I am taking my 9th course with The National Institute for Genealogical Studies. (Yes, I recommend them!) This course is “Forensic Genealogy” authored by my friend, Cari Taplin, CG. ArchiveGrid Module two of the course covers finding sources such as “interviews, letters, published genealogies, and family histories.” And one of the sites discussed for locating some of these records was ArchiveGrid. Cari explains that “ArchiveGrid focuses on archival materials such as historical documents, personal papers, family histories, and other original sources.” Although I’ve visited ArchiveGrid before, last night was the first time I really did some searching – and had...
ThruLines can provide valuable hints, but these “hints” must be proven! This morning, I was working on one of my more unusual surnames: Coppenbarger. My 3x great grandfather, Peter Coppenbarger (1817-1847), had a brother, George Coppenbarger (1804-1853). I only had 2 children listed for George: Elizabeth (b 1830) and Hugh (b 1834). But this ThruLine match was a descendant of a David Coppenbarger (b 1843). The match did not show David’s father as George, but ThruLines was suggesting this based on both FindaGrave and 61 member trees which listed David as a son of George. To try to verify this...
I’ve recently reached out to several fairly close DNA matches on Ancestry.com. One turned out to be a second cousin once removed. Our common ancestors are Josiah Randolph Coppenbarger (1844-1934) and Elizabeth (Bennett) Coppenbarger (1849-1914) who are my great, great grandparents and his great grandparents. We’ve been exchanging photos so both his family and mine have seen new Coppenbarger photos. I’m sharing the photos on my blog so other family members might discover them, too. Please get in touch with me if you’re related! You can leave a comment or email me at drleeds@sbcglobal.net ! PHOTOS FROM MY FAMILY (I...
This post is based on Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” challenge. This week’s theme is: LONGEVITY. Leona (Coppenbarger) Hutchins, who I knew as “Aunt Onie,” was my great grandmother’s baby sister. Born in Sumner County, Kansas in 1889, she died just across the county border in Cowley County, Kansas. She was 104 years old. Family photo shows “Onie” as a baby sitting on her mother’s lap. Her big sister/my great grandmother, Myrtle Mae, is the girl standing – second from the left – with short hair and large collar. In 1905, at the age of 16, Onie...
Several months ago, my dad sent me this photo which was labeled “Margaret Catherine Coppenbarger.” But, there’s a problem: we don’t have anyone on our family tree named Margaret Catherine Coppenbarger. So, who was this young lady? Thankfully, my dad recently realized he had another copy of the same photo! And, this one was labeled slightly different. It is labeled “Matilda Katherine Coppenbarger Bro. to Josiah.” Of course, it should say she’s Josiah’s sister, not brother, but we do know the identities of both Josiah and Matilda. Josiah Randolph Coppenbarger (1844-1934) was my great, great grandfather. He was the son...
My last post was about “Uncle Ed & Uncle Charlie Coppenbarger” and their vehicles: a Model T & a Harley Davidson motorcycle. Newspaper stories tell us a little more about these two uncles. Uncle Charlie in the News Photo of “Uncle Charlie,” his wife, Agnes (Seanor) Coppenbarger, and two of their children: “Little Clay” and Orville. Photo used with permission from Teri Head. In November of 1912, just a couple of years before this photo was taken, Charlie’s youngest son died at the young age of 2. His name was Clay, but his headstone remembers him as “Little Clay.” The...
My dad recently sent me this photo of my grandmother’s “Uncle Charlie & Uncle Ed Coppenbarger circa 1914.” I love seeing the old photos of these two uncles, but I am particularly happy to see them posing with this old Model T and Harley Davidson, both of which are about 100 years old! I also love Uncle Charlie’s riding outfit, and the way Uncle Ed is posed. “Uncle Charles & Uncle Ed Coppenbarger circa 1914” from the Stewart Family Photo Collection My dad did some research on these early Harley Davidsons. The 1914 to 1916 models looked very similar. He...
We have an amazing number of photos of our Peters family. This photo includes both my grandmother, Hazel Peters (1910-1975), who is third from the left, and my great grandmother, Myrtle Mae (Coppenbarger) Peters (1880-1970), who is to the right of her. The youngest girl, located on the far right, is my grandma Hazel’s sister, Beulah (1923-2009), who got me interested in genealogy in 1998. We are dating the photo by Beulah’s age guessing she is about 8 or 9 years old. Peters Family Photo Collection (Used with permission) Although my dad’s generation knew their Peters cousins, they do not...
Two years ago, I traveled to Kansas to visit with an aunt and uncle and view the incredible genealogical collection they’d inherited from my Great Aunt Beulah, the one who got me interested in genealogy in 1998. A couple of months ago, I discovered my dad had also inherited a large amount of photos and other items from his mother. Between the two of them, I imagine we have hundreds of photos and other old documents for this family. Years ago, my dad and his Aunt Beulah created this composite family tree. The primary couple, Emil Peters and his wife...
As part of Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo has created 31 blogging prompts which you can find on her blog, The Accidental Genealogist. If you’re participating in the Fearless Females blogging challenge this month, let me know & I’ll hop over & read your posts! March 6th prompt: Describe an heirloom you may have inherited from a female ancestor. If you don’t have any, then write about a specific object you remember from your mother or grandmother or aunt. She Became a Painter at Age 72 My great grandmother, Myrtle Mae (Coppenbarger) Peters (1880-1970) was 72 years old when she started...
