Fun on a Lazy Sunday

Aches and pains from golf cart set-up and the threat of rain were enough to keep me glued to my chair for most of the day. I could have finished editing the wedding video I recently shot or watched film for the upcoming film club season, but I decided to be historical. First, I gathered up most of the digital material I'll be putting on the Historical Society's brand new computer. Sadly the research for my 1993 Easton's Neighborhoods was all on floppy disks that were drowned in the Great Basement Floods of 2005 and 2010, but there is a lot of stuff that should help with the local history class we plan to run in the fall.

Next, I went back to the three genealogical sites reviewed last week and tried to solve some long enduring puzzles. Turns out that all three websites made contributions. Mentioned last week was the family member who started doing genealogical research in the 1920's or 1930's but then stopped due to some embarrassing revelations. This guy was one of my dad's Coleman relatives. For years I'd been stuck on my great-great grandfather George Coleman. George had married Mary Carville whose maiden name has been carried down to me as my middle name. Just never could get past George until yesterday when Cochran Coleman popped on the scene in just one of the websites. Cochran came from the northernmost tip of Ireland in 1833. He arrived in St. John, Brunswick at age 18 with an older sister or aunt, aged 30. Here's the scandal-on landing he scooted down the Bay of Fundy and met Mary Jane Thorpe, aged 20, in Eastport, Maine. They got married and a very few months later George arrived. Shotguns may have been involved, and the birth took place in Boston, not Eastport. After the birth of twin boys seven years later, Cochran seems to disappear from the record. In 1860 the 26 year old George was living alone in a boarding house in Dorchester. He was called a merchant-later he owned a book binding shop-and had a rather princely $5,000 in personal property. That's twice as much personal property than the 29 year old future Governor Oliver Ames had in 1860 according to the census. Of course, Big Daddy Oakes Ames had $119,000 worth which probably explains why Oliver wasn't living in a boarding house in Dot. Living alone is puzzling because the census was taken in August and George had gotten married to Mary Carville in February. It's possible that Mary was on a train to Maine. Her father's home in Lewiston was visited by the census taker on August 1 while her husband's lodging was counted on August 3rd.

There were other revelations this weekend including the problem of the William McKeans. Records clearly tie me to William McKean, Jr. born in 1777 in New Hampshire, but the records show there were two potential William McKean, Srs., one in his forties and one in his twenties. More research is needed although ironically it doesn't ultimately make a difference because both Williams are descended from a common ancestor who came to New Hampshire in 1718 from Northern Ireland bringing New England's first potatoes with him. This all makes me think of Easton's Hannah Hayward. She didn't have dual grandfathers, but she is the only person I know who has two gravestones. That story tomorrow.