Herstoryan's Hearth: Convenient Houses (1889)

Excerpt from: Gibson, Louis H.. Convenient Houses with Fifty Plans for the Housekeeper. New York: Thomas Y. Crowell & Co., 1889. pp13-14  Google Books. 22 Feb. 2010 .

It never ceases to amaze me how we just aren't that different from those who walked before us. Why does each generation insist on reinventing the wheel? Often we learn the same lessons over and over again. How very interesting...

Wordless Wednesday: Barro Riding at Mineral Wells (c1905)

Barro Riding at Mineral Wells. Mineral Wells, Texas. Photograph. c1905. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010 [Pictured second from the left is Lois Warren (Judson) with her mother Ida Lois (Elderkin) Warren next to her; others unknown.]

Thank You! Family Tree Magazine 40 Best Genealogy Blogs

I am deeply touched and tremendously honored to have been chosen one of Family Tree Magazine's 40 Best Genealogy Blogs! THANK YOU to everyone who voted for me, it is your friendship and support that makes this such a rewarding experience. Every morning I pour my coffee and settle in to read your stories! I laugh at your father's funny experiences, reflect on heartfelt tributes, and am awed by your cleaver tactics and fascinating results. I feel your frustration when confronted by brick walls. I'm ready to join in when you're happy dancing! Together we are building a priceless collection of human experience. I encourage anyone reading this who might be considering starting a genealogy blog to just jump in with both feet. This is a wonderful community and we are all here to help you along the journey!


THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!


:)  Herstoryan

Tombstone Tuesday - Samuel and Ida Wells (1939,1943)

Headstone: Samuel M. Wells and Ida Luetta (Lathem) Wells, Cave Springs Cemetery, Linden, Texas. Photograph by Horace Vaughn Wells, 22 Jun 1992. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010 [Grandma and Grandpa are parents of Otis Oscar Wells, father of photographer]

Judson Family Album (c1903-1910), Page 5

Page Five in Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson's Family Album, 1903-1910. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2009 [inherited from Lois Jacqueline (Judson) Wells, through her father William Levis Judson son of Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson of Dayton and Toledo, Ohio]

Top Left Photo: From left to right - 1. Margaret (Judson) Wilson; 2. Unknown; 3. Unknown; 4. Unknown; 5. Unknown; 6. Lewis Raymond Judson; 7. Unknown

Bottom Left Photo: From left to right - 1. Margaret (Judson) Wilson; 2. Unknown; 3. Bess (Martin) Hawker; 4.Unknown.

Right Photo: Harry Judson Martin

Possibilities for the unknown people in these photos: George Malcolm Martin, Dorothy B. Martin, Oliver W. Cox, Grace E. Richards, Morris E. Richards.

Judson Family Album

"Let's do what we do best, Scoob!" Mystery at the Corner of Brown and Hess (1879)

I recently found the location of my great great grandparents' 1879 residence in Dayton, Ohio. The home was listed at the "corner of Brown and Hess" in the obituary found in the Dayton Journal newspaper for their son, Charles Raymond Judson. You can read about it here: Remember Microfilm? Obituary of Charles Judson, age 3 (1879)


Google Maps shows a building still standing at the corner of Brown and Hess; could that be the Judson home still standing? Time to investigate:

View Larger Map

Question: What kind of neighborhood is it today? Are these new or historical buildings?

Gameplan: Look for obvious clues

• Google Search "Oregon Park Dayton OH"

=====>Result: The home is located in the Oregon Historic District and they have a website with newsletters, photos, and history of the district!

• Google Maps: Local Business Search - I want to talk to someone nearby who can tell me about the neighborhood and if the building is currently a private residence. Perfect businesses to locate are Bed and Breakfasts, Churches, and Libraries. I have also called a gas station and a restaurant before. Everyone has always been receptive to my humorous, out-of-the blue inquires.

=====>Result: Wonderful conversation with the owner of the INN PORT BED and BREAKFAST right down the street from the property. She was extremely friendly and offered as much information as she could about the building and the district. The building at the NE corner of Brown and Hess houses apartments - address 128-130 Brown Street. There used to be a school at the SE corner of Brown and Hess (where the park is now).

• Google Maps: More (options): Street View: Let's take a walk...

View Larger Map

=====>Result: The building matches the architecture of the other buildings on the street. It is definitely not recent construction. It might be too large to have been a single family residence in 1879.  

Question: Is this the same building that was standing there in 1879?

Gameplan: Identify available resources

• Call in the Calvary: Do I have any genea-friends that either live near or research the Dayton, OH area?

=====>Result: YES! The amazing geneablogger and twitter friend Lori, author of Genealogy and Me commented on a post of mine a few weeks back inquiring about the location of my great great grandparents' home in Dayton since that was her hometown. Perfect! Little Miss Wonderful soon emailed me photos of the property and data that she had researched on the county tax office website. She also showed me where to find photos of the neighborhood buildings on the Oregon Historic District website which I had previously missed. She also mentioned that there was a Great Flood of 1913 in Dayton which later turned out to be a great clue!

• Search Property Records: Montgomery County Ohio Real Estate Tax Information System

"Property Search," database, County Auditor's Page, Montgomery County, Ohio (http://www.mcrealestate.org/Search/GenericSearch.aspx?mode=ADDRESS: accessed 23 Jan 2010), photograph, “entry for 128 Brown Street, Dayton, Ohio, Parcel ID R72 01509 0051;” photograph © Montgomery County, Ohio. Used with Permission further use prohibited. 

=====>Result: No, the county tax records show the building located at 128 Brown Street having been built in 1920. It also shows that the building is built on two lots: Parcel ID R72 01509 0051 and R72 01509 0052. 

"Property Search," database, County Auditor's Page, Montgomery County, Ohio (http://www.mcrealestate.org/Search/GenericSearch.aspx?mode=ADDRESS: accessed 23 Jan 2010), “entry for 128 Brown Street, Dayton, Ohio, Parcel ID R72 01509 0051;” digital map image © Montgomery County, Ohio. Used with Permission further use prohibited. 


=====>Result: If the Judson house was located at the NE corner of Brown and Hess in 1879 it was not located in the building that currently stands there which was built in 1920. They would have lived on the lot identified by Parcel ID R72 01509 0052. After the Great Flood of 1913 in Dayton, several buildings were razed and new structures took their place. 




Question: The 1880 Federal Census lists the Judsons living on 4th street. Did they move after the deaths of their children or could the funeral have been held in the home of a relative? Who lived at the corner of Brown and Hess in 1880? 1879?


Gameplan: Identify primary resources from that time period that can provide an address.

• Dayton City Directory 1879: Microfilm loan available from the Family History Library, Salt Lake City, Utah to Local History Center

=====>Result:

1878/79 Williams' Dayton city directory... by Williams & Co.	FHL US/CAN Film 1376783
1879/80 Williams' Dayton city directory... by Williams & Co.	FHL US/CAN Film 1376783

• Dayton Journal, Jan 1880, Obituary of Nellie Judson: Roll 37404 01/01/1880 - 06/30/1880

=====>Result: Already ordered through interlibrary loan from Ohio State Historical Society - results to follow.

• Funeral Records, Woodland Cemetery, Dayton, Ohio: Phone call 29 Jan 2010. 

=====>Result: Online Internment Database, no further records on file (ie. receipts for plots or death certificates). No address of purchaser listed. 

• Dayton City Directory 1880-81: Online at Ancestry.com: Proudfoot and Urquhart's Directory of Dayton and Montgomery County 1880-81 [Okay this was not indexed, but I knew the answer was in there so I spent my Sunday afternoon reading every entry on every page until......]

=====>Result: BINGO! Henry C. Eversole resided at the NE corner of Brown and Hess in 1880. 

So where are Lewis and Helen? They are listed as boarding at the Phillips house [on 4th Street]. 

Just to cover all the bases, the SE Corner of Brown and Hess housed an Intermediate school in 1880 The Dayton Metro Library website states that the Newcom school was "built in 1838" so the Judson residence had to be located on the NE corner. 

Summary: Lewis and Helen Judson resided at the corner of Brown and Hess in Dayton, Ohio Dec 1879 according to the Obituary of their son Charles Raymond Judson published in the Dayton Daily Journal Newspaper December 27, 1879 Vol. XVII. NO. 130 Column Six. Sometime within the year 1880 the Judson's relocated to the Phillips boarding house on 4th Street in Dayton. One can only speculate as to what prompted the move: doctors bills and burial costs or just painful memories? The 1880 Dayton City Directory shows a school located at the SE corner of Brown and Hess and a residence (Henry C. Eversole) at the NE corner. The Dayton Library website states that the Newcom school was built in 1838 hence the only possible location of residence for the Judson's was at the Northeast corner. The Montgomery County Ohio Real Estate Tax Information System shows Parcel ID R72 01509 0052 (30' x 99.17') located at the NE corner of Brown and Hess. The building currently standing at the NE corner of Brown and Hess was built in 1920 and is not the same building in which Judsons lived. 




Now where's my Scooby Snack?  ;)


Search Historical Newspaper Collections at Ancestry.com



Thanks to Scooby Doo Quotes from the Great Sayings blog!

Tombstone Tuesday - Sidney and Ora Perkins (1957,1963)

Headstone: Sidney Lee and Ora A. (Blanton) Perkins, Hughes Springs Cemetery, Hughes Springs, Texas. Photograph by Horace Vaughn Wells, 22 Jun 1992. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2010 [Pappa and Mammie are parents of Ola Mae (Perkins) Hogan]

The headstone in the background reads: Bill Parker 1878-1940; Katybelle Parker ? No known relation, but they weren't listed on Find a Grave so I thought I would post their names for the search engines. 

Judson Family Album (c1903-1910), Page 4

Page Four in Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson's Family Album, 1903-1910. Privately held by Herstoryan, Houston, Texas. 2009 [inherited from Lois Jacqueline (Judson) Wells, through her father William Levis Judson son of Helen Julia (Hogue) Judson of Dayton and Toledo, Ohio]

Top Left Photo: From left to right - 1. Unknown; 2. Unknown; 3. Margaret (Judson) Wilson; 4. Lewis Raymond Judson; 5. Unknown; 6. Unknown; 7. Unknown

Bottom Left Photo: From left to right - 1. Unknown; 2. Unknown; 3. Unknown; 4. Lewis Raymond Judson; 5. Unknown; 6. Unknown; 7. Margaret (Judson) Wilson

Right Photo: Bess (Martin) Hawker and Margaret (Judson) Wilson

Judson Family Album

SNGF: Super Bowl of Genealogy

Thank you to the great Randy Seaver author of Genea-Musings for posting another spectacular Saturday Night Genealogy Fun mission!

So, your mission, if you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible theme), is to:
1) Tell us about your dream game of the Super Bowl of Genealogy? 

Welcome to ESGN: the Worldwide leader in Genealogy, dedicated to producing fully cited research reports 24 hours a day. Next up - HistoryCenter! Let's see what Herstoryan has to say about the upcoming Super Bowl of Genealogy!


Da...da...da! Da...da...da! THIS is HistoryCenter! Tomorrow's match-up between the Geneabloggers and the Snooty Patooties is going to be absolutley phenomenal! I've got to be honest here, everyone's favorite is the powerhouse Geneabloggers team. Here's the lineup:

• Offensive Line (5 players whose job it is to block the opposing team's defense or as I like to say the Fab Five) - Joan, Roots 'n' Leaves; Sharon, Kindred Footprints; Sara Beth, Lessons from My Ancestors; Gini, Ginisology; and Nancy, My Ancestors and Me. 
• Quarterback (leader of the offense and calls the plays) - Thomas MacEntee, Destination: Austin Family and Geneabloggers. 
• Running back (specializes in running the ball) - Caroline, Family Stories.
• Wide Receivers (specialize in catching passes) - Lori, Genealogy and Me; Amy Coffin, We Tree. 
• Tight Ends - (catching and blocking, most versatile players) - Sandra Taliaferro, I Never Knew My Father; Dr Bill Smith, Dr. Bill Tells Ancestor Stories.
• Defensive Line (first line of defense) - Whitney Claire, MyNeChimKi; Bill West, West in New England; Greta, Greta's Genealogy Blog; Sherry, Family Tree Writer.
• Linebackers (the heavy hitters/ all the tackling) - Randy Seaver, Genea-Musings; Luckie, Our Georgia Roots; Debbie Blanton McCoy, Blanton Family Roots and Branches. 
• Defensive Backs (they also got your back) - Mavis, Georgia Black Crackers and Conversations with My Ancestors; Astrid, Of Trolls and Lemons; Jenna, Desperately Seeking Surnames; Tcasteel, Tangled Trees. 
• Special Teams - FootnoteMaven; Janine, Landailyn Research and Restoration; Miriam, AnceStories: The Stories of my Ancestors. 
• Cheerleaders - Felicia, My NOLA Heritage; @LCAfricana, Low Country Africana; Elizabeth, Little Bytes of Life; Missy, Bayside Blog. 

This is a true DREAM TEAM of professionals! The Snooty Patooties better watch out! 

There's no need to even go into the other team's lineup; they know who they are. They are known to hang out at local libraries and genealogy societies. They have a reputation of shutting out anyone who doesn't fit their archaic stereotype of what they think a family historian should be. Snooty Patooties are known to discriminate against age, race, and technology. There is no way they will ever win against the Geneabloggers, but never fear when another one bites the dust the Geneabloggers will be sure to record it accurately!

**Please Note: My argument is against Snootie Patooties not Genealogy Societies. Genealogy Societies are extremely important and I respect each and every person that so selflessly gives their time and talents to a GREAT endeavor!**

Special thanks to: (1) Wikipedia for clueing me in to what positions make up a football team; (2) my husband for all those years watching Sportscenter - I can still hear it ringing in my ears; (3) my sister for the word "patootie" which she has very graciously taught all three of my children. Thanks, sis, you wouldn't believe how funny a four year old thinks that word is in the middle of a grocery store! :)