Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Final Part)

Thomas was the key. Period. This post will be lengthy, since I will be quoting directly from the document I compiled to submit as a final for a class, but it is worth the read: 

In a last ditch effort before moving on from the research objective of finding Mariah’s death date, perusing Fold 3 yielded a true treasure: the entire pension file for Thomas Randle’s service in the War of 1812: There were 57 pages of beautiful pages, containing a variety of information to shed light on the missing items for Mariah. Also, the researcher learned a wealth of information regarding Thomas Randle too. 

            As the widow of Thomas, she was legally entitled to his pension. From the early pages in this file, particulars about his service were provided. Prior to finding this file, his index card for the War of 1812 Pension Application Files revealed that his service was in Illinois under Captain J. B. Moore for the Illinois Rangers. The certificate for this pension was dated June 26, 1872, two years before Thomas’s death.[1] The pension was “consolidated with widow #15506,” October 25, 1878.[2] Thomas enlisted June 11, 1812, and was discharged on June 25, 1812; he served afterward from July 27, 1812 to October 15, 1812.[3] He enlisted at Fort Russell Illinois Territory; the fort was also the location for his discharge.[4]

            Beyond the information for Thomas’s military service, this Pension File provided details relevant to Mariah, besides receiving pension payments. On Page 11 of the Pension File, there was a document titled “Service Pension, War of 1812, Widow’s Brief,” dated between 1878 and 1879. Henry C. Dean was one of the names on this document, providing proof of identity, based on affidavits provided.[5] Richard Shaffer, Mariah’s son-in-law, wrote up a deposition on Mariah: 

            Case of Randle Maria E.,        

On this 7’aintenth day of April, 1888, at Raymond, County of Montgomery, State of Ills, before me W. H. McGuire, a Special Examiner of the Pension Office, personally appeared Richard R. Shaffer, who being by me first duly sworn to answer truly all interrogatories propounded to him during this Special Examination of aforesaid pension claim, deposes and says: My age is 59 years I am a farmer. My P.O. is Raymond Montgomery Co Ills.

I was acquainted with Maria E. Randle, a Pensioner of the War of 1812 as the widow of Thomas Randle I knew the pensioner about all my life.

The Pensioner Mariah E. Randle—died Aug. 13^th 1887. I was present at the death. 

Dr. Caldwell of Zanesville, Ills was the attending physician in Pensioners lo* sickness.

At the date of pensioners death She had in cash $178.80. And some personal effects that I think is worth about $8.00. I was offered $5.00 for the personal effect that I thought they were worth a little more.[6]

At last…Mariah’s death date and death place are provided, and this information is almost as detailed as a death certificate. Also, her place of residence was likely with Maria in Raymond. 

            The first time Mariah’s maiden name is mentioned, is on Page 9 of the file: “his wife’s name was Mariah E. Thornhill, to whom he married at Washington Co Ills, on the (?) day of June AD 1826.”[7] A more detailed record of her marriage to Thomas is provided in later pages. On Page 13, the following information is written: 

She further states that she was married to the said Thomas Randle in the county of Washington, and the State of Illinois, on the 2^nd of June A. D. 1825 by one W. C. Ballard, who was a Minister of the Gospel, and that her name before her said marriage was Maria E Dean (nee Thornhill); and she further states that her said first husband had been previously married to Rebecca Brown who died in Madison Co Ill about Jan’y 1825; and she further state that she [declarant] had been previously married to Jonathan Dean who died about Sept 1822 near Princeton Ky—and further that she has not remarried since the death of said Thomas Randle.[8]

This paragraph alone, contains more information than most documents at this point in research. The researcher learns about the marriages and former spouses of both Thomas and Mariah. The difficulty in locating the marriage records becomes evident according to one affidavit provided in the Pension File, provided as Page 15: 

            State of Illinois, Washington County             J. H. F. Reuter, clerk of the county court

And for the county and state aforesaid, do hereby certify that, there is no record of marriage on file in this office prior to the year 1832, and that I have made diligent search for such record of marriages and cannot find the same 

Witness my hand and official seal of the said court at Nashville in said county and state this the 18^th day of Feb’y A.D. 1879

            H. F. Reuter, Co. Clk.[9]

If the county clerk of Washington County, Illinois could not locate the marriage record in 1879, perhaps there was no record filed or it was lost. 

            To provide further information on the marriage since the official record could not be located, witnesses to the ceremony provided affidavits. Unfortunately, Washington C. Ballard had died already, so the first document was penned by his son, Thornhill Ballard: 

            State of Illinois, Washington County

Thornhill Ballard of said county and state being first duly sworn deposes and says that he was at the wedding of Thomas Randle and Maria Dean who were married at the residence of his father, Washington C. Ballard, on the 2^nd day of June 1825 in the county aforesaid, and that said Washington C. Ballard was a minister of the Gospel and celebrated said marriage but hes since departed this life so that his affidavit cannot now be obtained—affiant further deposes and says that the above facts are derived from his own personal knowledge—that his age is 71 years—that his brother Geo. W. Ballard was also present at said marriage—that his (affiants) residence and Post Office address is Beaucoup, Illinois; that he is not interested or concerned in the claim of Maria Randle widow of said Thomas Randle for a pension. He (affiant) also deposes and says that as he is informed and believes no official record of said marriage can now be found in said county for the reason that the records of said county do not show any marriage earlier than the year 1832.[10]

As mentioned by Thornhill in his affidavit, his brother also provided one on Page 22: 

            State of Illinois, Madison County

George W. Ballard of the county and state aforesaid, age 58 years, being duly sworn according to law, poses and says that he was present at the marriage of Thomas Randle and Maria Dean on the 2^nd day of June 1825. That his (affiants) father, Washington C. Ballard now deceased was the officiating clergyman—that, although he (affiant) was only about five years old at that time, he remembers the circumstances well—that the marriage took place in his father’s house and the fact that said Maria Dean at that time resided with his father’s family and that said Thomas Randle on the day of the wedding was so late coming his father and other present became somewhat anxious about the matter—that the affiant also remembers seeing said Randle on that day when he first came in sight on horseback—that Thornhill Ballard and older brother of affiant was also present of said Marriage the he (affiant) has no intent whatever in the claim of said Marie Randle for a pension and is not concerned in its presentation—that he resides near Edwardsvill and his Post Office address is Edwardsvill Madison County Illinois.[11]

This affidavit was the most informative for the circumstances around the marriage. Mariah was living with the Ballards, likely because Washington’s wife may have been Mariah’s older sister (still determining this relationship). Additionally, she may have met Thomas through Washington, since both were ministers of the MEC. Finally, the marriage took place at the Ballard residence.

            After years of puzzling over this puzzle, the answer was through the second husband and stepfather, not even through records that should be located, namely a marriage and a death. Because both of these vital dates and places could not be easily found, it became necessary to reach outward to find what became of Henry’s father and who Mariah’s family was. At last, these objectives have been met, the hypotheses proved or disproved, and a whole new avenue of resources and family members have appeared as the story continues to unravel. 

---

[1] “War of 1812 Pension Files,” digital images, Fold3 (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 22 July 2020), pension file for Thomas Randle and his widow, Mariah E. Randle; War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Application Files, The National Archives and Records Administration, Washington D.C.; Roll RG15-1812PB-Bx2825.

[2] Ibid.

[3] Ibid.

[4] Ibid. this information concerning his military service was provided by Thomas. 

[5] Ibid.

[6] Ibid.

[7] Ibid. 

[8] Ibid.

[9] Ibid.

[10] Ibid.

[11] Ibid.

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 4)

Researching the itinerant preacher and his religion became the next step in my quest to discovering more about Henry’s life and upbringing, and locating more information on Mariah. There is a lot to be had from the Methodist Episcopal Church (MEC). They kept a pretty decent record, using conference minutes and journals (many of which still survive). Also, there are several histories of Methodism for specific locations, such as Missouri, Kentucky, Tennessee, Illinois, etc. 

When it came to researching family members in Illinois, MEC, state, and county histories were indispensable. I learned a lot about Thomas Randle during the process, and how his life choices and work may have impacted Henry and Mariah. Fortunately for me, Thomas Randle was the key to finding what became of Mariah. 

Stay tuned for Part 5, the final post on how Mariah’s tie to her preacher husband helped to break down the 40 year old brick wall.  

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 3)

Through the efforts it took to research the Dean line, Harry Fenton Dean was a piece of cake next to his father, Henry C. Dean. Through piecing together his life story, it took learning to research in the following manner:

·      Learning to perform in-depth research in Illinois

·      Using Inter-library loan to obtain books and microfilms

·      Making trips to the Salt Lake Family History Library for special books

·      Doing contextual and supplemental research through newspapers

·      Using a digital microfilm scanner

·      Researching genealogy in 1800s southern Illinois—my new specialty, thanks to this family

·      Using territorial, pre-state records

·      Learning about 19^th century farming communities

·      Using court and probate records (even widow’s relinquishment)

·      Performing research on hypotheses based on indirect and, at times, circumstantial evidence

·      Chasing after elusive cemetery listings

·      Doing research outside of the Big 4, especially Ancestry. It was my comfort zone for too long. Btw, Illinois State Archives and Illinois Digital Archives have some great materials.

I could go on and on, but you see why it took me 8 years to learn research techniques piecemeal and finally find Henry’s full story in time. 

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 2)

         The first steps I took in learning about the Dean line, came with hands on experience. I had to learn how to use FamilySearch, census research, newspaper research, locality research, etc. It did not come overnight, but rather line upon line. It was through concerted, often unfruitful efforts that I learned what worked and what didn’t work. Piece by piece, the story of the Deans began to unravel.

         In learning to do genealogy research, I found LDS family history centers as helpful resources. The missionaries were experienced in doing research and participating in finding temple ordinances. Also, the LDS Church had subscriptions to the big research websites, like Ancestry. These were in the days before LDS church members could get partner access through their FamilySearch accounts, so I made lots of library trips to use Ancestry. 

         Within a few weeks, and then what became a few months, the Dean genealogy was coming together. All of the sudden, Harry and Ida Dean’s boys took on more than names and vital information; they took on careers, personalities, family members, and stories that came to life through Google searches and newspapers. The two brothers of B. G.’s that assumed the greatest personalities were Doc and Frankie. I learned that having one prominent individual in the family helps to round out the stories and involvements of others when they talk about their own backgrounds and experiences. Soon, Harry Fenton Dean and Ida Jane (Pepperdine) Dean had their own narratives come to light. 

         From there, it was time to move backward in the tree. 

Finding the Old through the New, Tearing Down a Decades-old Brick wall (Part 1)

My great-grandfather, Beryl G. “B. G.” Dean, descended from a family of terrible record keepers. My mother tackled researching his family for 30 years, before turning it over to me back in 2010. From that year on, I became the official researcher for the Dean line. 

         I literally started from scratch, having only a collection of old family letters to work with. Working from B. G., I found his father and brothers, then eventually his grandfather and grandmother on his father’s side. The true brick wall was the objectives of finding the name of Henry’s father and identifying Mariah’s maiden name. Mariah and Henry’s unknown father became a research stop around 2012, when New FamilySearch was the LDS Church’s genealogy site. 

         No matter how long and hard I searched, I could not find Mariah’s maiden name, Henry’s father, or other family members related to Henry C. Dean. That is until 2020. The tools for bursting down this brick wall proved to be a set of skills that required methodical dismantling, rather than a good old dynamite blast. 

My First Footstep...Here I Come!

The time has finally come where I feel like I am ready to tackle one of my life goals from the past two or three years--becoming accredited as a genealogist. I have talked to many people about the process and planning involved, but it finally resonated with me when I spoke with Jill Crandell, a professor at BYU, presenting at the BYU Family History Conference.

There is a sense of clarity to take my first steps now, to let that desire work in me. Since my job benefits will cover my tuition costs at the university, I have hope that I can take my first genealogy class in the fall of this year. I also working to focus on a certain locality to specialize in--this one will take more time though. Ah, after how many years of studying history and working on genealogy, I have the necessary means to work toward my dream!

I appreciate all the people who have been an inspiration to me in this time as I have tried to plan the next phase of my life, And thanks to those who put up with my constant ramblings about history and genealogy. I am so full of joy I just want to shout praises to the sky :)

The Chain Letter that Solved a Family Mystery

As many know, I have placed intense focus on one branch of the family for the past five years I have been doing genealogy: the Deans. I was thinking back today on the item that gave me the hammer to begin breaking through brick walls for this seemingly impenetrable line and shocked myself with the realization: it was an 80 year old chain letter! That’s right, a culturally superstitious piece of junk mail kept by my great-grandfather was the key to unlocking one branch of the family.

                How, may you ask, is a useless piece of paper valuable to genealogy research? I will begin with where I encountered the “treasure” to answer this anomaly in research tools. Back in 2010, I had the idea to hit up Mom about getting copies of the family letters she had transcribed many years before. These letters were few of the extant records our family possessed of the Dean line, as B.G. wasn’t a stellar record keeper. Most letters were written by his mother, Ida, and B.G. himself.

Courtesy of Playbuzz

                I have referred to these quaint letters several times to look for research angles. One day, I was traipsing into the domain of looking for B.G.’s brothers, something caught my eye—a letter from his brother Tom! Tom, the third oldest child born to Harry F. and Ida J. Dean, wrote to Ida in 1928 from Manchester, Ohio. The letter is signed “Tom & A.” Obviously, Uncle Tom, or “Doc” as he was widely known, had a companion whose name was signed as “A.”

                Finally having a lead on one of the now unknown family members mentioned in the letters by initial only, I had a mystery for my very novice brain to solve: Who was this mysterious “A”? I pored over the letters several times, even hitting up the internet for help, but alas, my limited expertise at the time hindered my ability to figure out who she was.

                Then I recalled seeing a list of names in a chain letter forwarded in 1934 to B.G. The transcribed text reads as such:

In God we Trust Who Supplies our Needs. “Prosperity Circle”

Mrs. Leona Wagoner, Oklahoma City Okla.

Mrs. Anna Ketchum, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Mrs. Nell Montgomery, Oklahoma City, Okla.

Mrs. Anna Kaufruan(?), El Paso, Texas

Mrs. Aletha Dean, Hot Springs, Ark.

This chain was started by Box 43 an American Colonel and has a definite purpose. Copy the above omitting the first name and add yours, and send to five friends whom you wish to prosper. It must be mailed within twenty-four hours after receiving.

Mrs. Sanford received $5000

Mrs. Guines $1000

Mrs. Cluasy broke the chain and lost all she had. The chain has a definite purpose to all who copy the words and will find prosperity nine days after mailing. Please don’t brake the chain.

Courtesy of Buzzfeed

Her name popped out on the page when I scanned over it more closely than I had before: Mrs. Aletha Dean. The letter had been addressed to Tom in Hot Springs and had her name listed. Bingo! Finally had a searchable piece of the puzzle. The rest was smooth sailing from there when I had a legible name to put into Google. From that chain letter, I have learned so much more about the Dean line through researching Tom’s and Alethea’s lives in the public records.

                So the moral of the story is this: One man’s junk mail is another woman’s genealogical treasure. So if you inherited the papers of your grandmother or other aged relative and something seems worthless, look it over carefully before you consider throwing it out.

Cousin to Cousin and Heart to Heart

My first job is in a kitchen

Too often in these modern times, young adults are too busy with their own lives to make room for slower-paced tasks. I am most certainly speaking for myself when I make this claim. I work two jobs and fill my spare time with research, blogging, socializing, and similar activities. Even as a genealogist, I often prefer the fast-paced, forward-moving methods to the pain-staking and slow-paced ones that I save for an occasional Saturday or Sunday.

            Recently, an event took place that got me rethinking my preference for the fast-paced methodology. As it is February, most people interested in genealogy know of RootsTech, a major conference held in Salt Lake City, Utah this time each year. My opportunity finally came as I registered for the 2015 event. Rootstech facilitated a meeting I arranged with a cousin I had been corresponding with for about a month already.

Ishmael Phillips

            Our common ancestor is my fourth-great grandfather, Ishmael Foote Phillips. After looking over the files in my computer I had been gathering sporadically over the past three years, I concluded that Ishmael’s early years in England were severely under-researched. I then reached out online to relatives who knew or had more information and one cousin responded with more exuberance than I anticipated.

            This wonderful lady was a God-send to my present plight. While we were corresponding I had already been conducting background research on the time period Ishmael Phillips spent in England after being baptized into the early Mormon Church. (For more on this story, check out my post on finding his baptism.) Over time, we became more than correspondents with a similar interest in a distant grandfather. Our shared appreciation and love for this man was only the starting point.

            On the Sunday following RootsTech, I arranged to meet with my cousin in her hotel room. What I got from that visit was more than I had bargained for. Not only did she share the findings of her 32-years worth of research, she also told me stories about how she found the information, and she told me about her own family. We truly had a heart-to-heart that many relatives should have with their own family members more often than they do.

            Not only did I find a cousin to stay in touch with, her experiences help me to appreciate more the antiquated methods of research. I too have done my share of scanning microfilms and digging through dusty old manuscripts in archives, but this was her main form of research. The information she had to show was the results of hours of true archive and library hunting. Her interest would envelop more than Ishmael, but she also took interest in his own family: his brothers and sisters, his parents and grandparents. As a result, she has compiled significant information for the American descendants of the Phillips on their British ancestors.

            To my cousin and people like her who labor so diligently in putting together the information she has, I say thank you. I will treasure the information you have shared and use it to add to my own. you also help me to better plan research in the future. From your cousin, God bless you. 

She treated me to dinner

Journey to Ishmael Phillips' Past (Part 1)--Looking for an LDS Baptism in 1800s England

In recent weeks, I have undertaken a major project that guarantees me months and months of research: writing a biography on Ishmael Phillips. The first fact I have sought to uncover was proving that my 4th Great Grandfather was indeed baptized into the LDS Church by then Mormon Apostle Wilford Woodruff on May 29, 1840. I have found several family histories claiming Elder Woodruff was Ishmael's baptizer, but I wanted more solid proof. Taking the information I already have, I sought to dig deeper on this matter.

Since Wilford Woodruff was a major figure in early LDS history, his records would be easily accessible for me being in a location with a major LDS repository. With Elder Woodruff being a prolific journal writer in his day, that is the first place I went. I only met with slight disappointment as I found a short entry for the date Brother Phillips was baptized for. The entry read:

"We met at the Creek & I Baptized 2 & Elder Richards Confirmed them & walked to Shucknell Hill. After meeting I Baptized 3, one a preacher on the plan. We Confirmed them & ordained one priest Benjamin Williams making 5 Baptized and Confirmed."

This gave me slight hope though. Shucknell Hill was in fact a location that Ishmael is associated with in some of his early church records. Deciding not to give up right here, I pressed on. 

A wonderful feature of the FamilySearch website that many people take for granted is the Family History Library Catalog. When you type "Familysearch.org" into the URL, you come up with the home view:

Under the "Search" link, you will find "Catalog." Click here and it takes you directly to the Family History Library Catalog:

You can change the way you want to browse the catalog, but in this instance I will use location--I normally like to start out basic and narrow down to specifics, so when researching England, I will start by looking at the records under the county. Choosing "Herefordshire, England," I will then be directed to a page of categorized links  associated with Herefordshire. Looking under the Category "Church Records," I see a microfilm I have access to, "Wilford Woodruff's Baptism Record, 1840."

Eager to view this microfilm, I confirm that the library indeed has it--which it does! Looking through it, I start looking at the baptisms performed in April, working forward. When I reach May 29, I saw for myself from a photographed version of a primary source, the proof of Ishmael's baptism I was seeking. Look for yourself on May 29, his name is with another, identifying the two individuals that Wilford Woodruff wrote in his own words that he baptized at the location he provided already:

Thanks to modern technology and the ease of finding available resources, I am one step closer to writing Ishmael's biography. I now have a more concrete date, place, and name to attach to an important event in his life, his baptism into the LDS Church. Miracles happen when you persist. If you do not know how to find something though, do not be afraid to ask for help or to try other avenues. 

Now I can say with irrefutable evidence that my 4th great grandfather Ishmael Phillips was baptized by the hand of Apostle Wilford Woodruff, who would later become the 4th president of the LDS Church. 

Success Story: Your Family Needs You!

Once upon a time, a young lady came seeking help for doing her genealogy. Having never used FamilySearch before, I took her aside and showed her the basics. Unlike most people I have helped, her story takes an unusual twist—she had success within two days. Since the LDS Church preaches the need to spiritually bind our families together through temple work, her ability to find several names for the temple in one sitting is phenomenal.

The process was simple. She already had her LDS account set up so we went straight to work, logging into FamilySearch FamilyTree to navigate her tree. When we encountered a green arrow, we investigated. The green arrow means a name is ready to submit to the temple, but we needed to takes some steps before clicking on that green arrow: was this person’s information correct? Were they connected to the right family members? And most importantly, was their work already done?

Looking through census records and well-researched Findagrave.com profiles, we verified their vital information and family connections. All were cleared. Next, we checked the system for duplicates to make sure there were no repeated individuals floating around. After we merged a semi-completed tree to my friend’s, that is when the floodgates opened. The children of her something-great grandparents were missing information on their own families!

Within thirty to forty minutes, we dug up the names for several new individuals who were not yet in the system, providing new names for my friend to take to the temple. What were the best things about this experience? A young lady unaccustomed to genealogy work was able to put a whole family together: the parents, the children, and the children-in-law. She was able to experience the thrill of researching information and learning new things about these people related to her. The crème-de-la-crème was that she did it all herself, with me only supervising research and website use. She is officially a genealogist.

One does not have to be incredibly gifted with research or technology to do family history. If you are wanting to get started, do it with a buddy or a relative, visit a family history center, or even try it on your own to see what you can do if you are adept with technology already. A lot can happen in one sitting. If you hit bricks walls, don’t give up—there are people out there who can help you. Your Family Need You!