Here’s what I know (or believe I do) about my SWETLAND line.

1. Dean Richardson

2. David Richardson, born 17 Nov 1935 in Erie, Erie County, PA; died 16 Oct 1998 in Stanford, Santa Clara County, CA

3. Owen Richardson, born 02 Dec 1899 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD; died 05 Dec 1993 in Edinboro, Erie County, PA

4. Louise Grant Smith, born 01 Apr 1861 in Detroit, Wayne County, MI; died 01 May 1941 in Saybrook, Ashtabula County, OH

5. James Thomas Smith, born 1834 in Waterville, Oneida County, NY; died 18 Feb 1863 in Detroit, Wayne County, MI

6. Marcia Mahala Swetland, born 1808, Sangerfield, Oneida County, NY; died 05 Jun 1885 in Chicago, Cook County, IL

7. Benjamin Swetland, born 29 Sep 1756 in Bolton, Tolland County, CT; died 29 Sep 1819 in Waterville, Oneida County, NY

8. John Swetland, Jr. born 1708 in CT; died 16 Mar 1783.

Some of the data above is from “Memories”, a typescript family history compiled by Louise Grant Smith. Other details (including the image of Benjamin Swetland’s music, copied into his Revolutionary War roster book) is from “Chapter Sketches” as referenced below.

Bibliographic details from Google Books:

Chapter Sketches: Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution; Patriots' Daughters
By Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution,  Mary Philotheta Root,  Connecticut Daughters of the American Revolution
Published by Connecticut chapters, Daughters of the American revolution, 1904
Original from the New York Public Library
Digitized Feb 26, 2008
390 pages

Here’s what I think I know about my JESSOP line:

1. Dean Richardson

2. David Richardson, born 17 Nov 1935 in Erie, Erie County, PA; died 16 Oct 1998 in Stanford, Santa Clara County, CA

3. Owen Richardson, born 02 Dec 1899 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD; died 05 Dec 1993 in Edinboro, Erie County, PA

4. Allen Chapman Richardson, born 18 Jun 1859 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD; died 21 Dec 1908 in Erie, Erie County, PA

5. Sarah Rogers Merryman, born 03 Oct 1834 in Baltimore County, MD; died 14 Oct 1896

6. Mary Jessop, born 1804/1805 in Baltimore County, MD, died 14 Nov 1854.

7. Charles Jessop, born 06 Nov 1759, Baltimore County, MD; died 02 Apr 1828.

The picture shown here is from a color portrait of Charles, donated in 2006 to the Maryland Historical Society. Charles and his wife Mary Gorsuch lived in Vaux Hall, a home Charles is said to have built in 1800, the ruins of which are located near present-day Phoenix, Maryland. [Some data taken from Winter 2007 issue of the Maryland Historical Society News, p. 4.]

Here’s what little I know (or think I do!) about my Brown line:

1. Dean Richardson

2. David Richardson, born 17 Nov 1935 in Erie, Erie County, PA; died 16 Oct 1998 in Stanford, Santa Clara County, CA

3. Owen Richardson, born 02 Dec 1899 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD; died 05 Dec 1993 in Edinboro, Erie County, PA

4. Allen Chapman Richardson, born 18 Jun 1859 in Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; died 21 Dec 1908 in Erie, Erie County, PA

5. James Arnold Richardson, born 09 Dec 1830 in Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; died 12 August 1883 in Carroll County, MD

6. Margaret Dukehart Brown, born 19 Mar 1805 in Baltimore County, MD; died 02 Oct 1846 in Baltimore County, MD

The picture here is of Margaret Brown Richardson, scanned from our copy of “Memories”, an original typescript prepared by Louise Grant Smith for each of her sons (we have Owen’s copy.) Family records indicate that Margaret’s father was James, but I’ve not been able to find any dates or documentation for him. I could obviously use some help extending this line back further.

Here’s what I’ve learned so far about my FISK ancestors:

1. Dean Richardson

2. Roberta Matthews Knapp

3. Kenneth Guilford Knapp, born 07 January 1906 in Worcester, Worcester County, MA; died 8 Sep 1974 in Bradenton, Manatee County, FL.

4. Rosamund Guilford, born Jun 1874 in Williamsburg, Hampshire County, MA; died 1942 in Westfield, Union County, NJ.

5. Harriett Amanda Fisk, born Jan 1841 in Worthington, Hampshire County, MA; died 21 Sep 1893.

6. Moses Fisk, Jr., born 11 Nov 1804 in West Chesterfield, Hampshire County, MA; died Sep 1875 in Suffield, Hartford County, CT

7. Moses Fisk, born 12 Nov 1780 in Worthington, Hampshire County, MA; died 22 Feb 1851 in Chester, Hampden County, MA

8. Josiah Fisk, born 8 Feb 1745 in Willington, Tolland County, CT; died 1 Aug 1826.

I’ve taken most of the data for Moses Jr., Moses and Josiah from pp. 160-161 of “History and Genealogy of the Families of Chesterfield Massachusetts 1762-1962″ by Ruth A. Baker, published by The Town of Chesterfield, Massachusetts in 1962. The census image I’ve included shows Moses Fisk, his wife Lorintha Pearl, and their children, including Harriet A., enumerated in Worthington, Hampshire County, Massachusetts in 1850.

Here’s what I think I’ve learned so far about my INGERSOLL ancestors.

1. Dean Richardson

2. Roberta Matthews Knapp

3. Roberta Trafford Matthews born 05 July 1907 in Leonia, Bergen, NJ; died 19 September 1987 in Emmaus, Lehigh, PA

4. Sarah Caroline Trafford born 21 April 1868 in Manhattan, NY; died 27 March 1933 in Springfield, Hampton, MA

5. Cecelia Merritt Ingersoll born 05 Aug 1837 in Manhattan, NY; died 12 Feb 1915 in Hudson, Middlesex County, MA

6. Roswell R. Ingersoll born in 1813 in White Plains, Westchester County, NY

7. Nathaniel Ingersoll born 19 Feb 1783 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, CT; died 10 Apr 1824

8. Nathaniel Ingersoll born 11 Apr 1754 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, CT; died 16 Nov 1834 in Greenwich, Fairfield County, CT

9. Simon Ingersoll born 1710 in Huntington, Suffolk County, Long Island, NY

Data for Nathaniel, Nathaniel and Simon is from “Ye Historie of Ye Town of Greenwich, County of Fairfield, State of Connecticut” by Spencer P. Mead, pp. 593-594. Data for Cecelia is from her death certificate, shown above. My apologies for any illegalities committed in the process of reproducing the certificate here [sheepish grin].

Here’s what I know (or am willing to accept for the time being from undocumented sources) about my direct GILBERT ancestors:

1. Dean Richardson

2. Roberta Knapp

3. Kenneth Guilford Knapp, born 07 Jan 1906 in Worcester, Worcester County, MA; died 08 Sep 1974 in Bradenton, Manatee County, FL

4. Walter Ferdinand Knapp, born 16 Oct 1872 in Easton, Aroostook County, ME; died 04 Dec 1906 in Worcester, Worcester County, MA

5. Mary E. Gilbert, born about 1837/38 or 1840 in Maine; died 1910

6. Calvin P. Gilbert, born 06 Feb 1810 in Maine

7. Nathaniel Gilbert, Jr., born 08 Jan 1781 in Kingston, Plymouth County, MA; died 06 Aug 1872 in Kingfield, Franklin County, ME

8. Nathaniel Gilbert, born 13 Aug 1749 in Pembroke, Plymouth County, MA; died 1834

The details on Calvin and Nathaniel Gilbert Jr. are taken from “A History of Lewiston, Maine, With A Genealogical Register of Early Families” by Janus G. Elder, p. 169. I originally found this information via Google Books. Now when I go revisit the same book online I find I can no longer view p. 169. Guess that’s Google’s way of saying it’s time I sprung $40 for a used version on Amazon.

Several different Member Trees on Ancestry and my main tree on New FamilySearch extend the Gilbert and related lines back to mid-1600’s England. I haven’t done the necessary research to feel confident in pulling that info into my files yet.

As always, I’d be grateful to connect with any Gilbert relatives who are researching these same lines.

Last night I wanted to post an image of Elizabeth Zimmermann’s death certificate as part of my Surname Saturday post, but I (embarrassed frown) couldn’t find it. I went through my poor excuse for a filing system, and the certificate wasn’t in the folder it was supposed to be in… or anywhere else for that matter. I’m basically a poster child for all those talks given at genealogy conferences (or blog posts from DearMyrtle and others) about getting yourself (and your genealogy records) organized.

On the Bright Side…

Fortunately, in the course of my search, I came across a bunch of records (birth, marriage, and death registers from Massachusetts, mostly) that my son had retrieved for us when he was attending college in Boston a few years back. As it happens (and it happens to me a lot!) they’d ended up in a big pile, then gotten cleaned up into my genealogy catch-call box, and as a result, I’d never gotten around to putting them in sheet protectors, assigning document numbers to them and placing them in binders.

A New Find

For the most part, these documents offered closer-to-primary source info that confirmed secondary sources I already had. But in going through a death register for Andrew Guilford today, I came across something completely new: a possible maiden name for his mother, Sally _________, wife of Ebenezer Morris Guilford. The register listed Sally’s parents as Erastus and Philinda Brown. A few quick google searches unearthed histories and vital records compilations for Conway, Hampshire County, Massachusetts, and just like that, I had info that could (if verified further) push me back another generation.

It’s amazing what you can find when you’re looking (unsuccessfully) for something else!

I appear to have two Zimmermann ancestral lines, since both Jacob Jourdan and Johann Peter Kissel had spouses with the maiden name of Zimmermann. The problem comes in determining where (or whether) the two lines ultimately connect.

Here’s what I think I know about my ZIMMERMANN line through Margarete Zimmermann:

1. Dean Richardson

2. David Richardson (1935-1998)

3. Margaret Jourdan / Jordan, born 01 June 1903 in Erie, Erie County, PA; died 25 January 1982 in Erie, Erie County, PA

4. Friedrich Jourdan, born 08 February 1864 in Walldorf, Starkenburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany; died 03 May 1951 in Erie, Erie County, PA

5. Margarete Zimmermann, born 25 November 1837 in Walldorf, Starkenburg, Hesse-Darmstadt, Germany; died 31 August 1806, also in Walldorf.

6. Wilhelm Zimmermann, born 08 December 1796 in Walldorf; died 10 January 1841, also in Walldorf.

7. Louis Henrich Zimmermann, born 28 April 1760 in Walldorf; died 10 November 1817, also in Walldorf.

8. Jean Zimmermann, birthdate unknown; died 01 August 1759 in Walldorf. The time between his death date and Louis’ birthdate is a bit suspect, but we’ll go with it for now.

My source for #5-#8 is “Das Walldorfer Familienbuch, 1699-1875″ by Wilhelm Klink and Jean Becker, published in 1974 by the “Working group for Walldorf history and  genealogy” and the city of Walldorf.

Here are the basics on my ZIMMERMANN line through Elizabeth Zimmermann. Margaret Jourdan’s mother and Friedrich Jourdan’s wife was Amelia Kissel:

4. Amelia Kissel / Kissell, born 28 Aug 1867 in Theresa, Jefferson County, NY; died 09 Sep 1929 in Erie, Erie County, PA.

5. Elizabeth Zimmermann, born 01 December 1832 in Walldorf; died 28 March 1897 in Theresa, Jefferson County, NY.

I have several (contradictory) sources for Elizabeth Zimmermann. The first is her death certificate. It specifically gives her birthplace as Walldorf and states that she died 28 March 1897 at age 64 years, 3 months, 27 days, implying the 01 December 1832 birthdate. Additionally, Church records for the Redwood German Church in Redwood, Jefferson County, NY indicate that Elizabeth was born 19 December 1833 in “Waldrof, Germany.” Elizabeth’s tombstone, found in Oakwood Cemetery in Theresa, Jefferson County, NY, also gives her birth year as 1833.

However, the closest the Walldorfer Familienbuch comes to mentioning an Elizabeth born around 1832/1833 is Elizabeth Katharina Zimmermann, born 14 November 1831. Elizabeth Katharina is the sister of Margarethe Zimmermann, listed above as Friederich Jourdan’s mother. If that connection proved accurate, it would mean that Friederich Jourdan married his cousin Amelia Kissel. But I’m a long way from ready to conclude any such thing. If you have any insights to offer, I’d love to hear them.

Here’s what I know (or like to think I do) about my GRANT line.

1. Dean Richardson

2. David Richardson, born 17 Nov 1935 in Erie, Erie County, PA; died 16 Oct 1998 in Stanford, Santa Clara County, CA

3. Owen Richardson, born 02 Dec 1899 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD; died 05 Dec 1993 in Edinboro, Erie County, PA

4. Louise Grant Smith, born 01 Apr 1861 in Detroit, Wayne County, MI; died 01 May 1941 in Saybrook, Ashtabula County, OH

5. Margaretta Ballenger Grant, born 09 Apr 1839 in St. Louis, St. Louis County, MO; died 29 Jun 1918 in Tiffin, Seneca County, OH

6. David Miller Grant, born 03 Feb 1801 in Philadelphia (or Scotland!); died in 1848.

David seems to have been a ship’s captain for numerous boats traveling the Mississippi River. Family lore has him born in Scotland, Church records for Philadelphia seem to place his birth there, but neither are conclusive.

The obituary shown here is for Margaretta Ballenger (Grant) Shelly. She married (first) James Thomas Smith. After James’ death in 1863, she married (second) William Kern Shelly on 24 Dec 1866 in Chicago, Cook County, IL. The Mrs. Louise Richardson mentioned in the obituary as one of Margaretta’s three surviving daughters is my great-grandmother.

If you have any information on David Miller Grant of Philadelphia / St. Louis / Peoria, I’d sure be grateful to hear from you.

Here’s what I think I know about my MERRYMAN/MERRIMAN line:

1. Dean Richardson

2. David Richardson, born 17 Nov 1935 in Erie, Erie County, PA; died 16 Oct 1998 in Stanford, Santa Clara County, CA

3. Owen Richardson, born 02 Dec 1899 in Baltimore, Baltimore County, MD; died 05 Dec 1993 in Edinboro, Erie County, PA

4. Allen Chapman Richardson, born 18 Jun 1859 in Baltimore, Baltimore, MD; died 21 Dec 1908 in Erie, Erie County, PA

5. Sarah Rogers Merryman, born 03 Oct 1834 in Baltimore county, MD; died 14 Oct 1896

6. Levi Merryman, born Dec 1795 in Baltimore, MD; died in 1868 in Baltimore, MD

At this point, several compiled genealogies and Ancestry Member Trees are able to trace the Merryman line  from Levi back to 1600’s-era England. The image above is from Volume 10 of the Maryland Historical Magazine, p. 298. I haven’t been able to adequately document Levi’s connection to these sources myself yet. As always, I would welcome contact with researchers pursuing this line.