Monthly Archives: April 2012

1940 U.S. Census Community Project, Genealogy

Oh Where Oh Where can my Nana be in 1940?

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The question posed was; Have you found your family in the 1940 Census?

Indeed, I found my mother and her parents and two sibling in the 1940 Census.
I thought the task of finding them would be daunting,this family lived in Cleveland Ohio, but Mom recalled what street they lived on in Cleveland. Which made for a quick and easy find!

Before talking to Mom I thought this would be a task that just might take forever so, I started looking for my Dad and his parents where I thought they belonged. I picked them first because I figured how many folks could live in Newark, Licking County Ohio the population has got to be  less then that of Cleveland! How is that what you think the task is going to be easy, isn’t. In this house long ago we have decided not to say that word, when you do it only means things will be difficult at best. I guess I haven’t learned yet!

I have now looked through all Licking County. No grandparents, oh I did find her sister and her husband Uncle Tommy and Aunt Flossie, right where I thought they would be. I talked to Mom and said she believed that I might find them in Willoughby Ohio as she thought they might have lived there before they lived in Kirtland (which I have looked through too). I have only looked through a few Enumeration Districts in Willoughby. I have not found them yet. So I need to make a phone call and see if my Dad recalls where they lived in Willoughby, he would have been 3 in 1940 and I am not sure if he will recall, but it sure is worth a shot!

I was lucky indeed to find that my Grandparents in Cleveland actually ended up on the line that contained the supplemental question. In this case it was Grandpa Terrill. The extra questions asked included the birth place of your mother and father, what is your normal occupation. They also asked four questions about military service, which grandpa did not answer. Another grouping of questions pertained to social security. The information that he gave were things we already knew.  He was a chemist and his parents were born in Ohio and Pennsylvania and that he did have a social security number. Had it been another member of the family there might have been new information that we may not have known.

I would encourage those who to help index the 1940, it will make it some easier to search and the more folks that index the sooner you and others will be able to find their family easier. Visit 1940 Census Community Project and sign up. It is really very easy and you can do as much or as little as you like, there is no pressure to make a quota.

In the mean time

Happy Hunting!

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy, Genealogy

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy #16 /My Favorite Restaurant

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Most of you know that I received a Kindle Fire for Christmas and in doing so I have downloading some great books. I came across this little gem of a book called “The Big Genealogy Blog Book” by Amy Coffin. One of her suggestions for blogging genealogy is 52  weeks of personal genealogy. Amy gives 52 prompts to get you writing your own genealogy.  There other great prompts in this book as well. If you find your blog is becoming a chore, check out this book it just might put some life and enjoyment back into your writing!

I am starting on week 16 because that would put me around the end of April. So here is my first offering of my personal genealogy.

So where and what was my favorite restaurant?

I think the restaurant that probably has been in my life the most besides Cracker Barrel, where I work, would be a small Mom and Pop dinner called Leighright’s. It was a true diner. It had booths and a counter with a jukebox console in each booth.

Leright’s was  between our house in Westland and our place of worship in Wayne Mi.
Every now and again Dad would stop at Leright’s. after Sunday services and we would have our Sunday afternoon meal there. I believe that is where I learned about the wonders of a Reuben sandwich, still my all time favorite! If I recall correctly my sister, Trish, always ordered the Slim Jim of course both of these came with a great heaping pile of french fries. Mind you these fries weren’t the itty bitty skinny MacDonald’s fries, but home-made fresh from the potato fries! It was some wonderful eating.

There are a few memories that I have of Leright’s but I think the funnest one and probably the one I tell the most happened around Christmastime in 1972.
We bugged Dad for a quarter to play the jukebox, finally after much pestering he said fine, here is a quarter, you may play the jukebox if you can find a Christmas song. Giggles of joy escaped from two young girls and the pages started to fly! Hey Dad here is “Joy To The World” it’s a Christmas song (okay so it wasn’t, but we figured Dad had no clue) he said sure so we popped our quarter into the jukebox, with snickers and side glances. We all know what came from those speakers (giggle), Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine. Dad look surprised and Mom well, I think she knew all along what was going on, she had a small smile on her face.

About ten years after this incident, my mother in law became a prep cook at Leright’s and very often she would bring home left over chicken or the most awesome stuffed mushrooms and on occasions she would bring home the chipped beef to share with the rest of the family.
I took care of a little girl who just thought Julie’s chicken was just the bomb, much to her mothers disappointment, because Judy knew full well that the chicken was not Julie’s but Leright’s. I never told!

There was even a sighting of the famous there. Steve Guttenberg  visit to the Diner sometime around the release of “There Men and a Baby” , if my memory serves me right. Jim’s Mom wasn’t sure who he was so we bought her a copy of “There Men and a Baby” and it became one of her favorite movies.

Leright’s was a land mark in Westland for many, many years. There have been several restaurants that have occupied that space since then and they have never done as well as Leright’s did. I am guessing it is because of the personal touch from Mom and Pop Lehright.

Happy Hunting!

 

Family, Friday Family History On This Day, Genealogy

Rebecca Cutter b. 20 Apr 1709 Happy 303 rd Birthday!/ Friday Family History

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Rebecca Cutter,  believed to be the daughter of Richard and Mary Anne Pike Cutter.

Rebecca was born in Cambridge, Middlesex, Ma. on 20 April 1709. She descended from Samuel and Elizabeth Cutter of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne England, through their son Richard and Elizabeth Williams Cutter of Cambridge Ma through William and Rebecca Rolfe Cutter and to their son Richard.

I am not sure when and how the Cutter’s came to American, but by the dates that I have found I am guessing they were with some of the first settlers of Boston or surrounding areas.

Rebecca Cutter is my 6th Half Great Aunt ( hoping that is the correct way to name her)

Relationship Chart
Julia Katherine McCartney [2] is the Half 6th Great-GrandNiece of Rebecca Cutter [2004]

Common Ancestor Richard Cutter

Major Richard Cutter(1682-1756)Mary Ann PikeMarried 20 Aug 1706 [1118] Major Richard Cutter(1682-1756)Mercy Kelsey Married
Rebecca Cutter(1709-1792)Married Ephraim Frazee Ephraim Cutter married Susan Burwell
Samuel Cutter(1763-1859)Married Mary Cole
Ezekiel Cutter(1805-1877)Married 10 Jun 1830 Martha Charlton
Samuel J. Cutter(1833-1902)Married 13 Nov 1860 Christina Stucker(1836-1904)
Harry M. Cutter(1862-1955)Married 25 Oct 1883 Sarah Jane Starrett(1863-1924)
Christina S. Cutter(1889-1958)Married 4 Jul 1908 Arthur Cellus McCartney(1889-1971)
Willard Warren McCartney(1910-1996)Married 2 Nov 1935 Adela Ruth Ogilvie(1905-1985)
James R. McCartney m. Dency Terrill
Julia McCartney m.  James Hogston

Happy Hunting

Ramblings, Two Cents Worth

I Had A Dream

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Very rarely do I have a dream that will wake me and that I will remember every detail. This morning such a dream occurred.

I will not go into every detail, because as in all dreams there is great feats that happen that would not have happened in life.  The gist of the dream was, I was watching a friends  belonging and it js placed  in my yard for safe keeping. My family  left for the evening and I was watching TV alone. You know that feeling when you think something or someone is watching you, well I sensed that and I turned to see a police officer standing in my living-room. Question on my mind is why are you in my home? I then  looked out the door and he had some friends (not officers) loading my friends belonging on to a truck. He threw me money for what he thought the belonging was worth. He left, there was no threatening other than that he was in my house when not invited and he took what did not belong to him or I. After this the dream gets a bit crazy, some how I find him again and I hold him down to the ground for what is hours (yeah I know this wouldn’t happen in life). In the morning I finally get help and there is a big arrest scene hollywood style, choppers and all.

I was pondering what in the world this dream might mean. I believe dreams such as these have a message or they would not be remembered. My personal take on  is just this:

I think the friends belonging represents freedom, for we are the guardians of freedom, we don’t guard it just for ourselves we guard it for our friends and the generations to come. Sitting at the TV watching without regard to what was happening around me I was  letting down my guard so that some one could quietly walk in and take that freedom away and offer me a price for it! Is that not what is happening to our country today? We are quietly giving up our freedoms in trade for governmental control.
Holding down the officer for hours could just mean my feeling of frustration and isolation. Holding back the avalanche much like the little dutch boy held back the flood with his finger.

I truly think we are nearing the bottom of the slippery slope and it will be a up hill battle, but it  I believe it is a battle that is winnable . I don’t think entitlements and such are a way to  make us strong, I deserve to be happy and the government owes me this! The government only owes you the right to seek happiness as the Declaration of Independence so boldly says”We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are Life, Liberty and the pursuit of Happiness.” Read the Declaration of Independence, The United States Constitution  and the Bill of Rights for yourself. See how much we are loosing slowly,  as we complacently sit by.

This country is great, but she is becoming a mere shadow of what she once was. She has called out and righted many wrongs. She has sought equality for all of her citizens. Yet as we speak the lines between the three branches of our government are weakening, if not being deleted. Some how it has become an almost expected thing for the judicial branch to make laws, something that was never intended by our founders or by the Constitution which is  the standard for which all things are to be proved by , not used as a changing document that suites special interests as they come along. Judges are bring to play foreign laws that have nothing to do with our Constitution.

The Executive branch feels it need not consult the other branches before it acts and the Legislative branch well, I am not sure what is going on there they surely isn’t  paying heed to those who have put them were they are.

This battle can be won, but it must be won by the citizens at the poles. It is sad that somewhere between 30% and 50% of the registered voters vote and only about 71% of eligible American’s are registered. To read more on registration and voting click here.

The United States is worth saving, will you step up and do you’re part? Will I be left alone to hold the tide back? What will the ending be?

Good Evening and God Bless

 

Genealogy

1940 Census BINGO….

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The 1940 census is here!  I haven’t done a lot looking as I have been indexing the census. It is has been fun. Colorado, Delaware, and Virginia are three of that states that I have worked on so far.

The other night I went searching for my grandparents. I called Mom and asked her were in Cleveland they lived (call me lazy  but I really didn’t want to look through all of Cleveland’s enumeration districts to find them.)  I did find them where Mom thought they were. What I did not expect to find is that Grandpa was on line 55 which means he answered some supplementary questions. Only the persons on line 55 and I believe it is 68 were questioned. So in looking I received a very nice surprise. It was not new information for us, but for someone who does not have this  information it could be a small gold mine!

Below is  the normal information asked

Supplementary questions found at the bottom of the census page.

Among the questions that Grandpa anwsered, are what was his usual occupation and where was he working. He was also asked where his parents were born and what language that he spoke. There are also four questions about military service.

I am still looking for my other set of Grandparents. You would think they would be easier to find, seeing they are in a smaller town then Cleveland. I have a road for which they may have lived on, but it is not listed as such in the program to find the enumeration district. I will have to find out if this road was called something else, like Main Street or something similar.

So back to the hunt and if you would like to help the hunt become easier, how about joining those at 1940 Census Community Project and help index the census. It is easy to do and will cost you nothing but a few minutes a day.

Happy Hunting!