What's Wrong With Women?

In genealogy, researching women can prove challenging. Women didn't leave as many records as men, which makes them difficult to trace. They had fewer rights, so before marriage their fathers would have acted for them, and after marriage their husbands would take over that duty. I have also found that there were way too many women named Mary! 

So, what's wrong with women? Patriarchy! 

Here's to hoping I'll learn more about my biggest mystery women someday:

1. Margaret (possibly Weiss or Whyle), born about 1854 in Missouri. She had at least three common-law husbands who were Albert Friend or Freund, Joseph Guyot, and Valentine Appel. She had children with each man. She died in St. Louis on 26 December, 1932.

2. Mary Ann Ware, born about 1822 near Ottery St. Mary, Devon, England (where she was baptized). She married John Dunsford, a rope maker, in 1841 at Upton Pyne, Devon. They had four children, two sons and two daughters, and lived in Clifton, Bristol, England. They immigrated to the United States in 1851, arriving at the Port of New Orleans. Mary Ann and the two girls then disappeared, never to be located again (yet). John remarried in St. Louis before 1854.

3. Malinda Ann Hembrey, born in North Carolina in 1824. She married James Thompson in Rowan County, North Carolina in 1844. The couple moved to Tennessee before their first daughter was born in 1846. They lived in Gibson County, Tennessee, then Obion County, Tennessee. Her husband was murdered in 1864. Malinda died in June 1876 in Obion County, Tennessee.

3. Mary [unknown], married Henry Barkley before 1753. They lived in Rowan County, North Carolina. They had 6 children. Some people say her surname was Knox, but I have found no proof of that although there were several Knox families near them. They all had daughters named Mary. Henry and Mary attended Thyatira Presbyterian church. Henry was either Scottish or Scots Irish. His origins are also a mystery.

My Earliest Record

I debated on what to write about this week, which is why my post is a bit late. The theme "earliest" left me many options. The earliest immigration of an ancestor to the New World? Or maybe the earliest ancestor to move to my home state of Missouri? Luckily, my daughter Jennifer provided the answer a couple of days ago 

when she found this record.

This 1625 baptism entry from Saint-Ouen-des-Fossés (in Le Mans, France) is now the earliest record we have found so far.  I know, as we work our way back in time, it won't hold this position long. For now, though, this is it. 

I am very fortunate my daughter can translate this for me.

Some of the words are a bit hard to make out, but it says, 

"Thursday, 10 Nov. was baptised pierre pinot son of Paschal Pinot the father 

and Jeanne Marteau the mother 

the godfather Jean Belot the godmother françoize [?Vincende] 

[The signature of the priest is also unclear.]"

Now I have learned the names of my 10th great grandparents too!

Puddin' Head

Norman Miller Holland

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

Week 23 Theme: Namesake

Generation 6
My Great Grandfather

Rigsby, Kienlen, Aden, Holland

Naming your children is tough. My husband and I decided not to name our kids after anyone in particular. We didn't want any hurt feelings, of course, but ultimately we wanted to use names we actually liked.

My first name, Leslie, came from the 1964 movie Kisses for my President starring Fred MacMurray and Polly Bergen. My parents liked the name. I hope they weren't disappointed I never became President of the United States, 

or president of anything else.

I have no interest in that. 

My middle name, Diane, came from my mom's sister, Diana. 

She was a wonderful woman who liked to do crafts. I remember she and my mom would act silly and laugh a lot when they were together.

What I appreciate most about my Aunt Diana, was the day she came to visit my mom in the hospital. My mom had just had a double lung transplant and things were not going well. Her wonderful sister sat with her for hours one Sunday and sang church songs to her. Most of them were children's songs they probably sang together when they were girls. That meant a lot to me.

Here is a bit about Norman Miller Holland and his name.