Who is the REAL George W. Hackett?

I was excited to find an obituary and gravesite for George W Hackett, Phil's 2nd great-grandfather.  Now I have birth and death dates!  The Hackett family were solid Pennsylvania citizens spending decades in McKean County.  George was born and died there.  His son James (Phil's great-grandfather) was born in McKean County and died nearby in Potter County.  And so it goes.  So it should be simple to find his George's parents, right?  WRONG!!

There are many trees on Ancestry that point to a James Hackett as the father of our George (also known as George W).  James appears in the 1870 as James Hacket (one t) with a son named George.  But this George is listed as being 10 years old.  Our George was born in 1852 (per his gravestone and his obituary) which would make him 18 in 1870.  Yet all the other particulars check out, especially that they are living in Keating, McKean County, PA.  Looking at other 1870 census records, we find numerous George Hackett/Hackets born in the 1850s in Pennsylvania - much closer in age to our George.  But none of them living in McKean County.

So what to do?  Looking at the original image of the 1870 census helps.  Here George, son of James, is listed before a younger son, named Judson.  Judson's age is clearly marked as 12.  The numerals used for George's age are very faint with a clear one and a curled 0.  Or is it a 6?  I think it should read as 16.  Even though this doesn't match with the age calculated from his obituary/gravestone, it DOES make sense when we look at the numbers recorded on other censuses as George aged.

George's age as listed on the 1900 census would have him born in 1856.  In the 1910 census, his birth year is calculated as 1853 and in the 1920 census, it finally appears corrected at 1852.  I need to go and find the 1860 and 1880 census records to complete the set.  It will be interesting to see how old George is listed on these!  It appears that math was not his strong suit  - or maybe he just didn't like birthdays?

So if we assume that the Hacketts stayed in McKean and also that the age listed on the 1870 census is indexed incorrectly, we can conclude that George is the son of James and Eliza Hackett, with a younger brother named Judson!  Now on to climb more of the Norton/Palmer family tree.

THE CUTEST COUPLE!

Robert and Jean Brooks

Phoenix AZ

September 2013

My semi-annual trip to Arizona just ended and it was a great time with my parents.  We did a lot of family history and I exported 4 gedcoms.  The Brooks gedcom has over 1500 names and the Hammon/Slater/Belnap gedcoms have 3000+.  Silly me - I had originally thought about doing this all by hand.

I also spent time with my mother going through 600 photos that my amazing cousin, Jimmie Lee Guinn, scanned from her mother's unsorted stash.  I will get around to posting some of them soon.  There were many I had never seen and my mother's ability to go through and recognize people was fantastic.  She may not know remember who is coming when but she knows all of her father's siblings on sight!

My other big job is preparing my mom and dad's annual Christmas card.  Here's some pictures we took for that:

We celebrated my brother's birthday and our anniversary in the private Sagewood Dining Room.

Guess who Robert and I look like most!

Our Growing Family!

We are overjoyed to be expecting our first grandchild.  This weekend Jessi and I hosted a shower for Dani.  It was an occasion for family to gather.  The theme was "your favorite storybook" and Dani's baby will now have an amazing library of books to choose from.  Three months to go before we can start reading them!

A perfect ballerina dress!

Jessi, Christine Guymon and Dani

Sometimes family doesn't come by birth.  Mary Jane Guymon and I have known each other for almost 30 years.  She is the sister I never had and it's always a treat to get together.

A Lost Family!

The Palmer family seems to enjoy reusing names, especially Truman. So you can imagine how confused I was to find another Truman. This one came from a second family of the eldest Truman.  The Truman Palmer who was born in 1798 in Vermont lost his first wife, Meribah or Merab, in 1837. But I found him in the 1855 New York census with a wife named Elisa M. His daughter, Sarah Cecilia, was also there. But she was from his wife Merab. Only after locating the graves of Truman and Merab did I find two more children both to Elisa.  Truman and Robert were born in 1839 and 1845, respectively. Sadly they died a week apart in December 1851.  Both Trumans, Merab and Sarah are buried in the same cemetery. I will have to look for Elisa. And there are more Trumans in the family. Alvah Palmer, the elder Truman's brother, named a son Truman. And there is a Walter Truman Palmer in the family!

It was sad to learn that neither of Truman's young sons lived to carry on his name. But I was glad that I pursued the 1855 census to find his second family.

New York New York!

I am coming to the realization that all of Phil's family - both Norton and Palmer - were in upstate New York within a 100 mile radius during the 1800s.  Yet the two families didn't come together until Doris Palmer (from Pennsylvania) and Clinton Norton (from Michigan) met at the University of Rochester in the 1950s.  Nearby were the final resting places of their grandparents.  The Palmer side  stretches from Buffalo (where the Pattisons are buried) to Alfred (where the Palmers are buried).  The Nortons can  be found in Geneseo with status as founding pioneers of Groveland.  And just over the line in Pennsylvania we have the Hacketts.

Now I just need to organize my thoughts and research to spend a week or two driving the backroads!  But at least this week I'll be able to get to Geneseo and Temple Hill Cemetery for a visit with Asahel Norton. More picture to come I hope!

Pictures to come!

Our 4th of July Tradition

Our home in the Wisconsin Dells is the gathering place for Phil and I each Independence Day holiday. Phil makes waffles that we decorate in red, white, and blue. This year our numbers are few.  Rose, Dani, Dave, Phil and I made the trek along with dogs Riley and Sonny.  But the waffles (including gluten free) were great!  Lisa was across the pond in London, Jessi celebrated with Zach in Boston and Phillip joined Paty's family for their annual BBQ and picnic. Maybe these pics will bring them up to the Dells next year!

The big news?!

IT'S A GIRL!!

Pappy's Old Homeplace - Russellville Ark

Thanks to Mariruth for sending these photos from the only Brooks reunion in 1988.  We visited Nanya's place at 302 E 5th St.  I love the 80s hair on Bev and Mariruth!  I can see my father in the background of these pictures.  I was back in Russellville in 2004 with my father and mother.  What I remember most was the amazing magnolia trees and flowers in the Russellville cemetery.  I'll have to see if I took a picture then.