Sunday Search: Tracing Back To Yorktown

My Sons of the American Revolution application begins with a very concise statement which reads:

“I hereby apply for membership in this Society by the right of bloodline decent from John Redcross [my 5th great grandfather] who assisted in establishing American Independence while acting in the capacity of private in the Amherst County (Virginia) Militia in 1781 under Major Cabell, Colonels Gaines and Pope.”

While this is certainly true, and has been verified as such, it only tells a portion of the story about my ancestor.

John Redcross was born in Amherst County, Virginia in 1740 as a member of the Monacan Indian Nation. While there is little known of about his early life we do know that while we know he was one of many Monacan men who served during the Revolutionary War beginning his service in February 1779 as a member of Captain William Long’s Company of the 2^nd Virginia State Regiment commanded by Colonel William Brent. He served in this infantry unit likely until the spring of 1780 when most of the regiment was discharged. However, there is the possibility that he remained in the regiment and was reassigned to the Amherst County Militia under Major Cabell as both the 2^nd Virginia State Regiment and the Amherst County Militia participated in the Siege of Yorktown and were present at Cornwallis’ surrender.

It is also noted in the book Strangers in Their Midst: The Free Black Population of Amherst County Virginia that “In 1781 he [Rawley Pinn], John Redcross, and Benjamin Evans were part of the 2^nd Virginia Cavalry and left Amherst on June 21, 1781 under the command of Maj. William Cabell, Jr. Between Amherst and Yorktown, they joined the troops of the Marquis de Lafayette, and all participated in the siege at Yorktown.” It is fascinating to think about this unique band of brothers, bound together by heritage, by race, and patriotism, fighting for the freedom that their families would be deprived of for almost another two hundred years.

While the link to his previous service is something that still comes with a few questions, and despite the lack of acknowledgement in the history books, what is certain is the role that he played at Yorktown as his name can be found written in the hand of Colonel Daniel Gaines in his list of “Militia ordered into service from Amherst County… March to join the army commanded by the Honorable Major General Marquis de Lafayette, June 21, 1781” as well as the list of soldiers from Amherst County who served at the Siege of Yorktown published in the Lynchburg News on Thursday, May 22, 1884.

Officially discharged on April 25, 1783, John Redcross returned to Amherst County where he would continue raising his family until his death in 1800. And while there have been many instances when the family origins have been questioned, namely the registration as “mulatto” and as “free black” in the mid-19^th century, the attempted revision of ancestral history by Walter Plecker in the early 20^th century, and the ongoing surname associations with the Cherokee, the Redcross name is of Monacan, and therefore Sioux origin. In the aforementioned Strangers in Their Midst: The Free Black Population of Amherst County Virginia, the author writes the following while referencing Peter Houck’s book Indian Island in Amherst County,

“John Redcross (circa 1770-1861) is considered a second founder of the settlement. In 1783, his father (also John) was shown with 11 whites in his household, but Houck believes that the son and namesake “was probably the only pure-blooded Indian man in the original settlement” [page 66]… Redcross has been described as Cherokee, but the evidence does not support that, leading to speculation that he may have been Monacan or at least Siouan. John’s son Paul was said to have looked like his father, “… every inch an Indian… straight as an arrow, long haired, with high cheek bones and copper skin.”

This is a particularly interesting passage for my family as it follows three generations from which we are descendants.

While this lineage may have been lost to my family for decades, it is now a living part of who we are and has proven to be a valuable connection to our family’s history and participation in the Revolutionary War. This is a part of our family history that will never again be forgotten. And now, the next time we visit the Monacan Burial Ground on Bear Mountain, we can pay our respects not just to our ancestor but to man who fought for our freedom.

Sunday Search: Paper Or Plastic

Over the past couple of weeks I have been scrambling to find documents and pictures both on my computer and in my files. It seems as though whenever I needed a physical copy I only had it digitally and whenever I needed a digital copy I could only find the physical one. It have just been one of those streaks but it also reminded me of the importance of the need to have family pictures and documents stored both physically and digitally. Simply put, you never know what might happen in the future and you don’t want to be in a position where you find yourself without all the research that you worked so hard to compile.

In my search for certain records and in the stories passed down the family, there are numerous examples of physical photos and files being destroyed by fire, water, or things that have simply vanished. All of these instances happened at a time when the digitization of these records was not possible making their loss permanent. There isn’t a week that goes by when I wonder what information could have been found in those records and the details that we will never have again.

On the other side of the equation. I have gotten to know a number of people in the genealogy community over the past few years and there have been moments when I have spoken to someone who had amassed a massive database of family history which they stored on their computer. Unfortunately, they had not gotten around to printing out all the documents and pictures when their computer crashed. While most of the time it is possible to retrieve the data from the hard drive, in this instance all the records were lost. All they were left with was a few physical pictures and documents here and there… they hadn’t even gotten up to loading everything on Ancestry. It was basically a return to the beginning.

While I am admittedly behind in this endeavor, I am slowly chipping away at syncing my research so that I have digital and physical copies of everything. Note that this includes storage on my computer and on an external hard drive. Once this has been achieved I will begin loading everything onto Ancestry. That’s not to say that I don’t load things to my tree from time to time but there is much more to be shared, more than most people in the family realize. Maybe I will be able to relax once this first big project is done and the ongoing maintenance becomes manageable. However, just stick to remembering the important thing… when someone asks you whether you prefer paper or plastic always pick both.

Mortgage Monday: Directions

We have yet to find the roads like the ones we found exploring in Virginia. 

Every time that my wife and I have moved it has taken us a while to get our bearings. Generally speaking, when we have moved to a new place we have known one or two ways to get to certain places while there were other destinations that remained a complete mystery as to what roads we needed to take. This inevitably led to studying various maps of the area just to figure out a few roads that took us to places where we could figure things out from there. Having been looking in our current area for the past two years and driving around on the roads from time to time since our first visit, this map studying was less of a factor than it had been in the past.

However, there are still plenty of places where we drive that it is nearly essential to pull up the directions on the cell phone and, as we proved this past week, we are still not confident in our navigation to simply just get in the car and drive. When driving to my sister’s house last week, I knew how to get there but having never taken this particular way in the past, the landmarks were unfamiliar and some of the route numbers weren’t as clearly marked as I would have liked. Driving back was an entirely different story altogether as the way with which I was familiar was nearly unmarked and we found ourselves pulling over and pulling out the cell phone.

While we can manage to get to most places without much forethought, they are still the rudimentary ways of getting from point A to point B. The next step for us (and my wife is well ahead of me on this one) is to find the back roads that cut out the truck traffic and long lights. For me, that has always been the best sign regarding my comfort level with a particular place and how well we know the area. That being said, I still stink with giving directions as I am more of just knowing where to turn rather than recalling the specific street names.

There are a lot of pleasant roads around where we live and there are countless little shortcuts that we have yet to discover. For me, this is one of the fun parts about moving is being able to explore without ever being too far from home. The difference this time around is that the vast majority of these routes are nearly empty with the exception of the occasional car or buggy compared to the previous places we have lived when we would spend more time waiting at lights, pausing at stop signs, and following the slowly moving out of state cars. Now I can keep a steady pace and relax as the landscape rolls by the windows.

Sometimes fog hinders our ability to explore.

Sunday Search: Missing Documents

 

Over the past few months there have been moments when I have made surprising progress researching my family trees and there have also been instances when I have hit some pretty significant walls. No matter how hard I have tried to hit the brick or how heavy the hammer, the structure remains solid. While there is still some small glint of hope that these records will turn up, it is not an endeavor that will likely produce significant results anytime soon… I guess I will have to get the chisel out and try to find the answers that way.

After all, that is how I found the few details that we know about John Uttley’s service in the Philadelphia Police Department. After dozens of calls and many hours leveraging various resources I was able to find out that while the full personnel files have long since been destroyed, there are pieces (i.e. rank, badge number, date of swearing in, rank, accounts in the newspaper) scattered across multiple sources. It isn’t much but it is a heck of a lot more than we have had in the past. Other endeavors haven’t even produced this level of information.

My great grandparents (William Edgar Yeagle and Bessie Wirth Uttley) divorce is something that is still interpreted different ways depending on with whom you speak. His first family, which is my line, sees the dissolution of marriage in one way namely that it was his drinking and abuse that caused the divorce. However, his second family, according to his granddaughter with whom I briefly spoke a couple of years ago, sees things a little differently in that it was my great grandmother that caused the issues in the marriage. When I called the court records office in Philadelphia City Hall (where they got divorced), there was little information that they could share as the records have long since faded and the only information on hand was that of the actual decree (without mention of cause). But at least that record can be produced unlike some others.

The marriage certificate of Paulus Redcross and Frances Beverly continues to be one record that we are continuing to search for through various offices, depositories, and whatever other means out there. It is something that we know exists as it is recorded in the Amherst County, Virginia ledger but the actual document seems to have disappeared. Not faded or destroyed (as far as we know) it is just gone. No one has been able to provide any definitive explanation although there are plenty of theories out there which is a completely separate topic altogether.

All of these documents have the potential to provide my family with a wealth of information (and answers) beyond what the existing documents ever could but there is significant doubt as to whether we will ever be able to read them. While we will continue seeking answers to other questions and look to fill in the family tree, these are things that we will always be looking for even if the possibility of finding them is slim. While these situations may be a deterrent for some, it only serves to motivate me to find and write the story without them (or at least try).  

Lost Memorials

Picture taken while searching for family in Leverington Cemetery...
there shouldn't be any open spaces in a full cemetery. 

Over the past few years, I have visited a few cemeteries trying to find the names of family members in the vast seas of grass and stone. Sometimes I have been successful while other times it has proven to be a harder task than expected. However, during each of those visits, I remember walking by the graves of countless veterans many of whom passed away long after their service but some who were killed in action.

There were a few resting places that were well maintained and the grounds were easy to access. Others have become far from the idyllic resting place that they once were and now seem to have been forgotten. These are the places that need our attention on this day not the grills, parks, and festivities to which we have all grown accustom. In one of the more run down cemeteries that I have come across, those graves were of soldiers who died while fighting in the Civil War. It seems ironic that these resting places are the ones forgotten on this day when these graves were the original impetus for the holiday.

It makes me wonder how many parades have walked past these resting places in recent years without the participants thinking twice about those who lay, unrecognized, a few yards from their feet. I have been asked to participate in countless parades but I have never once been asked to place flags on the graves of soldiers. Maybe I should be the one who changes this lack of tradition next year.

While I enjoy the time that I am able to spend with my family, the purpose of the day seems to have been lost. The focus now seems to be on not having to go to work (different than focusing on spending time with family) and sales… the holiday itself seems to have been sold. All the while, we forget those for whom this day was meant to honor. And there is no other more visceral reminder of this change in priority than the decrepit state of many cemeteries around us especially within the city limits.

There are too many places out there that need our help not just for those for whom this day recognizes but all the families that are represented in many of these forgotten resting places. After all, you never know when you might go looking for your family and not be able to find them because their headstone has long since crumbled, sunken, or fallen to the ground. All you need to do is walk in one of these cemeteries and see the open field of grass to realize that there are countless people who will now remain nameless to realize the importance of this situation. And on this day, think about the possibility of someone buried there who gave the ultimate sacrifice who will never be recognized for their service again.

The Lost Genealogy Show

In a recent discussion on LinkedIn there was another genealogy program brought to my attention. After reading the back and forth around the pros and cons of the mainstream programs (i.e. Who Do You Think You Are, Finding Your Roots, and Genealogy Roadshow) I was interested to watch the YouTube video to see if this program did a better job especially with regard to process. Honestly, my expectations were not very high as I have seen numerous attempts at programs online but I figured that I would give it a shot.

While the intro to “Legend Seekers” leaves a little something to be desired the program itself is excellent. It is kind of the best of all worlds in that it is not reliant upon celebrity and it does not overburden itself with trying to take too broad a view of a family tree. Rather, the focus of the program is on a singular event in the family tree of a regular family. It is the kind of thing that all of us immersed in our own family history do on a regular basis just in a more condensed and presentable format.

While there is a lot that is left on the floor with regard to the process, there is still much more information regarding the resources that are available for people to conduct their own research and to whom they can turn to find the information that they are seeking. There are also tips and additional information to assist the viewer in their own search particularly regarding Census records and the wealth that can be found in cemeteries. While many of us who have been doing this for a while know this information it is always worth being reminded and it is of huge value to those who may just be getting started.

The program also shows the slight bumps and detours that we all run into. However, similar to mine and many other experiences that I have read, persistence can sometimes pay off as it did in the search for the Lively family in this episode. This is both an interesting and motivating program for those who are interested in researching their own family.

With all of that said, I do have one rather large problem with the program… this is the only episode that was made due to the lack of funding and not having been picked up for a full season. There are so many stories out there in every family that it would be great to see the stories that, for the most part, remain untold. Heck, I can think of a half dozen in my own family (a few of which I have mentioned on this blog) that I would like to see produced in this manner. Hopefully, sometime in the future, the show will return and give us a better example of what the real process is like… I would much rather spend the time watching more episodes of this rather than the aforementioned mainstream programs.

Morgantown And A Smorgasbord

When I got up this morning I had a different plan for the day as I was going to relax at the range and meet up with my wife afterward to do a little bit of exploring. It was an overcast morning but it looked as though it was going to hold off. Well, the plans didn’t completely hold up and the weather decided to be uncooperative as well.

My wife headed off to a training commitment later in the morning and I was busy getting a few things done on the computer. Just a few things that needed to be cleaned up before the coming week so I didn’t mind getting up mid project to enjoy the day. Before I had a chance to get the day started I got a call from my wife to let me know that the plans for the day had changed. So, with the new plan, it was time to get the second part of the day started right away.

Half way to our meeting point – it just made more sense to meet in the middle – that is when the weather decided to be uncooperative. As I began putting air in the tires at the rest stop the light rain began to slowly falling on my back. At least this made the fact that I forgot to bring the camera a little better. After picking up my wife, we began making our way west. Not long after getting back on the road the rain was no longer light and the windshield wipers struggled to keep up with the downpour.

While we had driven around Morgantown in the past – sometime last year – it was always a quick drive through. Today we just took our time and allowed ourselves to get lost. It really is a nice area when you take the time to drive around without keeping to a particular schedule. It would have been a lot nicer had the rain stopped for more than a minute. I would like to see the views from some of the hills one of these days with a clear sky. Maybe sometime later in the fall as the leaves are beginning to change.

After a long day weaving in and out of side streets and stopping a few moments here and there to enjoy the scenery, it was time to head off to dinner – especially since neither one of us had much to eat for the day. So, we decided to head a little south and go somewhere that neither one of us had ever been, Shady Maple Smorgasbord. After 30 minutes waiting in line we were walking up and down the buffet line deciding what we wanted to eat for dinner and, looking at the people around us, feeling rather skinny. I have to say that, for a buffet, it is pretty darn good.

With bellies full we got back in the car and heading back to the apartment. It was a long day of driving and while everything didn’t really go to plan it was nice to just take the day to go exploring again. Maybe next time I will remember the camera and the weather will hold up.

That Was Too Fast

With all the changes going on at the moment and the schedules that my wife and I have had over the past few weeks the long weekend was a welcomed occurrence. It is for this reason that we did not plan a single thing during the three days away from work. We know months ago that by this time we were going to need as much time as possible to do nothing.

While we did head out and do a little bit of exploring, we generally stuck to our plan, relaxed, and just took each day as it came. Friday night was a nice calm night at home. Saturday we did a little bit of local driving and exploring. Sunday we spent a few hours apart with me going to the range and my wife getting some homework done for her summer grad class. Today was more of the same as our sole venture beyond the confines of the apartment was for a buy one get one burger at Fox & Hound. What can I say… my wife is a cheap date.

Not surprisingly, there was plenty of work that I got done during the weekend as well including the posts that wrote for this blog. There has been a lot of things popping up lately at the office and it is that time of month for the lodge so there were a number of projects that had to be tackled during the last few days. I guess you could say that is was a long weekend for all the wrong reasons.

And now we are in the midst of the difficult time when Tuesday feels like Monday and we have to cram in five days of work into a four day span. I hate when Tuesday Jan pretends to be Monday Marsha… it’s just a high maintenance situation that I would rather not be a part of. And really with all the loose ends from the previous week, it was already going to be a long week even if it wasn’t cut short. Almost makes me wish that I had taken a few days off to extend the time away from the office but, then again, it would just be that much bigger of a headache upon my return so really I don’t know what would have been the best option.

So… now is the time to put my head down and work. When you see the words posted on this blog those will be the moments when I come up for air. And while I hope to continue providing you some daily entertainment and insight, I am not counting on anything of particularly fine quality. They may be short, they may be long. It really depends on how long I need to surface in order to fill my lungs. For now, it’s time to rest. I guess I will talk to you tomorrow!

And The Process Officially Begins…

Today began early this morning. Well, at least early for me as I slowly staggered out of bed at 8:00 am. Because of a few issues at the post office yesterday (on top of the fun I was having at the office) I had to get out the door early, stop by the post office, and see if the Saturday morning shift could find the invisible package that eluded the staff yesterday. So, following a few grumbles from my wife for my alarm cyclically sounding, I was out the door with plans to meet her at Barnes & Noble in Montgomeryville for our weekend activity, our regularly scheduled program.

Surprisingly, when I got to the empty post office, there wasn’t a single issue getting the mail as somehow overnight the packages had rematerialized. With mail in hand I headed across the street to the lodge and got the couple hours of work done that was about a week overdue at this point. Still, it didn’t take as long as I was expecting so I was on the road and heading north with about an hour to make the 30 minute drive. Thirty minutes if I didn’t miss the turn(s) and the large bookstore in front of me. With that said, I was still about 10 minutes early.

After grabbing a quick coffee and a horrendous quiche (never again) we made our way to the first apartment on the list where my mother in law was waiting to show us the space. It has been over two years since we last seriously did some apartment shopping and I can’t say that I missed the process. While I do enjoy seeing the different spaces and attempting to envision how it might work for us, it is still a lot of effort with no guaranteed outcome.

We saw four places throughout the day. The first was the second floor of a duplex situated next to a library with a young owner living on the first floor who seemed to be in over his head. While it is more space than we have now you could tell that it was the second story of a converted single family home. On top of that it was a little way from the main road so, while a decent start, it wouldn’t work for us.

The second stop was at a single family home in the next town over. It was a quirky little house with double the space of our current apartment (including an extra half bathroom) but there were a few things that didn’t really work for us. First and foremost, there was a commuter SEPTA line running right behind the house (maybe 10 feet away) and, like I said, the amount of usable space was far less than the square footage due to low ceilings and odd walls. The property was also much further from the highway. If it were in a different location it would have been perfect but, as it stands, it doesn’t work. Next.

The final two stops of the day were in the same development. Both apartments were mirror images of one another with the first stop having not been updated in some time with the second seeming like there were newer fixtures but still dated. The second was, overall, in better shape but it was also more expensive and the previous occupant had a cat which does not bode well for my wife’s allergies. The first apartment of the two, while it had a few issues, is a great space for what we need. With 50% more space than our current rental, faux hardwood floors throughout, and all the ancillary aspects that we have in our current building this place was clearly our first choice and the one we will pursue a bit further. Clearly it wasn’t my mother in law’s choice but it was the decision that my wife and I made and we will see how things progress.

After a few hours, it was time to call it a day so we all went out for a late lunch and discussed what we liked, what we didn’t, and the things that we would like to see in future showings. The quick lunch behind us, we headed back out into the rain and headed in three different directions. I guess we will just have to wait and see how things progress on this front over the next month. I will keep you posted and hopefully have a few pictures the next time around.