Oldest Child is Motty Sylvester West born 3/29/1877 - 1962, Married Hattie Myrtle Ellis 1/21/1903 -1963 in Warren County , near Waynesville. For most of us, Motty is our Grandfather and Hattie(MaaMam) is our Grandmother. The listing of their children are as follows.
Dorothy 1907 - 1964
Vernon 1908- 1981
Raymond 1911- 1993
Martha 1913 - 1992
Marvie 1918
Ruth 1921
Joseph 1924 - 2004
Daisy 1928 - 1966
Thomas 1930 - 1993
There were 3 other children born between Marvie and Martha that did not survive.
2nd Child of Pleasant and Mary
Ada West Born Nov 1880- 1964 Married Andrew Portis in 1900. Andrew born 1880
Children of Ada and Andrew Portis 4 Children
1. Esther Born 1900 died 1917 , 17 yrs of age. Buried in Ferncliff Cem next to Pleasant and Mary Francis
2. Adolphus - Born 1902 Adolphus married Dorothy and had 3 kids listed , named Dorothy 1924, Adolphus born 1925, Aquilla born 1927, They could possibly still be living and have decendents who would be our cousins in Springfield area.
3. Ambrose JR AKA Andrew - Born 1904 died Feb 1982
Ambrose Jr married Roma Simmons born 1909 and had 2 children named :
1.. Donald Portis Born 1926
2. Ann born 1928
4th Child of Ada and Andrew
Lester Born 1908 died Jan 1 1970 in Long Term Care Facility in Springfield , Oh.
Lester married Estella Scott born 1910 married on 27 Sept 1927 Not sure if they had children.
Ambrose or Andrew as well as a Portis cousin were listed as prisioners in 1930 in Springfield, Oh not sure what they were locked up for or how long they served. Not sure is Ambrose Jr or father.
So it is possible that we have cousins by the name of Portis still living in the Springfield area.
The third Child born to Pleasant and Mary is
Glenna West Born 7/18/1883
Glenna married Webster Simpson 2/17/1903
Webb was born 12/4 1880 and worked as a Lantern lighter in the Streets of Springfield
Glenna died 9/11/1939 at 56 years of age. They did not have any children listed in the Census. They lived at 1159 Yellow Springs St , Springfield at the time of her death, she is buried at Ferncliff Cemetery. In 1930 Lester Portis lived with them.
Motty & Hattie
Motty & Hattie
Sunday, October 30, 2011
Monday, September 26, 2011
Pleasant (Pleasanton) West
As we identified in a prior post, I believe Pleasant was born Pleasanton in Scott Cnty, KY and there are conflicting dates depending on what records you access. One record has him listed as born 1846 , where others have him at 1848 and his daughter Glenna listed him as born in 1852 on his death certificate. We do have the record of his death as being Jan 2, 1929 in Bellbrook, Oh which means he must have been living with his son Motty and family at the time of his death, He and Mary Francis are buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield OH. They are in Section N/E Lot 131 Space 2 & 3. A little tidbit about Pleasant as passed down from my Dad who was about 10 yrs old when he died. He said he was mean, by that he said if he sent you to get him some water and if it was not cold enough he would throw it on you. His occupation listed him as a Coachman at least in the 1890's , which meant he more than likely drove a Horse drawn Coach between cities. There were at that time routes between Cincinnati, Dayton, Xenia, Yellow Springs, and Springfield as well as Columbus, As well as rich people having their own coaches and drivers.
The census of 1880 have them listed as having a daughter named Mortie born 1877. We know that to actually be a son named Motty born 1877. Also had a niece , named Rhodie Bond age 14 living with them. If we remember there is no 1890 Census because of a fire at the Archives in Wash DC . But in 1900 Pleasant and Mary have the following living with them and recorded in the Census.
Pleasant age 50 - Coachman
Mary Francis age 51 - at home
Motty age 23 -Teamster unemployed 3 months
Glenna West 16 - Student
Andrew Portis -19 SandCutter born North Carolina unemployed 4 months
Ada West Portis - 19 born 1880 no occupitation listed
Ester Portis 3 months born Feb 1900
We know that Ester died 9/23/1917 and is buried in space 1 at Ferncliff next to Pleasant and Mary Francis.
A few unknowns are to fill in who Pleasant worked for and how did they live being in the City limits of Springfield Oh.
At the turn of the 20th century Springfield became known as the "Home City." Several lodges including the Masonic Lodge, Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows built homes for orphans and aged members of their order. Springfield also became known as "The Champion City"..a reference to the Champion brand of farm equipment manufactured by the Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Company, which was later absorbed into International Harvester in 1902. International remains in Springfield as Navistar International, a producer of medium to large trucks.
In 1902 A.B. Graham, then the superintendent of schools for Springfield Township in Clark County, established a "Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club." Approximately 85 children from 10 to 15 years of age attended the first meeting on January 15, 1902 in Springfield, Ohio, in the basement of the Clark County Courthouse. This was the start of what would be called the "4-H Club" within a few years, quickly growing to a nationwide organization. (4-H stands for "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health").[9] The first "projects" included food preservation, gardening and elementary agriculture. Today, the Courthouse still bears a large 4H symbol under the flag pole at the front of the building to commemorate its part in founding the organization. The Clark County Fair is the second largest fair in the state (only the Ohio State Fair is larger) in large part to 4H still remaining very popular in the area.
On March 7, 1904, over a thousand Springfield residents formed a lynch mob, stormed the jail and removed prisoner Richard Dixon, a black man accused of murdering police officer Charles B. Collis. Richard Dixon was shot to death and then hung from a pole on the corner of Fountain and Main Street, where the mob continued to shoot his lifeless body. The mob then proceeded to burn much of the black area of town.[10] In February 1906, another mob formed and again burned the black section of town known as "the levee".[11] Sixty years later, Springfield was the first city in the US to have a black mayor, Robert Henry.
The census of 1880 have them listed as having a daughter named Mortie born 1877. We know that to actually be a son named Motty born 1877. Also had a niece , named Rhodie Bond age 14 living with them. If we remember there is no 1890 Census because of a fire at the Archives in Wash DC . But in 1900 Pleasant and Mary have the following living with them and recorded in the Census.
Pleasant age 50 - Coachman
Mary Francis age 51 - at home
Motty age 23 -Teamster unemployed 3 months
Glenna West 16 - Student
Andrew Portis -19 SandCutter born North Carolina unemployed 4 months
Ada West Portis - 19 born 1880 no occupitation listed
Ester Portis 3 months born Feb 1900
We know that Ester died 9/23/1917 and is buried in space 1 at Ferncliff next to Pleasant and Mary Francis.
A few unknowns are to fill in who Pleasant worked for and how did they live being in the City limits of Springfield Oh.
At the turn of the 20th century Springfield became known as the "Home City." Several lodges including the Masonic Lodge, Knights of Pythias and Odd Fellows built homes for orphans and aged members of their order. Springfield also became known as "The Champion City"..a reference to the Champion brand of farm equipment manufactured by the Warder, Bushnell & Glessner Company, which was later absorbed into International Harvester in 1902. International remains in Springfield as Navistar International, a producer of medium to large trucks.
In 1902 A.B. Graham, then the superintendent of schools for Springfield Township in Clark County, established a "Boys' and Girls' Agricultural Club." Approximately 85 children from 10 to 15 years of age attended the first meeting on January 15, 1902 in Springfield, Ohio, in the basement of the Clark County Courthouse. This was the start of what would be called the "4-H Club" within a few years, quickly growing to a nationwide organization. (4-H stands for "Head, Heart, Hands, and Health").[9] The first "projects" included food preservation, gardening and elementary agriculture. Today, the Courthouse still bears a large 4H symbol under the flag pole at the front of the building to commemorate its part in founding the organization. The Clark County Fair is the second largest fair in the state (only the Ohio State Fair is larger) in large part to 4H still remaining very popular in the area.
On March 7, 1904, over a thousand Springfield residents formed a lynch mob, stormed the jail and removed prisoner Richard Dixon, a black man accused of murdering police officer Charles B. Collis. Richard Dixon was shot to death and then hung from a pole on the corner of Fountain and Main Street, where the mob continued to shoot his lifeless body. The mob then proceeded to burn much of the black area of town.[10] In February 1906, another mob formed and again burned the black section of town known as "the levee".[11] Sixty years later, Springfield was the first city in the US to have a black mayor, Robert Henry.
Wednesday, September 21, 2011
Mary Francis Stewart West
Lets Start with Mary Francis Stewart West.
I have Mary Francis Stewart listed in the 1870 Census as living in Hamilton County, Ohio Age 21 and born in Mississippi, We have her also living with her mother Ann E. Stewart age 42 born in Maryland. It shows Ann as having real estate valued at $2500 and personal property listed at $150. Also they are listed as Mulatto, This info is from the Mormom Church records, Ancestry .com records list them as white. I think that is just how they were transcribed. They do not show that they are living with her Dad and it is consistent with pictures I have seen of him but none of her.
Also listed on this census are Lucy Harrisson age 23,Charles A Stewart, age 18 born in Mississippi , Solomon Stewart age 11 born in Ohio. This has them moving to Ohio between 1852 and 1859, during the Civil War, I do not see John Stewart listed anywhere, but for a Mulatto woman to own real Estate valued at $2500 in 1870 and to have moved to Ohio prior to the Civil War ending is amazing. I am still searching for John, but we do have a picture of him and he appears to be white. When we were at the Reunion Jim West remembers working for her family and they owned a farm in the Cincinnati area.
What I have determined is Mary Francis died Dec 2, 1924 and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield Her birth date is listed as 3/13/1848 by Pleasant West on her death certificate Their address is listed as 235 Raffensberger , Springfield Oh. Also I have confirmed they were married in 1875 in Springfield Ohio. He also listed her dads name as Solomon Stewart which is the name of her younger brother, I did find out that they often listed the middle name first on Census records back during that time frame or Pleasant might have known John Stewart by that name. he listed her mother as Eliza Parker so now we have another family name Parker in our history. Mary Francis was born in Mississippi . I have a note listed somewhere that tells me what County she was born in, when I locate that note I will edit this post again to add that info
So now here is the bonus info we found. Mary Francis was listed as a wash woman as her occupation and her mother was listed as a shirt maker. Her younger brother was listed as a Hotel Waiter in 1870. So now wwe know there are probably Stewart offspring that we are related to, but right now that is not my focus
I have Mary Francis Stewart listed in the 1870 Census as living in Hamilton County, Ohio Age 21 and born in Mississippi, We have her also living with her mother Ann E. Stewart age 42 born in Maryland. It shows Ann as having real estate valued at $2500 and personal property listed at $150. Also they are listed as Mulatto, This info is from the Mormom Church records, Ancestry .com records list them as white. I think that is just how they were transcribed. They do not show that they are living with her Dad and it is consistent with pictures I have seen of him but none of her.
Also listed on this census are Lucy Harrisson age 23,Charles A Stewart, age 18 born in Mississippi , Solomon Stewart age 11 born in Ohio. This has them moving to Ohio between 1852 and 1859, during the Civil War, I do not see John Stewart listed anywhere, but for a Mulatto woman to own real Estate valued at $2500 in 1870 and to have moved to Ohio prior to the Civil War ending is amazing. I am still searching for John, but we do have a picture of him and he appears to be white. When we were at the Reunion Jim West remembers working for her family and they owned a farm in the Cincinnati area.
What I have determined is Mary Francis died Dec 2, 1924 and is buried in Ferncliff Cemetery in Springfield Her birth date is listed as 3/13/1848 by Pleasant West on her death certificate Their address is listed as 235 Raffensberger , Springfield Oh. Also I have confirmed they were married in 1875 in Springfield Ohio. He also listed her dads name as Solomon Stewart which is the name of her younger brother, I did find out that they often listed the middle name first on Census records back during that time frame or Pleasant might have known John Stewart by that name. he listed her mother as Eliza Parker so now we have another family name Parker in our history. Mary Francis was born in Mississippi . I have a note listed somewhere that tells me what County she was born in, when I locate that note I will edit this post again to add that info
So now here is the bonus info we found. Mary Francis was listed as a wash woman as her occupation and her mother was listed as a shirt maker. Her younger brother was listed as a Hotel Waiter in 1870. So now wwe know there are probably Stewart offspring that we are related to, but right now that is not my focus
Tuesday, September 20, 2011
What we assume to be true
The 1870 Census shows the following family living inSpringfield Ohio in the 3rd Ward.
William West- age 44 Born 1826 Ky Mulatto
Ruth West - age 40 Born 1830 Ky - Black
Rebecca Taylor - age 50 Born 1820 Ky - Black
Jane Higgins- age 30 Born 1840 Ky - Black
Pleasanton West age 23 Born 1847 Ky- Black
Catharine West age 19 Born 1851 Ky Black
Jordan Ford age 11 Born 1859 Ky- Black
Fannie Thomas age 8 Born 1862 Oh- Mulatto (in the 1880 Census she is listed as born in KY)
Fannie is used in our research to tie her and Rebecca Taylor to another family in Springfield at the same time.
Peohada Thomas age 3 Born 1867 Oh - Mulatto
The 1870 Census also shows the following family
Jeremiah Taylor -age 33 Born 1836 Ky Black
Anna Taylor age 26 Born 1844 Ky Mulatto
David Taylor age 10 Born 1860 Ky Black
There are also 4 other younger Taylor children in this household.
Lets's skip to Census of 1880.
William West, Ruth West ,Catherine West,Rebecca Taylor, Jane Higgins and Peohada Thomas do not appear in the 1880 Census.
So next I looked for Jeremiah Taylor family in 1880. What led me to Jeremiah Taylor, I searched the Census for everyone on the West household in 1870 and found Fannie Thomas now age 18 born in Ky living in the Taylor household and listed as a niece of Jeremiah Taylor. Because of where they lived and the age of Fannie and the time both families migrated to Ohio I made the assumption these families are either related or are good friends. So if we make that assumption then Rebecca Taylor could be the older sister of Jeremiah Taylor or possibly his mother. So then after we make that connection how did I determine where they came from. I looked at all the Taylor children after vital records were being collected and found a Marriage certificate for David Taylor which showed his mom and dad Jeremiah and mother Anna Taylor and born in Scott County Ky. The birth date and parents confirm this is David from 1870 census.
So now what can we assume or what do we have left to confirm.
The term Mulatto as we have always known it to mean the child of Black and White parents.Or of Native American and African American. Mulatto was used in the US Census until 1930 and now some Americans consider the term offensive and now use the term Biracial.
If we make the assumption that they are listed properly in the Census as mulatto, then the Thomas children were born to an unknown Taylor female and an unknown white male, but since the Thomas children began showing up in Ohio it could be their father was a white man from Ohio or even Ky. This is all yet to be determined but is a little out of scope for finding the West name. Or is it? You can not leave a stone unturned in this type of research, you just have to priortize what will yield the goal that you seek. All other findings are a bonus.
IE: I mentioned Jordan Ford listed in the West household in 1870 but not in 1880. I found Jordan Ford age 21 in 1880 living as a border with the James Nelson Family of Springfield and working as a Blacksmith. James Nelson is listed as a Notable Black Kentuckian as a wealthy Blacksmith owner who made Whitley coaches and wagons in Springfield Ohio. He made a fortune.
Also further research on Jeremiah Taylor shows he served in the 40th ColoredInfantry during the Civil War and fought in Pa. He was normally discharged in 1864 just prior to moving to Ohio.
There is still a lot of info to confirm and if anyone has stories or information please add it to the blog in the comments section. YOu can always send me photos at grwest1@aol.com or you might be able to load into this Blog, I am not real sure what this Blogspot will accept.
William West- age 44 Born 1826 Ky Mulatto
Ruth West - age 40 Born 1830 Ky - Black
Rebecca Taylor - age 50 Born 1820 Ky - Black
Jane Higgins- age 30 Born 1840 Ky - Black
Pleasanton West age 23 Born 1847 Ky- Black
Catharine West age 19 Born 1851 Ky Black
Jordan Ford age 11 Born 1859 Ky- Black
Fannie Thomas age 8 Born 1862 Oh- Mulatto (in the 1880 Census she is listed as born in KY)
Fannie is used in our research to tie her and Rebecca Taylor to another family in Springfield at the same time.
Peohada Thomas age 3 Born 1867 Oh - Mulatto
The 1870 Census also shows the following family
Jeremiah Taylor -age 33 Born 1836 Ky Black
Anna Taylor age 26 Born 1844 Ky Mulatto
David Taylor age 10 Born 1860 Ky Black
There are also 4 other younger Taylor children in this household.
Lets's skip to Census of 1880.
William West, Ruth West ,Catherine West,Rebecca Taylor, Jane Higgins and Peohada Thomas do not appear in the 1880 Census.
So next I looked for Jeremiah Taylor family in 1880. What led me to Jeremiah Taylor, I searched the Census for everyone on the West household in 1870 and found Fannie Thomas now age 18 born in Ky living in the Taylor household and listed as a niece of Jeremiah Taylor. Because of where they lived and the age of Fannie and the time both families migrated to Ohio I made the assumption these families are either related or are good friends. So if we make that assumption then Rebecca Taylor could be the older sister of Jeremiah Taylor or possibly his mother. So then after we make that connection how did I determine where they came from. I looked at all the Taylor children after vital records were being collected and found a Marriage certificate for David Taylor which showed his mom and dad Jeremiah and mother Anna Taylor and born in Scott County Ky. The birth date and parents confirm this is David from 1870 census.
So now what can we assume or what do we have left to confirm.
- Is Pleasanton in the 1870 census actually Pleasant West -Father of Motty -I am 95% sure he is.
- Ruth West is she the younger sister of Rebecca Taylor making her a Taylor and possibly another family branch. I am maybe 25% convinced this to be true.
- Is Jeremiah Taylor the son of Rebecca Taylor or a younger brother of her and Ruth. Jeremiah is 17 years younger than Rebecca. Ruth is 10 years younger than Rebecca.
- Fannie Thomas is listed as niece of Jeremiah she could have been living with her Aunts or Grandmother in 1870 in the West Household.
- William West is listed as a Mulatto born 1826. Is he the son of a Plantation owner? DId the West name come from one of the 6 West named Slave owners in Scott County?
The term Mulatto as we have always known it to mean the child of Black and White parents.Or of Native American and African American. Mulatto was used in the US Census until 1930 and now some Americans consider the term offensive and now use the term Biracial.
If we make the assumption that they are listed properly in the Census as mulatto, then the Thomas children were born to an unknown Taylor female and an unknown white male, but since the Thomas children began showing up in Ohio it could be their father was a white man from Ohio or even Ky. This is all yet to be determined but is a little out of scope for finding the West name. Or is it? You can not leave a stone unturned in this type of research, you just have to priortize what will yield the goal that you seek. All other findings are a bonus.
IE: I mentioned Jordan Ford listed in the West household in 1870 but not in 1880. I found Jordan Ford age 21 in 1880 living as a border with the James Nelson Family of Springfield and working as a Blacksmith. James Nelson is listed as a Notable Black Kentuckian as a wealthy Blacksmith owner who made Whitley coaches and wagons in Springfield Ohio. He made a fortune.
Also further research on Jeremiah Taylor shows he served in the 40th ColoredInfantry during the Civil War and fought in Pa. He was normally discharged in 1864 just prior to moving to Ohio.
There is still a lot of info to confirm and if anyone has stories or information please add it to the blog in the comments section. YOu can always send me photos at grwest1@aol.com or you might be able to load into this Blog, I am not real sure what this Blogspot will accept.
Monday, September 19, 2011
DNA Testing
Let me try to explain DNA testing as I understand it. We all learned about DNA testing during the OJ Simpson trial, of course research began years prior to his trial and it has now branched into the Science that they showcased during the trial but also genealogists use it to determine ancestry.
DNA is passed from Father to Son through the Y Chromosome and this will stay the same generation to generation, by DNA testing you can match your MRCA Most Recent Common Ancestor with someone else, remember this goes from male to male so my DNA is the same as my Dad's and his Dad and so on.
Once you do a DNA test you are placed in a Haplogroup the group is given a number letter combination name and you are grouped with everyone in the past with that same name. There are different levels of the test, there is now a 67 marker test.
Your Y-DNA haplogroup is the assignment to one of the clades such as R1a1 or R1b1a2. Haplogroups assign individuals to a group whose founder or "originator" lived many thousands of years ago. Each haplogroup may include thousands or even millions of men, such as R1b1a2. Your haplogroup may change as new information becomes available and the genetic tree of man is revised to include the new information. You can find much information regarding haplogroups on the internet. The World Families web site has information and links to additional sources that can answer many questions regarding DNA and genealogy at: WorldFamilies
I did the 46 marker test at Ancestry.com it turns out our ancestry from 30,000 years ago reveals that we are Stonemasons The Haplogroup is I2b1
http://dna.ancestry.com/PaternalAncestry?uid=1494816&tid=77287 Not sure if you can get to this report or not.
The next link is to the West DNA Project. What I did was sent my test results to this project and had them post them. DNA testing is easy, The hardest thing is paying the fee to be tested. They send you a package with cotton swabs and you swab the inside of your mouth and send the kit back to them. In about 4 weeks they send you the results.
If you go into this site then select Results we are listing number W262 . Based on the results we do not match any of the 299 Wests tested. Although we are listed and there are no matches this will stay up there and as more people test that match then we will be notified. Right now Ancestry tells me that My MRCA Most Recent Common Ancester is from 350 years ago and it matches a the name Folkman and English. SO back in 1660 we had a common ancestor. In talking to Mr English he has ancestors who settled in Culpepper County Ky - West of Lexington by the name of Jameson in about 1800, Their ancestors came from Germany, we just can not tie our families together at this time. I know how my DNA in several databases and ocassionally hear from people who we match from 300 or so years ago, most of these end in a deadend but eventually we will make a breakthru. What this tells me is West is an assumed name for us and at this time we do not know where the West name came from. My assumption is the Wests were on a plantation owned by a West in Scott County and given that name. I might have mentioned there are 5 or 6 West Families who were slave owners in the 1800's in Scott County.
DNA is passed from Father to Son through the Y Chromosome and this will stay the same generation to generation, by DNA testing you can match your MRCA Most Recent Common Ancestor with someone else, remember this goes from male to male so my DNA is the same as my Dad's and his Dad and so on.
Once you do a DNA test you are placed in a Haplogroup the group is given a number letter combination name and you are grouped with everyone in the past with that same name. There are different levels of the test, there is now a 67 marker test.
Y-DNA Haplotypes and Haplogroups
Your Y-DNA haplotype is the set of numbers for each marker, i.e. DYS 393= 13. Your haplotype will never change, though it may grow larger if you order additional tests that extend your results from 25 to 37 or more markers.Your Y-DNA haplogroup is the assignment to one of the clades such as R1a1 or R1b1a2. Haplogroups assign individuals to a group whose founder or "originator" lived many thousands of years ago. Each haplogroup may include thousands or even millions of men, such as R1b1a2. Your haplogroup may change as new information becomes available and the genetic tree of man is revised to include the new information. You can find much information regarding haplogroups on the internet. The World Families web site has information and links to additional sources that can answer many questions regarding DNA and genealogy at: WorldFamilies
I did the 46 marker test at Ancestry.com it turns out our ancestry from 30,000 years ago reveals that we are Stonemasons The Haplogroup is I2b1
http://dna.ancestry.com/PaternalAncestry?uid=1494816&tid=77287 Not sure if you can get to this report or not.
Gary Roger West
Paternal Lineage Test
Haplogroup: I2b1
- Ancient ancestry:
- The Stonemasons
- Haplogroup:
- I2b1
You belong to the Stonemasons, haplogroup I, which is about 30,000 years old. The Stonemasons are best known for crafting pointed stone blades, known as Gravette Points, to hunt bison, horse, reindeer and mammoths.- Learn more
Sunday, September 18, 2011
Ellis Connection
The CIty of Waynesville Ohio took it upon themselves to research the family of Eldon Ellis who was the nephew of Hattie. This is the website where you can read about the Ellis Family. This side of the family is complete and this is an example of what we want to create for the West Family. Here is the link.
http://waynesgenhis.blogspot.com/
http://waynesgenhis.blogspot.com/
Introduction
This Blog is for the Motty S. West and Hattie Myrtle Ellis Family to collect and post family genealogy. I started on this quest in early 2010 to determine where the West name came from and where the West Family came from. I had always heard we were from Kentucky through Virginia. One of the facts I knew for sure was Motty's mom and Dad were Pleasant and Mary Francis Stewart West , we know they settled in Springfield Ohio but did not know the history of how they got there or when. As this Blog evolves I will start with assumptions and then move into facts that are known. I will also discuss DNA testing and what I have learned about that subject . I am posting pictures given to me by Cousin Gwen who got them from Aunt Ruth Coffey. I talked to several family members at the West/Ellis Reunion and nothing is known beyond Pleasant and Mary Francis. Hopefully this blog and this journey will tie it all together for us so that we can preserve our heritage. Let me warn you ,If you have never started searching for family history, once you start this is addictive and when you make a connection it just drives the desire to find more info.
I started by being made aware of my Mom's family history that one of my cousins searched out and it was so interesting that I wanted to answer the same questions on the Wes/Ellist side of the Family. When we were growing up the Ellis side of the family was always there. There was Uncle Toot, Aunt Ethel, Eldon, Freda and Paul Miller. This year joining us again from the Ellis side was Pat Sheffield and her family from Nashville. This was the first time I attended the reunion since it has been held at the Fairgrounds and will make every effort to get there again each year.
My next effort in this search began with Ancestry.com, I began searching the US Census for free, if you know a little bit you can learn a lot. http://www.ancestry.com/ of course this was not enough for me, I joined the monthly domestic service and started building a family tree on their site. http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/17596238/family You should be able to see it at this link. This also is at no charge to you. Let me give you some background info on the US Census. The latest Census released to the public is 1930. I am not sure how far the archives go back because right now I have not looked past 1820 for anything, reason being , Black families were listed as property and by slave owner by age. There were some free blacks but color was not listed in the Census until 1860 and it is amazing how many duplicate names there are in the United States. Another caveat that makes this difficult is the 1890 Census were all destroyed in a fire in the Archives in Wash DC. Documents were left out of the vault and there was a fire , the Fire Dept put the fire out but most of the documents were damaged by water. COngress had all the records destroyed after they determined they were not readable. Some local census records exist but you primarily have to go to the local genealogical or historical Societies for that county or State. That means the Census of 1880 was the last one listed until the Census of 1900. Another piece of information is vital statistics in most states were not required to be kept unitl 1901. so there are hardly any birth, marriage, or death certificates prior to 1900. Most people kept their own records in the family Bible or records of membership and Baptisims at churches. Of course Social Security did not start until after the depression (1935) so SS death records are also not available prior to 1942 when benefits were slated to begin paying.
So you see researching family is a History and a Geography lesson.
What I assume so far is Pleasant was born Pleasanton West in Scott County Ky around 1846. his parents were William and Ruth West and they moved to Springfield Ohio around 1865 just at the end of the civil war. I will post in an assumptions topic how I learned this info and next steps to prove it true. I also plan to travel to Scott County in the Spring of 2012 if I can locate that they have records on our family in that time.
I started by being made aware of my Mom's family history that one of my cousins searched out and it was so interesting that I wanted to answer the same questions on the Wes/Ellist side of the Family. When we were growing up the Ellis side of the family was always there. There was Uncle Toot, Aunt Ethel, Eldon, Freda and Paul Miller. This year joining us again from the Ellis side was Pat Sheffield and her family from Nashville. This was the first time I attended the reunion since it has been held at the Fairgrounds and will make every effort to get there again each year.
My next effort in this search began with Ancestry.com, I began searching the US Census for free, if you know a little bit you can learn a lot. http://www.ancestry.com/ of course this was not enough for me, I joined the monthly domestic service and started building a family tree on their site. http://trees.ancestry.com/tree/17596238/family You should be able to see it at this link. This also is at no charge to you. Let me give you some background info on the US Census. The latest Census released to the public is 1930. I am not sure how far the archives go back because right now I have not looked past 1820 for anything, reason being , Black families were listed as property and by slave owner by age. There were some free blacks but color was not listed in the Census until 1860 and it is amazing how many duplicate names there are in the United States. Another caveat that makes this difficult is the 1890 Census were all destroyed in a fire in the Archives in Wash DC. Documents were left out of the vault and there was a fire , the Fire Dept put the fire out but most of the documents were damaged by water. COngress had all the records destroyed after they determined they were not readable. Some local census records exist but you primarily have to go to the local genealogical or historical Societies for that county or State. That means the Census of 1880 was the last one listed until the Census of 1900. Another piece of information is vital statistics in most states were not required to be kept unitl 1901. so there are hardly any birth, marriage, or death certificates prior to 1900. Most people kept their own records in the family Bible or records of membership and Baptisims at churches. Of course Social Security did not start until after the depression (1935) so SS death records are also not available prior to 1942 when benefits were slated to begin paying.
So you see researching family is a History and a Geography lesson.
What I assume so far is Pleasant was born Pleasanton West in Scott County Ky around 1846. his parents were William and Ruth West and they moved to Springfield Ohio around 1865 just at the end of the civil war. I will post in an assumptions topic how I learned this info and next steps to prove it true. I also plan to travel to Scott County in the Spring of 2012 if I can locate that they have records on our family in that time.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)