Catching up - Bad Blogger

That last couple of months has been hit or miss.  I am currently undergoing an issue with Sacroiliac Joint Syndrome.   I hate it, I don't like it.  Pain is an every day thing and that is where I am now, finding a pain management routine that works for me.  Two cortisone shots (that did not work) later I was scheduled for an RPN this morning (it doesn't sound pleasant at all, let me tell you!) but!! my insurance company DENIED the procedure.  Just a very small rant then I am done… This insurance company (and my employer) made a nice program for us.  If we listen/watch a series of videos we get a benefit check back.  So, I saw they had a half dozen virtual blurbs on pain management and watched them all so that I might learn something and every one of them say "Follow up with your doctor, follow their prescribed regimen… blah blah blah"  to turn around and deny my treatment from my Doctor?  It boggles the mind.  Seriously.  So anyway, enough of that, I realize pain is my only  problem, there is no fixing the joint, it is damaged, it is a maintenance thing.  Constant pain is a depressant and some days I don't do a thing because it saps my energy but at the same time, I don't have a serious disease like so many other brave souls fight every day so in that, out of respect, I won't feel sorry for myself.  A bad day of pain is certainly better than a chemo treatment.

What I have been doing….. Certificate in Genealogical Studies-Scottish Records at  National Institute for Genealogical Studies.  I have purchased the basic package of classes so far.  I started the third class this week.  So far I am enjoying it and right now is a lot of back tracking.  I have to do the basic classes for the certificate and already have the basic knowledge though I will say doing a case study in Methodology I was an eye opener.  I clearly think in a different pattern but come to the same conclusions.. eventually.   Riddles frustrate me, the obvious is never my first choice, I have a very complex analytical mind and I always seem to think out before in.  I always blame it on being a Virgo!  Ha!  I wonder if that is why I make people crazy with frustration towards me!  When it comes to sitting down and digging into the research, I am tireless and I will hunt, scratch and scrape until I find what I am looking for.  So in the end I do accomplish what I set out to.  The bulk of the classes I am looking forward to start in December, so I will be juggling three classes I think it is.  That is the one draw back of my program, the Scottish classes are not as often and what I really want to take is really far away.  I have electives to take so in between the Scottish classes I have plenty to keep me busy.  With that though, I am very happy with the content and look forward to earning my Certificate.  I have just started my family line which I am including the Ahnentafel at the end of this post.

I was told my Baldwin's started in Connecticut.  I really want to sit down and bridge that gap from Tennessee to Connecticut but I have a feeling that Virginia is in between.  The last Baldwin I have proof of is William Baldwin, I think his father is Ezekiel Baldwin.  He moved to Tennessee and purchased land there so consider him "penciled in" until I know for sure.  So if this is his father, connecting Virginia to Connecticut would the next step:

Name:	William W Baldwin1–4
Sex:	Male
Individual Facts
Birth	bet 1779 and 1780	Amhearst Co Virginia2
Residence	1830 (about age 51)	Rhea, Tennessee5
Death	28 Jan 1851 (about age 72)	Meigs County Tennessee - Rhea Springs2
Burial		Goodfield Cemetery, 4 miles south of Decutur, Meigs County, Tennessee
Marriages/Children
1. Elizabeth Lutrell (1788-1867)
Marriage	25 Apr 1809 (about age 30)	Knox County Tennessee2
Census (fam)	1840 Census	Meigs County Tennessee - Rhea Springs
Children	Hugh Lawson Baldwin (1809-1890)
	Elizabeth F Baldwin (1812-1889)
	James Churchill Baldwin (1814- )
	Rhonda Ann Baldwin (1816- )
	Sarah C Baldwin (1819- )
	John L Baldwin (1821-1886)
	William Jr Baldwin H (1824- )
	Robert Simeon Baldwin (1826-1875)

Hugh Lawson Baldwin still stumps me and I have he is having way too much fun side stepping my pinning him down!  I do have land records for him, he sold a lot of land during the 1860's so I am thinking he moved on to Texas long before I thought. 

The Duncan's are still a brick wall.  It is assumed my George Washington Duncan is the son of John Duncan of North Carolina.  John may have been in the Revolutionary War, he was there during that time frame, I think.  I also assume he is the Duncan that came over from Scotland.  My family story was that three Duncan brothers came to the Colonies and settled near Bee Log, NC.

I still need to do my Duncan line "re-do" from a prior post.  Starting a brand new data base.  File by file rebuilding the database with DOCUMENTABLE sources.  Then use my second cousins book as a reference and find these documents.  I have an inkling one line might be incorrect.  And I know there have to be others that I can track to the Revolutionary War to supplement them into the DAR.

I heard from a distant relative from my Sheufelt line.  I haven't done any research on my fathers side, my mothers side keeps me very busy.   Bernadine Sheufelt was my paternal grandmother.  This relative and myself share the same great-grandparents and she was so nice and emailed me photographs of them!  I have not sat down and really followed the Ancestry trees for the Sheufelt, it seems many research various branches of Sheufelt/Hubble lines which is where my line goes.  My fathers paternal side already has me in Croatia but… there are not enough hours a day.

And then there are all the non-genealogical things I do… knitting, spinning and garb for the SCA for three people for a Pennsic that is coming at me full steam ahead!

Something I LOVE - Windows Office OneNote.  Type here, upload into blog.

And most importantly - today - HAPPY ROBIN HOOD DAY!  Which is where I am going this morning, to see Robin Hood.  This is epic, I NEVER go to the theatre opening day of anything, I hate it, I don't like crowds, I don't like people I don't know too close to me!  Haha.

And enough, I shut up now… -smile!-  Back to my exam I am procrastinating on with blog posts!

Generation 1

1. Elizabeth Dewar Spalding FENDER-1: born 21 Mar 1909 in District of St. Mary, Dundee, Scotland; died 3 Mar 1984 in Rochester, Monroe, NY.

Generation 2

2. Edward Cummings Alexander FENDER-2: born 19 Jul 1878 in District of St. Andrews, Dundee, Scotland; married 18 Dec 1903 in Dundee, Scotland; died 10 Apr 1952 in Akron, Summit, Ohio.

3. Elizabeth Reid ANDERSON-3: born 11 Apr 1880 in Carnoustie, Scotland; died 31 Jan 1933 in Akron, Summit, Ohio.

Generation 3

4. George FENDER-5: born 20 Dec 1851 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 9 Jun 1871 in District of St. Clement, Dundee; died 9 Nov 1920 in Parish of Liff-Benvie, County of Forfar.

5. Jane Watt ALEXANDER-6: born ca 1852 in Forfarshire, Dundee; died 12 Jan 1915 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

6. John ANDERSON-10: born 3 Jun 1855 in Greystone, Parish of Monikie, Forfarshire, Scotland; married 27 Jun 1879 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

7. Elizabeth Dewar SPALDING-12: born 17 Oct 1855 in Parish of Monifieth in the County of Forfar.

Generation 4

8. George FENDER-13: born 20 Mar 1817 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 26 Nov 1843 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

9. Jean/Jane BEATTS-14: born 18 Feb 1817 in Ferry Port on Craig; died 18 Mar 1898 in District of St. Mary, Dundee, Scotland.

10. Alexander ALEXANDER-24: born 20 May 1820 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland; married 24 Jan 1842 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

11. Margaret WATT-25.

13. Margaret ANDERSON-26: born ca 1826 in Brechin, Scotland.

14. James SPALDING-27: born 3 Oct 1827 in Foveran, Aberdeenshire; married 17 Dec 1854 in Monifieth, Scotland.

15. Elizabeth Lamb DEWAR-28: born 17 Jul 1836 in Dundee, Angus, Scotland.

Generation 5

16. George FENDER-50: born ca 1787.

17. Elizabeth SMITH-51: born ca 1791.

18. James BEAT-40: born 24 Sep 1789 in Ferry Port on Craig; married 22 May 1816 in Ferry Port on Craig.

19. Isabel MURRAY-41.

20. Thomas ALEXANDER-38.

21. Elizabeth MILNE-39.

22. Angus or Andrew??? WATT-37.

28. Alexander SPALDING-44.

29. Maria ADAMS-45.

30. David DEWAR-46: married.

31. Helen CUTHILL-47: born 26 May 1804 in Montrose.

Generation 6

36. William BEATT-42: married 23 Jan 1787 in Ferry Port on Craig.

37. Jean GORIE-43.

62. James CUTHILL-48: married.

63. Janet MATHER-49.

Preparer:

Sharon Stevens Lighthouse

Please do not reproduce without my express permission.

s1klight@aol.com

By the kindness of strangers..

I have been thinking about a website and blog for myself. I am a graphics geek, what can I say. So I have been thinking and mulling over ideas and deciding, sort of, that I wanted my blog on my own website and so thought to figure that out but today… today the nicest thing was done for me so this seems the perfect day to start my blog no matter where it ends up.

A stranger.. someone who just happened to see a post of mine on a Michigan board, reading my frustration in finding a family that I feel should not be so hard to find and yet finding it impossible.. he found it within a day after I had been searching for the last 6 months! He sent me the following email:

Sharon: Lets start with why I do this genealogy for total strangers, such as yourself. It is a hobby/addiction. I rationalize, I suppose, that my “hobby” costs much less than other hunters and fishermen. Then also I have found my ancestors back to Charlemagne as a result of kind genealogists who helped along the way . . . none of them seeking recompense for same. I have to tell you it was and is a great pleasure to “payback” those people. I won’t go into my career, that being mundane for strangers, but a treasure for me and mine.

So here is the good news. Your sibling Leona did a family tree and you can find it if you have access to ancestry. com. (if not, let me know) in short, your line starts with John Stevens, 1887 Yugoslavia who came to Detroit in 1912,and had among others, Theodore J. Stevens 1913, Felix, 1916, Englebort,1918, Gabriel 1920, Mary 1924.you were right about the Shufelt connection. Bernadine was a Sheufelt and born, if I remember a Magyar (or Hungarian) and john though born in Yugoslavia was Hungarian also. The tree includes a picture of your grandfather and Bernadine. (kind of unusual, but a gift from Leona eh.)

Let me know whether you have access to ancestry com or not. if not, don’t fret, I will get it for you.
Name withheld, Flint Mi

Today I am on top of the world. A few reasons, the most important, my people are out there. My Aunt and I have something in common by our interest in genealogy. Another, that all the recent months (and years) of frustration are replaced by a hunger and enthusiasm to know more and to find out more. Sending off an email to the owner of this family tree was a bit daunting. I have no idea what sort of relationship my estranged father had with them. I kept it basic, information and asking if she was who I was looking for. Underneath is a lot of excitment.. I have an Aunt who is out there! And there are more. For years I have wondered about this side of my family. My mother says she remembers them being a nice family. I feel a bit emotional since I have seen the names of my grandparents and great grandparents. I have wanted this day so long. This family has not seen me in 45 years or so, when I was 3, maybe a bit younger. Do they even know I have a sister?

I am eager to see where this chapter goes.