Saturday, July 22, 2017

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- What was the Biggest Surprise you Found About an Ancestor?

It's Saturday Night, 
time for more Genealogy Fun!!


For this week's mission (should you decide to accept it), I challenge you to:


1)  The Family History Hound listed 20 Questions about your Ancestor, and I'm going to use some of them in the next few months.  

2)  Please answer the question - "What was the biggest surprise you found about an ancestor?" 

3)  Write your own blog post, make a comment on this post, or post  your answer on Facebook or Google+.  Please leave a link to your answer in comments on this post.


My response:

My biggest surprise doing research on my ancestors was that Devier James Smith (1839-1894) was adopted by Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith in about 1840 in Jefferson County, New York.

I initially found this out when I Googled Devier Smith's names as "Smith Devier" in 2007 using a "last name first" search.  I was surprised to see the following on the  http://www.rootsweb.com/~wiwaupac/Misc/M1.htm web site: 

NAME = SMITH, Devier J. [changed from] LAMPHIERDevier
COUNTY = Dodge
SOURCE = Priv
DATE = 1866/Mar/21 

I went to the Wisconsin State Historical Society in 2011 and found the Wisconsin State Senate act that change his name, but there was other supporting information.  

Then I found his adoptive father's will from 1865 - it says, in part:

"Third. I hereby give, devise and bequeath unto
Devere J. Lamphear, Commonly called Devere J. 
Smith, my adopted son, all the rest and residue 
of my real and personal property of every name
and nature whatsoever, except the above named
Legacy:..."


That cinched the deal - it is obvious that Devier J. Lamphier was adopted by Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith as a child.  When Ranslow Smtih wrote his will in 1865, he had not changed his name yet, and did so soon after his adoptive father's will was written.

I had been researching the ancestry of his parents, and had found a significant Hudson River Valley Dutch ancestry for Mary Bell; I had to excise that part of my ancestry and try to find a Lamphier/Lamphear/Lanphere/Lanfear ancestry for Devier.  I'm still looking!


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Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday -- DOUW (Holland to colonial New York)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  

I am in the 8th great-grandmothers and I'm  up to Ancestor #1931, who is Elisabeth Janse DOUW (1635-1735) 
[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through two generations of this DOUW family line is:


1. Randall J. Seaver (1943-????)

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)


6.  Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
7.  Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977)

14.  Charles Auble (1849-1916)
15.  Georgianna Kemp (1862-1952)

30.  James Abraham Kemp (1831-1902)
31.  Mary Jane Sovereen (1840-1874)

60.  Abraham Kemp (1795-1881)
61.  Sarah Fletcher (1802-1861)

120.  John Kemp (1768-1861)
121.  Mary Dafoe (1776-1832)

240.  John Kemp (1723-1795)
241.  Anna Van Vorst (1732-1789)

482.  Jacobus Van Vorst (1703-1790)
483.  Anna Beck (1704-1749)

964.  Jillis Jacobse Van Vorst (1670-1735)
965.  Elisabeth Janse Van Eps (1670-1735)

1930.  Johannes Dirckse Van Eps, born 08 February 1630 in Fort Orange, Albany, New York, United States; died 09 February 1690 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, United States.  He was the son of 3860. Dirck Janse Van Eps and 3861. Maritie Damen.  He married 1666 in New York, United States.
1931.  Elisabeth Janse Douw, born about 1635 in Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, United States; died before May 1735 in New York, United States.

Children of Johannes Van Eps and Elisabeth Douw are:
*  Maritje Van Eps (1667-????), married 1684 Dirck Arentse Bradt (1661-1735).
*  Johannes Baptist Van Eps (1673-1731), married 1699 Helena Sanderse Glen (1681-????).
*  Elisabeth Janse Van Eps (1674-1735), married (1) 1693 Teunis Pieterse Viele; (2) 1699 Jillis Jocobse Van Vorst (1670-1735).
*  Evert Van Eps (1679-????), married (1) 1705 Eva Toll (1687-????); (2) 1729 Elisabeth du Trieux (1692-????).
*  Maria Van Eps (1681-????).
*  Anna Van Eps (1683-????), married 1704 Coenrant Ten Eyck (1675-????).
*  Sara Van Eps (1687-1756), married 1705 Arent Danielse Van Antwerpen (1681-1756).

3862.  Jan Douw, born about 1600 in Netherlands; died about 1651 in Netherlands.

Children of Jan Douw are:
*  Andries Jansen Douw (1620-????).
*  Neeltje Janse Douw (1622-1688), married (1) 1640 Jan Jansen Van Ditmarsen (1617-1650); (2) 1650 Louis Joriszen Van Der Veer (1620-????).
*  Volckert Jansen Douw (1627-1681), married 1650 Dorothy Janse Van Breestede (1630-1701).
*  Elisabeth Janse Douw (1635-1735), married (1) 1666 Johannes Dirckse Van Eps (1630-1690); (2) 1693 Gysbert Gerritszen Van Brakel .

Information about this Douw family was obtained from:

*  Cuyler Reynolds (editor), Hudson-Mohawk Genealogical and Family Memoirs (New York: Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911).

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Copyright (c) 2017, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.