Monday, June 25, 2018

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Same Name

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2018. The prompt for the week of June 18, 2018, is Same Name.

I wrote a post several years ago for a blog challenge by Lisa Alzo about namesakes. I had fun tracing as far back as I could go with my first and middle names: Fearless Females March 3 - Namesake

I'm sure every genealogist has had the "fun" of tracing people only to find one, two, or more with the same name. We have to dig through all the clues to figure out which one is "our" ancestor. I have several examples: Albert Redles, George Albert Redles (my maternal great grandfather), and George Redles; they're all related but only one is my direct ancestor. There are several William Limings (my maternal 2nd great grandfather) in my tree. 

The Lawsons are another bunch that are hard to trace (Hugh, Hugh, and Hugh; Roger, Roger, etc.), as well as the Knights (John, John, and Jonathan). And what about the Browns, Cooks, and Joneses? You can't get any more of a common last name than these. (Well, Smith, but you know what I mean). 

While looking for Sarah Finney, who may have been the mother of my great grandmother Hattie Finney, I happily downloaded a ton of files from ancestry.com, only to figure out they were all for the "wrong" Sarah Finney. 

I've tried to find the origins in Scotland of my maternal 5th great grandfather, Daniel MacIntyre, but there are so many Daniel MacIntyres in ancestry.com's online records that I have no idea which one. I could go on, but I'm sure you get the drift about the problem with the same names!

Catherine

Friday, June 22, 2018

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Fathers Day

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2018. The prompt for the week of June 11, 2018, is Fathers Day.

I know I'm late getting this post written, since Fathers Day was this past weekend on June 17, but I've been trying to get caught up with the prompts for this challenge. My how time flies!

I've written several posts about my dad, Albert S. Pendleton, Jr. (links below), so I thought I'd share some of my favorite photographs of him:


Daddy and me right after I was born. I was his first!

Daddy and me at our old house on Alden Avenue in Valdosta, Georgia. I was still an only child at this point, but not for long!

Daddy at the Lowndes County Historical Society and Museum on Central Avenue in Valdosta where he was the curator for a few years. He wrote their newsletter for several decades until Parkinson's Disease took over his body.

Daddy at one of his favorite places, Ocean Pond, at Lake Park, Georgia

All five of his children at our lake house on Long Pond in Lowndes County. From left to right: Helen, me (Catherine), Missy (Melissa), John, Andy (Albert III)


All five of us with Mama and Daddy at Jekyll Island, Georgia, in the early 1970s. From left to right: Missy, Andy, Helen in front, Mama and Daddy in back, me (Catherine, and John.

I love these old photos!

Catherine

Links to previous posts about my dad:















Thursday, June 21, 2018

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Going to the Chapel

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2018. The prompt for the week of June 4, 2018, is Going to the Chapel. Amy suggests this topic doesn't necessarily have to be about going to the chapel to get married; it could be about a clergyman in the family or a particular church. I thought of my maternal great grandfather, George Albert Redles, an Episcopalian minister.

One of seven children, George Albert (or G. Albert) Redles was born on September 12, 1843, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to John Adam Redles and Jane Eliza Myers. 

G. Albert graduated from the Boys’ Central High School in Philadelphia in 1862 and entered the University of Pennsylvania that year where he studied in the Department of Arts. He graduated in 1865.[1] 

Handwritten information (page 1) for the University of Pennsylvania’s biographical sketch in my mother’s possession. This appears to have been written by my grandfather, William Liming Redles, G. Albert’s son
Handwritten information (page 2) for the University of Pennsylvania’s biographical sketch in my mother’s possession. This appears to have been written by my grandfather William Liming Redles, G. Albert’s son

While G. Albert was at the University of Pennsylvania, he was a member of the Philomathean Society (a literary society according to Wikipedia), the Honors Club, and the University Glee Club.[2] In 1865, he entered the Episcopal Divinity School and graduated in 1868. He was ordained as a deacon by Bishop Stevens and as a priest of the Pennsylvania Diocese by Bishop Lee.[3] He accepted the position of Assistant Minister of St. Andrews Episcopal Church in Wilmington, Delaware, in June 1868.[4] The following year, he married Isabella Sheppard (nee Liming) on June 7, 1869, at St. Andrews. Rev. Alfred Lee, rector of the church, performed the ceremony. It was the first marriage for G. Albert, and Isabella’s second (her first was to Joseph Sheppard, see my post Two Husbands for Isabella).

G. Albert was the rector of Trinity Episcopal Church in Mt. Holly, New Jersey, from 1871 to 1874.[5] He baptized his own son, William Liming Redles, on March 16, 1874, in this church.[6] G. Albert and Isabella had two other children, Isabella (b. 1876) and Helen (b. 1877).

G. Albert eventually joined the Reformed Episcopal Church and was the rector of the Reformed Episcopal Church of Our Redeemer. He was the rector of the Church of St. John the Evangelist in Philadelphia from 1910 to 1912. He retired in June 1912, and died on November 4, 1912, at the age of 69.[7] According to the handwritten information for the University of Pennsylvania’s biographical sketch, G. Albert was the rector of a total of six churches (see footnote 1 below). 

Catherine
---

References:
[1] Handwritten information for the University of Pennsylvania’s biographical sketch in my mother’s possession. This appears to have been written by my grandfather William Liming Redles, G. Albert’s son. 

[2] University Society Record, University of Pennsylvania, 1863. University Record, University of Pennsylvania, College Year 1864-1865. (Both available online at Penn University Archives & Records Center.)

[3] The American Church Almanac Yearbook for 1913, page 568. Edwin S. Gorham Publisher, New York. (Digital copy available on Google Books)

[4] Journal of the Proceedings of the Seventy-Ninth Annual Convention of the Protestant Episcopal Church of the Diocese of Delaware, held in Christ Church, Delaware City on Wednesday June 2, 1869, Published by Order of the Convention, H. & E. F. James Printers, Wilmington, Delaware, 1869. (Digital copy available on Google Books)

[5] Archives of the General Convention, Edited by Order of the Commission on Archives by Arthur Lowndes, New York, 1912, page 348. (Digital copy available on www.archive.org)

[6] Baptismal record for William Liming Redles. (accessed on ancestry.com) Historical Society of Pennsylvania; Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, Historic Pennsylvania Church and Town Records, Reel 777.

[7] See footnote 3.






Saturday, June 16, 2018

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - So Far Away

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2018. The prompt for the week of May 28, 2018, is So Far Away.

I’ve been intrigued by my paternal 7th great grandfather’s, Philip Pendleton, trek so far away from Norwich, England to the colony of Virginia in America, not once but twice. I imagine it was an arduous journey across the vast ocean, on the sea for months before making landfall. Of course, back then, our ancestors thought they were so modern in their modes of travel on horses, in wagons and carriages, and on ships with sails, like we think we're so modern with cars, trains, planes and jets, motorized boats and ships, and spaceships. What would they think of us now?

The information below is from The Descendants of Philip Pendleton, A Virginia Colonist (2007, Heritage Books) by David Ellis Pendleton. David notes that “many if not most” Pendletons in America are descended either from Philip Pendleton (the Virginia Pendletons) or Brian Pendleton (the New England Pendletons). DNA has shown that these two groups aren’t related to each other, but they come from the same area of England—Manchester, their “ancestral home.” 


Philip’s great grandfather George Pendleton Jr. (b. 1553, d. 1603) moved from Manchester England (possibly from the township of Pendleton near Manchester) to Norwich where he married Elizabeth Pettingale. Their son Henry (b. 1614, d. 1682) is my paternal 9th great grandfather.

Fast forward to Philip Pendleton, son of Henry Pendleton (son of Henry, son of George Jr. above) and his second wife, Elizabeth Douglass. Philip was born in Norwich March 26, 1654. His older brother, Nathaniel, was born March 31,1650. 

Philip and Nathaniel immigrated to Virginia in 1674, both indentured to Capt. Edmund Crask. Their voyage would have taken several months in a small ship under Master Capt. John Plover. Nathaniel, a unmarried clergyman with no children, died soon after their arrival. Philip worked out his indentured contract (1674-1679) in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia, where he lived. Then he returned to England where he married his first wife. Her name hasn’t been found as far as I know. She died about a year later. Philip stayed in England until the death of his father Henry in 1682, and then he left again for Virginia. He married Isabella Hurt in 1682 and they had seven children (their son Henry is my 6th great grandfather--all these Henrys! It gets confusing.).


Google Earth image with Norwich, England and Virginia noted with yellow pin marks and a red line connecting the two locales. (Click on the image for a larger view.)
According to a deposition quoted in David's book from William and Mary College Quarterly Historical Magazine, Vol. IV (“The First Generation of the Pendleton Family in Virginia,” in Genealogies of Virginia Families, Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc. Baltimore, 1982), Philip’s mother Elizabeth sent him and his brother Nathaniel to America: 
Two reputed Brothers called & known by the name of Nathaniell [sic] Pendleton & Phillip [sic] Pendleton sent as this Depont heard by their Mother in the Ship…
A comment on the above deposition notes:  
The statement made by George Ward that he understood that the Pendletons [Philip and Nathaniel] were sent to the colony by their mother, is very interesting and one cannot but speculate as to the reasons for their being sent. Philip Pendleton evidently did not break off relations with his family in England for ‘at the end of five years servitude’ he returned to the mother country. After a brief sojourn there he came again to Virginia.
Indeed, why would a mother send her sons so far away with the possibility of never seeing them again? Neither of her sons would inherit property from their father, as he had sons by his first wife Hannah (if any were still living by this time). Maybe Elizabeth thought her sons could make their fortunes in America. However, David indicates in his book (pg 10) that in the 1670s, the economic situation in Virginia wasn't looking so good. Did Philip commit some indiscretion in England, so he was sent to America under the watchful eye of his older brother? Or was something going on in Norwich that Elizabeth wanted to spare her sons from? I looked up what was happening in England in 1674, but nothing of note came up in Norwich. I suppose we’ll never know Elizabeth’s reasons for sending her sons to America.

Catherine

Wednesday, June 13, 2018

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Military

This post is part of Amy Johnson Crow's 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks for 2018. The prompt for the week of May 21, 2018, is Military. I wondered who to write about for this prompt. I’ve already written about my dad’s World War II experiences and about my maternal grandfather, William Liming Redles, who retired as a Lt. Col. in the U.S. Marine Corps. I have several ancestors who fought in the American Revolution. But then I thought about James Pendleton, brother of my paternal great grandfather Alexander Shaw Pendleton. My dad had a copy of James' American Civil War diary (dated 1865), both a transcribed copy and a copy of the original, that he received from a cousin. I'd never taken the time to read the diary.

James Aubrey Pendleton was the son of my paternal 2nd great grandparents, Philip Coleman Pendleton and Catharine Sarah Melissa Tebeau. During the Civil War, he was in the Surveying Corps of Georgia under his uncle, Major John R. Tebeau, who was his mother’s brother. James was 18 years old. His sixteen-year-old brother Philip was with him during this time. James’ father Philip and older brother William Frederic were both soldiers in the Civil War. 

Since I love maps, I decided to look up the places James went with the surveying corps on Google maps. The first entry in his diary is below:
March 1 Thursday. A diary for 1865 beginning March 1st. Engineering Dept. Of Georgia in camp at Abbeville C. H. [court house] awaiting orders from Maj McCrady who left us at Edefield [sic] C. H. [court house] on our way here, to go to Columbia [South Carolina]. Weather, cloudy and wet - The finishing up of a long wet spell which I sincerely hope has left Sherman in a bog. 
I believe James is referring to Abbeville, South Carolina, as there’s also an Abbeville, Georgia, south of Warner Robins. Also, I wonder if he meant “Edgefield” rather than “Edefield.” There’s an Edgefield, South Carolina, which today is part of the metropolitan area of Augusta, Georgia, and is southeast of Abbeville, SC. 

The surveying corps left Abbeville on March 6, two weeks after they’d arrived, and headed back to Augusta, GA. On March 7, James writes, “This day we joyfully took up our line of March for Old Georgia.”


Map from Google Earth with most of the locations marked where James traveled during the American Civil War (click on the map for a larger view).

On March 11, the corps arrived at Fury’s Ferry. When I looked this up on Google maps, it shows a Furys Ferry Road (see map above), now Highway 28 South. This highway runs by Abbeville, SC, and crosses the Savannah River, the dividing line between South Carolina and Georgia, northwest of Augusta. The surveying corps crossed the ferry on March 12 and set up camp near Augusta, “the same day we left it just one month ago.” On March 17, they passed through Augusta heading east to South Carolina. They surveyed several miles of road from Bath, SC, to Graniteville, SC. 

On March 22, the corps received word they were to return to Augusta to prepare to go to Chester [sic], SC. Later, James says the town is Chesterville: “March 30th The Engineer wagon train left Augusta this day for Chesterville [sic], S.C. at two o’clock - marched about ten miles and camped for the night.” There’s both a Chester (southwest of Charlotte, NC) and a Chesterfield (southeast of Charlotte, NC) but no Chesterville that I could find.

After the corps arrived in “Chesterville” on April 4, they were told to leave on April 8 for Hillsborough, NC. They traveled to Charlotte by train and on to Hillsborough, arriving on April 10. The next day, April 11, they were sent north to Roxboro, NC. They set up camp that same day and then received word to return to Hillsborough! They wondered why such a quick change in plans and found out that General Robert E. Lee had surrendered. The surveying corps was ordered back to Charlotte, NC, “without delay.” James’ entry on April 14th states: 
On the road to Charlotte. We travel at the rate of twenty miles a day carrying our luggage on our backs. Our party consists of twenty-one men and boys, white and black, with one wagon.
On April 23rd, James writes: “All are enjoying today the rest they so much need after a steady march of nearly two hundred miles.” He doesn't say where they are. On April 24th, they prepared for “another long tramp to Augusta, Ga.” 

On May 1, 1865, James says: 
Crossed Banknights’ Ferry on the Saluda, marching a distance of 23 miles. Weather clear and mild. It is reported that peace is declared on what terms we know not.
James’ last entry: 
May 2nd Marched twenty-two miles today and camped. Slight showers during the night. It is reported today that all the country east of the Chattahoochee is surrendered and all the men to be paroled; if this is so we will all soon be home.
What a slog for three months around parts of Georgia, South Carolina, and North Carolina! James writes about getting soaked to the skin marching through the rain; camping in open pine groves, in the woods, and in deserted slave houses; and marching anywhere from 10 to 23 miles a day. His brother Philip was sick part of the time. The weather was pleasant some of the time. James was able to send $100 back home; quite a sum back then.

I can't imagine what James' mother must have felt having a husband and three sons away during the war.

Catherine