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Wednesday, January 31, 2018

Ahnentafel #435 - Susan Fox

Susan Fox baptized Susanna Fux 

Born: July 25, 1755 Germantown, Philadelphia, PA
Baptized: August 19 1755, St. Michael's Lutheran Church, Germantown, Philadelphia, PA;
Died: ca. 1818 Jefferson Co., KY

Buried: Old Flat Rock Cemetery, Shelby County, Kentucky, latitude: 38.28365, longitude: -85.46021

Married: ca. 1782 John Grove in either Pennsylvania or Rowan County, NC. 

Saturday, January 27, 2018

Historical Fashion

Something for fun . . . fashion. I'm sure our peasant ancestors were not decked out like the upper classes. 

1918 

Tuesday, January 23, 2018

Ahnentafel #434 - John Grove

John Grove

Born: July 17, 1750 York (Philadelphia), Pennsylvania
Died: Dec. 11, 1843 Monroe County, Missouri

Buried: Unknown

Married:
  1. ca. 1782 Susan Fox in either Pennsylvania or North Carolina
  2. Aug. 17, 1819 Margaret Ann (--?--) Newkirk in Jefferson County, Kentucky
Occupation: tanner, farmer

John Grove's namesake grandson, Dr. John Grove Speer wrote the following about his grandfather:
Both of my grand-fathers were in the Continental army and fought the British until the war closed and Independence was gained - when peace and joy reigned in the hearts of all, the lovers of freedom and liberty in the thirteen States of the Union.  This was obtained through a great sacrifice of life and treasure. History tells of hundreds whose lives were freely offered a sacrifice for the freedom we now enjoy. 
O! what a legacy is left us, and may we ever remember that vigilance on our part is necessary, that like those heroes, we may leave unimpaired to our children the same precious blessings of liberty, freedom of speech and conscience, peaceful, pursuit after happiness and other blessings of our kind and merciful Father. Therefore, let us continually give thanks to Him for his loving kindness and tender mercies to the children of men and pray for Him to bless us all along our journey through this world, and finally ransom us from the grave and give us a home on high. 

Friday, January 19, 2018

Research Log - 200 Years Ago

January
1 - Frankenstein published
15 - Esther Marsh died Scotch Plains, New Jersey age 72
26 - Amelia Speer born daughter of John & Mary Barbary (Grove) Speer
February
19 - Esther (Marsh) Clark probate
March
2 - Harriet (Rice) Powell born
15 - Andrew Jackson invades Florida during the Seminole War
18 - U.S. Congress approves first pensions for government service

Monday, January 15, 2018

Ahnentafel #433 - Margaret Cloyd

Margaret Cloyd

Born: ca. 1760 Virginia or North Carolina
Died: between 1812 and 1820 Oldham County, Kentucky

Buried: probably in the Speer family graveyard behind her son's home, Floydsburg, Kentucky

Married: ca. 1784 John Speer probably in North Carolina

Her grandson Dr. John Grove Speer wrote the following about Margaret Cloyd:
Grand-mother Speer's maiden name was Margaret Cloyd; where born I do not know. She had a brother named Solomon Cloyd, who came from Virginia in early times and settled in the then Green County, Ky, on Little Pitman creek, where he died, leaving a family of six children (four sons and two daughters), of whom I shall say something later. Gen. Joseph McDowell, of Revolutionary war fame, was her uncle, whose life and service in freedom's cause is made  honorable mention of in our country's history of that struggle. (See Irving's Life of Washington.)  

Thursday, January 11, 2018

Research Log - 100 Years Ago

January
2 - Alison Bryan md. Magdalena Erkman in Bearden, Arkansas
8 - President Woodrow Wilson reveals his Fourteen Point plan to Congress & Mississippi is first state to ratify the 18th amendment to establish prohibition
14 - Bernice Wheeler, born & died, daughter of Lonnie & Anna (Erkman) Wheeler
20 - Juanita (Freeman) Oliver born Grand Tower, IL
27 - First Tarzan movie premiers in New York City
February
3 - Mary Ellen (Hardin) Crane Rhodes died in Iowa age 75
8 - Stars & Stripes military newspaper debuts

Sunday, January 7, 2018

Ahnentafel #432 - John Speer

John Speer

Born: ca. 1765 in Virginia
Died: Nov. - Dec. 1811 Morganton, Burke County, North Carolina

Buried: probably in a Morganton Cemetery, no marker

Married: ca. 1784 Margaret Cloyd probably in North Carolina

Religion: probably Presbyterian

Occupation: John was a tailor and at one time ran a tavern. If his father was Michael Speer of Speer's Ferry he most likely helped run the ferry as a youngster. 

John's grandson Dr. John Grove Speer wrote of him:
Both of my grand-fathers were in the Continental army and fought the British until the war closed and Independence was gained - when peace and joy reigned in the hearts of all, the lovers of freedom and liberty in the thirteen States of the Union.  This was obtained through a great sacrifice of life and treasure.  History tells of hundreds whose lives were freely offered a sacrifice for the freedom we now enjoy. 
O! what a legacy is left us, and may we ever remember that vigilance on our part is necessary, that like those heroes, we may leave unimpaired to our children the same precious blessings of liberty, freedom of speech and conscience, peaceful, pursuit after happiness and other blessings of our kind and merciful Father.  Therefore, let us continually give thanks to Him for his loving kindness and tender mercies to the children of men and pray for Him to bless us all along our journey through this world, and finally ransom us from the grave and give us a home on high.  

Wednesday, January 3, 2018

Notebook - General Stuff No. 1

Case, Stephen. "On the Trail of Treason: Peggy Shippen's Amazing Story," American Ancestors, Fall 2012.
Was she the most dangerous young woman in American history?  Peggy Shippen born in 1760 was the granddaughter of a Philadelphia mayor and belonged to one of the city's first families. At their fancy home, just around the corner from Independence Hall, her parents entertained George Washington as a dinner guest.  At eighteen, Peggy Shippen married a crippled, war-hero widower twice her age. Together they embarked on a plot to destroy the American revolution . . . Peggy was Mrs. Benedict Arnold.
Documents made available in the 1920s proved conclusively that Peggy had been an active conspirator with her husband from the very start.
In 1776, at age sixteen, Peggy was a beguiling, charming star of the Philadelphia scene. When she was seventeen, the British invaded and occupied the city. Peggy developed a friendship with a particularly handsome and charming twenty-six-year-old British officer, John Andre.
When the British left Philadelphia, Benedict Arnold was appointed military commander of the city. Arnold's successful exploits at military engagements at Fort Ticonderoga, Quebec, Valcour Island and Saratoga place him, in my opinion, alongside Ulysses S. Grant, William T. Sherman and George S. Patton, Jr., as one of the most effective field commanders in American military history. Some might compare his tactical achievements with those of Robert E. Lee and Stonewell Jackson.