Thomas PAUL was raised by a single mother after his father died young – a young Scotch woman who brought her children across the Atlantic on her own, seeking a better life for them. There he met and married a widowed single mother – a woman descended from a long line of New World settlers…
This article tells of how the STONE line connects with the SCOTT line. To read about the history of the STONE family, see our story Homesteaders: The Stone Line in the 19th Century. For the story of the SCOTTs and where they came from, see our story Scottish Canadians in the American Midwest – The Scotts. Franklin…
Robert SCOTT was born on September 13, 1861, the eldest child of Thomas and Elizabeth (McCLENAGHAN) SCOTT. He was likely born in Ormstown, Canada, and was baptized Presbyterian in the Episcopal Church of England and Scotland, on November 21, 1861, in Salaberry-de-Valleyfield.[1] Ormstown is in Quebec, near the Ontario border. This part of Canada on…
This story is for my father and all of his siblings and cousins, who never knew their maternal grandparents. Now they can. Eli Sanford BIRCHARD/BURCHARD (1830-1862) Eli Sanford BIRCHARD was born in August of 1830 in Fairfield County, Connecticut. He was the second son of Uriah and Julia (HYATT) BIRCHARD.[1] Altogether, the BIRCHARDs had 10…
This is a continuation of the SCHILCHER story. To revisit the SCHILCHER history, please see our story The Bavarian Bootmaker and His Wives. Paul Schilcher and Sadie McAleer In 1901, Paul SCHILCHER married Sarah Veronica “Sadie” MCALEER, in Wilton. Sadie was born in New York City in late 1879, the youngest child of Catharine KELLEY and…
Arnold LaPorte (1803-1885) Arnold LAPORTE was born in Lippstadt, Prussia, in August of 1803. He was baptized Conrad Arnold on 17 September 1803 at Great Marienkirche (St. Mary’s Church) in Lippstadt, Westfalen, Prussia – son of Johann Phillip and Caroline Catharine (WINCKEL) LAPORT. Westfalen, or Westphalia in modern Germany, was a province of the Prussian…
At first I thought that to tell the story of my great-great grandfather would be to tell a story of a man who just couldn’t be a father, someone who was in and out of my great grandmother’s life, someone our family often described as a “ne’er do well.” While there is always some truth…
James Arthur Rushby (1869-1923) Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect further research and information from extended family. Originally, we reported that James Arthur married Betsey Ellis in England and emigrated to America. This is true. However, we have discovered that was not his first and only marriage. We have rewritten portions of…
Joseph SCHILCHER was born in Stoffen, Landsberg am Lech, Bavaria, May 29, 1821. His parents were Mathias SCHILCHER and Agatha DIETRICH. Landsberg am Lech is a small town in what is now Southwest Germany and this part of the world was experiencing a democratic uprising during Joseph’s early years. Visitberlin.com describes small scale uprisings by…
The Finney/Ireland Roots Bertha Finney was born in New Canaan, Connecticut, and lived her entire life there. She was the daughter of a local estate caretaker. Through the writing she did late in her life, we get a glimpse into her memories of childhood in this idyllic community. Bertha was born to George Edward and…