Randy Seaver’s (Genea-musings) Saturday night Fun are the
last 5 questions from another blogger, Ellen Thompson-Jennings. She had 20
questions total. I’ve edited the questions:
16. DNA or
genealogy? While I enjoy both sides
of research, I’m partial to digging into the story instead of connecting with names.
So I’ll go with genealogy.
17. Will it ever
be done? I have taken breaks, but I
will probably never be done. There is always new records available. Or something new to do – I’m currently
finishing up a book.
18. Have you ever
found your relative on the internet and were surprised at what you found? Oh my yes!
There are two Rice Dunbars in my tree. One Rice Dunbar (b. 1802) was the
captain of a wagon train to Oregon. The
other Rice Dunbar, his nephew, born in 1848, was a Civil War veteran whose wife
is listed as a widow in the 1880 Illinois census. I assumed for 20 years, that he died and was
buried in an unmarked grave 1870-1880.
One day I was looking for information on the first, older
Rice Dunbar in Oregon. Typed in the name and Federal Prison death records
popped up for a Rice Dunbar. Huh? Turns
out the Civil War veteran went to Texas, was convicted of impersonating a (law enforcement)
officer and was a sentenced to the only Federal prison left in the south after
the Civil War.
Hmmm…Rice served for the Union, and in the early 1870’s is in
a southern prison. He didn’t live long. He was out on a work duty one day and
died. The inference is that he was killed in a fight.
I wrote the county and got the trial records which contained
many details of the crime. Not surprising, the co-defendants, all confederate
veterans, were innocent.
I wrote this story in a three part series:
19. Do ancestors nudge you? Yes! Sometimes, I can’t believe what I’ve
found was just a co-incidence. I believe
they WANT to be found.
20. What
advice would you give a genealogy newbie?
Enjoy the journey!
