Veterans in My Tree

In honor of Veteran's Day, I thought I'd share the military heroes found in my family tree. Since some of the veterans are still living (some still serving), I have chosen to list only their relationship and not their names. This is not all the veterans in my family tree, only the ones I have uncovered so far. Hopefully by next year, I will have uncovered more.

Wars in Iraq & Afghanistan

• My cousin
• My cousin's wife
• My nephew

Vietnam War

• Bobby Gene Hayes Sr, my cousin
• Donald Ray Rhodes, my cousin. Killed in action
• Harlin Asa Radcliff Jr, my cousin

World War II

• Earnest C Hayes, brother to my maternal great grandmother Alice Isabel Hayes Sweat. Killed in action at Iwo Jima
• Henry Eugene Hayes, brother to my maternal great grandmother Alice Isabel Hayes Sweat
• Roy Ethridge Hayes, brother to my maternal great grandmother Alice Isabel Hayes Sweat
• Walter Henry Vanzandt, brother to my maternal great grandfather Clyde Thomas Vanzandt
• Everett S Vanzandt, brother to my maternal great grandfather Clyde Thomas Vanzandt
• Clark Sutter, maternal step great grandfather
• Argial Waitman Carson, paternal great grandfather 
• Harlin Asa Radcliff Sr, brother of my paternal great grandfather
• My cousin

World War I

• Frank E King, paternal 2nd great grandfather.

Civil War

• Oliver Perry Register, maternal 3rd great grandfather. Confederate
• Burrell B Sweat, brother to maternal 4th great grandfather John Franklin Sweat. Confederate.
• Roland Sweat, brother to maternal 3rd great grandfather John Franklin Sweat. Confederate.
• John Guess Rice, maternal 5th great grandfather. Confederate. Died in Fort Delaware Prison.
• Frederick Grossenbacher, paternal 4th great grandfather. Union
• James A Carson, paternal 4th great grandfather. Union
• Aaron William Radcliff, paternal 3rd great grandfather. Union

Indian Wars

• William T Sweat, maternal 5th great grandfather

American Revolutionary War

• John Register, maternal 7th great grandfather
• Benjamin Register, maternal 8th great grandfather
• Aaron Adam Rice, maternal 7th great grandfather
• William Rhoden, maternal 8th great grandfather
• Nathaniel Sweat, maternal 6th great grandfather

Unknown

• John Cason, husband of my maternal great aunt Linda Faye Sweat Cason. Military gravestone marker says US Army

Is the Genea-Zombie Virus in Your Family Tree?

By Centers for Disease Control (CDC) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons

We all know about Genea-skankery thanks to Kerry Scott of ClueWagon. Today, I discovered a new virus, the Genea-Zombie virus. For those not in the know, it's when an ancestor continues to be involved in relationships long beyond when the time they're laid to rest.

While filing today, I realized I didn't have a death certificate for my maternal 4th great grandmother Hannah Ann Lightsey Rice (1847-1927). So I headed over to Georgia's Virtual Vault to get one. It only took a minute to find it and while looking it over, I noticed that I had never put her burial place into my genealogy program. After doing so, I clicked my way to FindAGrave to see if she had a memorial.

I was delighted to find that a memorial had been set up for her. Since family members tend to be buried near each other, I searched the cemetery for other Rices and came across her son, my 3rd great grandfather Aaron H Rice (1872-1958). All looked well until I happened to notice that the wife linked to him was not my 3rd great grandmother Martha Jane Register Rice (1872-1962), but another woman.

I was curious about this other wife because I knew that his wife Martha had outlived him and, as far as I knew, they had never divorced. So I hopped over to the other woman's memorial to check things out. Her name wasn't familiar and she was born in 1917, making her younger than most of his kids. She only passed a few years ago in 2006 so I decided to see if I could dig up an obituary.

I read through the obituary and was surprised to note that the husband of this woman was still living at the time of her death. If Aaron was her husband, this meant one of two things. Either Aaron found the fabled Fountain of Youth during his years in Florida or he was one of the undead aka a zombie. You see Aaron was born in 1872. To still be alive in 2006, he would have been 134 years old or one of the undead for 48 years.

As it turns out, Aaron wasn't a zombie. He lived to just a few months shy of his 86th birthday before dying and he's stayed dead all these years. The woman's real husband was another Aaron H Rice who was born in 1924. The person that linked the memorials apparently hadn't looked too close.

In a weird coincidence, the Aaron H Rice that the woman was supposed to be linked to turned out to be a grandson of my 3rd great grandfather. His father, Perry Franklin Rice, was a brother of my 2nd great grandmother Minnie Rice Hayes. So, what started out as a mistake by someone else actually ended up helping my research in the end.

I'm actually a little disappointed. Zombie or not, if I had access to him, I'd be pumping him for facts on the family. I'd want to know what happened to his dad who disappeared between the 1870 and 1880 census, who the Rice children buried in the same cemetery belong to and was his father-in-law really a deserter from the Confederate Army.

So have you found zombies in your research?

Note: I did contact the owner of the woman's memorial and it has since been corrected to link to the correct man. This is just another example of why you should always double-check anything you find written about your ancestors. Someone might not have been paying attention when they were writing or, in my case, linking memorials.

US-Records Study Group: Assignment 2 (Part 1)

This part of the month's assignment has three goals.

1. I've not yet been able to find a will for a direct line ancestor, but I have found a few for their siblings. The will I chose for the transcription is for Aaron Rice, son of Aaron Adam Rice and Ellenor Rhoden and brother to my maternal 6th great grandfather John Rice.

Will of Aaron Rice

    In the name of God amen, I Aaron Rice of the state of South Carolina and District of Barnwell, being infirm in body and yet having sound memory and disposing mind do make this my last will and request. First that my funeral expenses be paid. Secondly that the remainder of my Estate be kept and owend (sic) by my beloved wife Rebecca Rice during her natural life and after her death equally divided between my children, namely Sarah Simmons, Ellenor Sanders, Elizabeth Dyches, Rosanna Rice, Calvin Rice, Louisa Sanders, Milford Rice and Jasper Rice, the children of such as may be dead taking the part of their parents. I also will that portion which my daughter Elizabeth Dyches gets or receives be hers for life and after death her children and not to be under the control of her present husband or any future one, Elizabeth Dyches having received of me a negro girl, Mely, should she not be returned to me nor my Estate I will that her value be deducted from the part which my daughter Elizabeth Dyces (sic) shall receive or that negro girl, Mely be considered as so much of her share. I now appoint my sons Calvin Rice and Milford Rice Executors and give to them full power to execute this last will. Given under my hand and seal this the twenty sixth day of August in thy year of Our Lord eighteen hundred and fifty nine and in the eight fourth year of American independence.

                                                    Aaron Rice

Delivered in the presence}
Of WB Sanders                }
      WP Dowling              }

This was the first time I transcribed a will so it was definitely a learning experience. I find it curious that he made it a point to say that Elizabeth's husband, present or future, was not to have control of the inheritance, even if she had passed and it had been passed to her children. At first, I thought maybe he didn't care for Elizabeth's husband, but if that was the reason, then why note that the same applies to any future husband.

I wasn't aware that any of my family were slave-holders so the reference to Mely came as a surprise. However, it does give me another avenue of research to consider. If he owned other slaves, there may be records of them. I need to try to find an estate file, which will probably have an inventory of all of his property.

It was interesting that the will notes the length of time since American independence was gained. Like I said before, this is a new area of research for me so I don't know if this was common or not. If it isn't, perhaps this was a homage to his father Aaron Adam Rice and uncle William Rhoden who both served in the Revolutionary War.

Since two of his daughter's married names were Sanders, I assume WB Sanders was probably a husband of one of the girls. I haven't placed WP Dowling yet, but I do know that Aaron's sister Elizabeth was married to an Elijah Dowling so he was probably related to the family in some fashion.

2. I chose to make a chart for another one of my surnames, Radcliff. Variations of this surname include Radcliff, Radcliffe, Radliff, Radliffe, Ratcliff, Ratcliffe, Ratliff and Ratliffe. Soundex codes include R324 and R341. My plan is to make charts for each of my surnames to be placed in their file.

3. I created a reference file in my genealogy filing system. I printed out copies of the following pages for inclusion in my reference file.

• Abbreviations Found in Genealogy 
• 18th and 19th Century American Nicknames 
• Traditional Nicknames in Old Documents to create my list.
• Genealogical Dictionary of Legal Terms
• Old Medical Terminology

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Heritage Pie Chart

16 Great Grandparents

• William Merch Radcliff, born 1 Nov 1881 in Gilmer County, WV, died 15 Sept 1974 in Weston, Lewis County, WV. He married Bessie Ethel Collins 27 May 1910 in Oakland, Garrett County, MD.
• Bessie Ethel Collins, born 10 Nov 1891 in Gilmer County, WV, died Oct 1980 in Weston, Lewis County, WV.
• Riley Neal, born 15 May 1887 in Lewis County, WV, died 16 Nov 1968 in Linn, Gilmer County, WV. He married Aulda Jane Messenger 13 Aug 1911 in Gilmer County, WV.
• Aulda Jane Messenger, born 13 Aug 1891 in Gilmer County, WV, died 16 Jan 1973 in Weston, Lewis County, WV.
• Francis Scott Carson, born 20 Aug 1878 in Gilmer County, WV, died 23 Dec 1946 in Gilmer County, WV. He married Dora C Grose 29 Mar 1914 in Gilmer County, WV.
• Dora C Grose, born 10 Feb 1894 in Sand Fork, Gilmer County, WV, died ?
• Frank Elman King, Sr, born 19 Dec 1891 in Wetzel County, WV, died 21 Sept 1966 in Weston, Lewis County, WV. He married Alta Edith Smith 6 Jan 1918 in Wetzel County, WV. He married Anna Belle Jones 10 Dec 1921 in Gilmer County, WV.
• Alta Edith Smith, born 31 Mar 1895 in Green District, Wetzel County, WV, died 1919 in WV.
• James Walter Sweat, born 6 Nov 1874 in Ware County, GA, died 18 Feb 1940 in Nashville, Berrien County, GA. He married Addie Mae Deen 1 Nov 1896 in Pierce County, GA.
• Addie Mae Deen, born 8 Sept 1881 in Blackshear, Pierce County, GA, died 13 May 1966 in St. Cloud, Osceola County, FL.
• James Thomas Hayes, born 5 Jun 1889 in Valdosta, Lowndes County, GA, died 13 Feb 1960 in Nashville, Berrien County, GA. He married Minnie L Rice 27 Oct 1912 in Berrien County, GA. He married Charlotte Jane LNU
• Minnie L Rice, born Nov 1897 in GA, died ca 1931 in GA.
• William Walter Vanzandt, born 30 Jan 1884 in Kentucky, died 19 Jan 1963 in Chandler, Warrick County, IN. He married Martha Matilda Elizabeth Davis 20 Oct 1905 in Boonville, Vanderburgh County, IN.
• Martha Matilda Elizabeth Davis, born 19 Nov 1881 in Chandler, Warrick County, IN, died 22 Oct 1961 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, IN. She was previously married to Thomas Huggins.
• Lora D Boling, born 7 Nov 1897 in Pellville, Hancock County, KY, died 26 Sept 1961 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, IN. He married Eva Mae Sanders ca 1897 in Pellville, Hancock County, KY.
• Eva Mae Sanders, born 13 Jul 1907 in Pellville, Hancock County, KY, died 31 May 1988 in Evansville, Vanderburgh County, IN. She later married Andrew Cooper.

Assumptions are Dangerous

I recently had a reminder of how assumptions are dangerous in genealogy. I always knew my dad was born in West Virginia. I had assumed he was probably born in Gilmer County since that was where my grandparents married and I believed they had lived after their marriage.

Recently, I drove over to see my family. While I was there, I asked my mom for copies of her and my dad's marriage certificate, as well as their birth certificates. Everything looked just like I had thought, with the exception of my dad's birth certificate. It turns out he was born in the neighboring county of Lewis.

Granted, this wasn't a huge change from my assumption. However, if I didn't have the birth certificate or someone I could ask, I could have ended up wasting my time searching records in the wrong area. I would have eventually branched out into the neighboring counties and found him, but my false assumption would have delayed my research.

It could have been worse. I had always believed that my dad's mother was born in West Virginia. As far as I knew, her parents had always lived there, she married there and at least one of her children was born there. Imagine my surprise when I found out that she was born 300 miles away in a different state.

So far, my research hasn't shown any connection to where she was born. As it turns out, she told me and it's also listed on her marriage certificate. If I didn't know, I probably would have found out next year when the 1940 census is released.. However, without these clues, I would have first searched my assumed West Virginia counties, then branched out to the surrounding counties. It would have been a while before I checked the surrounding states for her birth certificate..

These aren't the only false assumptions I've made in my research. My paternal great grandparents, Charles William Radcliff and Living Neal, were married in Maryland, 250 miles from where they lived. My paternal 2nd great grandparents were married in the same place. One could assume that my great grandparents married there because my 2nd great grandparents did, but why did the original pair go there?.

On my maternal side, my 3rd great grandparents Aaron Hiram Rice and Martha Jane Register, disappeared after the 1920 census. Both were born in Georgia in 1872 and lived there up until that point. I searched the entire state of Georgia without success before moving to neighboring state. They turned up Florida where they appeared in the 1930 federal census, as well as the 1935 and 1945 state censuses.

Then, they threw me for another loop. Aaron died in Georgia in 1958. I'm still trying to figure out when and where Martha passed away.

While it's easy to jump to a conclusion based on known facts, sometimes you have to throw everything you know (or think you know) out the window to find the truth.