My Young Cousin Takes an Interest in Family History

October was Family History and this year it started out in an awesome way. On September 30, my Cousin Lisa messaged me a photo of her oldest son, age 12, reading a family history book that I made for him when he was born. It's a series of brief biographies about our shared branch of his family tree. When a 12 year-old takes an interest in family history, anything really, you have to strike when the iron is hot and so a few days later he and I had a video chat about the family's history.

He seemed especially interested about my grandpa, his great grandpa. Oh I could tell him stories. I used to spend a month every summer with my grandpa at his home in Florida when I was in my teens.

My young cousin also expressed interest in looking at the old documents. Oooh, I've got them too.

I am now in the process of writing up a few more profiles on a handful of our ancestors. I have learned a lot more in the last 12 years and have collected a great deal of documents since then. Thus far, I have sent him one package including an updated biography on my great grandmother, his great-great, Mayme Sharp-Gardner (October 2, 1891 - January 25, 1961). 

I am presently writing about her paternal grandmother's line, the Moores of St. Felix-de-Kingsey, Quebec by way of Londonderry, New Hampshire of Scottish extraction. They are an interesting lot - the had family members who were Early American settlers, who served in the American Revolution (at the surrender of Burgoyne), as well as some who perished in the Glencoe Massacre in Glencoe, Scotland in 1692.

I also encouraged my young cousin to sit down with his paternal grandma and work on building his dad's family tree. I didn't want to say it like this but... grandparents don't last forever. You need to talk to your elder family member while you can. As far as I can tell, his paternal grandma's family stretches back a long way in the area that he presently lives in. I know what that is like; I live a stone's throw from where my father's family settled nearly 400 years ago. Their history is right around you. Perhaps my young cousin and his grandma could even visit a few local cemeteries where his ancestors are buried. 

Again, once their interest is piqued, you have to strike while the iron is hot. I'm excited!! I have more info headed his way this month.

Where Did You Go, Lydia?

I have been looking at my tree, considering what family stories I want to record and realizing that there are some ancestors I truly struggle finding any information on, and I kind of want to record that for posterity too; what I don't know and can't seem to discover.

My research into my maternal line I have done with little to no guidance. I am estranged from my mother. My maternal grandmother passed before I was born and my maternal grandfather didn't really discuss the past. Reluctant to talk about his family history, I didn't really dig into his line until after he died in 2004.

One year I set the goal to find the names of all my 3rd great grandparents. I did it. With most of the discoveries came dates of birth and death if nothing else about their lives. However, some of those dates escape me. One in particular that plaques me is the date of death for my 3rd great grandmother Lydia Marie McLean-Sharp. 

She was born on September 15, 1868 in Barnston, Quebec to Elizabeth Walker-McLean and Donald McLean. I know that from her baptismal registration in the Quebec, Canada, Vital and Church Records otherwise known as the Drouin Collection; a rather thorough resource of vital statistics given the time and place of their creation. She was baptized at the Church of England in Hatley, Quebec, not far from Barnston.

For the life of me I cannot find her date of death though. I have combed through those Drouin records a million times; page by page. Index be damned. Maybe there was some mistranscription of something. Page by page in the narrow time period she must have died in, I find nothing in any of the records for that church or any of the other churches where other relatives had their sacraments of baptism, marriage, and burial. I don't know where she went and it drives me batty.

I see her in the 1911 Census of Canada, listed as 38 years-old and widowed, although I believe she would have been 43 at the time. She was living with her two children, Mayme (my great grandmother) and Daniel James Sharp Jr. in the house of a cousin, Calvin Moore. Then no mention of Lydia again. I think she had to have passed before 1916 when her son Dan enlists in WWI and lists his sister as his next of kin.

Lydia was widowed on October 12, 1898, when her husband, Daniel Sharp Sr., 46 years her senior dies in St. Felix-de-Kingsey, Quebec. Yeah, he was 46 years older than her. 46 and a half years older. Don't get me started. It grosses me out too.

Lydia was young when she was widowed. Maybe she remarried? Moved away? Canadians have this great habit of retaining the woman's maiden name though, in their vital records and on their headstones. A headstone would have likely read "Lydia McLean wife of Daniel Moore." Even so, I still think she died before Dan Jr. enlisted otherwise I think he would have listed his mom as his next of kin. 

She had to have died young too, between 43 and 48. Did she? Where did you go Lydia? What record sets do I even look in? 

A Visit to My Patriot

This past March, my cousin Pete and I ventured up to Vermont to visit his aunt. On our way home, we stopped into Forest Hill Cemetery, in East Derry, New Hampshire, where my Moor/Moore ancestors are interred. The Moores are on my maternal side, not the side I share with Cousin Pete but he happily joins me on a lot of my cemetery jaunts. In fact we did a cemetery marathon which you can hear more about in this presentation I did for Allen County Public Library's Genealogy Center, called Victor Henry's Headstone: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nw53oHpcfgA

Anyway...

My great-great-great grandmother, Annie Moore-Sharp (About 1782 - January 14, 1868) was born in this area of New Hampshire. She died in St. Felix-de-Kingsey, Quebec, Canada. 

Her father, my 4th great grandfather, William Moore (About 1763 – July 1817), and her mother, Eleanor Moore-Moore (About 1767 – October 19, 1836), were also born in New Hampshire and died in Quebec. 

Yes, Eleanor's maiden name was also Moore. She and her husband, William, were actually first cousins. Yeah, grosses me out too but whatever... They were the grandchildren on John Moor (About 1683 - January 24, 1774) and Janet Gray-Moor (About 1687 - March 8, 1776). Actually, I am not confident about Janet's maiden name. She may have been a Cochrane. Both she and John were said to be born in Antrim County, Northern Ireland, making them my European immigrant ancestors on this line of my family tree. They arrived in the New World from Northern Ireland in about 1724.

Eleanor was the daughter of Colonel Daniel Moore (February 11, 1730 - April 13, 1811). William was the son of Lieutenant Colonel Robert Moore (May 26, 1726 -  October 25, 1778).  Daniel and Robert were brothers who served in the American Revolution. 5th great grandpa, Robert, is buried in this Forest Hill Cemetery along with his wife, parents, and several children. His brother, Colonel Daniel is buried in Old Bedford Cemetery in Bedford, New Hampshire about 15 miles northwest of East Derry.

Back in June of 2012, when I first discovered these patriots in my family tree, I had some dear friends of mine visit this cemetery to look for my family's headstones for me. An odd request, as I tend to do cemetery visits for myself but it just so happened that at the time my friends, Andrea and Laszlo, were visiting his parents who lived in, guess where? That's right!  Derry, NH. What the heck, right? Such a small world that these friends had family in a town that my family helped to settle.

That's right, my ancestors helped to settle Derry, NH. In April 1719, sixteen Presbyterian Scotch-Irish families settled there. Then known as Nutfield, the settlement became Londonderry in 1722, shortly before my Moores arrived. Then in 1827 it became Derry. The Moores arrived there in about 1727, only a few short years after their arrival on this continent. One reason the settlement is noteworthy is that in the first year, 1719, a field was planted, known as Common Field, where it is said that the first potato was grown in North America. Nom, nom, nom!

East Derry was also home to Alan Shepard, yup, first American to travel into space. Anyway... we were in East Derry. Well, we were AT East Derry; my ancestors are IN East Derry...buried in it.

Initially, my friends weren't so sure they'd be able to find the graves of my ancestors. Sometimes it does take a lot of time to find graves in a cemetery, especially if it lacks a directory or someone on the staff present to help you find the headstone.

Nine out of 10 times my relatives don't even have headstones. They were generally poor people who couldn't afford stones. In any case, Andrea and Laszlo were kind of astonished that the headstones from the late 1700s were still there. I was kind of astonished that they were astonished. In Hungary, though, where Andrea and Laszlo were raised, gravesites must be financially maintained by the family in order to stay intact. A very foreign concept to Americans who own their family plots for perpetuity.

In any case, Andrea and Laszlo found my family's graves right away because they are the very first grave as you come through the cemetery's main gate. They had told me that but I didn't quite believe it until I visited and sure enough - they haven't moved. My 6th great grandparents, John Moor (About 1683 - January 24, 1774) and Janet Moor (About 1687 - March 8, 1776), are the first grave as you come through the gate.

John's headstone of the left reads:

HERE LYES THE BODY

OF MR JOHN MOOR

HE DEPARTED THIS 

LIFE JAN 24 1774

AGE 91 YEARS

Janet's headstone on the right reads:

HERE LYES THE BODY

OF MRS JENIT MOOR

WED TO MR JOHN MOOR

SHE DIED MARCH

THE 8TH 1776 IN

THE 89TH YEAR OF

HER AGE

Not far from them lies their son Lt. Col. Robert Moore (May 22, 1724 - October 25, 1778), my 5th great grandfather:

My 7th great grandfather's headstone, Samuel Moor (1655 - 1734), also known as Charter Samuel Moor I:

You can see Samuel was born in Argyll, Scotland and his son, John, above, was born in Northern Ireland. The family was part of the Clan McDonald of Glencoe. In fact, Samuel's nephew, Charter John Moore II (February 13, 1692 - 1741), not to be confused with Samuel's son John, is said to be born on the night of the infamous Massacre of Glencoe; the same night his father, also named John Moor, was slaughtered. So yeah, 7th great grandpa Samuel had a brother, son, and nephew, all named John Moor. Not real creative with the names, these Moors, which makes for some real confusion in one's research.

This is Charter John Moore II's headstone, first cousin to my 6th great grandfather John Moor:

You can tell the stone above is a modern day headstone. I assume it replaced an older stone or maybe it was never marked at all.

 

Below is the headstone of my 7th great grandmother, Mary Partridge-Moor (1660 - 1733), wife of "Charter" Samuel Moor 1:

I like her flying skull. Classic iconography of the time. Also called "death's head", it is thought to symbolize one's physical death and their spiritual regeneration.

There are actually about 80 Moors and Moores listed on FindAGrave buried in Forest Hill Cemetery. I am sure most, if not all of them are connected in some way. I'd love to examine the cemetery closer and unpuzzle the connection between them all, especially those buried so close together in the oldest section of the cemetery. Maybe some day I'll have the time to do that. Time is fleeting though, isn't it? Isn't that what cemeteries remind us?

Sadly, my friends' father-in-law/step-father, who they had been visiting in East Derry back in 2012, passed away in October 2016. He too is buried in this cemetery, not far from where my Moors are. So I got to visit his grave as well. I love that Michael is so close to my family. Just feels right. 
 

52 Ancestors Challenge Week 29: "Fun Facts" - A list of 10

Here are some fun facts I have in my family history:

1. My parents grew up next door to each other. 

That's not an expression. They literally lived next door to each other.

2. I come from a long line of seafaring men yet just looking at the ocean can make me seasick. 

Both my grandpas served in the navy in WWI. My great grandpa, Abram Earle (January 13, 1891 - November 18, 1973) started building his own boat. His father, my great-great grandfather, Abraham Earle (About 1849 - Fall 1890), died at sea abroad a ship called The Rise and Go in Newfoundland. Abraham's father-in-law, my 3rd great grandfather, Reuben Samms (About 1830 - October 7, 1869), also died at sea during a seal hunt. Another of my 3rd great grandfathers, John M. Losee (August 17, 1841 - February 10, 1918), had a brother, Leander L. Losee (November 8, 1846 - April 23, 1917), who served in the Navy during the American Civil War and was captain of a life saving station along the south shore of Long Island. And yet another 3rd great grandpa, John Aloysius Joyce (February 11, 1829 - September 30, 1910), served in the U.S. Navy during the Mexican-American War (mid-1840s) at 16 years-old as a cabin boy on the U.S.S. Potomac. Boat people! I'm queasy just writing this.

3.  My family has multiple children born on their parent's birthday. 

My grandmother was married on her 20th birthday and then had her 3rd child on the same date 5 years later, February 27. That son's ex-wife had their second child on her birthday, June 2. My grandma's brother, Robert, had his first child on his birthday, October 21.

4. My mother, my paternal aunt, and my step-mother were all in the same graduating class at the same high school.

5. My father's sister married his best friend from high school. 

6. Both my brother-in-laws were best friends in high school too. 

And get this, those boys when to the same high school as mom, Aunt Jane, and my step-mom.

7. I have a pair of aunts who married brothers.

Also, my great-great grandmother, Flora Smith-Losee (Mar 1875 - September 1, 1920), and her a sister, Melinda Smith-Losee (November 1, 1869 - August 19, 1955) married brothers; John M. Losee Jr. (March 25, 1870 - May 24, 1940) and Oliver Combs Losee (May 3, 1868 - February 10, 1937), respectively.

8. I have two 5th great grandfathers who served in the American Revolution; Colonel Daniel Moore (February 11, 1730 - April 13, 1811) and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Moore (May 22, 1724 - October 27, 1778).

And... they were brothers whose children married. Yeah my 4th great grandfather, William Moore (1763 - July 1817), and 4th great grandmother, Eleanor Moore (1767 - October 19, 1836), were 1st cousins.

9. William and Eleanor Moore helped settled the area of St. Felix-de-Kingsey, Quebec, Canada in 1803.

"Settler" is just a term for people showing up and building a house, typically to colonize the area and thus, typically European white people were settlers.

10. I descend from the man who settled Freeport, Long Island in 1659; Edward Raynor (1624 - 1685). 

52 Ancestors Challenge Week 14: "Check It Out" - My Annotated Bibliography of Publish Local and Family Histories

As a librarian, this week's theme of "Check It Out", of course, makes me think of library books. There are several wonderful published family histories that I have discovered about various lines of my family tree. And, like a librarian, here is my annotated bibliography for you. These come straight from my personal library. You'll have to forgive me my formatting. Blogger doesn't allow me to create hanging indents:

Berger, Antony R. The Good and Beautiful Bay: A History of Bonne Bay to Confederation and a Little Beyond. St. John's, NL: Flanker Press Limited, 2014.

This book is about the history of the Bonne Bay region of western Newfoundland, in the heart of Gros Morne National Park. It encompasses the communities of Woody Point and Norris Point where my great-great grandmother, Sarah Samms-Earle-Bromley (October 13, 1857 - March 20, 1899), was born and where she lived until she married my great-great grandfather, Abraham Earle (1849 - 1890) of Twillingate, Newfoundland. Sarah and her parents are mentioned in the text by name but my favorite detail is on page 95-96. "Across the tickle [that is what Newfoundlanders say for a narrow salt water channel] from Norris Point is Gadds Harbour...When families moved, their houses commonly went, with them, as did the Sammses' in Gadds Harbour..." To the right of that statement is the photo below of my family's home bobbing across the water and a caption above which read "The Samms house, the last in Gadds Harbour, was floated across The Tickle to Norris Point (Woody Point Collection)." Remarkable, right?

Evans, Calvin. Master Shipbuilders Of Newfoundland And Labrador, Volume 1: Cape Spear to Boyd's Cove. St. John's, NL: Breakwater Books Ltd., 2013.

If you have family from the province of Newfoundland and Labrador, you likely have a shipbuilder somewhere in your family tree. This author explores every coast, bay, and harbor around the "Rock" chronicling each craftsman's productivity. I only own Volume 1. Chapter 5 covers The Straight Shore and "Fogo, Twillingate, and Morton's Harbour" where my Earles came from. Page 204 mentions John Earle of Farmer's Arm. I am not sure how I am related to John but that is where my great grandfather was born. I am certain I am related. I think the John they speak of could be my great grandfather Abram Thomas Earle's first cousin, John Earle (August 11, 1863 - May 8, 1913). It names 4 ships he built between 1900 and 1908: The first, name not recorded but was built for John B. Lock of Twillingate, then there was the Invincible, Snowbird, and the John Earle.

Flynn, Michael F. Historic Bay Roberts: Not Your Typical Small Town. St. John's, NL: Flanker Press, 2011.

The first paragraph on page 2 of this books begins, "John Earle, Sr. was born on November 1, 1678, in Poole, Dorset, England but moved to Newfoundland..." Now I'm not sure that is my ancestor but my great-great-great grandfather Elias Earle was born in about 1808 somewhere in Newfoundland and died in Twillingate, Newfoundland on February 28, 1875. Twillingate is less than 250 miles from Bay Roberts, Newfoundland. So do I think there is a connection between my Elias and that John - - yeah, probably, which is why this book is in my collection.

History of Bedford New Hampshire from 1737: Being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 1900. Concord, NH: The Rumford Printing Company, 1903.

The first time I encountered this book was online through Google Books but I have since purchased a reprint of it. Since then it has also been digitized and made available through Ancestry.com. My Moore family ancestors were early settlers of Bedford, NH as well as Londonderry (now Derry), NH. Lineages and stories about the family are scattered through out this 1100+ page book. My favorite part, though is the list of illustrations that directs the reader to page 480 and an image of Col. Daniel Moore's house and Moore's Tavern. A tavern you say. That explains some things. The images do not reproduce well so in short, these structure existed during the American Revolution. Daniel Moore, sometimes with the silent "e" and sometimes without, was my 5th great grandfather and a colonel in the American Revolution, present at the surrender of General Burgoyne.

Lore, Gordon and Hector Earle. The Earles of Newfoundland and Labrador.  St. John's, NL: DRC Publishing, 2015.

The title kind of says it all. This book does not make much mention of my particular line of Earles. Earle is an old, rather common surname in Newfoundland. On page 174, though, the author lists my great-great grandfather, Abraham Earle ( About 1849 - 1890) who died aboard a ship called the Rise and Go. On page 180 my great grandfather, Abram Thomas Earle (January 13, 1891 - November 18, 1973) is listed, stating he was the son of Abraham and Sarah Samms-Earle of Twillingate. The details of both entries are not entirely accurate but does not diminish the richness of details included within the resource.

Moore, George Washington. Genealogy of the Moore family of Londonderry, New Hampshire and Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1648-1924.  Peterborough, N.H. : Transcript Print. Co., 1925.

Again, I first encountered this book was online through Google Books but I have since purchased a reprint of it. It has also been digitized and made available through Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. And this really, really follows my particular line of the Moores for multiple generations. It is more of a giant pedigree chart than a story though. I kind of like the books that have more story to them.

The book starts with John Moore (1648 - February 12, 1692) who was a member of the McDonald Clan of Glencoe, Scotland and who was killed there in a massacre by the Clan Campbell, a rather famous conflict. I am not 100% sure if I am descended from this man or his brother, Samuel. The dates of birth and death seem to vary from resource to resource. I know these are my people though. My research through documentation leads clearly from me to Col. Daniel Moore (February 11, 1730 - April 13, 1811), colonel in the American Revolution, from Londonderry, now Derry, NH

Moore, J. Clifford. The Life and Times of a High School Principal in Rural Quebec. Canada: The Townships Sun, 1996.

This book reflects on my mother's Canadian line, the Moore family, which I have written about quite a bit in my blog. It particularly highlights my 4th great grandparents, William Moore (about 1763 - July 1817) and Eleanor Moore-Moore (about 1767 - October 19, 1836) who were the second pair of settlers to arrive in what is now St. Felix de Kingsey, Quebec, Canada in about 1801 from their birthplace of New Hampshire. On page 56 there is an image of about 25 school children taken in 1912, one of which I believe is my great grandmother's brother, Daniel Sharp, labeled as Dan Sharpe. On pages 105-107, there is a listing of those buried in the Moore Family Cemetery. On that very last page is the entry for my great-great grandfather, Daniel Sharp (March 14, 1822 - October 12, 1898), and his mother, Anne Moore-Sharp (about 1782 - January 14, 1868). I have been to this family cemetery. Although it has fallen into disrepair, it is located right along the St. Francis River, an incredibly beautiful spot to spend eternity if you ask me.

Peyton, Amy Louise. River Lords: Father and Son. St. John's, NL: Flanker Press, 2005.

This book was gifted to me by the homeowner of the AirBnB I stayed in on Farmers Arm, Twillingate in 2018; Kinda-Cousin Charlie. Charlie now owns the land that once belonged to William and John Earle, my great grandfather's uncles. I am not descended from the Peytons of Twillingate, Newfoundland but my great grandfather, Abram Earle's brother-in-law was Edgar Paint Peyton (February 14, 1877 - October 20, 1964). Edgar was the man who surveyed Charlie's land when it belonged to my Earles.

Edgar was number 7 of 10 children of Thomas Peyton (December 28, 1827 - September 5, 1912). Thomas's personal journals are featured prominently in the book and include reflections on stories told to him by his father, John Peyton the younger. (Baptized January 21, 1793 - July 25, 1879), about his grandfather, John Peyton the elder (1747 - About 1827 or 1829), including descriptions of the variety of economic activities pursued by John Sr. in the predominantly dried-cod economy of  Notre Dame Bay. It is a blend of regional and family history based primarily on private Peyton family papers in the author possession which had not been previously available to academics. 

Although the author does try to dispel the shameful narratives previously written about the atrocities committed by the Peytons, especially John Sr., against the native peoples, the Beothuks, Amy Louise Peyton's direct connection to the main characters paints a unique image of Atlantic pioneers.

Potter, Ralph Kimball. Early Southards of New York and New Jersey. [Place of publication not identified]: [publisher not identified], 1974.

Not every book I have is about my Canadian ancestors but apparently most are, this one is not. Three years ago the College I work for was celebrating the centennial of its first graduating class. The valedictorian of the class of 1919 was Bradford Southard of Freeport, New York. When I tracked down his daughter to invite her to campus I mentioned to her that we were probably related. My family settled Freeport and Southard is an old Long Island family name. After discussing her family history, I came across this book in the library collection of Wantagh Public Library. It helped me to piece together not only Bradford's family line but my own as well. Thomas Southard (1615-1688) is my 9th great grandfather. 

Publish histories can be just as flawed as anyone's Ancestry family tree. Authors should provide the sources from which they have taken their names, dates, and details but often they do not. A published family history though, can be rich with information about the area and culture from which your family came. In short, such sources should not be ignored; scrutinized but not ignored.

52 Ancestors Challenge Week 7: "Landed" - great-great grandpa, Daniel Sharp's Moore Line

It is very common for American's to hyphenate their ethnicity. We're kind of obsessed with it and, dare I say, hung up on our ethnic identities. The irony of American culture, if you ask me, is that while we pride ourselves on being an immigrant nation, and yet, historically we are not very fond or accepting of the newcomers, also known as immigrants. 

I don't really identify as a hyphenated American. I don't say I am Irish-American or German-American, etc., although I am. I descend from a bunch of ethnic groups. I don't feel especially any ethnicity. I just say I am an American because I am. It's where I was born and my people have been here a long time. A long time. I'm just American.

I do not know when all of my ancestors arrived on this continent, or "landed" as it were. If I reflect on my most recent immigrant ancestors, though, I am Canadian-American. Canada, though, is also a nation of immigrants, although Americans really do not think of our neighbors to the north as equal in that way. If I didn't do genealogy research I would know little to nothing of Canadian history. Before researching my Canadian ancestors I thought of Canada as the place where the un-American went; 1970s draft dodgers, British Loyalists who lost the Revolution, people who couldn't get into the U.S. because of immigration quotas.

All of my grandparents were born in the U.S.; a stone's throw from where I live now. All of them were born in New York. Only two of my great grandparents weren't born in New York; they were born in what is now Canada. Great grandpa Abram Thomas Earle was born in Twillingate, Newfoundland. At the time of his birth, Newfoundland was a British colony so technically he was never Canadian. Which brings me to my maternal line and my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Sharp-Gardner, who has frequently been recorded as "Mayme" and who is my most recent immigrant arriving in Lowell, Massachusetts in about 1919.

Mayme was born October 2, 1891 near Drummondville, Quebec to Lydia Ann McLean-Sharp and Daniel Sharp. Although they lived in Quebec, an area dominated by French inhabitants, records (and her maiden name) identify this family as being of Scottish origin. With my very American mindset of believing those who live in Canada are "un-American", you will understand my awe when I discovered that this line links me to 2 American Patriots. Yes! Two! Two men who served in the American Revolution, not as British Loyalists but as American Patriots.

So how did this line wind up in Canada? I'll get to that.

My great grandmother Mayme's father, Daniel Sharp (1822-1898), was named after his great grandfather, Daniel Moore (1730-1811). Make that Colonel Daniel Moore.

Here is a little snippet of my tree to help you follow who I am writing about:

You will notice that Daniel Sharp's mother, Annie Moore-Sharp (1782-1868) was the offspring of William Moore (1763-1817) & Eleanor Moore-Moore (1767-1836) (and Moore and Moore and Moore - hee hee). William and Eleanor were first cousins. Their father's were brothers. Robert Moor (1724-1778) - correction: Lieutenant Colonel Robert Moore and Colonel Daniel Moor (1730-1811) both served in the American Revolution and both were sons of John Moor (1683-1774) & Janet Gray-Moor (1685-1776). You will also probably notice that the spelling of Moore also appears as Moor. But whatever, people, spelling is fluid, we just need to accept that.

John Moor (1683-1774), my 6th great grandfather, was born in Colerain, Antrim, Ireland but his father, my 7th great grandfather, Samuel Moor (1655-1734), was born in Glencoe, Argyle, Scotland and is from the Clan MacDonald of Glencoe. Samuel's brother, also named John, was killed in the infamous Massacre of Glencoe on February 13, 1692.

It was my 7th great grandfather, Samuel Moor, who settled in Londonderry, New Hampshire, now Derry, New Hampshire in the 1720s. His son John followed a few years after him. Robert and Daniel were both born in New Hampshire. So I guess that makes me Scottish-Irish-American-Canadian-American. Anyway - -

There is that kind of "landed," when Samuel and John stepped off the ships onto the earth of the New World and then there is being granted land which, I suppose, is an odd interpretation of the theme "landed" but exactly how my Moore family wound up in Canada. They received a land grant. Now I can't actually find any documentation of a land grant but I have several published family histories that state such.

These include:

Moore, George Washington. 1925. Genealogy of the Moore family of Londonderry, New Hampshire and Peterborough, New Hampshire, 1648-1924.

History of Bedford New Hampshire from 1737: Being statistics compiled on the occasion of the one hundred and fiftieth anniversary of the incorporation of the town, May 15, 1900.

And my favorite: 

Moore, J. Clifford. 1996. The life and times of a high school principal in rural Quebec. 

The consensus is that in 1802, when William and Eleanor were in their mid-to-late 30s, they left their home in Londonderry, New Hampshire and settled in Kinsey, Quebec. As French families moved into the area, the town's name was changed to its present day name, St. Felix-de-Kinsey. French Catholics like to slap a saint on to the places they live.

All that remains of their once beautiful farm and homestead is the Moore Family Cemetery across the road, along the east bank of the St. Francis River. In 1996, Clifford Moore noted in his book that the cemetery was still well maintained by the community. On my visit there in August of 2019 it did not appear to be well maintained.

However, it was an incredibly beautiful piece of land they lived on. This is the view of the St. Francis River from the grave of my great great grandfather, Daniel Sharp, and his mother Annie Moore-Sharp.

52 Ancestors Challenge Week 8: "Courting" - great-great grandparents, Daniel Sharp and Lydia McLean-Sharp

Last week I wrote about my great-great grandfather, Daniel Sharp (1822-1896), and his maternal line, the Moore Family of Londonderry, New Hampshire. This week's theme of "Courting" brings me back to Daniel.

Daniel Sharp was born on March 18, 1822 to Annie Moore-Sharp (1782-1868) and Peter Sharp (1783-unknown). His second wife, my great-great grandmother, Lydia McLean-Sharp was born on September 15, 1868. Oh yeah, that's not a typo. When they married on July 25, 1891 Daniel was 69 years old; Lydia was 22. Three months later their first child, my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" Sharp-Gardner, was born. You do the math.

The Moore line is where my American Revolutionary War soldiers are; Colonel Daniel Moore and Lieutenant Colonel Robert Moore. When I applied to become a member of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), I did so primarily to have a reputable lineage organization validate my research. No one on my line had gotten into the DAR before. Many members enter the organization based on the fact that their mother, or grandmother, were members. When you apply that way, you just have to document your connection to a previous member. I had to document my lineage all the way back to Colonel Daniel Moore. He was already an accepted Patriot but I had to document the birth, marriage, and death of 8 generations of my family.

1. Colonel Daniel Moore (1730-1811) married Ann Cox (1729-1804) begat

2. Eleanor Moore (1767-1836) m. William Moore (1763-1817) begat

3. Annie Moore (1786-1867) m. Peter Sharp (1783- unknown) begat

4. Daniel Sharp (1822-1898) m. Lydia McLean (1868- unknown) begat

5. Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" Sharp (1891-1961) m. Albert Gardner (1891-1946) begat

6. Clarence Albert Gardner (1927-2004) m. Marilyn Irene Fay (1931-1972) begat

7. my mom who married my dad 

8. and then me

Again, I had to include birth, marriage, and death record for every individual named above. Even with the marriage registration in hand the DAR questioned the validity of Daniel and Lydia's marriage. 

What young woman marries someone 47 years older her? 

Well, Lydia did. 

And they had 2 children together; my great grandmother Mayme and her younger brother, Daniel Sharp (1895-1974). 

My great-great grandfather, Daniel, had been married once before to a woman named Mary Ames. Little is known about her. She appears in the 1861 Census of Canada married to Daniel, as well as in the 1871 and 1881. She appears to have been approximately 9 years older than Daniel. She died on July 6, 1890 at the age of 78. 

In the 1891 Census of Canada, Daniel is living with Lydia but she is listed as his "niece". WHAT?!?! I'll explain. It should be noted first though, that on the date that census is taken, April 28, 1891, Daniel and Lydia are not yet wed and great grandma Mayme is not yet born.

So did Daniel marry his niece? Well, kind of.

Daniel's first wife, Mary Ames-Sharp (1812-1890), was the daughter of John Ames (1790-1819) and Hannah Lester-Ames (1796-unknown). After John died in 1819, Mary's mother Hannah remarried to Archibald McLean (1792-1884). 

See that McLean name? 

Yeah. 

Well, Archibald McLean and Hannah Lester-Ames-McLean are the grandparents of Lydia McLean-Sharp. Daniel Sharp, my great-great grandfather, married his first wife's half-brother's daughter. 

Such an arrangement, in my mind, was likely just that, an arrangement. Lydia, who was the daughter of Donald McLean (1821-unknown) and Elizabeth Walker-McLean (1842-1871), probably went to live with her uncle (well, half-uncle by marriage), after he was widowed. At that point Daniel was well into his 60s and Lydia was probably, initially, his caregiver. The one child he had with his first wife, also named Mary Sharp (1844-1869), died very young. Note that Lydia was significantly younger than Daniel's daughter would have been. Sheesh.

What was that courting like? 

Daniel would have been alone after his first wife died. Perhaps he married Lydia so that she could inherit his property. That being said though, she would have been about 6 months pregnant when they married. And they did have 2 children together. One would hope there was a loving relationship there. I hope there was but there are no accounts of the life they lived together. It is indeed a relationship I wonder about and I struggle to find out what happened to Lydia after Daniel passed in October 1896. 

Moore Family Cemetery, St. Felix de Kingsey, Quebec

This month I was fortunate enough to travel with Cousin Ashlee and Cousin Bitzy (Elizabeth by birth, Liz to her friends, she will always be Bitzy to me) to Montreal for a weekend. They are cousins on my father's side of the family but Montreal is a homeland of my maternal side. 

We took this trip in part because I really wanted to see a tiny family cemetery abandoned in the woods. I guess that sounds creepy but every since I learned of this location I wanted to see it. We were joined by my father's cousin Roseann on our adventure to find the cemetery. 

The Moore Family Cemetery is the final resting place of my great-great grandfather, Daniel Sharp (14 March 1822 - 12 October 1898) who was the son of Annie Moore (about 1873 - 14 January 1868) and Peter Sharp (about 1783 - unknown) of St. Felix de Kingsey, Quebec. My 3rd great-grandmother, Annie, is also buried in this cemetery as well as her brother, Daniel Moore. 

Annie was born in New Hampshire. It is her line that leads to my American Revolutionary patriots. Peter was apparently born near Massina, New York; up near the St. Lawrence River. Their son Daniel was a shocking 46 years older than his wife, my great-great grandmother, Lydia McLean-Sharp. Ugh. Their union, though, resulted in two children, the eldest of which was my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" Sharp-Gardner; the mother of my maternal grandfather.

I assume this land was once the property of my Moore ancestors and what a lovely piece of property it is.I suspect that all the souls interred in this small wooded cemetery are related to me in some way but I haven't pieced them all together just yet.

Someone has documented the cemetery on FindAGrave.com and I am so incredibly grateful to them for having done so because they provided the GPS coordinates making it exceedingly easy to find this tiny wooded cemetery.

The entire cemetery consists of 9 headstone which document 14 individuals. Many of the stones are either vandalized or perhaps just falling down due to age and lack or care. 

Daniel and Annie's headstone is one that is broken.

It was also evident that someone was camping or perhaps even living in this old abandoned family cemetery. I can't really blame them the view of the river from this point is magnificent. 

I wouldn't mind a burial location like this for myself; one in which my relatives could have such a magnificent views in a quiet, peaceful place. I'd hope for less mosquitoes though. Sorry about your bites, Bitzy.

More Moors

Several years ago, late June of 2012 to be more precise, some of my very best friends, Andrea and Laszlo, were visiting Laszlo's mother in New Hampshire. It was at that time that I discovered my connection to an American Revolution Patriot; two in fact, my 5th great grandfathers, Colonel Daniel Moor and his brother, Robert Moor. Yeah, one set of my 4th great grandparents were 1st cousins. Daniel's daughter, Eleanor, married Robert's son, William.

It just so happened that Daniel and Robert were buried in Derry, NH right where my friends were vacationing. At my request, their family went trampling around Forest Hills Cemetery looking for headstones of my ancestors. 

Forest Hills Cemetery is where Robert Moor is interred as well as his parents, my 6th great grandparents, John Moor and Janet Grey-Moor.

On my recent road trip to Maine, New Brunswick, Prince Edward Island, and Nova Scotia with Cousin Kelly and Cousin Peter, we made our way home through New Hampshire and stopped at the cemetery where Colonel Daniel Moor is interred; Old Bedford Cemetery on Back River Road.

This here is an aerial shot of the cemetery. My Moors are located at the top of the diamond here:

Early settlers of Londonderry, NH, now known as Derry, NH, were buried here. This includes many Moor family members.

To give you an idea how the size of these headstone that appear as little black dots above, here is a photo of Cousin Kelly standing in front of Colonel Daniel's stone:

I am much shorter than Cousin Kelly. Basically, the large stone here is my height; 4' 10".

It is a little hard to read but here is the face of the stone:

A more curious stone to me was this one below. It was tucked off in the corner but right near this family's section. It was that of Peter Moor, a "Negro Servant of William Moor, Elder. He died July 9th, 1790 In the 39th year of his age.":

I do believe William Moor Elder, the term they used then to mean Sr., was the brother of Colonel Daniel but I have to put a little more research into sorting out the mesh of Moors in my family tree and Derry.

Accepted!!

Today I received word from the genealogist for my local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution that my application for membership has been accepted. It took me years of research and documentation. I documented 8 generation. No other woman in this line had ever applied for membership.

Generation 1: Me

Generation 2: My mom.

Generation 3: Her dad.

Generation 4: His mother, my great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth “Mayme” Sharp-Gardner.

 

Generation 5: Her father, my great-great grandfather, Daniel Sharp.

 

Generation 6: His mother, my 3rd great grandmother, Ann Moore.

Generation 7: Her mother, my 4th great grandmother, Eleanor Moore.

b. 1767 in Bedford, New Hampshire

d. October 19, 1836 in Kingsey, Quebec, Canada

m. 1784 to William Moore (b. 1763 in Londonderry, NH  - d. July 8, 1817 in Kingsey, Quebec, Canada)

William and Eleanor were first cousins. Willam, was the son of Lt. Colonel Robert Moore. Eleanor was the daughter of Colonel Daniel Moore of Bedford, NH.

Generation 8: Father of Eleanor Moore, Patriot Colonel Daniel Moore.

The DAR has other members who are known descendents of Daniel Moore but I am the first to submit the lineage of ...

Generation 8. Father of William Moore, Patriot Lt. Colonel Robert Moore.

More, Moor, and Moore DNA-ness

I am totally diggin' on this DNA testing for genealogy research. I was really hesitant to do it for a few reasons:

1. It used to be so much more expensive than it is now but it's still not cheap. I am in a constant state of broke. I spent a good chuck of my life well underpaid and so I exist in a lot of debt. I don't have money to throw away. Family history research is expensive enough with database subscriptions and purchasing vital records.
2. I heard a lot of people who had done the testing were disappointed with the results. They thought it would open up their research so much more than it did so...

Why bother??

But I am not disappointed at all. I am totally fascinated with it. I had been at a point in my research where almost every line had hit a brick wall. Now I am connecting with other researching cousins and totally confirming my research.

In general, I am not a very confident person. Ask any man I've ever dated. I'm not the insecure jealous type really...that's not it. You go be with whoever you want, I don't give a damn...but I am always sort of convinced it's not me. And not in a "woe-is-me" kind of way more in a "now-what-are-you-doing-here" kind of way. But whateve. Why am I telling you this? Oh yeah, lack of confidence. I know I am a good researcher, I know I am a decent writer, but I just doubt and second guess myself constantly.

The great part about this DNA testing though is that it has totally confirmed my research. I had used the example in the past of my 6th cousin once removed, Cousin Mary, and I not connecting with each other through DNA. I was so disappointed but I did connect with someone else who shares the same common ancestors as Cousin Mary and I. That felt great because I had doubts about my Raynor research where as Mary's line was pretty doubtless. So to see my DNA sync me up to someone of the same Raynor line...I was elated; even proud that I had documented that ancestry correctly.

Now I have just had that experience again. And get this...with my patriot line. 

If you have read my blog in the past you may know I researched to get into the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR). I thought I had a patriot based on some bad info and gave up on the thought of becoming a member. I thought I didn't have any direct ancestors who could have been patriots. My dad's line - in my mind - was the one with long standing roots in America and they lived in Loyalist territory during the Revolution. 

Then I stumbled across a patriot in the most unlikely place. I found my patriot, Daniel Moor, on my mother's side which I always think of as my immigrant side because none of the arrived in the 1600s...or so I thought. 

I believed the line I found my patriot on to be a Canadian line. Seems the Moors traipsed back and forth cross the U.S. Canadian boarder for several generations though. By the way, the spelling of that last name takes every imaginable form in my documentation; Moor, Moore, More.

I thought this connection to Daniel Moor was  kind of too good to be true but today I found someone with a DNA match who has researched back to the same couple, John and Janet Moor, Daniel Moor's parents!

What that does is confirm that my research is correct. Someone connecting to that same couple has DNA in common with me. I have patriot DNA! I'm so excited.

Now of course if my father's DNA test come back and matches this same researcher we have a problem because the Moors are on my mom's side. We'll see because right now I am patiently waiting on Dad's results and my sister's. Yes, they each got a kit for the December birthdays. Just what they always wanted!! :-D

We'll see!

Colonel Daniel Moore and the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS)

I recently had the opportunity to visit the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library in Washington D.C. to research my patriot, Col. Daniel Moore of Londonderry, New Hampshire.

I found my patriots (yes, two of them) in an unexpected place on my family tree. My maternal grandfather, Clarence Albert Gardner was born and raised in New York. Both of his parents were of Canadian descent. His father, Albert Gardner was born Almond Desjardins in the Long Island City/Astoria area of Queens County, in the City of New York in 1891. Albert's parents, Damas Desjardins and Malvina Ethier-Desjardins were both born and raised in Montreal but met and married here in the City of New York. My grandpa Clarence's mother, Mayme Sharp-Gardner, was born in Sherebrooke, Quebec, Canada and immigrated to the U.S. around WWI. She arrived in New York by way of Lowell, Massachusetts. When I think about my Grandpa Gardner's lineage I think French Canadian, not American Revolutionary War patriot.

My paternal grandfather, Edwin Earle's lineage can be traced back to early American settlers. I thought for sure this is where my patriot would be, right? Wrong. Grandpa Earle's ancestors lived on Long Island, New York which during the American Revolution was a loyalist stronghold which means they were probably shooting at the patriots. Makes sense if you consider how my mother and father got along but I digress...

No, it was Grandpa Gardner's line where I found my patriot. The line goes like this:

Grandpa:                              Clarence Albert Gardner
Great-grandma:                    Mary Elizabeth "Mayme" Sharp-Gardner
Great-great grandpa :          Daniel Sharp
3rd great grandma:              Ann Moore-Sharp
4th great grandparents:       Eleanor Moore and William Moore
5th great grandpas:             Patriot Colonel Daniel Moore and Patriot Lt. Colonel Robert Moore

When you trace your family tree you have to move backwards in time from you to your parents, your parents to your grandparents, etc. But for clarity here I will first tell you about Daniel  and Robert Moore and move forward. 

Daniel and his brother Robert were from Londonderry, NH which is now Derry, NH. The sons of John and Janet Moor. Daniel was at the surrender of Saratoga, NY; a pretty monumental British defeat. His brother, Robert Moore, also served in the Revolution. His line is less well-documented though. To explain some of the search process on the DAR website I will focus on Daniel.

Daniel had a daughter, Eleanor who married Robert's son, William Moore in about 1784. Yes, they were first cousins which was a common, socially-acceptable practice back then; to marry a cousin. Nowadays we cringe at the thought but back then it was common.

Eleanor and William moved from New Hampshire to an area of Quebec known as Kingsey. In fact, they were the second settlers to move to the area now known as St. Felix-de-Kingsey not far from Drummondville, Quebec.

Most Americans tend to think that people who emigrate to Canada do so because they have anti-American feelings. This is not always true but yes, it is the case. For example, during the Vietnam era some Americans headed to our neighbors in the north to avoid being drafted. Canada, though, is a beautiful country and many people move there for many reasons. Eleanor and William went there for land. 

It wasn't until 3 generations later, when my great grandmother moved to Lowell, Massachusetts, and that this line returned to the United States.

Now let's get down to brass tacks here. How does one use the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS) online. Well, first go to the website: http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?tab_id=0  or DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS).
 
I'll tell you just the tiniest bit of how to get started on the DAR website. The second tab you will see is "Ancestor." Click on that and you will be presented with several search boxes. When constructing a search sometimes less is more; or in my case "Moor." 

The Moore family name sometimes appears as Moore, More, or Moor. Like marrying your first cousin, spelling didn't really count back then; nowadays we're all caught up on spelling. I get ticked when someone leaves the "e" off the end of my last name; Earle. In genealogy research though you have to let go of your modern day connection to spelling. In any case...

I did a search of the DAR Ancestor page for Last Name: Moor, First Name: Daniel, State: NH. This search returned the records of two Daniel Moores who are often mixed up in records. I am of the first Daniel Moore; the one born in Londonderry, NH on February 11, 1730 and who died April 13, 1811 in Bedford, New Hampshire.

In the search results there is a button called "See Ancestor Record." By clicking on that, one can view a list of accepted applicants listed by their national application number. Daniel has a list of 47 national numbers; that means 47 women have joined the DAR based on linking their ancestry to Col. Daniel Moore. Those are my cousins; none of which I know and none of which are descended from the same grandchild of Daniel as I am. I am descended from Ann Moore. Some of the member are descended from Eleanor and William like I am. Of those, some are descended from Ann's sister Elizabeth and some are descended from Ann's brother Daniel but none are from my Ann.

I will face the challenge of finding documentation that links Ann to her parents Eleanor and William Moore but I will not have to rigorously prove Eleanor to be the daughter of Daniel because the DAR has already accepted this fact.

Now if you want to see what documentation the DAR has accepted on a given patriot and his descendants you're going to have to either order the records or make a visit to the DAR Library in Washington D.C. I recommend the visit if you can because there, for a $6/day visiting researcher fee, you can view everything they have and print it all out for $0.25/ page. If you order it online it cost $15/ application and some packets contain more information than others. There is no guarantee that your $15 will provide you with any supportive documentation. $15 is one think if there was one accepted applicant for your patriot; it is another huge investment if you have 47 accepted applicants and you want to see everything. And what researcher doesn't want to see everything?

I say make the trip!

If you have any questions about using the site the "Home" tab provides much more detail than I have given you here about the variety of tabs and resources available to you. 

Happy hunting!