunocompromised individuals.  The Vaccines and Boosters are doing a good job for those that have gotten them (that's us).  

Covid took my cousin Betty Ann Davis Heston in November of 2021. 

We will see if I keep writing posts about the family.

Remembering My Grandfather, Jasper Patterson

Updated this post on May 7, 2023.     I actually rewrote and added quite a lot.

My Grandfather, Jasper Patterson, was born on this day (12 March) in 1872, 152 years ago. He was born in San Marcos, Hays County, Texas, USA.  

His parents lived in Missouri for the 1870 Federal Census.  Although not Slave owners, they were apparently Southern sympathizers and moved to Texas for less hassle.  My Dad told me something about the family hiding out in the hills during the Civil War. He wasn't too specific or sure of the details.  Jasper's Dad, Greenup Bird Patterson, could read and write and was a well-to-do farmer based on the value listed in the 1860 & 1870 censuses. Real Property, $3,000, and Personal Property, $1,000, were listed in the latter. 

In 1894 Katie Tadlock marries Jasper.

Jasper and Katie Tadlock Patterson, probably taken in 1894 for their wedding photo.

In the 1900 census, Jasper is a Farmer living next door to his parents and probably working their farm. He and Katie have two children, Greenup Bird II (named after his grandfather) b 1895 and Maggie, b 1897.  According to his obituary, the family moved to Greer County, Oklahoma Territory, in 1901.  "Shortly after that, he had a blacksmith shop in Granite."    

In the 1910 census, he is listed as a Blacksmith with his own business.  They now have five children, Green, Maggie, Florence, b 1900; Melvin, b 1904; and William C, known to me as Uncle Carter, b 1905.   Uncle Kenneth was born in December 1910, the first of the Patterson children to be born in the new State of Oklahoma.

Katie gave birth to Jasper Junior in early March 1913. Eight days later, Katie Dies.  According to a transcription of her Death Certificate, she died of Cancer.  However, my dad said Jasper hated the Doctor because he wasn't careful enough, and she died of Childbed fever.  Sad to say, Junior died on March 29, 1913.

Jasper apparently married Frances (unknown maiden name) Patterson shortly after Katie died. Jasper needed a wife to care for his five children. I haven't found any record of the marriage, though. However, she died in November 1914, and he never married again. 

In the 1920 Census, Jasper is apparently sharing a home with his son Greenup and his wife, their son (I list him as Greenup III since Jasper's Dad was Greenup), as well as Jasper's three youngest sons, ages 15, 14, and 9 Yrs.  

Jasper was living with his sister, Maggie, and her family in the 1930 census. He is still a blacksmith, working in an Iron Foundry.  In 1932, Melvin wrote a letter to Uncle G.B.'s family and gave them this information about his dad.  "Papa is at Uncle Jeff's in Texas. Uncle Jeff died a few days after he got there. He is going to spend the winter there as Uncle Jeff's wife asked him to."  He is still there in the 1940 census with no occupation listed but is probably helping out on the ranch.

His son, John Kenneth Patterson, took care of him somewhat in his old age.  By the time I got to meet him in 1949, he was in a care home in Altus, OK.  Fairly close to where Uncle Kenneth and his family were living in the Granite area.  He apparently had some type of dementia because he didn't remember my dad.  Here are some snapshots from our meeting.  Well, the blogger system doesn't like my photos for insertion.  I'll have to add them to a Facebook post.  Finally got them added in May 2023.

Back Row: Ora Mae Taylor, Jo Ann, Kenneth, Jasper, Melvin Patterson; and Florence Patterson Pendergraft.  Front Row: cousins Carol and Geraldine (Gerry) Patterson

Melvin, Jasper, and Kenneth, aka Pete, Patterson

Jasper died on 29 August 1953.  I remember my dad getting the phone call.  It was the first time I ever saw him cry.

This took me a lot longer to create than I thought.  So, I'm now a day late in posting this.

2020 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 2

I’ve decided to join Amy Johnson Crow’s 2020 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. 

I’m guessing that this week’s challenge is difficult for many of us because we have several photos that mean a lot to us. Therefore, I am selecting several to tell you a little about them and how I came to have them.

Photo #1 is a photo of my Mother, Ruth Weddle Patterson (1912 -1965), probably taken around in the early 1920s (she was born in 1912).  It was sent to me electronically by my cousin in Texas a year or so ago.  This was probably taken in Bell County, Kentucky.  Her father was a Doctor for various Coal Mines over the years.  They were in Bell County in 1920 (census) and he died in Bell County in 1926.

Ruth Weddle Patterson (1912 -1965)

Photo #2 is a photo of Ruth's Maternal Grandmother, Dillie McDonald Strunk (1858 - 1901).   This picture (hard copy) was sent to me by another Strunk-Weddle descendant cousin. She died fairly young, probably having 13 children had something to do with it.  I had her husband's photo but had never seen hers before.  I was so thrilled to receive it.

Dillie McDonald Strunk (1858 - 1901)

Photos # 3 and #4 are both of my Brother, John Franklin (Nee Freeman) Patterson.  We had different Fathers and were 13 years apart in age, but I grew up with him so we were close and I miss him. I found the Proof photo in my Mother's belongings.  The other photo was taken at my Wedding.

Well, there are many other photos that mean a lot to me, but I'm still behind in this challenge and life is interfering (time to get ready to see my trainer - have to stay healthy) so I will end this here.

Amy Johnson Crow’s 2020 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Week

I’ve decided to join Amy Johnson Crow’s 2020 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks. 

 I need a Fresh Start.  I haven’t been successful in following through in the past, but some stories are better than none!  I hope you find these interesting, and if you think we might be related let me know.  If you believe we are related and/or have more information for me, I would certainly appreciate it.

 I'm already late, as we are actually in 2020's third week.  Therefore, I'm going to make this short and sweet.  I'm hoping to meet the challenge and write most weeks with a goal of at least one post per month.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 4 - I'd Like to Meet

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week  4 –  I'd like to meet

I’ve decided to join Amy Johnson Crow’s 2019 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  I haven’t been successful in following through in the past, but some stories are better than none!  I hope you find these interesting, and if you think we might be related let me know, and if you are related and/or have more information for me, I would certainly appreciate it.

I'd like to meet my Father's Maternal Grandmother, Amanda Newton Tadlock Haggard.  She undoubtedly had a difficult life and I'd love to know more about her and her families.

Some families on Ancestry add the middle name Catherine, but I don't think I have seen a record with that name on it. Amanda was born in 1844 in Indiana which raises my first set of questions - What was the family or at least her mother, doing in Indiana.  In the 1850 Census, Amanda is the third child of four with the first two and the youngest all born in Kentucky. What was your family life like?  Was your family Confederate sympathizers?  Did you know Carter Tadlock before the War?

The second set of questions are: "What was the Civil War like for you?  How did you meet your Husband? Why did you decide to move to Texas after the War?  Was it difficult for Grandpa as a Confederate soldier to live in Kentucky?  I understand you lost two daughters to Yellow Fever on the way to Texas.  Were their names Jennetta and Angeline?    Family Stories say that Grandpa Carter didn't fully recover from his war injuries and suffered horrible headaches.  Was he able to work and support the family fairly well?  Did he have what we call Post Traumatic Stress Disorder - Nightmares, Panic attacks, reliving battles while awake?    Is he buried in the Kyle Cemetery, Texas? Did he have a headstone?

How did you survive as a Widow with 6 children ages 1 to 16 after Carter died at age 48?  The boys were only 11 and 6 when he died, probably not old enough to take over the farm. When and Where did you marry Troy Haggard?  Did you Divorce or just go your separate ways? 

So many questions and so little chance of finding the answers.  Amanda must have been a strong woman who survived because she had to.  The Civil War, a damaged husband, Birthing 8 children and losing two as toddlers, the death of her husband after 18 years leaving her with 6 children, the death of her oldest daughter as a twenty-nine-year-old young Mother, and the death of another daughter at age 36 who was a mother of six children.  Another Marriage and then separation (divorce?)  I would love to be able to sit down and interview her - get to know her.

#52Ancestors

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 3: Unusual Name

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 3 - Unusual Name

Phariba - Pharaba - Fariba

I’ve decided to join Amy Johnson Crow’s 2019 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  I haven’t been successful in following through in the past, but some stories are better than none!  I hope you find these interesting, and if you think we might be related let me know, and if you are related and/or have more information for me, I would certainly appreciate it.

This weeks prompt is "Unusual Name."  I have a few in my tree, but my Great x3 (Genealogy shorthand for Great, Great, Great) maternal Grandmother's name is the one that has intrigued me over the years.  Partly because her surname makes me wonder if I'm related to the feuding Hatfields, but it's mostly because Phariba is so unusual - at least to me.  

I discovered that there were actually 1.75 million entries that come up if you search for Phariba on Ancestry.com.   There are three women on facebook with that name plus two more whose names are in a different language alphabet.  One site I looked at said there are less than 2,700 people living today with this name which can also be spelled Fariba.   It apparently is of ancient Persian origin and means lovely, charming, and enticing.

My Phariba was born in 1791 in Russell County, Virginia to Joseph Hatfield and Rachel Smith.  Some people list her name as "Phariba (Phoebe) Hatfield" which may be because of the unusual name and in the 1850 census Ancestry indexed it as "Phoriba" although I think it is a sloppy "a" instead of an "o."  I'm not sure where they got the name Phoebe* - maybe just trying to make it fit in today's world. 

One of Phariba's daughters was Rachel Reed who married Samuel McDonald who were the parents of Dillie McDonald the Great Grandmother I wrote about last week.  Her oldest daughter also had the name Phariba, and I had forgotten but I also have an inlaw of a second cousin who died as 10-year-old in 1904.  Although these families lived in the same general area of Kentucky and Scott County Tennessee, One set is my Mother's maternal line and the other is in my Mother's paternal line. They are the only ones in my tree at this time.  I haven't been able to track her after 1860.  

I haven't done a lot of research on her since I live so far away and I rely on others research.  My son and I are in her DNA Circle along with 202 other probable descendants.

*Some people have her listed as Phoebe Reed in the 1870 Census in Georgia, Blind and living with an apparent son James.  I don't think that is her.  Findagrave has Phariba dying in 1840, but I don't believe that is correct either.  I've messaged the Hatfield descendant that created the memorial so will have to wait for her to respond to find out her source - I could be wrong.  

Interesting how writing what you know, tends to raise more questions.

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2 - Challenge

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2 – Challenge Favorite Photo

I’ve decided to join Amy Johnson Crow’s 2019 challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks.  I haven’t been successful in following through in the past, but some stories are better than none!  I hope you find these interesting, if you think we might be related let me know, and if you are related and/or have more information for me I would certainly appreciate it.

Well, the topic Challenge was too big a challenge for me and I decided to write on one of the topics from last year that I didn't complete. "Favorite Photo" was the one I chose.  

The challenge rules are extremely flexible with the goal of getting us to write family stories.  Amy wrote this in this week's email: "If you haven't done the 52 Ancestors challenge before, you might be a bit surprised at the prompts. Yes, they are vague. That's by design. There is no right or wrong way to interpret the prompts. The goal is to spark ideas for your writing. Each week, I'll give some suggestions, but they are just that — suggestions. 

You do not need to blog to do this challenge. Some people keep a journal or make scrapbook pages. Some people post a photo on Instagram. Others send an email to family members. The goal is to write something and get those discoveries out of your genealogy software and into a format that others can see and enjoy." 

MY FAVORITE PHOTO

This is my favorite photo because I wondered for years if anyone in the family had a photo of her.   Her daughter, Verda had a picture of her husband but as far as I knew she didn't have a photo of her Mother.

She is my Great Grandmother, Dillie McDonald Strunk. Dillie was a twin - her sister was Millie.  She was born in Scott County Tennessee to Samuel and Rebecca Reed McDonald in November of 1858.  



She married George Washington Strunk in 1875 about a week before her 17th Birthday.  George was 25 years old.  In 1870, George was living with his parents and was a "clerk in store."  By 1880,  living in Huntsville, Scott County Tennessee, George was a "Register of Deeds" and they were the parents of three, 2 sons and a daughter.

In the 1900 Census, they have moved across the state line into McCreary County Kentucky.   George is working as a "Coal Weighmaster" and they have 11 living children.  The census record states she is the mother of 11 with 10 living.  

However, there are 11 children listed and I know (99% sure I copied his name and dates from the family Bible back in the 1960's and have since misplaced those hand written notes) that Leslie Lane Strunk was born in 1888 and died in 1889.  There was also an Elma Strunk, twin to Velma,  b April 1897 and died 30 Nov 1897 - information also from the Family Bible.

Dillie died on 17 Jan 1901 at the age of 43.  I've never heard of her dying in Childbirth, but it is a possibility even if she was 43 years old.  But after 12 pregnancies in 25 years and losing two children, I'm sure she was worn out and susceptible to many diseases.

The photo of Dillie was received from my first cousin, Dillie Weddle Sanders daughter in 2016. It was a tremendous surprise.







Sources:
 https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/46311616
George Washington Strunk Family Bible - Last known in possession of Vera Strunk Green Coleman's Granddaughter.
https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/54418771/deliah-strunk   (In 1870 Census she is listed as Delilah but so far that is the only source of the name)
Clips from the 1870 and 1900 Censuses