52 Weeks to Better Genealogy: Writing a Letter of Genealogical Inquiry

A prompt from We Tree, "52 Weeks to Better Genealogy," hosted by Geneabloggers, has challenged bloggers to share the results of sending a letter in the mail requesting genealogical information. The information I received came from a letter of inquiry that I sent off in August of 2003.



In my letter to the Lenawee County Historical Society, in Adrian, Michigan, I was requesting the date of the death of Amy Parker Fox Brock, my first cousin four times removed. Amy was the daughter of Jesse Parker, my third great granduncle.

Mr. Lindquist, the Curator of the Lenawee Historical Society Museum in 2003, answered me, and told me of the steps a volunteer had taken to help me learn about my distant cousin Amy Parker Fox Brock. He located the date of death for Amy to be March 7, 1965, and told me what office in Lenawee County to contact in order to obtain the death certificate. Then, the volunteer found the date of Amy's marriage to Emerson Fox, which was August 10, 1898. He also found the date of Amy's second marriage, to Arthur Brock, on August 10, 1920. It was wonderful to find out three separate pieces of genealogical data from one letter of inquiry!

Pictured below is a photo of the tombstone of Amy Parker Fox Brock's parents, Jesse Parker and Rachel Tryon Parker. Jesse was born in Lincolnshire, England, and he emigrated to Ohio before 1867. During the Civil War, Jesse Parker served in Company H of the Fifth Ohio Volunteer Infantry. After Jesse married Rachel, they moved to Lenawee County, Michigan, and they had a large family including six sons and two daughters. Jesse Parker died in August of 1908. Rachel Parker died on March 17, 1937.Jesse and Rachel Parker are buried in the Weston Village Cemetery in Fairfield Township of Lenawee County, Michigan.