Less than #52Ancestors-My DNA Matches #46

I sent off my DNA test to AncestryDNA about a month ago, and have been awaiting the results. They came back yesterday. I was EXCITED (to say the least).

My Ethnicity was no surprise.

My dad's side is Irish-Italian, my mom's is English-German-Irish. I would have thought the Italian would have been more than 16% though.

What I'm really looking for is some link to my roots that I don't have. Scrolling on down the page I found my DNA Circles. This shows the link between me and other AncestryDNA participants through a common ancestor.

Hmmm, one set of grandparents to start, and the rest are singles. I wonder where their spouses are? And all are from my mom's side of the family.

I have one second cousin that I've been in contact with for years. There are 93 others that are fourth to sixth cousins. Of those 94 people, 63 have a tree that I can view..if I pay $49 for the Ancestry Insights subscription. It does let me send a message to those contacts for free. I've tried a few, hopefully I'll hear back soon.

Actually the most interesting leads seem to be in the matches I have that are NOT in the DNA circles. In sifting through those, I see some very interesting links to some brick wall ancestors.

There are at least other things to try. Family Tree DNA lets you import your Ancestry results to their database free. The catch is that I need 2 more people need to transfer with the above link before all my matches are unlocked for free, or I can pay $39. It appears I have about 20 second to fourth cousin matches there. There is pretty much nothing I can do with them until one of those two things happen.

But wait...there's more!
GED Match will also let you upload your Ancestry results free...really free. The website is not as slick looking as the others, but it appears really powerful. I had no problem uploading my DNA or my tree. It took a few days for my DNA is to process, but in viewing matches to other trees, it looks promising. I can use DNA in combination with my family tree to find matches...and contact them free!

My GEDMatch ID is A065731.

I've also joined Wikitree, which is free. They let you link your Ancestry and GEDmatch results. Hopefully I'll get some hits there.

My WikiTree ID is McGowan-470

If you can think of anything else I can do with these results, let me know.

Wish me luck!

Revolutionary War Patriot Jeremiah Roden 1754-1851 #52Ancestors #45

Jeremiah Roden was born November 3, 1754 in Chester County, South Carolina. He was the son of Thomas Roden, Sr. and his wife Mary who was possibly a Potts.

Just to make things interesting, Thomas Roden, Sr had a brother Jeremiah, who also named his son Jeremiah. They are all in the Chester, South Carolina area at the same time, so things get confusing. I am still trying to sort out most of that. There are lots of land records in South Carolina, but unless they also list the wife's name, it's just about impossible for me to sort them all out.

Jeremiah married Susannah Kirkland April 28, 1873. They had children born in South Carolina as follows:
Mona "Mamie" born 1780
Mary "Polly" born February 28, 1786
John B. born September 30, 1787
Margaret "Peggy" born February 12, 1789
Louvenia "Louvice" born about 1790
(Yet another) Jeremiah born July 8, 1792
Benjamin born April 6, 1795
Nancy born December 31, 1801

After moving to Kentucky and Tennessee, Jeremiah and family, including most of the married children and their families, moved to Blount County, Alabama in 1817 while Alabama was still a territory.

Jeremiah supposedly applied for a Revolutionary War pension and was denied for no proof of service, but I have not been able to find an actual record of this.

He is found in 1850 in DeKalb County, Alabama at the age of 94.

Name: Jeremiah Roden
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1850
Event Place: De Kalb county, De Kalb, Alabama, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 94
Race: White
Birth Year (Estimated): 1756
Birthplace: South Carolina
Household ID: 289
House Number: 289
Line Number: 38
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: M432
Affiliate Film Number: 5
GS Film Number: 2347
Digital Folder Number: 004187295
Image Number: 00050

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
Jeremiah Roden  M 94 South Carolina
Susannah Roden  F 100 Georgia
Joshua Wilson  M 23 Alabama
Cinthia Wilson  F 40 North Carolina
Margaret Jacobs  F 25 unknown
John J Jacobs  M 1 Alabama

Jeremiah died January 1, 1851 in DeKalb County. He is buried in the Roden Chapel Cemetery, Hendrixville, DeKalb County. 

Photo by findagrave member Maria Gilliland

Or not...according to some sources, "Jeremiah Roden was born January 3rd 1754 in Carolina (?) died 1-1-1851 in Blount County, AL. Buried near Mt. Moriah Church". There is a brass marker placed at Mount Moriah Cemetery at Fridays Crossings in Blount County.

His wife Susannah filed for a widow's pension April 16, 1855:

State of Alabama DeKalb County: On this 16th day of April A.D. 1855 personally appeared before me Reuben Estes Judge of the Probate Court of DeKalb County in State of Alabama Susanna Roden a resident of DeKalb County and State of Alabama aged about 103 years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on her oath make the following declaration in order to obtain the benefits of the provision made by the Act of Congress passed July 7th 1838 entitled "An Act granting half pay & Pensions to certain widows" That she is the widow of Jeremiah Roden who was a private in the Company commanded by Captain Frost in the Regiment of infantry commanded by Major Bond and Colonel Lacy [Edward Lacey] in the War of the Revolution with Great Britain that her said husband was drafted or volunteered at or near Brushy For on Sandy River in the State of South Carolina not far from the Fish Dam on Broad River but cannot tell for what length of time he volunteered or was drafted or when or where he was discharged. She being at such an advanced age has forgotten nearly all except that he was in a skirmish against the Tories at Mr. Bonds House as the records of the Army will probably show.
She further declares that she was married to the said Jeremiah Roden on the 28th day of April 1783 at or near Edgefield or Barnwell District in South Carolina by John Wilkinson a Baptist Clergyman & that her Husband the aforesaid Jeremiah Roden died in DeKalb County on the first day of January 1851 -- that she was not married to him prior to his leaving the Service but the marriage took place previous to the first of January 1794 viz. at the time before stated. She further swears that she is now a widow and that she has never before made application for a pension except one that was considered informal.
Sworn to and subscribed on the day and year above written before

Witness S/ Andrew Poare S/ Susanna Roden, X her mark

Although the above mentions that Jeremiah was a private, the books A History of Birmingham and Its Environs, and History of Alabama and Dictionary of Alabama Biography, Volume IV, state that "Jerry Roden was an orderly sergeant in the troops that followed General Francis Marion". These books were published in 1920 and 1921. Sometimes stories grow a bit in the retelling.

The DAR requires further proof of service before admitting anyone else under this ancestor.

Death by Teething- Mary McGowan 1889-1890 #52Ancestors #44

Mrs. Winslow's Soothing Syrup for children teething from the Boston Public Library Flickr Album

Mary Ann McGowan was born June 26, 1889 in Pittsburgh, Allegheny, Pennsylvania. She was the firstborn child of Patrick Henry and Lizzie McNamara McGowan.

She was probably baptised at St. John the Evangelist (South Side) Pittsburgh.

Mary died September 20, 1890 in Pittsburgh, probably at her family's home located at 2924 Larkins Alley, Pittsburgh.

Larkins Alley at South 19th Street, looking toward Eighteenth Street. Public Domain

 Her primary cause of death was listed as teething.

Mary is buried in Calvary Cemetery located at 718 Hazelwood Avenue, Pittsburgh.

Death by teething was more common than I realized. See this excellent post on the subject by Sonja Hunter "Rethinking Teething Deaths"

Relatives With Facial Hair- Saturday Night Genealogy Fun-#52Ancestors #43

Since I'm running behind on my 52Ancestors, I'm going to cheat and combine it with Randy Seaver's
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

From Randy's blog:
Your mission this week, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible music!) , is:

1)  This week we're going to look for men's facial hair in our photograph collection.

2)  Find one or more photographs of men in your ancestral families that have facial hair - a mustache and/or a beard.  

3)  Show the photograph if you have it and tell us a bit about the person shown.   If you don't have a digital photograph, please describe the man and his facial hair the best you can.

4)  Write your own blog post, or a comment to this blog post, or a comment on Facebook or Google+.

Here we go!

First off, may I present Thomas Norman born January 31, 1809 in Cullompton, Devonshire. He was the father of 9 children. He was a flax grower and later rented out new fangled threshing machines.

Thomas Norman 1809-1897

His oldest son, Thomas, was born in Devon October 13, 1832. He immigrated to the US in 1852. He first lived in Ohio, and then moved to South Pittsburg, Tennessee.

Thomas Norman 1832-1918

His brother John, who happens to be my husband's great grandfather, went with a mustache. He was born August 13, 1837 in Kentisbeare, Devon and came to the US with his brother Thomas in 1852.

John Norman 1837-1910

Descendants of the above John, still rocking the facial hair:

Phelon Thomas Young Tidwell and the Croix De Guerre #52Ancestors #42

Phelon was the son of Phelan and Sarah McCullough Tidwell. He was born July 22, 1894 in Perry County, Alabama. He was the eighth of nine children.

April 19, 1917 he enlisted in the Marine Corps and was shown in the muster rolls as a private, attached To Company "G", Marine Barracks, Port Royal, SC. In June of 1917, he is shown as a private in Company "F" Marine Barracks, Paris Island, SC, and Seventeenth Company, Fifth Regiment, Infantry Battalion, Quantico VA.

Phelan Tidwell, Jr

He rejoined September 1918, and is shown as Corporal Phelon Tidwell, Jr.

I found this entry from July 1919, but I have no idea what the abbreviations stand for.

Also found in July, 1919, Machine Gun Company, 5th Regiment, USMC. This one made me smile, notice the entry above Phelon..I wonder if he's related to Gomer...

By August, 1919, Phelon is shown as a Sergeant, attached To Company "A", (17th), 1st Battalion, 5th Regiment. This appears to be his discharge.

This appeared in the Birmingham News June 1, 1932:
ALABAMA HEROES OF THE WORLD WAR
By Sergeant L. E. Jaeckel

THE CROIX DE GUERRE OF FRANCE

"Phelon Tidwell, Jr. (Army Serial No. 116308), Private, 17th Company, 5th Regiment, U.S. Marine Corps, 2nd Division, American Expeditionary Force. He displayed remarkable coolness and great bravery in the attack of July 18th near Chaudum. His automatic rifle having become jammed, he put it again in working order and continued in the advanced against a terrific hostile machine gun and shell fire, displaying at all times a contempt for the dangers which momentarily threatened his life. Residence at enlistment, West Blockton, Ala. A Silver Star to be worn with the Croix De Guerre."

This would have been in 1918 in the battle of July 18 to 20 - Dommiers Chaudum

Croix de Guerre from Wikipedia

At some point Phelon chose to be known as Thomas Young Tidwell. He married Ethel McKay in the early 1920's. They had three children: Thomas Young, Jr born 1922, Robert Lee born 1925, and Dorothy Ann born 1929.  Dorothy was the only child to survive to adulthood.

Phelon Thomas Young Tidwell

Many thanks to my cousin Sandy Grods for the pictures and the story.


Thomas Young Phelon Tidwell Jr, 74, of Indian Rocks Beach, Fla, who died Friday, was a retired employee of U.S. Pipe Co. here. Graveside service was today at Elmwood. Survivors include his wife, a daughter Mrs. William C. Ireland, Birmingham; a sister, Mrs. W. H. Ellis, Bessemer; a brother, Kess Tidwell, Dallas Tex.


Published in the Birmingham News Feb 10 1969 Metro Edition Page 35

Murder in the Family- James Joseph McGowan 1875-1940 #52Ancestors #41

Sometimes you come across something you never expected to find in your family tree. James Joseph McGowan was my grandfather's uncle. He was the son of James McGowan and Bridget Conlon. He was born February 15, 1875 in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

Jacobum, {James} born 15 Feb 1875; baptized 18 Mar 1875; father: Jacobo [James] McGowan; mother: Brigit Conlon; sponsor: Winifred Gowey.
James was baptized at St. John the Evangelist in Southside Pittsburgh. He was the seventh child of eight born to this family.

He is found in 1880 in Pittsburgh
1880 United States Census Household:

Name Relation Marital Status Gender Race Age Birthplace Occupation Father's Birthplace Mother's Birthplace
James MC GOWAN Self M Male W 42 IRE Boiler IRE IRE
Bridget MC GOWAN Wife M Female W 40 IRE Keeping Bdg House IRE IRE
Patrick MC GOWAN Son S Male W 19 PA Boilers Helper IRE IRE
Mary A. MC GOWAN Dau S Female W 16 PA At Home IRE IRE
Joseph MC GOWAN Son S Male W 13 PA Wks In Rg Mill IRE IRE
James MC GOWAN Son S Male W 5 PA IRE IRE
Thomas MC GOWAN Son S Male W 2 PA IRE IRE
James CONAWAY Other S Male W 40 IRE Boiler IRE IRE
Edwd O'MALLEY Other S Male W 30 IRE Boiler IRE IRE
William RILEY Other S Male W 36 IRE Boiler IRE IRE


In 1900 James was living with his widowed mother and his brother in McKeesport:
1900  PENNSYLVANIA ALLEGHENY 5-WD MCKEESPORT

Series: T623 Roll: 1368 Page: 224
630 Jerome St,

MCGOWAN BRIDGET 57 F W IREL Jan 1843, Widowed. 5 children, 5 living, Immigration 1855, Years in US 45
McGowan, James, son, Feb 1875, 25, born PA, parents Ireland, laborer pipe mill
McGowan, Thomas, Oct 1878, 21, born PA, parents Ireland, laborer pipe mill


Sometime after the 1900 census, James married Clara Elizabeth Wordtt of McKeesport.
They had a daughter, Catherine, born October 31, 1915 in Monessen, Westmoreland, Pennsylvania.

By 1920, James and his family had followed other members of the McGowan family to Birmingham, Alabama.
1920  ALABAMA  JEFFERSON  BIRMINGHAM

Series: T625 Roll: 22 Page: 145
Surname GivenName Age Sex Race Birthplace

MCGOWAN JAMES J 42 M W PA , parents Ireland, Machinist-Crane Co
Claire, wife, 35, born PA, Father Germany, Mother Ireland
Catherine 4, born PA

They were still in Birmingham in 1930.

James J Mcgowan M 48 PA parents Ireland
spouse Clona E Mcgowan F 46 PA father Germany mother Ireland
child Catherine E Mcgowan F 14 PA parents PA

I was unable to find James in the 1940 census, so I searched for an obit in the Birmingham papers using the Obituary Index : Birmingham Area Newspapers. Two entries came up:

Name: McGowan, James J.

Newspaper: Birmingham NewsDate: May 12, 1940

Edition: Section: Announcements/Deaths Page: 10*

Notes: *Sports; Financial/Want-Ads section

Name: McGowan, James J.

Newspaper: Birmingham NewsDate: May 12, 1940

Edition: Section: Page: 1

Notes: article; murder

I couldn't wait to get to the library and check this out!

I found the obit as expected.

And then the murder:

What a sad end! I was unable to find if anyone was ever charged. The distance from Ensley to Brewton is almost 200 miles. It's also interesting that his trailer was still in Ensley, so I would think that he was not on a jaunt to the Brewton area. The article makes no mention of his car, which in 1940 you would have had to have to pull a trailer.

I wonder if I could get any more info from the sheriff's office?

Murder Creek near Brewton from http://wildflowers.jdcc.edu/Rivers%20and%20Streams.html

Giuseppe Fratoddi of Italy #52Ancestors #40

I know very little about Giuseppe Fratoddi. I estimate his date of birth to be about 1830. He was married to Flavia Salieri. The surname Fratoddi is rare, even in Italy.

Per my cousin Manlio Fratoddi, Giuseppe lived in Rome and had a shop that sold charcoal. He was also a soldier of the Pope that defended Rome before and during the unification of Italy. He fought against the unification of Italy which ended in 1870 with the fall of Rome.

The Capture of Rome (Public Domain) Porta Pia Pagliari Vizzotto

From Wikipedia article: The Italian Army, commanded by General Raffaele Cadorna, crossed the papal frontier on 11 September and advanced slowly toward Rome, hoping that a peaceful entry could be negotiated. The Italian Army reached the Aurelian Walls on 19 September and placed Rome under a state of siege. Although now convinced of his unavoidable defeat, Pius IX remained intransigent to the bitter end and forced his troops to put up a token resistance. On 20 September, after a cannonade of three hours had breached the Aurelian Walls at Porta Pia, the Bersaglieri entered Rome and marched down Via Pia, which was subsequently renamed Via XX Settembre. 49 Italian soldiers and four officers, and 19 papal troops died. Rome and Latium were annexed to the Kingdom of Italy after a plebiscite held on 2 October. The results of this plebiscite were accepted by decree of 9 October.

Giuseppe was the father of at least three children:
Vincenzo born 1862
Bernardino born June 26, 1869 in Montereale, L'Aquila, Abruzzo
Nazzareno

There are others that I have found with a father named Giuseppe Fratoddi. They may or may not be the same family; possibly there was a Junior Giuseppe:
Fernanda born 1890. Resided in Rome in 1923.
Pietro born 1892 in Porta
Nazzareno born 1892

There is a Fratoddi tomb in the oldest part of the Cimitero del Verano in Rome.

Photo taken by Manlio Fratoddi

Owners:

MONALDI ZESTRINI GIUSEPPE
FRATODDI PIETO
FRATODDI SALVATORE
FRATODDI GIOVANNI
FRATODDI FILIPPO
FRATODDI ANTONIO
FRATODDI VIRGILIO

Burials:

LATINI GIUDITTA
FRATODDI PIETRO
ZAMPERINI TERESA
FRATODDI SALVATORE
DEL MATTE EMILIO
FRATODDI ANTONIO
MELVINE ALESSANDRO
CASALDI GIUSEPPA
MANEGGIANTI GIULIO
FRATODDI GIUSEPPE
GIANNUZZI CARLO died Nov 5 1960
FRATODDI VIRGILIO died Apr 3 1965
FRATODDI FILIPPO
FRATODDI GIOVANNI
FRATODDI VIRGILIO
FRATODDI FERNANDA
PELLICCIONI GRAZIA died Mar 5 1974
FRATODDI ROSA died Dec 13 1983

Since they are all buried in the same tomb, I can be fairly certain they are all related. I'm not sure if they are listed in order of death.

If you are one of my cugini (cousins), I would love to hear from you.

Thomas Billingsley 1782-1850's #52Ancestors #39

It's possible I'm barking up the wrong Billingsley tree. The Billingsleys were quite fond of the name Thomas (and William, James, and Samuel). I do know that Nancy Billingsley married John Yielding November 23, 1819 in Blount County, Alabama. Thomas Billingsley is found in the 1850 census with them, so it's a good bet that he is her father. Nancy was born about 1802 in Tennessee from all her census records.

So who was Thomas Billingsley? My main suspect for Nancy's father:
Thomas Billingsley was born December 30, 1782 in Onslow, North Carolina. He was the son of Revolutionary War Soldier Samuel Billingsley and his wife Mary Griffin.

The family moved to Sullivan County, Tennessee at some point. Thomas supposedly married Nancy Courtney Allen there in May, 1801.

Thomas and family moved around east Tennessee, and for a while lived in Cumberland County, Kentucky. Before 1822 they moved to Blount County, Alabama. November 30, 1825 Thomas purchased land in Blount County, Alabama.


The 1800 census for Tennessee was burned by the British in the War of 1812.
The 1810 and 1820 Tennessee census records I need were lost, as well as 1820 Blount, Alabama, so I have no census records to confirm the above, although the birthplaces of most of their children are in Tennessee, with one in Kentucky, and the youngest in Alabama.

Children were:

Nancy, was born February 1802 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.

Samuel was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
James was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee. (twins)
Thomas was born 1805 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Edward Council was born April 4, 1811 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. (have also seen Jan 1809)
Sarah was born 1812 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Mary Eliza was born 1813 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Barton was born May 1815 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Elizabeth was born August 1816 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Catherine was born 1818 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Rebecca Courtney was born March 1820 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
William G was born April 19, 1822 in Blount County, Alabama.

Much of this info comes from the book The Billingsley Family in America.

There were four Thomas Billingsleys found in the 1830 Blount Alabama census. There were three Thomas Jrs, all born 1800-1810. The Thomas I was looking for was found on page 13A, line 7:

Billingsley Thomas (age 50-60) 1770-1780

1 male 15-20, 1 male 20-30, 1 male 56-60, 2 females 5-10, 2 females 10-15, 1 female 15-20, 1 female 40-50, 1 female 80-90. I'm curious if this was Thomas' mother living in the household. It is said that she died in 1838. The ages of the children are puzzling. Perhaps William G was enumerated as a girl? The four oldest children were already married. It's possible that some of the others were visiting them. 

There are also a Samuel (age 20-30) and William (age 40-50)

In 1840 Thomas had moved to Morgan County, Alabama.

Billingsly, Ths. 010110001 000  (age 60-70, no females in household)
1 male 5-10
1 male 15-20
1 male 20-30

1 male 60-70

I assume his wife had died before the 1840 census, unless she is staying with one of their children. She is not found in their son James' household nearby.

In The Billingsley Family in America, Nancy died in 1843 in Morgan County, and Thomas was said to have moved to Pontotoc County, Mississippi with his son William, and died there in 1849.  I found a Thomas Billingsley in 1850 living with Nancy Billingsley Yielding and family in Blount County, Alabama.

In the above record, found on familysearch here, the place of birth is indexed as Virginia, although it may be something else, possibly Georgia? I have not found another Thomas Billingsley born in either state born between 1760 and 1775.

In Pontotoc, Mississippi in 1850 there are LOTS of Billingsleys, and three that were easy to pick out from the list of children above.

Page 115    Line 40 BILLINGSLY COUNSEL 40 KY
Page 115B Line 10 BILLINGSLY JAMES 46 TN
Page 107    Line  3 BILLINGSLY WILLIAM 28 AL

So am I barking up the Wrong Billingsley tree? If he's not the Thomas born in Onslow, NC, then who is he? I'm still not sure yet. I'd love to hear what you think.

Nancy Courtney Allen Billingsley 1783-1843 #52Ancestors #38

I recently ordered a DNA test for myself from AncestryDNA's flash sale. While awaiting the results I figured I had best get my direct maternal line in order.

I've always had a problem with Nancy Courtney Allen. I have found no documentation for her whatsoever. I've seen her on the internet and in books, but none have sources.

This is a press photograph from the National Photo Company Collection at the Library of Congress. According to the library, there are no known restrictions on the use of these photos.

Per these few resources, I'll share what I've found, but please keep in mind, none of it is verified.

Nancy Courtney Allen was born about 1783 in North Carolina to unknown parents.
She married Thomas Billingsley May 1801 in Sullivan County,  Tennessee.

Their oldest child, Nancy, was born February 1802 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Samuel was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
James was born September 21, 1803 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Thomas was born 1805 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Edward Council was born April 4, 1811 in Cumberland County, Kentucky. (have also seen Jan 1809)
Sarah was born 1812 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Mary Eliza was born 1813 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Barton was born May 1815 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Elizabeth was born August 1816 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Catherine was born 1818 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
Rebecca Courtney was born March 1820 in Sullivan County, Tennessee.
William G was born April 19, 1822 in Blount County, Alabama.

The family moved to Morgan County, Alabama at some point, where Nancy supposedly died in 1843.

From the book The Billingsley Family in America by Harry Alexander Davis (1936)
{Thomas Billingsley} Born in ­Onslow County; North Carolina 30 December 1782, moved to Sullivan County, Tennessee with his parents. He married in May 1801 Nancy Courtney Allen, born in North Carolina in 1783. They resided in East Tennessee to about 1807 then moved to Cumberland County, Kentucky where they resided to 1811 then returned to Tennessee. In 1821‑22 they moved to Blount County, Alabama. He was granted 80, 12/100 acres of land on 30 November 1825, certificate No. 1868. Resided in Blount County to about 1837 then moved to Morgan County, Alabama where Nancy died in 1843. He survived her a few years, moved to Pontotoc County, Mississippi with his son, William, and died in 1849.
Unfortunately, the book is unsourced.

This I do know, Thomas Billingsley's wife (Nancy or not) died before the 1850 census, as Thomas is found with his daughter Nancy's family in the 1850 census in Blount County, Alabama, and not dead in Mississippi as stated in the above book.

Name: Thos Billingsly
Event Type: Census
Event Year: 1850
Event Place: Blout county, Blount, Alabama, United States
Gender: Male
Age: 78
Race: White
Race (Original):
Birth Year (Estimated): 1772
Birthplace: Virginia
Household ID: 133
House Number: 132
Line Number: 4
Affiliate Name: The U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA)
Affiliate Publication Number: M432
Affiliate Film Number: 2
GS Film Number: 2344
Digital Folder Number: 004187292
Image Number: 00265

Household Role Gender Age Birthplace
John Yielding  M 57 North Carolina
Nancy Yielding  F 48 Louisiana (transcribed incorrectly, shows Ten)
Joseph Yielding  M 17 Alabama
Mary Zielding  F 15 Alabama
Samuel Yielding  M 14 Alabama
Nancy Yielding  F 8 Alabama
Thos Billingsly  M 78 Virginia?

Citing this Record:
"United States Census, 1850," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/MHPR-R5K : accessed 19 Oct 2014), Thos Billingsly in household of John Yielding, Blout county, Blount, Alabama, United States; citing family 133, NARA microfilm publication M432.

In 1840, Thomas is found in Morgan County, Alabama, but there are no females in the household. James lives close by, but the only female is his wife, age 30-40.
I think Nancy died before 1840.

One of the other mistakes I've found in the above book also says this about daughter Nancy:

Nancy: b Feb. 1802. She m Henry C. Jones, b S. C. 1800, both were living in 1870, resided Blount Co., Ala. No children.

I am unable to find a Henry Jones residing in Blount County, Alabama in 1870, and no record of a Nancy Billingsley marrying a Henry Jones.

I haven't given up searching for Nancy Courtney Allen. If you have any information to share, I would love to hear from you!

Daniel McNamara 1841-1904 #52Ancestors #37

Updated March 8, 2015
Daniel McNamara was born March 1841 in Ireland. I first found his name on his daughter Lizzie's death certificate.

He also consented to Lizzie's marriage.

This also gave me a location of Penn Township, Pennsylvania in 1888. This was important because I had never been able to find Lizzie in a census record before she was married. It also matches the location of his wife Jane McKinzie McNamara in the 1920 census.

1880 "Dan Mc Namor"

Dan Mc Namor	39
Jane Mc Namor	39
John Mc Namor	15
Mary Mc Namor	13
Lizzie Mc Namor	12
Kate Mc Namor	10
Ella Mc Namor	8
Allice Mc Namor	5
Annie Mc Namor	3
Sarah Mc Namor	5m

Thank you cousin David for finding these guys for me! Mc Namor wasn't being picked up by ancestry or familysearch as McNamara.

1900

I was able to find children born in Pennsylvania:
John born 1865, married Mary Ellen Mullen
Mary born 1867
Lizzie born 1868, married Patrick Henry McGowan
Kate born 1870
Mary born 1872, married James Gallagher, divorced and married John Rogers, Sr.
Alice born 1875
Rose born 1878, married John W Hogan
Sarah Jane born 1880, married John William Baine
Margaret born 1889 married Richard Johnston.
Anna born 1890 never married.

I turned to the city directories to see if Dan could be found. Finally some info!
Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1888
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1888

McNamara Danl, lab, rr 6359 Penn av

I worked my way backward and found something interesting. He ran a saloon.

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1887
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1887

McNamara Danl, saloon, 6365 Penn av

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1886
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1886

McNamara D, 6365 Penn av 

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1884
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1884

McNamara Danl, saloon, 6365 Penn av 

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1883
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1883

McNamara Danl, saloon, Penn av, n Station 

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1882
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1882

McNamara D, lab, Penn av, n Station ay

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1881
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1881

McNamara Dani, saloon, Penn av, n Station

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1880
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1880

McNamara Dal, saloon, Penn av, n Station,e e Ninth and Liberty, h 2S5 Penn av 

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1878
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1878

McNamara Daniel, saloon, Penn av, ab Sta- 21st wd tion, e e 

Two Daniels were found in several years previous. Mine was the coal miner.

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1876-1877
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1876

McNamara Daniel, lab, Penn av, opp Dennison av, 21st wd, e e

 McNamara Daniel, coal miner, n Lincoln av, city line, 21st wd, e e

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1874
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1874

McNamara Daniel, lab, r Liberty hall, Penn av, 20th ward 

McNamara Daniel, miner, Sable coal works, A V R R, 21st ward

Title: Directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1870
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa.]: G.H. Thurston, 1870

McNamara Daniel, lab, 21st ward

I tried moving forward from 1888 and found daughters? at the same address, although this may not be the correct Daniel.

Title: J.F. Diffenbacher's directory of Pittsburgh and Allegheny cities, 1889
Author: Diffenbacher, J. F.
Publication Info: Pittsburgh, Pa: Diffenbacher & Thurston, 1881-189-., 1889

McNamara Danl, lab, rr 6359 Penn av

McNamara Mary, dress mkr, rr 6359 Penn av 

McNamara Maggie, dress mkr, rr 6359 Penn av

I was also able to find a death certificate for a Daniel, but he is not the correct one. He threw me off track for a while, but I'll leave this posted for his family.

At the time of his death, the above Daniel was a gas inspector living at 6389 Penn Ave. No location in Ireland for his birth, but it did list parents and the cemetery.

I googled all the addresses in the above city directories. The locations are now a huge shopping center called The Village of Eastside, but I did stumble on a great image on Flickr of the Stone House Gas Station.

Photo used by the kind permission of Karen Majewski

This address is where Daniel McNamara was living in 1902. It's quite possible the house itself was converted into a gas station. Unfortunately it turned out to be the other Daniel. His widow Anna is living at the same address in 1903 per the city directory.

Thanks to my DNA match to David (who has been wonderful by the way) I have some new info on my Daniel and family.

Daniel was a boarder living with Archibald McKenzie in the 1861 census in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales.

1861 McKenzie and McNamara census

This led to a further search, and I was able to find a marriage for Dan and Jane in the 2nd quarter of 1861, also in Merthyr Tydfil, Glamorganshire, Wales. 

Daniel and his brother-in-law Murdock McKenzie blazed the way to the United States. They sailed on the ship Universe and arrived in New York December 28, 1863. Destination is stated as Pennsylvania.

His wife and her family would arrive in 1864.

Per "The Changing Hills, Vol. 2", by Gary Rogers and Jane Hawkins, Daniel's wake was held in the downstairs parlor of his Penn Hills home while his granddaughter Catherine Baine was being born upstairs. She was born February 10, 1904.

If you have any info on the people mentioned in this blog, it would be great to hear from you!