Lisa Alzo has used the month of March for her “Fearless Females” blogging prompts for the past 6 years. She has posted her daily prompts and has also included free access to her “Tips and Tricks for Tracing Female Ancestors” Webinar for the month. March 3rd prompt: Do you share a first name with one of your female ancestors? Perhaps you were named for your great-grandmother. or your name follows a particular naming pattern. If not, then list the most unique or unusual female first name you’ve come across in your family tree. Origins of My Name My sister was not...
The name “Kansas” first appeared on maps in 1854 when the Territory of Nebraska was divided and the southern portion became “Kansas” under the Nebraska-Kansas Act. In May of the following year, 1855, Henry Bennett (my 3rd great grandfather) and his family arrived from Missouri and settled in the Allen County area shortly before it was named. 1855 first edition of Colton’s map of Nebraska and Kansas Territories (image from Wikipedia) This is the same year Henry Bennett and his family moved to Kansas Territory The First Settlers of Allen County Few white settlers reached this county before the Bennett...
After discovering Ephraim P Bennett in the Missouri State Prison on the 1900 census, I emailed the Missouri State Archives about his penitentiary records. First of all, they were incredibly helpful and emailed back within hours. And, they explained how to order his two-page record. The cost: only $1! I had never seen a penitentiary record before and wasn’t sure what it would contain. It is actually quite interesting and helpful! The record book is obviously a large book as I got two 11×17 pages. I don’t have a scanner that can scan that will scan those, so I’m going...
Let’s face it, when we research our family histories we don’t know what we’ll uncover. And, when you get beyond the names, dates, and places, you might find some incredible stories. You might find stories of an ancestor who was a war hero or someone who abandoned his friends. You might find true love and Christian sacrifice, or someone who disappeared and is later found with another wife and additional children. You might find a Civil War nurse or a prostitute. And, you just might find a murderer. I did. I’ve made multiple posts now about the brother of my...
If you’ve been following my blog, you’ve probably read my last two posts about my great, great grandmother’s brother, Ephraim, who killed his sister’s abusive husband, Nathan L Buchanan. (The posts are “A Reason for Murder” & “Sister to Asylum; Brother to Jail.”) One of the newspaper articles I shared explains that Bennett was moved to a different county’s jail “to escape the vengeance of a mob which was supposed to be organized for the purpose of lynching him.” (In case you haven’t read the other articles and the family story that was passed down, Nathan L Buchanan was abusing his...
As I mentioned yesterday in “A Reason for Murder“, I had spent hours trying to find another newspaper article about my great, great grandmother’s brother, Ephraim Bennett, murdering his brother-in-law, Nathan L Buchannan, in 1893. As I concluded the post, I went back to newspapers.com and tried again. And, this time I got a hit! I don’t know if I tried different search terms or not. I narrowed it to “Missouri” newspapers and set the year to 1893. And then I searched for “Bennett” and “murdered.” Anyway, I have a lot more information now! A Terrible Crime, The Springfield Democrat,...
The day I discovered my great, great grandmother’s brother, Ephraim Bennett (abt 1841-?), had been convicted of 2nd degree murder, I hoped it was for a ‘good’ reason. I had recently watched two episodes of “Who Do You Think You Are?” Cynthia Nixon had discovered her female ancestor had killed her abusive husband after he told her she wouldn’t see another sunset. Maybe she could have ran away with her two young children or gotten to safety in some other way, but this was better than Jesse Taylor’s discovery that his ancestor probably killed his aunt over an inheritance! About...
I recently wrote two posts about two men whom I thought were brothers of my great, great grandmother, Elizabeth Bennett (1849-1914). The first was titled “Doing Time in the Missouri State Penitentiary” and the second was “Skeletons in the Closet: Rapist & Murderer.” I had uncovered some prison records which seemed to be her brothers. I hired a researcher in Missouri and received a package from her last night. The man who was found guilty of 2nd degree murder is actually Elizabeth’s brother. It’s a fascinating story that I’m still researching. But, the man who committed “assault to rape” was...
1900 census listing Ephraim Bennettt as an “prisoner” of a state prison Cole County, Missouri In my genealogy research, I have now come across the word “inmate” listed under “occupation” on a census twice. Neither person was a prisoner. The only time I had an actual prisoner on a census record, he was listed as a “prisoner.” (See image above.) RESIDENTS OF “OLD SOLDIERS’ HOMES” The first time I came across an “inmate” on a census, I was pretty surprised. But, as I read the census better, I realized that this individual was actually living in an “Old Soldier’s Home.”...
NOTE: I spoke too soon! I just received paperwork on these two men. The one who committed murder is actually a brother of my ancestor. But, the one who committed “assault to rape” is NOT her brother. He is about 20 years too young. I guess I should have waited until I had all the facts, but it seemed to fit! It’s a good lesson for me…. just because someone has the right name and lives in the right state does NOT mean they are the same person!!! Two days ago I wrote about my great, great grandmother’s brothers who...
