Crews/Travers in Wayne Co., Illinois

I was very pleased last week when Judi Finnell commented on my blog post about Peter Crews m. Martha Monroe. I always wondered who the Travis (Travers) children (John and Mary) were in their 1860 census. I thought they were likely grandchildren but Wayne Co., IL is a "burned county" so finding marriages for daughters in this time period isn't easy. Peter and Martha had two daughters of marriageable age Nancy and Mary who were with them in the 1850 census and not with them in the 1960 census. Either might have been the mother of the children. Judi informed me Nancy was the mother. Nancy was the second wife of Judi's great-great grandfather Nathaniel Travers. Judi said Nathaniel and both his wives were buried in the Travers Cemetery and I checked my cemetery book by Doris Bland and there they were. It was wonderful to finally know who Mary and John Travers were and their parents. Judi also had further information about Mary and John. What a great day it was when I heard from Judi!

Now... if someone would please come forward and let me know what happened to Nancy's sister Mary Crews (b. about 1828 in KY) after the 1850 census....

Alcorn/Englis kin

I recently heard from 3 Alcorn researchers responding to a message I left years ago on either an Alcorn site or a Cass Co. Illinois site. What fun this is! Two were related to me by marriage and not my bio cousins (an Alcorn cousin of mine was the second husband of the woman they descended from). I didn't know about this marriage so I was delighted to hear from them. Last year I submitted some Alcorn/Englis photos to the Cass Co., Illinois Historial & Genealogical Society site and they can be viewed there.

http://www.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~ilcchgs/

For anyone researching in Cass Co., Illinois this is a great site (besides the fact you can see the photos I contributed!).

My Alcorn bio cousin who recently contacted me has been too busy (two teen age kids plus a full time job) to go through her old pictures and documents. But she plans to and we will talk more then. I'm sure she will have lots to share. I'm so happy to have her email so we can talk later.

McClure & Monroe

Last month I made contact with Barbara Wright who researches the McClure family of Grayson Co., KY who marry into our Monroe lines. She shared information with me and I am attempting to update all the Johnson Monroe descendant lines who are also Samuel McClure (m. Frances Craven) descendant lines to share with her. The lines I am trying to complete are Annie Elizabeth McClure m. 1866 Absolam S. Kerr (parents of Samuel R. Kerr m. 1896 Sarah Pearl Monroe), Alice McClure m. 1884 George Washington Taylor Monroe and Ida Belle McClure m. 1888 Henry William Monroe. Annie Elizabeth McClure, Alice McClure and Ida Belle McClure are sisters. As always happens I have run into some snags because I don't have any "family story" information to guide me.

I have documented 9 children from Samuel R. Kerr and Sarah Pearl Monroe. I have a marriage for only one of them and death dates for only 3 of the nine. Maybe I can trace a some of the daughters through KY birth records - or at least get a potential surname or two for them.

I lose track of descendants of Alice McClure and GWT Monroe after the 1930 census. (This is Emeline Monroe's (b. 1915) family line). I'd love to talk to her and learn what she knows about her aunts and uncles and 1st cousins and their descendants.

I lose track of some of the descendants of Ida Belle McClure and Henry William Monroe after the 1930 census.

Their daughter Frances married a Mr. Ryan (on her gravestone) but was this her first husband? Did she have children? I have not found her in 1920 or 1930 census. She is likely married but I can't find her under the surname Monroe or Ryan.

Their daughter Ida N. I think I found in 1920 and 1930 census but I'm not positive. In 1920 she is in St. Louis and working as a bookkeeper and in 1930 she is a manager of a flour mill in TN. She is single in 1920/1930 if this is our Ida N. Monroe.

Their son George William Monroe (the one who has a monument in Camp Ground Cemetery) second wife was Mary B on the 1930 census. Is she the Mary Biles Monroe in Cave City Cemetery 1889-1970? If so then her birthdate on the stone (and on the Soc. Sec death index) doesn't match the 1930 census which shows her age 39 (b. ca. 1891). Maybe the age is close enough.

I surely need some Kentucky cousin help!

August-September 2008

I haven't blogged for a while. Seems like every time I started to something came up. I've been all over the place research wise since my last blog. I started to look at my Wayne Co. Illinois cousins and got side tracked from that with an email of a possible cousin related by marriage to the Owen family my Monroe's married into and maybe this person was a descendant. Best we can tell for now is no relationship proved but that doesn't mean there isn't one. We agreed to keep in contact.

My Hobson research hasn't gone much of anywhere but I have had continued contact via phone and email with my "new" second cousins. So... this is basically positive news.

I need to step back and look at where I was when I last blogged and my recent emails. Then I'll have a better idea what to write. I've worked on several projects and if I tell you about them maybe you have something to contribute - or maybe some of it will help you with your research.

Today I'm in a situation I don't want to be in - I'm a potential juror for a case that is estimated to last 9 weeks and if it goes into a penalty phase it could be another 3 weeks. I can't say anything beyond this. I don't want to be on this (or any) jury. I've been on several juries in the past and feel I've already "done my civic duty" and don't want to be on another one. And of course my spinal arthritis makes it difficult for me to sit or maintain any physical position for an hour (some times less) without pain/ache. So far the court wants me to come back for another interview on September 30. Ugh!

Lyn's Hobsons #2

Last week I had a surprise phone call from a Hobson 2nd cousin. Mike is Judy's (mentioned in previous post) younger brother. We had a great conversation and the really fun part was Mike remembered singing with my first cousin (his second) at a Sedgwick Co., KS meeting of some sort where both the towns of Cheney (Mike) and Mt. Hope (Dick) were represented. The two of them never knew Mike's father and Dick's mother were first cousins! Dick doesn't remember the event from the meager description I emailed him. My notes from my phone conversation with Mike weren't very good and I may have left off the one thing that would have triggered Dick's memory.

I've continued on working on this side of my family a bit. I'm basically trying to track descendants of Minos Russell Hobson and Mary Ann Hod(g)son m. 1868 in Henry Co., IN. At this point I'm about to believe my grandfather's youngest brother William Lynn had 3 wives and not just the two I thought earlier. William Lynn only had one son I am aware of named Lynn Jr. born about 1922. Lynn Jr's mother's name is Olive but that's all I know about her except her marriage to Wm. Lynn didn't last long and ended in divorce. It was not her first marriage. SSDI and Texas death index indicates Lynn Jr. died in Houston area in 1999. If he married and had children I would love to learn about them and hopefully make contact.

The other sibling of my grandfather Ellis who married and had children was Adella Hobson m. Hiram Kline. They had two children Gerald and Pauline. Pauline did not marry. I remember meeting Cousin Pauline and Aunt Della in the early 1950s. Gerald married Ruth Minich. They had at least one child named Gerald born about 1928. If Gerald, Jr. married and had children I would love to know.

My high school classmate Eve mentioned last post came through with the three Wichita obituraries I requested. Not sure one of them is mine but getting negative information is good too as it tells me to look elsewhere. Thank you Eve! I appreciate you.

Lyn's Hobsons

Not quite Monroe research but given my link to Johnson Monroe is via Ellis L. Hobson married Alma Monroe I assume my recent contact with a second cousin via Hobson makes this post fit here quite nicely. My "new" cousin Judy's grandfather Orlando K. "OK" Hobson is my grandfather Ellis' older brother. I have a couple of letters OK wrote in early 1900s. In these letters OK has some of the most beautiful handwriting I have ever seen. OK was the Methodist minister who married my grandparents. I have references to him in my grandfather's 1910 obituary and in letters written by one or the other of my grandparents.

Judy never heard of me or my grandfather. I knew her father's name but not much more. A couple of days ago I received photocopies of several items Judy owns. I thank her publicly for being so generous. One item was our great-grandfather Minos Russell Hobson's will. I didn't know it existed. My mother and her sister didn't receive anything but they both were mentioned. I was happy to see that. Judy also sent some obituaries which were very interesting. I did not know OK's wife Bessie Harlow was a licensed Methodist minister. I couldn't tell from the articles when the General Conference of the Methodist Church authorized women to preach but it must be much earlier than I ever imagined. I have only begun to absorb this new information and new information always creates questions. I will likely drive Judy nuts asking questions in the next few weeks. Hopefully she will be willing to put up with me. All this has me thinking I should do more work on documenting descendants of my Hobson great-grandparents. I made a teensy start by asking a high school classmate who lives in Wichita to look up some obituaries at the Wichita Historical and Genealogical Society I found in the WHGS on-line index. She agreed to do so as she plans a visit there for her own family research but it may be a few weeks. Thank you Eve! I've also done some census work and found some "my Hobsons" related World War I draft cards. And then... I set up a private Picasa Hobson photo album and uploaded some pictures. If anyone is interested in seeing this album, please let me know. Finding a "new" cousin is a wonderful experience - but it surely makes me see a zillion holes in my research and reminds me of all the projects I need to work on.

Family Myth Busted!

For years I can remember being told that Highland Methodist's church land had been donated by my Monroe Ans., but the other day I was in Glasgow and stopped by the courthouse for a quick dig regarding a house up for auction that I thought might have been tied to Nathaniel and Alethea's land I came across the deed for Highland and lo and behold Franklin Overstreets estate donated the land! Since Franklin is tied to my branch of the family to both my Shaw family and is also the father of Laura who marries one of Issac West and Phobe Monroe's sons I guess it still works, but now I wonder how in the dickens the story was created that the land came from a Monroe? I wonder where all the old records for Highland are? Anybody know?

Phoebe Monroe & Isaac West descendants

Yesterday I replaced the link on the Johnson Monroe Yahoo group site that pointed to descendants of Dabney Collins to one that points to descendants of Phoebe Monroe (d/o James Monroe and Jane Dawdy) and Isaac West (s/o Thomas West and Eleanor Self). If anyone reading this blog has an interest in Phoebe's and/or Isaac's lineage please request to join the Johnson Monroe Yahoo group by clicking on the link on the main blog page. Or post a comment and tell me your interest in the family. Or email me directly. I'd love to hear from you.

More Loose Ends - Parker, Allen, Monroe

This past week I did census work re Francis A. Allen m. 1) Lydia Bratcher and 2) Margaret Jackson. I also found my old email correspondence with a descendant of Francis and Lydia. Took me over a week! I finally found it in my "Self" family folder. I should have looked there earlier as Lydia Bratcher is d/o David Bratcher and Lydia Self. And... as our twisty family goes - this means Isaac West who married 1) Phoebe Monroe and 2) Harriett (McChesney) Monroe is first cousin to Lydia Bratcher m. Francis A. Allen as Isaac's mother Eleanor and Lydia's mother Lydia were both daughters of Edward Self and Sarah Cottrell. All this aside - I still have a strong suspicion (the know in my heart but can't prove it kind) Francis Allen is a grandson of David Allen and Elizabeth Price and my gg-gmother Rebecca Allen's nephew. I would so love to prove this but with the records in Hart Co., KY burned and burned again I may never know. I have learned descendants of Francis kept contact with some of their Kentucky kin on the Bratcher side. The fact he and his second wife are in Rice Co., KS in 1880 census before moving to nearby Pratt Co. where he lives the rest of his life makes me think perhaps he knew his cousins who were related to him via his aunt Rebecca. Could that be why he went to Rice Co., KS? Maybe I'm just dreaming this all as I so much would like to identify Rebecca's siblings and their descendants. I know they are out there somewhere. How can I find them? I need help!

Loose Ends - Parker, Allen, Monroe

I've been trying to settle loose ends the past few days without a lot of success. I am still intrigued by the potential relationship the first wife of Joseph Parker (named as Mrs. Mary A. Hall, daughter of David Allen in her son Elijah Parker's bio) may be the sister of my gg-gmother Rebecca Allen (m. Mathew Hooper Monroe). Joseph Parker's 2nd wife was Nancy Monroe (d/o James Monroe and Jane Dawdy) so we know Joseph probably knew Mathew and Rebecca. William F. Parker (s/o Joseph and Mary) may be the Wm J Parker age 24 in 1860 Hart Co., KY census of F. A. Allen (m. Lydia Ann Bratcher). I believe F. A. Allen is most likely Francis A. Allen and a nephew of Rebecca (and Mary?) and he and William F. Parker are (first?) cousins. A number of years ago I had some brief correspondence with a descendant of Francis A. Allen. This person was living just south of Tribune, KS and said his Francis Allen was born in Hart Co., KY and for a period of time he lived in Rice Co., KS. Just the same places where Rebecca Allen's descendants were! He didn't know who Francis' parents were. Francis Allen's first wife Lydia Bratcher died young and he married again and this person descended from the second marriage. I lost track of the correspondent when his email changed. We emailed very little during the time we had contact as his grandfather had recently died and he was the one dealing with all the estate issues, etc. Surely would like to find him again!

I checked Joseph Parker's 1840 Barren Co., KY census today. There is one male < 5 (Robert Allen Parker), one male 5-9 (William F. Parker), one male 30-39 (Joseph), 1 female < 5 (Sarah Parker), 1 female 10-14 (perhaps a daughter of Mary Allen by Mr. Hall?) and 1 female 30-39 (Mary Allen Hall Parker). I could not find a Barren Co. marriage to fit for a Hall female 1840-1850 that I could for sure identify with Mary or Joseph. This young woman is not with Joseph and second wife Nancy Monroe in 1850 census.

I would very much like to tie all these folks together. If anyone can help, please chime in. Thanks!

Martha Monroe m. Peter Crews 1824

I've started work on the Martha Monroe married 1824 Peter Crews line. They moved to Wayne Co., IL from Barren Co., KY between 1828 and 1830. I have 203 descendants for them but have not acquired a lot of the needed supporting documentation so it's time to go back and do that as well as follow these families on down through the 1930 census. I owe a great deal of thanks to Martha & Peter's great-granddaughter Mary Ellen (Crews) Brach (1901-1994) who compiled the _Genealogy Survey of the Crews Family_ in 1968. After Mary Ellen died her sister Evelyn Alene (Crews) Donoho (1913-?) updated this survey. This document is wonderful because it tells who moved where and when. I wonder what Mary Ellen would have done had she had access to the Internet and all the wonderful family history information available today.

I haven't looked at these Wayne Co., IL surnames for a while so it's like discovering a whole new set of cousins with names like Pharr, Sams, Fishel and more. But there are also familiar names from the Barren Co., Kentucky area like Martin, Shaw, Bradshaw, Young, Shelton and Owen.

I hope while I do this research I will make contact with a cousin or two in this line to join us in our research.

Collins Descendants and What I'm Up to Next

Yesterday I added a link on the Johnson Monroe Yahoo group site to my register report of the descendants of Dabney Collins (f/o Francis Marion Collins m. Polly B. Monroe) . I hope a Collins researcher/descendant will check Logan Co. and Simpson Co. marriage records to verify the names and dates of the two wives I have for Dabney. I haven't followed all of FM and Polly's children but have some descendants for Leonidas, Georgia, Charles Elmore, Susan Eva and Marion Boles. Please let me know of errors/additions, etc. I'm about "Collins'ed out" for now and I'm itching to move on to look at other cousin lines.

I haven't decided which Monroe descendant lines I will concentrate on next but think maybe those who went to Wayne Co., Illinois from Barren Co., KY prior to 1850. I have earlier done census work on many of them through 1880 and some through 1900. Since then I've gathered a lot more information re spouse names, who moved where and when so maybe now I can follow more of them through the 1930 census. Do any of my Mathew and Rebecca descendant cousins know Mathew Monroe and Rebecca Allen are in the 1830 Wayne Co., IL census? I've always found this curious as all their children claim to be born in Barren Co., KY and they are Barren Co census in 1840 and 1850 censuses so they must not have lived in Wayne Co. for very long. They move to Cass Co., Illinois about 1852/53.

Hope some of you will comment once in a while. I feel like I am writing into a void.

This 'n That

Been trying to clear up loose ends the last few days. Received a package of Magee data on Monday from a fellow I promised (2 months ago?) to copy an affadavit for and hadn't yet done. As my guilt meter was way up I got out James King Monroe's Civil War file and copied the affadavit of Benjamin F. Magee which states he is married to a sister of James K's wife. The sisters are Sarah E. and Josephine Conyers. I have never been able to link all the Conyers that interact with the Monroes with total confidence. I still am not sure how Sarah and Josephine relate to John Wesley Conyers who is the second husband of Mary Ann (Thomas) Monroe. So... I gather what data I can in drabs and dribbles and maybe someday I will be able to put it all together. But I wouldn't bet on it!

I've also been trying to identify the Monroe ancestry of all the people on the Kentucky Monroe Reunion mailing list. I'm to the point I have one more set of "unknown to me" people to post to the Johnson_Monroe Yahoo group in hopes someone there can help with the identification and then I'll be through with this project. I thought I would use this list as a start for building a data base for our Yahoo group to be able to refer to for cousin contacts in the area they live or are planning to visit.

I'm in the process of changing computers - the CD drive and screen both went out on the laptop I was mainly using. Fortunately it still runs fine and I have to have it hooked up to the monitor that belongs to my older desktop computer. I have a new laptop but lots not yet implemented on it so sometimes I can't find whatever I am looking for. Frustrating. I hate all the time it takes to do the transition.

Some of you may know I manage a Yahoo group for my high school class. I've been trying to help a few classmates with some family history hunting so that's been taking time too.

So... I've been busy but haven't made much progress of interest to you.

Susan Eva Collins

Started census hunting for Francis & Polly's daughter Susan Eva Collins m. 1) John Foster Baker and 2) J. Lee Johnson. Have had a heck of a time as Ancestry's indexing is not very good. Was about to give up on 1900 when I finally found Beker, Jeff and that's the right family. Found the family in 1910 but have struck out so far in 1920 census. However in 1920 I found evidence these folks are really ours (besides family stories and documentation) as Susan Eva Collins oldest daughter Lossie Baker marries her first cousin Marion Boles Butler (s/o Elmore C Collins & Edward Johnson Butler). Guess it's the old "gotta keep the genes in the family" thing. We have cousin marriages in other branches of the family too. I have more census work to do and haven't even started on the data entry. Hopefully I can finish Susan's family branch in a week or two.

Collins continued

Today I finished the census data entry for Charles Elmore Collins (m. Edward Johnson Butler) and their descendants I could locate through 1930. Next I need to do census work on Elmore's sister Susan Eva Collins. I have enough hints/clues re her two marriages to hopefully trace her and her children at least through the 1930 census. I already have her 1942 death certificate.

After I research Susan's family my plan is to create a register report of Francis Marion Collins & Polly B. Monroe descendants and link it to our Johnson_Monroe Yahoo site and have it available to you for a time. My plan also includes a link to a Monroe/Collins photo album. Let's hope I get this done!!!

Collins continued

I'm still not finished entering all the Elmore C. (Collins) Butler descendant data I have. But... I have more data now then when I last blogged. A couple of death certificates and a WW1 draft card, located a couple of folks in 1930 census, etc.

Had a nice note from Debbie and also one from Ethel. Ethel included a scan of a newspaper article about the murder of Anna (Collins) Carney and suicide of Arthur Carney. I was very happy to receive this. Ann sent an obituary for her father Wilbert B. "Bill" Howard. I've started a Collins folder with items of this type plus photos I will link into the Johnson_Monroe Yahoo site once I get a little further with it.

Collins - Elmore C. line continued

I did the census work on Elmore C. Collins married Edward Johnson Butler in 1900/10/20. She dies in 1927. I haven't yet found Edward or most of their children in 1930. Think a bunch of them may no longer be in Kentucky so I need to look further. Found a KY WW1 record for one of Elmore's son's. Will be posted later to our Yahoo Johnson Monroe site. A wonderful thing happened about cousin contact when the mother of Suzanne who I mentioned in my earlier post contacted me. I haven't heard a peep from Suzanne or Debbie or Ethel or Tonya since I put them in touch ---- but Suzanne's mother Ann and I are talking so I'm happy about that. Ann has given me some good leads on tracing other descendants. Many thanks to Ann! I've invited her to the blog and the Yahoo group. Hope she will join us.

Overwhelmed

I am so far behind in my Data entry I keep getting sidetracked with working for money to pay bills!!!!!!!!!

The last few weeks have been insane but I gotta get back to work on it, my keyboard won't balance anymore on the stack of papers under it waiting to be entered.

I have to get the transcription done of the Power of Attorney that John Glazebrook and Francis did with her children Willory and Susan Stone regarding the land of John Stone they inherited. I was so tickled to find the proof of her having another marriage and finally proving that Susan was her daughter and that there was a reason for her to be listed in the family bible.

Does anyone have any proof that Francis wife of John Glazebrook was an Elmore before she married John Stone or is it simply a story that has been passed down?

Collins-Monroe descendant

This weekend I made contact with a "new" cousin who descends from Polly B. Monroe and Francis Marion Collins. Suzanne descends from their daughter Charles Elmore "Elma" Collins who married Edward Johnson Monroe. Isn't it interesting Polly named one of her daughters for her brother Charles Elmore Monroe? This daughter is listed as Elmore C. on the 1880 census with her parents. I haven't yet done the census work to learn more about her family after marriage. She dies in 1927 and I have a copy of her death certificate which will be later available through the Johnson_Monroe Yahoo website. I emailed introduced Suzanne to Debbie and Ethel today. Hopefully some cousin sharing will happen.

Speaking of the Polly B. and FM Collins line - my shirt-tail cousin Tonya (she's related to descendants of Anna Collins m. Arthur Carney) went to Logan Co., KY last week and dug up some great Collins info I don't think any of us have seen before. Thank you Tonya!

New Cousins on the blog

Good to see more cousins have joined us - Chris, Debbie, Ethel, Fred and Mary Linda - all William & Polly descendants. Please post what you are up to in your research efforts when you have time.

So far William & Polly descendants are in the majority here but there are 3 of us who descend from Mathew and Rebecca. As William was 15 years older than Mathew most of the descendants in the two branches in today's same age group are 1-2 generations removed. For example Carolyn and I are the same "Monroe generation" coming down from Johnson and Amelia as Chris & Mary Linda's Grandpa Presley Monroe (b. 1903). Presley, Carolyn and I are all ggg-grandchildren of Johnson & Amelia. Does this mean the Monroe/Hooper genes Carolyn and I have are "less diluted" than those of Chris and Mary Linda? Probably not but it may explain when some William descendants see me they say "you look like ....". Charlotte Dorsey told me I looked like her aunt Mary (Presley's daughter). Is this why I so enjoy looking at pictures from other branches of the family? I know sometimes I see them and think I see a resemblance to myself or others in my branch.

Here is a photo of my mother Eleanore. She is a gg-gdaughter of J & A. She is about 21 years old here. Does she look like anyone you know?

Does anyone know where Marion Collins and Polly Monroe are buried?

How to Comment & Hello Ginny

It's easy to miss but below each post there is a place that says "comments" and the number of comments so far. If you click on "comments" you can read what is there or you can add a comment of your own. If you want to start a new subject please start a new post rather than comment. Also you can add "labels/tags" to your post. They can be searched on later.

That said... I'm glad to see Ginny on the blog. Like me, Ginny and her sisters used to attend the Monroe reunions in Riverside Park in Wichita. Ginny's granddad Roy Hooper Monroe (s/o Wm Olney, s/o M. Hooper, s/o Mathew H) would always bring the baseball equipment. We had some great games back when! Good memories.

Hello from Topeka, KS

I am new at this "blog" action also. It might be fun to just get to know one another. I am a granddaughter to Roy Hooper Monroe. Lyn has done a fantastic job of our family tree. She is fantastic. We also all need to get together for a family reunion. What do you say?

My cat Allie

Technically this isn't Monroe research but Allie has been with me for 17 years so to me she is family. Her time to leave is very near. I've asked her to hang on until Tuesday so I can take her to the vet who will help her along her way to be with her sister Kate. Kate left us last August. I'm not sure Allie can wait that long. Even the Humane Society (of which I am a member) is closed until Tuesday so if she goes before then I guess I'll just have to make her body as respectable as I can until Tuesday.

Allie has been slowly starving herself. Yesterday I don't think she ate anything but she did drink water. Today she hasn't eaten. Nothing I try to feed her tempts her. Most of her life she weighed about 15 pounds. I think she is less than 10 now. It's really difficult to watch this transition she is going through.

I guess I shouldn't be so sad. Allie's had a good life. She never wanted for love or food or shelter. She and Kate were such good buddies. They were feral foundlings - only a few days old when found and neighbors of mine raised them on baby bottles and formula until they came to me. Since Kate left us (age 16.5) Allie has not eaten well. Part I'm sure was just getting older (the vet said nothing was wrong with her except her age) but I think part was that her sister Kate was no longer with us. I miss Kate terribly and now Allie is ready to join her it makes me ever so sad. But... they belong together and it's time...

My first time to blog!!

Lyn,
I am pleased that you started this site, I have been curious about blogging and was so disappointed when your first invitation came because I tried to respond without success. You have probably figured out that I have a mental block when it comes to using computers so I immediately thought it was me - what a relief to find no one could leave message. Oh, well we are cooking on all burners now. Speaking of burners I console myself when it comes to my inability to use many facets of a computer with the knowledge that at least I am a good cook!
Cousin Carolyn

Samuel Allan/Allen Monroe

Last week my cousin Carolyn discovered a shirt-tail cousin of ours named John who is interested in family history. John descends from a sister of Jennie (Little) Matson who married Samuel A. Monroe. I was delighted to learn this news as I had never had contact with anyone in Sam's Monroe line. Sam is the son of John T. Monroe (s/o Allen Johnson Monroe and Mary Ann Thomas) and Sarah Dorcas Martin. Sam never appears in the census with his parents as he is born after 1880 and in out of the house by 1900 census. Sam has an older brother Charles. I'd surely like to know what happened to Charles. Charles is age 26, single, living with his parents in Morgan Co., IL in 1900 census. He isn't with them in 1920 census. I have a note in my db he married "Pauline". I think this info may be from the Hooper Genealogy?

John has a wonderful photo of Sam and Jennie and Jennie's daughter from her first marriage. He posted this photo to the Johnson_Monroe Yahoo group. John also has a gedcom at http://www.worldconnect.rootsweb.com/. The name of his data base is "jblomax32". He has included lots of notes in this data base that make for interesting reading.

I'm in the process of getting my data base updated on the John T. Monroe and Sarah Dorcas Martin line. I do not yet know Sarah's parents but she has a brother Charles who lives with her and John in the 1880 census. He is born about 1849. Sarah and Charles' father is born in Maryland and mother in Illinois.

Charles Elmore Monroe

Yesterday I got an email from Susan Heath (descendant of Charles Elmore Monroe and Amanda Suddath's daughter Josphine who married William Tandy Sherman Hood). Recently Susan went to Jackson, Madison Co., TN to see if she could locate the death record of Charles Elmore Monroe and other information about him and his family members who lived in Jackson. Well.... it surely looks like she succeeded. She found a stone in Hollywood Cemetery in Jackson. Her reading of this moss covered stone was:

C.E. Monroe
May 18 1886-3 July 1908

Here also lies his daughter
Amelia E. Formby
Jan 24 1871 to June 23 1892

My best guess is that Charles birth year was difficult to read and the year should be 1836. I've invited Susan to this blog and if she accepts perhaps she will tell you more about her other discoveries in Jackson.

Think I did the invitations wrong

I invited some members of the Johnson_Monroe Yahoo group as "Readers". I think in order for you to comment maybe I should have invited you as "authors". I feel like I'm in my usual "don't understand what the documentation says until I do it wrong first"...

So... I'm still not sure what is right or wrong yet. May need to re-invite you folks. My pea brain needs polishing...lyn

This is my first blog post. I'm not totally sure why I'm doing this. My idea is to let my cousins know what I am up to re researching the descendants of Johnson Monroe and Amelia Hooper. I started the Johnson_Monroe@yahoogroups..com group but not very many cousins post and because I don't know everyone's interest I don't feel comfortable posting there what I am up to researching on a day to day basis there. Don't want to bore anyone too much! Anyone who reads this blog and would like to be invited to the Yahoo group just let me know. There is a lot of Monroe family information posted there from reunion pictures, cemetery stones, WW1 draft registration cards, death certificates, old family photos and photos of some of us that are recent. All cousins and that includes shirt-tail and kissing cousins too.

So.. I'll invite all the cousins in the Johnson_Monroe Yahoo group to join (may take me a while to get all the email addys together and do the invites) as well as other cousins who not in the Yahoo group who may be interested. Everyone invited will have "comment privileges" and I want to hear from you so please do comment.

That's it for today. I need to start inviting my cousins. It'll take me at least a week to get all the invites done. Hope to hear from all of you...lyn