Mary, Mary, Mary? Part One = Will the real Mary Shirkey please step forward

Normally, my problem with female branches of the family tree is a missing maiden name. In the case of Mary Shirkey, wife of John Shirkey of Liberty Township, Seneca County, Ohio the problem is just the opposite. Mary has too many maiden names. She has been given three identities! 

I came across Mary when I was doing research on my ggg grandfather, Joseph Good. One of her three identities was Mary Good, sister to Joseph. Imagine my surprise to find her also listed as Mary Beam and Mary Armes Thompson – all three with Virginia roots. Though my goal had been only to do research on Joseph, Mary and her three identities nagged at me. How would I feel if 200 years from now, some descendent assigned someone else as the mother of my children instead of me? Not only would that wipe out my relationship with my children, but also my children’s relationship with my parents, and both of my grandmothers, all of whom played important roles in their childhood. So, I decided to take a closer look at each of Mary’s claimed identities, hoping to find a winner in the “Who is Mary” sweepstakes. 

Today you will see a summary of my findings and conclusions of two of Mary’s personas. Tomorrow I will conclude with the final identity. If you see any holes in my logic, please feel free to let me know. My concern is that I may have let my own bias creep into my deductive reasoning process. After all, my true goal is to put the correct Mary with her correct children, not add another relative to the family tree.

Identity No. 1 - Mary Armes Thompson of Botentourt County, Virginia and daughter of John Thompson. 

1. John Shirkey of Seneca County was probably of German extraction, as several marriages and deaths of the family were reported in the German Language Newspaper, The Fremont Courier, in neighboring Sandusky County.

2. There are two distinct and separate Shirkey families in Virginia in the late 18th century and early 19th century. One Shirkey family was of Irish descent – some would later use the name Sharkey, and one was of German speaking descent. 

3. The Irish-speaking group lived in Botentourt County, Virginia and it is into this family that Mary Arms Thompson married on September 9, 1821.

4. The 1850 Census finds John and Mary with a number of their children living in Botentourt County, District 8 visit 772 at this same time John and Mary Shirkey are listed as living in Seneca County, of Ohio in Liberty Township. 

5. Sometime between 1850 and 1860 the family moves to Victoria County, Texas - John dies and in the 1860 Census, Mary and several children are found in Victoria County, Texas, Victoria City, visit 207. 

Conclusion: Mary Armes Thompson is not Mary Shirkey, wife of John Shirkey living in Seneca County, Ohio.

Identity No. 2 - Mary Beam of Rockingham County, Virginia.

(The information stating that Mary Shirkey was Mary Beam was found on World Connect. I contacted two different researchers to find the basis for their information. This led me to the “original” researcher who was the “source” of their information.) 

1. The source originally appeared to be a bible found by Daisy Shirkey Rearick. However, upon questioning of information, I found the source to be another Shirkey researcher who had been looking at both Irish and German Shrkeys and had in the 1980’s been in contact with Jo Shirkey Holbert. Mrs. Haubert had employed a genealogist in Virginia. The genealogist had found a John Sherfy married to a Mary Beam of Rockingham County. It was felt by this genealogist that Shirkey might be a corruption of the Sherfy name. Jo had passed this information to the Shirkey researcher and along with the finding of a family bible, and the two pieces of information were erroneously conjoined and said to be the proof that Mary Beam was Mary Shirkey. It is possible the genealogist was referring to Mariah Beahm, daughter of Abraham Beahm who married John A. Sherfy. This family relocated to Tennessee where Mariah is said to have died in 1839. John went back to Rockingham to choose a second bride, Catherine Garber. Mariah’s sisters, Catherine and Margaretha also married into Sherfy family. 

2. The date given for Mary Beam’s birth was from Mary Shirkey’s tombstone or the transcribed copy of the tombstone located in Crissa/Andrews cemetery. A date of birth for the supposed Mary Beam was not given or found in the family bible. 3.

Conclusion: Uncertain whether Mary Beam is or is not Mary Shirkey, wife of John Shirkey living in Seneca County, Ohio.

 © 18 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Playing Genealogical Catch Up (not Catsup)!

We’re friends, right? And friends forgive friends for little transgressions, right? So, I’m hoping you will understand and forgive me when I tell you I have fallen sadly behind in letting you know about some IMPORTANT things, like carnival postings. While I’m about to rectify this, I have to be honest and tell you, unless my life slows down a little bit, this probably won’t be the last time I am tardy on giving you the scoop on things.

Back a couple of weeks ago, the Carnival of Genealogy posted its 49th edition and the subject was swimsuits. You’ll have to check out some of the interesting posts on this. Jasia, as usual, was a wonderful host. Currently, she’s busy reading, Janet Evanovich’s latest book, so maybe she won’t notice what a tardy friend I’ve been. 

Jessica of "Jessica’s Genejournal" posted the 8th Edition of the Carnival of Central and Eastern European Genealogy. This is one of the Carnival’s that I would like to post to, but my knowledge of this part of my heritage is a bit sketchy. Next month’s carnival is going to be about research and techniques, which is a great topic and something that I have enough experience (and frustration) with to have something to write. In addition, I owe a debt to Jessica, because she was the first person in the genealogy blog world to “find” my blog and post about it, which makes her special in my book. Jessica is the queen at finding new genealogy and historical themed blogs, and she keeps links for every one of them on her blog-site. 

Randy Seaver had an interesting post (well, of course they all are) that talked about one stop searching of Rootsweb’s Archived Mailing List. If you are heavy into Internet Genealogy but have not yet found this cool way to search, you definitely will want to check it out. Okay, this one is OLD, but interesting for a number of reasons. 

Dick Eastman wrote a post called “I have a Complaint Concerning Many Genealogists” back in May about individuals responding negativelyh to fee based websites. Apparently, he’d had a long day and just one too many complaints and wrote a personal essay on the subject. Wow, did he get a response. He then wrote a follow-up which was just as interesting. You have to read not only his essays but also the comments they elicited. 

Terry Thornton of “Hill Country of Monroe County” put together a post entitled “Roundup of blog titles: Poem lines worth reading,” which featured a variety of interesting titles of various blogs during that week. Terry never fails to delight with his unique way of looking at things, which is why you can’t afford to forgo reading his blog. 

Becky Wiseman of “Kinexxions” wrote a post about another Genea-blogger, Miriam Robbins Midkiff being featured on a post at Inside Google Book Search – Go Miriam and thanks Becky for pointing this out! 

And last, but definitely not least, FM has posted the latest edition of “Smile for the Camera” posted at her Shades of the Departed blog. The subject was Belles and Beaus and featured posts about special pictures of weddings, courting or just plain love. It didn’t take me long to go through all of the posts – and the subject is one that is sure to please. 

There is one post where the link is not working. Craig Manson of "GeneaBlogie" has moved his blog-site and so you will need to click on this link, to see his post of a nineteen-year-old beauty, entitled A St. Louis Belle. 

Next month’s topic for the Smile for the Camera Carnival instructs us to “Choose a photograph of an ancestor, relative, yourself, or an orphan photograph that shows a celebration of home. “

All of you reading this that have your own News-Messenger account can create your own blog, and submit a post for the next carnival. If you have always wanted to something like this, submitting to the Smile for the Camera Carnival might be a great way to start. Footnote Maven is a gracious hostess who will treat your offerings with gentle respect. While you are at the Shades of the Departed blog-site, check out all the interesting posts. Shades is more like a cross between a blog and an e-zine, with a variety of guest contributors (you have to read Jasia’s “Digital Scrapbooking for Genealogists”) and FM’s post “I Think She’s Dead!” along with the follow up post “I Still Think She’s Dead – And Here’s Why.” 

Okay, now that I've give you a great reading list, I have just one question.. Am I forgiven? 

UPDATE! Bill West of "West of New England" is hosting the 50th Edition (Whoo Hoo!) of the Carnival of Genealogy. The subject is family pets. I haven't had a chance to read it myself, but you know it will be an interesting read. Thanks Bill for being such a good host!

© 18 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Happy Father's Day

A few years ago, I found a poem entitled, “Fathers and Daughters” by an unknown poet. It seems a fitting tribute to the bond shared between a father and his daughter. In part the poem reads, “In his eyes, she will always be his little princess, the light of his life. In her eyes he will always be the brave knight who slayed the monsters in her closet, her hero, her protector.” No little boy grows up praying to become the father of daughters. It’s not really the kind of life ambition that has a high priority. Yet somehow, once that bundle of pink is placed into his arms, the boy turned man, grows into the role. The pinnacle moment for that role is when he walks his daughter down that long bridal aisle, handing his precious baby over to another. My father has made that walk three times – in 1972, 1974 and 1999. I don’t know what Dad said to my sisters as he guided them to the strains of The Wedding March, but with me, his eldest daughter, he was making little jokes and comments. People mistook this for radiance on my part, but it was just a case of my dad totally cracking me up – as usual.

 

I count myself lucky to have my father as my dad. A father is the yardstick by which all other men are measured. In my Dad’s case, he has set the bar very high. Happy Father’s Day, Dad. With love, Your Eldest Daughter

© 15 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

News You Can Use - Limited Time Free Viewing of Ancestry's Historical Newspaper Collection

Juliana Smith of Ancestry's "24-7 Family History Circle" Blog is reporting free access to Ancestry's Historical Newspaper Collection from now through June 19. According to Ancestry, a recent update doubled the collection by adding 20 million images. If you've wanted to checkout this collection, now would be a good time. Enjoy!

© 13 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

Wordless Wednesday - A Day in Amish Country

Pictures Taken by Terry Snyder in Holmes County, Ohio June 11, 2008

© 11 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

An Anniversary

On June 9, 1952, my mother and father were married in Woodville, Mississippi. Neither family nor friends were present for the ceremony. Sadly, there were also no pictures to document this important event. My father, whose unit had been activated in August 1951, was stationed at a nearby army base in Louisiana. Because they didn’t know when or if Dad’s unit would ship out for Korea, the young couple decided it was a good time to marry. So my mother, with the knowledge and approval of both of their families, traveled to Louisiana to meet my father. The two slipped over into Mississippi, a state with friendlier age of consent laws, and eloped. The picture below was taken a month later when they were part of another couple’s wedding. It is the closest thing we have to a wedding picture.

 

There is my mother with that winning smile and my father handsome in his army uniform. Both so very young and so unaware how soon they would be parted. Two months later my dad was aboard a ship leaving for Korea, and my mother was on her way back to Fremont to live with her sister. A lucky break for dad occurred when he was one of three men aboard the ship chosen for reassignment to a base in Japan. He remained stationed there as a supply sergeant until the end of the war. 

In August 1953, Dad came home. His ship, which docked in San Francisco, was the first ship to arrive in the United States at the close of the war. He flew back to Ohio where his wife and four-month-old daughter (me) eagerly awaited his return. Four children, seven grandchildren, and two great grandchildren later, they celebrate their fifty-sixth anniversary.

Congratulations, Mom and Dad!

© 10 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder 

A Sunny Afternoon in June

Usually I am not at a loss for words. But the tragic events of yesterday afternoon have left me without my usual form of comfort. Though I knew none of the victims personally, my heart goes out to them and to their family and friends. 

Yesterday, a sunny, warm day in June, six individuals soared into the sky. One can imagine their smiles, the camaraderie of their shared adventure, and the infectious excitement of the youngest member, age four, who was getting a first plane ride. Of such things, we expect only happy memories, and not the tragedy that found them on a grassy field south of town. 

To those they left behind, I offer my heartfelt condolences. I pray for their strength in the days ahead, and I hope for each, that the day will come when the memory of those they have lost will bring not heartbroken tears, but the soft smile of remembrance to their lips. 

In memory of Gene, Bill, Allison, Matt, Danielle and Emily Rose – June 8, 2008.

© 9 June 2008, Desktop Genealogist Unplugged, Teresa L. Snyder