Sharing Genealogy Tips with a Group of Boy Scouts

Recently I had the pleasure of sharing beginning genealogy tips with a lively group of Boy Scouts, ages 11-16. I was amazed at how savvy they were with searching online databases. They were totally at ease with having multiple windows open, and digging right in to see what treasures they could find on Ancestry Library Edition and Family Search. Several of the Scouts used their cell phone to text their parents for ancestors' names and birth and death dates, as they filled out their pedigree charts. I told the Leader that if the Scouts choose to become genealogists, they will definitely be good ones! One of the disadvantages with doing genealogy with a group so young is that we had to go back several generations in order to find a deceased ancestor! (And hopefully, an informative obituary as well.) Not surprising was the fact that several of the young men had blended families and/or had a line about which they had little or no information. When that was the case, I encouraged the youngster to focus on the lines that they were able to learn more about, and perhaps interview family members in depth, to learn more about those ancestors' lives. It was refreshing to see the enthusiasm with which these Scouts dove into doing research for their genealogy merit badge. They have the advantage of having been born into the Information Age, and they already possess a working knowledge of modern technology and tools which are so helpful in doing family history research. One Scout found a picture of his grandfather on an online genealogy website, and another Scout traced his paternal line back to an east coast Pirate!

Seth and Louisa Bardwell

A biographical sketch of Seth E. Bardwell found in HISTORY OF THE WESTERN RESERVE states that his parents Seth and Louisa White Bardwell were both born in Hatfield, Hampshire County, Massachusetts. They came to Ohio in 1833, first to Margaretta Township, but later settled in Groton Township. Mr. Bardwell found his land to be almost covered completely with timber. He cleared the land until it became a "well-improved tract." Seth Bardwell was Democratic in his politics, and was a member of the Universalist Church. He died on March 31, 1863, and he is buried in Graves Cemetery. Mrs. Louisa White Bardwell survived her husband. She died in 1898 at the age of 90.

According to the publication Bardwell/Bordwell Descendants,published by the Robert Bardwell Descendants' American Ancestry (available on Heritage Quest), the parents of Seth Bardwell were Remembrance and Sophia Allis Bardwell. The paternal grandfather of Seth Bardwell was also named Seth Bardwell. The grandfather was born in Hatfield, Massachusetts in 1752, and he died by a "divine stroke of lightning" on June 16, 1795.

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy: Local Societies

The prompt for Week 13 of 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy, from Amy Coffin at We Tree, and hosted by Geneabloggers, is: Local Societies

Local genealogical and historical societies are the lifeblood of genealogy. Members and volunteers give their time and money to preserve local history and promote family history. Tell us about a local society for which you are thankful.

My local genealogical society is the Erie County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society. Meetings are held on the third Monday of the month in March, April, May, September, October, and November, and an annual cemetery picnic is held each June. Members of the chapter answer questions from researchers near and far. In February of 2012, several members of the Erie County Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society (pictured above) assisted in a Genealogy Lock-In at the Sandusky Library. The event, held on a Friday evening, was a terrific success, with folks looking for obituaries, death records, marriage records, military records, census listings, and an array of assorted other genealogical data. Thanks Erie County Chapter, O.G.S., for being such a vital genealogical society here in Northern Ohio!

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun, March 24, 2012

Randy at GeneaMusings has a fun challenge tonight. It is:

Hey geneaphiles - it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!!!

Tonight, we're going to go down memory lane a bit.

1) What was the #1 song on the day you were born? Or on your birthday when you were 18? Or when you married? Or some other important date in your life.

2) Go to http://www.thisdayinmusic.com/birthdayno1 and enter the date and select from UK, US or Australia record lists. Note: the first date available is 1 January 1946.

Alternatively, go to http://www.joshhosler.biz/ and enter the month and date and see a list of songs for each year since 1940.

3) Tell us what your results are (If you are sensitive about your age, don't list the date or year... ) on a blog post of your own, a comment to this post, in a Facebook status line, or in a Google Plus Stream note.

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Since I was born in 1951, I chose that year in at This Day in Music. The song listed as being Number 1 in 1951 was Because of You by Tony Bennett.



Lyrics for this lovely song are found online.

When I see this photo of my family from 1952, I like to think that because my parents loved each other so much, they kept on adding to the family tree.

Even though my folks are now in Heaven, their are now six of their children, twenty grandchildren, and several great grandchildren, all who can trace their beginnings on the "O" side back to Paul & Joyce Orshoski. I am sure they listened to "Because of You" by Tony Bennett many a time during 1951!

Thanks for this fun Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, Randy!

Simplex Radio for 1929-1930

The article above appeared in the March 24, 1929 issue of the Sandusky Register. The 1929-1930 model Simplex radio had a single dial. It was housed in a Louis XVI console, which had Oriental overlays and disappearing doors of burl walnut. I had five 227 tubes and two 245 power tubes. The chassis was constructed from steel and aluminum. Simplex was the predecessor to the Philco Radio Company. The Simplex Radio Company was located at the northeast corner of King and West Monroe in Sandusky, Ohio. Simplex began operations in Sandusky in 1924. In 1944, Philco bought out Simplex. Simplex and Philco provided jobs for hundreds of Sandusky men and women from 1924 through the early 1960s. To read more about Simplex and Philco, see the finding aid for the Philco Radio Company collection from the Sandusky Library Archives Research Center, and this excellent online history of Simplex and Philco.

Abner Lyman, Pioneer Resident of Erie County

Lying flat on the ground at Oakland Cemetery is this tombstone for Abner Lyman, who was an early settler of Erie County, Ohio. Abner Lyman's inscription reads:

Abner Lyman
Died Mar. 22, 1853
Aged 66 y's. 8 mo.
28 d's

At the very base of the tombstone for Abner Lyman is the phrase:

Erected by H.A. Lyman, 1858














An entry in the genealogical book entitled LYLE ANCESTRY gives us some biographical information about Abner Wheeler. He married Eunice Wheeler, of Herkimer County, New York. Abner Lyman settled in Sandusky, Ohio in 1818. He served as a Captain and Major in the Ohio Militia and he was a private at Sackett's Harbor in the War of 1812. The sketch states that Abner Lyman was "one of the earliest settlers of Sandusky; a worthy, estimable man, who enjoyed the respect and confidence of all who knew him." He worked as a millwright and carpenter.

The children of Abner and Eunice (Wheeler) Lyman were: John Lyman, Sophia Lyman, William Henry Lyman, and Hiram Abner Lyman. The H.A. Lyman who erected the tombstone in honor of Abner Lyman was most likely his son, Hiram Abner Lyman. Hiram would go on to live the rest of his life in the Sandusky area, working as the keeper of the lighthouse at Cedar Point until his death in 1901.

CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE by Capt. W.A. Wash

Today while researching another topic, I ran into an amazing book at Google Books. The book is entitled CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE: CONTAINING SKETCHES OF SERVICE IN THE SOUTH, AND THE EXPERIENCE, INCIDENTS AND OBSERVATIONS CONNECTED WITH ALMOST TWO YEARS' IMPRISONMENT AT JOHNSON'S ISLAND, OHIO, WHERE 3,000 CONFEDERATE OFFICERS WERE CONFINED. This title is available full-text at Google Books. The author is W. A. Wash, who was a Captain in the 60th Tennessee Mounted Cavalry. An introduction to the book was provided by General L.M. Lewis, and a thorough medical history of the United States Military Prison at Johnson's Island, Lake Erie, by Col. I.G. Steedman, M.D. is included in the appendix of the book. The Southwestern Book and Publishing Company published CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE in St. Louis, Missouri in 1870.

CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE is also accessible at the Ebook and Texts Archive of the Library of Congress.

On page 84 Capt. Wash tells of taking a steamer from Sandusky to the prison camp at Johnson's Island. He was placed in a block with about other prisoners, and their meals consisted mostly of bread, beef or bacon, coffee, sugar, rice, and hominy. Sundays were rather a lonesome day, since there no specific military duties on that day. The men imprisoned at Johnson's Island had to wash their own clothes. Capt. Wash, along with several other prisoners, made jewelry out of gutta percha buttons. One summer afternoon the "Island Queen" took an excursion to Johnson's Island, and the ladies waved to the prisoners.

On July 10, 1863, Capt. Wash received a package from home. His treasures included some items of clothing, along with pictures of his mother, sister, and grandmother. When new prisoners arrived at Johnson's Island, they brought the latest news to the prisoners. Men died at the prison, and many suffered with illness. Sometimes the men played cards, or games of checker and chess. Several evenings a week during the summer months, prisoners were able to bathe out in the lake. Of course they were closely guarded. In the winter months, the mail was brought to the prison over the ice. Prisoners could see young people ice skating out on the frozen lake.

An evening of entertainment took place on July 22, 1864, at Johnson's Island. It was put on by "The Rebellonians."

Eventually Capt. Wash got transferred to a Southern prison, and he did indeed survive to see the end of the Civil War. In the 1880s, W. A. Wash moved to Goldendale, Oregon, where he was first associated with the Goldendale public schools, and later went into the newspaper business. In 1888, W.A. Wash became editor of the Polk County Itemizer. William A. Wash died in December of 1915, and he was buried in the Lincoln Memorial Park Cemetery in Multnomah County, Oregon.

Photo Credit: Walter Myers, Beaverton, Oregon

If you have time to read through the text of CAMP, FIELD AND PRISON LIFE, you will gain a great deal of insight into the daily life of a soldier in prison during the Civil War. Capt. William A. Wash went to live a very full life. He married and had a daughter. His writings about his war experiences laid the foundation for his future in education and publishing.I am grateful to Capt. Wash for his detailed recollections of a very challenging time in American history.