New NEHGS Book about Thomas Brigham Family

[Below is a press release from the New England Historic Genealogical Society. I did a double take at the subject of the book mentioned. I have a Brigham line, but I don't think it connects to this one. Of course, mine is a brick wall at the moment, so who knows? Never say never. I'll have to keep this book in mind. --Amy]

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

NEHGS ANNOUNCES GROUNDBREAKING NEW PUBLICATION

New information details the family of Thomas Brigham

BOSTON, MA—October 19, 2010 –  The New England Historic Genealogical Society is pleased to announce its new publication, The History of the Brigham Family: Descendants of Thomas Brigham, the first comprehensive treatment of this significant American family in nearly one hundred years.

This new volume, compiled by Rhonda M. McClure of the NEHGS staff, reviews and updates (and, in some cases, amends) the accounts of Thomas Brigham, the family’s founder in America, that appeared in the earlier versions.

McClure said, “I am excited for people to have a better understanding of this unique family, one that holds such a special place in the history of our country.”

Four years in the making, this new Brigham volume extends the history of this notable American family to the fourteenth generation. McClure has brought forward as many lines as possible, incorporating information from questionnaires supplied by descendants of Brigham sons and daughters. 

“We are very proud of this publication and are thrilled to share it with the world. Rhonda is one of our prized experts and this work is nothing less than a scholarly masterpiece,” says NEHGS President and CEO, D. Brenton Simons.

Among the notable Brigham descendants covered in the volume are Brigham’s Ice Cream founder Edwin Leon Brigham, SAT developer Carl Campbell Brigham, inventor Eli Whitney and former Presidents George Herbert Walker Bush and George Walker Bush.

The original volume of The History of the Brigham Family was published in 1907 and a second appeared in 1927.

For more information, contact the NEHGS Sales Department at 617-226-1212 or visit the NEHGS website at AmericanAncestors.org.

Naming Names

Craig at GeneaBlogie had the wise notion to publicize the names he was searching and see if anyone else knows something about them. This is a great idea. I can't believe I never did it before, but I'm posting them here now:

Baerecke, Barecke (WI, IL)
Bean (TN, AR)
Bourgaux, Bourgeaux (Acadia Parish LA, Gilly Belgium)
Bourland (KY, TX, OK)
Brauckman (Germany)
Brigance (TN, AR)
Brigham (TN, AR)
Clingman (AR)
Cloyd (TN, VA)
Colbert (Chickasaw, Indian Territory, OK, MS)
Degreve (LA, Belgium)
Eldridge (St. Landry LA, Milan County TX, KY)
Hood (KY, TX)
Howorth, Howarth (SC, TX)
Jones (Chickasaw, TX, NC, OK, Indian Territory)
Jost (Austria, PA)
Legoffe (France, LA)
Lenertz (IA in 1850's, MN, Luxembourg)
Lockweiler (poss. Luxembourg)
Menou (Acadia Parish, LA, France)
Moore (MS, OK, Indian Territory)
Mitchell (NC, AR)
Neilson (NC, TX)
Perkins (KY, TX, LA)
Quesenberry, Quesenbury (AR, NC)
Shokweiler (poss. Luxembourg)
Shukeveiler (or something like it)
Smith (LeSueur MN)
Sparks (AR, poss. TN)
Tate (NC, AR)
Thibodeaux (Acadia & St. Landry Parishes LA)
Turk, Tuerk (Germany)
Williamson (AR, TN)
Yost (PA, Austria)

Ok, now I have to use the word "genealogy" so search engines will pick it up and people searching for Eldridge genealogy or such will land on this blog.

My challenges are as follows:

Any indication of a Baerecke or Barecke in Chicago in 1892.
A death date for H. H. Baerecke/Barecke.
An idea of what H. H. stands for (I think it's Harry from WI but have no proof.)

Information on the following Lenertz's all born in the 1800's:
Alex Lenertz
Alexander Lenertz
Catherine Lenertz
Frank Lenertz
Henry Lenertz
John Lenertz
Joseph Lenertz
Margaret Lenertz
Mary Lenertz
Michael Lenertz
William Lenertz

Also in search of information on the Pierre Thibodeaux born in Louisiana in 1829, not the one born in 1835.

If you have any information on these folks, or you need more clarification, please email me using the email address provided in the right column of this blog.

Back to School: Progress Report

Chris and Julie have inquired about how I am doing in my NGS course, so I'm providing an update.

I just finished assignment 1, where I had to fill out a 4-generation chart.

Today, I'm working on assignment 2, which is a family group sheet and footnotes. I have to do it by hand, because I haven't figured out my new Family Tree Maker software enough to cite properly within the program.

I've never filled out a family group sheet before. I've just been too busy on the hunt because it's funner than compiling documentation.

The subjects for my family group sheet are my great-great grandparents William Woodberry Williamson, Sarah Brigance/Brigham and their four kids. I have a lot of documentation on them, so I will get a good lesson in citations.

When I am done, I have to send assignments 1 and 2 to NGS for grading and feedback. I also make a point to read all the suggested readings before I move on to the next lesson.

The biggest challenge has been scheduling time to do my work. It's not like college where someone tells you when an assignment is due. I have to make my own deadlines. I'd like to do one assignment every 2 weeks, but that timeline is flexible in case some tasks are harder than others.

So far, I am not lost in the subject matter. I don't recommend taking this course as an absolute beginner who has never opened a book because the introductory lesson isn't as detailed as uber first-timers might need. If you have a basic familiarity with genealogy, you'll do fine. Of course, I've only done one assignment so talk to me halfway through the course and see how I feel about it then.

A Steady, Every Day Christian: The Obituary of Sarah Caroline Brigham Williamson

In my post A Man and His Wives, I introduced you to my great-great grandfather and his three wives. His first wife was Sarah Caroline Brigham. Sometimes her first name was Sallie. Sometimes her last name was Brigance. Whatever she was called, she was my great-great grandmother.

She died when she was 25. Below is her obituary. Based on what was written, and given the ages of the children she left behind, this was a devastating time for the family.

This newspaper piece was transcribed verbatim. The paragraph breaks are my own, to give readers' eyes a break, and my family a chance to take in all the details:

OBITUARIES

Mrs. Sarah C. Williamson

The ravages of death made another home lonely and drear, other hearts sad and desolate, and robbed other children of a mother. Mrs. Sarah C. Williamson, who departed this life Nov. 16th 1887, was born Feb. 13th 1862. Her maiden name was Sarah Caroline Brigham. She was married to Mr. Woodberry Williamson Jan. 18th 1878, with whom she lived in perfect fidelity and concord until her demise.

She professed faith in Christ and joined the Cumberland Presbyterian Church in Russellville, in 1874, at a meeting held by the Rev. R. G. Sims now of Texas.

Mrs. Williamson was not a spasmodic christian, religious while only at church, and zealous only during the progress of revivals, but she was a steady, every day christian in whose life the love of God was manifest in all she did.

Around her heart there seemed to be perennial sunshine that radiated to those about her. She was kind, loving, and true in everything. But with all her beautiful traits of character, and happy disposition, she was called home in the very prime of her life. She had assured her loved ones that she was not afraid of death, and now while they are weeping, she is basking in the glory world.

She was buried in the Williamson burying ground, services by the writer. She leaves a husband, four little children, a host of relatives and friends to mourn their loss, all of whom we commend to our Father in heaven who alone can bind up the broken hearted.

H. B. MILNER

- - -

Source: "Williamson, Sarah," Copy from Williamson family file, Pope County Library, Russellville, Arkansas. Retrived August 4, 2008. Originally published in the Russellville Democrat, 23 Novembr 1887.

A Man and His Wives

William Woodberry Williamson had three wives. No, not simultaneously. He was married and widowed three times. WWW and his spouses are buried in order of marriage at Shiloh-Williamson cemetery in Russellville, Arkansas.



WWW married Sarah/Sallie Caroline Brigham/Brigance on January 24, 1878. He was 24. She was 15. Sarah's parents died young. She and her siblings lived with relatives. This may be why she was married at 15.

WWW and Sarah had four children: Sam (born 1878), Bessie (born 1880), Josephine (born 1882) and Jack (born 1884). Sam is my great-grandfather.

Sarah passed away in 1887 at the age of 25. She left behind four children, approximate ages 9, 7, 5 and 3.

William Woodberry Williamson married Thula Hamilton on February 26, 1891. He was 37. She was 27. The Hamiltons were part of the Shiloh-Cumberland congregation, so it is likely that these two met through church. Also, Thula's mother and Sarah Brigham/Brigance's mother were sisters. Don't try to remember it all. It's just one of those small-world facts.

WWW and Thula had a daughter, Thula Katherine on February 2, 1894. Thula Williamson (the mother) passed away February 13, 1894, leaving her husband with an 11-day old daughter. She was 30 years old.

William Woodberry Williamson married Elizabeth "Lizzie" Bryan on May 8, 1895. He was 41. She was 27. WWW and Lizzie had two children. Buena (pronounced b-you-nah) was born in 1897. I also have documentation of her name being Julia and/or Buena Vista. She went by Buena, though.

Wood Williamson was WWW's 7th and last child. He was born in 1903.

As you can see from the grave marker photo, Lizze died in 1910, leaving WWW with a 13 year-old daughter and 7 year-old son. Based on the 1910 census, newly widowed WWW and his little boy, Wood, moved in with son Jack and his family. It is unclear where Buena went. She probably lived with a female relative elsewhere, but I haven't located her...yet. She pops up again in the 1920 census.




I was unsure about the "Elizabeth Williamson" in the cemetery directory being the Lizzie Williamson I was searching for. However, physcially going to the cemetery and observing the headstones answered my question. These two are one and the same, based on the position of the grave marker. Elizabeth is to the right of Thula, who is to the right of Sarah, who is to the right of William Woodberry Williamson. Just a man and his wives.

Arkansas Road Trip, Part 3

Pictures are coming, I promise. I'm just trying to log all the details of the trip before I forget. Day 3 was cemetery day. We had six cemeteries to see, a map of the county, vague directions, a list of buried ancestors, and no idea where their markers were. Our first stop was Atkins City cemetery in Atkins. We lucked out finding the markers quickly. On the way out, we saw this litte guy:

Who was not amused that we were all up in his personal space:

After Atkins, we headed back to Russellville, to the Rest Haven Cemetery. That place is big, so we asked the kind lady in the office to help us locate the right graves.

Next on the list was Rankin Cemetery. It's older than Rest Haven and right next door. We found our ancestor right away, but a little maintenance (and sweat) was needed to capture a picture under the shady trees.

It was still uncomfortably hot like the day before, so we took a drink break.

We eventually wandered back into Russellville downtown to Oakland Cemetery. It's big, too, but I had a section map. This worked fine until we couldn't find a particular grave in section 7. Turns out the clump of trees counted as a section, so we were looking in the wrong place. After what felt like forever, we found the grave and headed to lunch.

After the meal we went to the library again. They have a microfilm machine that accepts jump drives. I was able to get images of John R. Williamson's original will, George Montgomery Pike Williamson's original will, William Woodberry Williamson's marriage certificate with Sarah Brigham / Brigance, and more. The machine was a stubborn one and it took longer than it should to get these few documents.

I never fully recovered from being in the sun all day, so we retired early. We ended up getting to 4 of 6 cemeteries.

Day four would be our last day, so it was sure to be packed with activity...

Get Ready, Arkansas

Today I made hotel reservations and everything's confirmed: my first planned family history trip will be in early August in Pope County, Arkansas.

The subject is William Woodberry Williamson (1853-1942), his 3 wives and 7 kids. Also if there's time, John Laurens Williamson (1811-1862), his 2 wives and (guesstimated) 10 children. If anything pertaining to Brigance or Quesenberry falls out of the sky, I'll take that, too.

I have a day planned at the Pope County Library. Their online details of their genealogy holdings is making it easy for me to write down ahead of time what I want to see when I'm there.

I also have a day for cemeteries, chasing down the graves of many, many people.

One day is devoted to court house research as well, but hopefully I can get a lot from the film at the library.

As if there wasn't enough to do, it turns out that BargainsGaloreOn64 is going on at the same time. 160 miles' worth of antiques and garage sales? That's just too tempting...

So the money's spent and the plans are made. Now I have to do my homework, print my notes and be ready to break down walls and get some answers.

Houston, We Have a Brigance

As I mentioned in my last post, I spent yesterday at the Clayton. I stumbled upon a Roots Magic presentation, so I sat for it. When it was done, I was really hungry and tired, but I didn't want to squander the rare opportunity I had to visit the library so I forged on with the mental thought, "just 20 more minutes..."

This is where we pause for a back story: I've been working on the Williamson clan for a while now, specifically William Woodberry Williamson (1853-1942). His first wife was Sarah/Sallie Brigham. She is my great-great grandmother. I have all this information on Williamson going back may generations. I have little on Sarah: a census where she's an adult and an obituary transcription. She died at 25, leaving four children and that's all I know. It's always bugged me that my Brigham line began and stopped with Sarah.

Back to yesterday. In the "20 more minutes," I browsed the History of Pope County, vol. 1 book. It's helped me sort out all the Williamsons in the past, so I thought I'd scan the pages for other names I recognized.

One of those people was John Clingman (1844-1923). I recognized his name from all the Shiloh Cumberland Church minutes but I never had any indication there was a deeper connection to my ancestors other than church mates. The article had a photo of him, so I studied it for a while and scanned the words. He had two sisters, Mary and Margie. The piece goes on to say that Margie married John Brigance and they had five kids. One of those kids was Sarah Brigance...who was the first wife of Wood Williamson.

So my Sarah Brigham is also Sarah Brigance (1862-1887). Woo hoo! I didn't jump up and down in the library and scream like I won the lottery, but I did make the universal sign for touchdown.

Last night I took the info from the Pope County book and hunted around for more on Sarah Brigance. Having her siblings' names helped me find her as a child "Sarah Briganel" in the 1870 census.

Now Sarah has a history and parents. They apparently died young and the children lived with John Clingman and his wife for a while. The article says John Brigance died in the Civil War. At some point, I'll investigate that claim, but for now it's back to the Williamsons...

It's just really nice to see my tree with the Brigham/Brigance line extended now.

And that's why you stay at the genealogy library just 20 more minutes.