Ola's Query In A 1970 Missouri Newspaper

          Long before search engines and digitized databases, family historians shared data via newsletters and newspapers. Today I found this query in a Springfield, Missouri paper submitted by a maternal fourth cousin in 1970. Thanks Newspapers.com!

          There are two pages attached, with the second one showing the rest of the article.


          I am familiar with the surnames mentioned by Ola Johnson. But I did not know George Wilhelm was allegedly "shot from ambush." What's that story! 

          Among the many lines in my database, the family that has met death through violent means more than other kin is my Wilhelm family. Or is it just that the Texas Wilhelms were um, careless with guns? Needless to say, I enjoy trailing them. 

          Mrs. Ola Johnson was born in Morgan County, Alabama in 1914 to William Walter Aldridge and Mabel Olive McCulley. Mabel descended from our earliest known Wilhelm immigrant. It was in Tennessee in 1810 that said immigrant's granddaughter Ailsey married William McCulley. Ailsey and William's son was Ola's great-grandfather. 

          Over the years Ola corresponded with my family's historian, Beatrice Willhelm Steeves. Unfortunately, Bea's considerable research was lost, save for her Willhelm/Hurley Family manuscript. That document she had shared with many before retiring. It frequently cites Ola Johnson's research as her source. Would love to have seen the letters exchanged between Aunt Bea and Ola, along with the notes that didn't make it into Bea's manuscript.

          I wonder how wide a net Ola cast when mailing her queries to other ancestor-hunters. Did she receive replies to her Springfield newspaper post? It showed her home address, word! What other networking tools did Ola employ in the 20th century? Did she place a lot of long-distance calls on Sunday nights when rates were cheaper?

          On my to-do list is a "Must-Look" for Wilhelms in southern Missouri. My 3x GGrandfather Pleasant Willhelm ended his days just south of Springfield, near Fayetteville. I like to think he might have taken the new MK&T Railroad north and visited family. Or maybe they met halfway in Eureka Springs for a dip into one of the healing hot springs.

You May Be A Part Of The Two Percent

I just re-read this article from last year. Have you seen it?   https://nyti.ms/2CaZMkv 

        Most White Americans' DNA Can Be Identified Through Genealogy Databases  

The team found that a DNA sample from an American of Northern European heritage could be tracked successfully to a third-cousin distance of its owner in 60 percent of cases. A comparable analysis on the MyHeritage site had similar results.The analysis focused on Americans of North European background because 75 percent of the users on GEDmatch and other genealogy sites belong to that demographic. To identify an individual of any ancestral background, all that is needed is a database containing two percent of the target population, according to Dr. Erlich.

-- By Heather Murphy, New York Times, published Oct. 11, 2018.

If Robert Duvall Was My Third Great-Uncle

My paternal GGG-Uncle Asa resembles a favorite actor of mine:


He was born in Louisiana to Ben Abshire and Hannah Weed in 1816. He married Lucy Andrus in 1838 St. Landry Parish. They followed his parents and siblings across the border into Texas in the mid-1840s.  He paid taxes in Galveston County in 1846, as the misspelled name Asa "Absher" appears on the Texas Tax List Index, 1840-1849, via Ancestry.


Republic of Texas Poll Lists for 1846 


Historian Kevin Ladd says the spelling of the Abshire name changed to Abshier when those from Louisiana joined other pioneers in settling Liberty County in southeast Texas. 

Asa appears to have done all right for himself from the looks of the 1860 Federal Census. He and his second wife Catherine surely had a lot of mouths to feed:


From :  Texas, Muster Roll Index Cards, 1838-1900


He wasn't the only one of my extended family to join the rebels fighting the Union Army. At age 48, Asa enlisted in Co. F, 11th Spaight's Battalion, Texas Volunteers. 


The Galveston Daily News for September 8, 1865 reports names of those who were recently appointed by Governor Stockdale, including Liberty County's new Sheriff. First, the whole page (so verrrry tiny!) and the second page shows the scoop on Asa:


Asa lived to age 76, and was buried in the Liberty City Cemetery in 1892.


Spoiler: This Ends Well For Two Of Three

          My paternal 1st cousin 3x removed, Ben Ackley, gave a lady a ride. But what a harrowing time it became for this young couple after a child was killed:  


--  From The Daily Ardmoreite newspaper, Ardmore, Oklahoma, published May 21, 1922, p. 1.

           Ackley, a World War I veteran, was a barber in the nearby community of Keystone where many of my dad's family lived. Young Ben would later marry in November of that year. 

          The other headlines? Terrorists, lynchings, posses chasing prisoners. Good grief! When next you hear "Let's bring back the good old days," DO suggest to said feeb that they read an online newspaper archive. 


          This from the May 21, 1922 edition of The Abilene Reporter, Abilene, Texas, p. 5.


--  The Morning Tulsa Daily World, May 24, 1922, at p. 8.

          Both morning and evening papers carried this story. Do you recall a time when your town had twice-daily paper delivery? 

          Below is the article from page 13 of The Morning Tulsa Daily World, May 27, 1922. And yes, I enjoy the articles surrounding the cause célèbre, too.



          Finally, the case was DISMISSED. The May 28, 1922 edition of The Tulsa Daily World, p. 3 has:


          Poor little Thelma had lost her life. Rest in peace, dear. 



Martin Wheat, Union Army Veteran, And His Family

1927 - Martin Wheat and his wife, Virginia Caroline Shanks Wheat.



CIVIL WAR DOCUMENTS:  Private, Union Army, Co. F., Reg. 31 MO Inf. Vol., and Co. A., Reg. 31 & 32, Consolidated Regiments., Missouri Infantry Volunteers, enlisted 21 Aug 1862. Mustered 13 Jun 1865, 34 months served.

Source:  United States Census of Union Veterans and Widows of the Civil War, 1890, FamilySearch, Missouri > Phelps > All > image 8 of 39; citing NARA microfilm publication M123 (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).



On November 30, 1910 he was admitted into the Federal Soldier's Home of Missouri in Saint James, Phelps County, Missouri:



Please see two pages below from Martin's pension request. I tried my best to brighten and define this copy of a copy of a copy. My source is a generous researcher named "feesk1" on Ancestry who first shared this on her tree in May of 2014. It is rich in details. I hope that Ancestry soon makes available a whole database of similar pension applications. 


Martin's nephew, David Edward Wheat (son of Richard Wheat and Rachael Markley Wheat) was born in Marion, Indiana on December 3, 1869 and died August 17, 1938 in Medora, Macoupin County, Illinois. His family left his descendants (and a happy sister-in-law) a wonderfully detailed obituary. This from the Alton Evening Telegraph newspaper on Thursday, August 18, 1938, page 3, in Alton, Illinois, via Newspapers.com:



Martin's father, James Wheat (1813-1899) met with a sad ending:


James Wheat's wife and children. (Other fam.historians show other children, but I've not yet sourced them)



Martin's older brother's Findagrave memorial: Richard Wheat (1836-1922) 

https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/157654511/richard-wheat


Richard in the Union Army:

Source:  U.S., Civil War Draft Registrations Records, 1863-1865 via Ancestry


Richard Wheat's death certificate from the Missouri Secretary of State's database online:

Grandpa Fought The British in North Carolina

          A Revolutionary War pension record tells me my maternal fifth great-grandfather spent two years with the Continental Army: 

Source: U.S., Revolutionary War Pension and Bounty-Land Warrant Application Files, 1800-1900 via Ancestry.com

          Benjamin Carroll served under a Quaker from Rhode Island: Major General Nathanael Greene, who later was nicknamed "The Savior of the South" and "The Fighting Quaker." (No, I did not misspell General Greene's first name).  Because it is difficult to read, here's my attempt at transcribing this Certificate of Pension. 

North Carolina    29759

Benjamin Carroll

Orange, in the State of North Carolina who was a private in the ____ commanded by Captain ___ of the R___ commanded by C. Tanner in the North Carolina: for 2 years

Inscribed on the ___ of North Carolina at the rate of 80 Dollars and no Cents per annum, to commence on the 4th day of march, 1831.

Certificate of Pension issued the 17th day of July ____

     ___ to the 4th of Sept. 34 $280

     ___ allowance ending Mar: 35. $42

           (Total:)    $320

Revolutionary Claim Act June 7, 1832

Recorded by ___: Rice, Clerk 

Book E Vol. ___ Page 49

            Benjamin, son of alleged Irish immigrant, Stephen Carroll, was born in what is today Orange County, North Carolina on Christmas Day 1753. I've no proof of his parents--as yet. But I was happy to learn the name of his bride's father, my 6 X GGrandpa. This marriage bond document shows what Mr. Christian Peeler posted for his daughter, Nancy.  (Click once to enlarge image)


          I think this image is beautiful! Connecting the dots is my idea of fun. Yay Nancy and Benjamin, my fifth great-grandparents! Glad to meet you (even if it is on paper). 

 Source:  North Carolina, Marriage Index, 1741-2004, via Ancestry.com, County Court Records FHL #0823664 and 0418148

          Benjamin lived until the end of January of 1846, and is buried at Chapel Hill, North Carolina. I understand that his widow Nancy requested and received his pension from the Revolutionary War. (I will post that later)

          For my Willhelm cousins, here are two images showing our relation to ancestors Ben and Nank: