Memory Tree Genealogy Journal

(Pelican Rapids Baseball Team, Ralph B. Morben, 4th from left; photo held by family) Ralph B. Morben (1896-1980) - my husband Paul's maternal grandfather. (Image Source)

1896 Map of Henry County, Alabama.  IMAGE SOURCE Have you discovered interesting connections among ancestors in your family tree? Several years ago, I remember hearing my father speak about " two sisters marrying two brothers " somewhere in his family line...but I can't remember specifics.  Kept that tidbit in the back of my mind while setting out on this grand adventure of exploring our family history!  What do you know...I found one such set of siblings.  It's possible this isn't even the one to which was referring.  Maybe there are more to discover! Only a couple of generations back, I located sisters Minnie Cora McMath and "Dutch" Isabelle McMath.  I added the quotes to "Dutch", because it seems like a nickname; I'm not positive of its origins (maybe Dad can enlighten me?) or whether or not it was in fact a nickname.  All census reports list her name as Dutch.  Interesting! I also located brothers Johnnie Levey (I think this...

Have you ever heard of the WWII-era  "Old Man's Draft"?  While it may be surprising to find draft registration for relatives who seemed too "old" to serve, these cards were required by the Selective Service in their fourth of six registration periods in April 1942 [1] According to a FamilySearch.org article on the World War II Draft Registration process, the fourth registration – or “Old Man’s Draft” – was specifically for men with birthdays “ from April 28, 1877 to February 16, 1897” (FamilySearch Wiki).   Like finding a WWI draft registration card, the WWII documents provide very helpful genealogical information…birthdate, next of kin, physical description, place of employment, etc.  Here - I have included the registration for my mother's grandfather, Mr. George Henry Ostholthoff.  Resident of Wyoming, Hamilton County, OH, he is listed in 1942 as being married to Mrs. Elizabeth Cecelia (Luden) Ostholthoff.  Place of employment - American Agri...

(Photo source - "A Brief History of the Yeager...Family") In honor of President's Day weekend, I thought I would honor a relative that I just recently discovered.  In fact, it was just a few months ago that my entire family was made aware of our connection to Frederick Musser Yeager - half (or full?  more on that in another post...) brother of my maternal 2nd great-grandfather, Edward Musser Luden.  It wasn't until I stumbled upon his mother's probate record that I realized she had been married previously AND had two children of whom we were unaware.  How glad I am that I found Mr. Yeager!  A fascinating figure indeed. Frederick Musser Yeager (1840-1920) was born in the city of  Reading, Berks County, Pennsylvania - the son of Amos Bright Yeager and Sarah Ann Musser. A member of the Ringgold Light Artillery - and the First Defenders - Frederick answered Abraham Lincoln's call for federal troops in April 1861.  From various articles and descri...

Today's blogging prompt...Shopping Saturday!  Share advertising or information about an ancestor's business. One of my favorite websites for research as of late is Genealogy Bank ...a database of historical newspapers, obituaries, advertisements, and just about everything.  I've had great success finding stories that add context to our family history research.  Found this advertisement a few weeks back - an entry from the Moorhead Daily News in December 1941: (Jay N. Melvey Contractors.  "Home Building Advertisement".  Moorhead Daily News , 12 December 1941.  http://www.genealogybank.com; accessed February 2013.) Jay N. Melvey, listed above, is my husband Paul's paternal grandfather Jalmer Melvey.  He continued the family business (originally started by father Nels N. Melvey in Moorhead, MN).  In my own "past life" - as in, life before children! - I enjoyed working in the print media industry.  Specifically, newspaper advertising....

THIS article today on GENEALOGY and DNA TESTING gives a quick explanation of the three main types of testing offered to the general public for genealogical purposes.  Are you curious about your ethnicity?  Do you have holes in your family research due to "brick walls" or stalled research?  I've found much enjoyment from my experience with Ancestry.com's Autosomal DNA testing product as of late.  While it hasn't provided any huge "AHA" moments or broken down any brick walls in research, I've found several promising cousin matches and common ancestors, according to the results.  A few months back, I posted on my family's blog about my initial, shocking results.  See the article HERE. For a refresher, here is a snippet of my ethnicity profile: Persian/Turkish/Caucasus??  What gives?!? To my surprise, my mother also volunteered to take the test!  I eagerly anticipated her results, because I had a sneaking suspicion that the odd-ball ethni...

Following today's GeneaBloggers writing prompt, Tuesday's Remember Me post presents the memorial grave marker of Reinhardt Christian Morben of Barnesville, Minnesota.  Mr. Morben is my husband Paul's maternal great-grandfather. Reinhardt Christian Morben was born "Reinhardt Christiansen" in the former township of Norderhov (currently Ringerike) in Buskerud, Norway on 20 December 1857 to parents Christian Torbjornsen and Olea Paulsdatter.  In 1880 (article indicates 1879...census reports indicate 1880), Mr. Morben arrived in the United States with his parents and siblings and settled in Minnesota.  In 1898, R.C. Morben officially became a naturalized United States citizen. An interesting tidbit...we can't seem to determine exactly how the name "Morben" came to be used upon arrival in the United States.  It doesn't seem to be a place name from Norway or any sort of family name.  Any long-lost Morben relatives out there have an idea?  Would love...