Blackhurst a rare name in my family tree.

Posted on July 9, 2016 by Don Taylor

Surname Saturday – Blackhurst

by Don Taylor

Name Origin

Blackhurst is a surname based upon habitation, that is to say it is based upon where a person lived or came from. In this case “Blackhurst” derived from Old English blæc meaning ‘black’ and hyrst meaning ‘wooded hill’.

Geographical

According to Forebears, there are only about 2,387 individuals with the Blackhurst surname in the world today, mostly in the United States and England.[i]

Back in 1840, there doesn’t appear to have been any families with the Blackhurst surname in the United States.[ii] By 1880 there were only 62 families in the United States and 11 of them were in New York. The 1920 Census reports only 74 Blackhurst families in the entire nation.

Our Blackhurst ancestors came from Yorkshire, England. Steven Blackhurst (1801-1869) in 1848 and settled in New York State. By 1880, there were still only 11 Blackhurst households in New York and only 62 Blackhurst households in the entire United States.[iii] However, there were still 599 Blackhurst families living in England and Wales according to the 1881 Census.[iv]

Forebears indicate that there are several similar surnames.[v]

Blackhirst – primarily in the United States.
Blokhorst – primarily in the Neatherlands.

My Direct Blackhurst Ancestors

#124 – Stephen Blackhurst 1775-1845 – 4th Great Grandfather.
#62 – Stephen Blackhurst (1801-1969) – 3rd Great Grandfather. Immigrant Ancestor.
#31 – Sarah H. Blackhurst (1847-1929) – 2nd Great Grandmother.
#15 – Ida Mae Barber (1875-1953) – Great Grandmother.
#7 – Madonna Mae Montran (1893-1976) – Grandmother.
#3 – My mother (Living).
#1 – Me.

My known relatives.

My records show 52 known, direct, descendants of Stephen Blackhurst over ten generations. Of my 99 known ancestors, that I have identified, three have the Blackhurst surname.

Ancestry DNA  indicates that I have one person, with a DNA Match that has Blackhurst in their family tree. Unfortunately, it is only 7.2 centimorgans on one DNA Segment and is likely a 5th to 8th cousin. She does have ancestors from Lancashire, England, which is next to Yorkshire, England where my Blackhurst ancestors came from but a genealogical connection isn’t evident. If you have Blackhurst ancestry, why not check out Ancestry DNA and see if you are related to one or both of us?

———- DISCLAIMER ———-
Posted in Brown, Surname Saturday | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

The Great War – Over There – 7 April 1918

Posted on July 6, 2016 by Don Taylor

By Don Taylor

Wartime Wednesday
This week, I continue with images from the New York Times this time from “over there.”

A BRITISH TANK GOING INTO ACTION
IN THE MESSINES SECTOR.
(© Underwood & Underwood.)New York Times – 7 April 1918

This first image is one of the most iconic images I know of regarding the Great War.  The desolation of the landscape, the smoke of the diesel engines of the tank, the trench fortifications, all add together to provide an image of war.

Next, American Troops in the Aisne Sector, believed now to
be among those fighting side by side with the French and
British against the German Drive halting on a
hillside for “chow.”
New York Times – 7 April 1918

I found the photo of the American troops eating “chow” on a hillside very interesting.  It doesn’t appear that any of the people are interacting. No smiles, just serious eating or personal contemplation gazing off in the distance.

These soldiers didn’t know that a few weeks later, on May 27th, the Germans would have a major attack along the Aisne River and overrun the French and British positions along a forty-mile front.

The French, owing to the scarcity of horses, making
increasing use of dog teams.  Here is an American husky
hitched tandem fashion to one of the new French rubber-tired
 ammunition carts in use on the Front.
New York Times – 7 April 1918

Finally, I am reminded that “necessity breeds invention.” According to Wikipedia, the first practical pheumatic tire went into production in 1888, Thirty years later they found use in ammunition carts and, as we can see, gained further use as the basis for dog drawn transportation. For some reason, this image brings a smile to my face. I can visualize myself riding in a cart like this. It would be fun today, but, I’m sure, wasn’t fun in 1918 France.

An image of the entire page in context is available from The New York Timespages on Newspapers.com.  My images for this date are here.

———- DISCLAIMER ———-

Posted in Great War, Over There | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

One resource you probably aren’t using enough.

Posted on July 4, 2016 by Don Taylor

My Tappen, ND Connection

By Don Taylor
There is one resource I know that I don’t use enough, WorldCat. Every time I do use it I am amazed at the wonderful information I can find out about my ancestors.

WorldCat is the world’s largest network of library content and services. It itemizes the collections of 72,000 libraries that participate in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) global cooperative.

Last Fall I was researching my maternal grandfather’s youth. His father, Arthur Durwood Brown, located with his parents and siblings from Saline Michigan to North Dakota in the early 1880s.  From there Arthur and his siblings disburses through the area.  Arthur settled near Robinson, ND. His brother, Clifford Gerome Brown, settled near Tappen, ND, about 25 miles away. My grandfather, Dick, was originally born Clifford, apparently named after his uncle Clifford.  I also had been in contact with a third cousin, whose great grandfather was Clifford.

 

Delilah Brown c. 1924
Zona Brown c. 1924
Ellwyn Brown c. 1924
Photos cropped from: Tappen, 1878-1966: eighty-eight years of progress.
Pages 388, 390, and 389 respectively
North Dakota became a state in 1889, so folks that settled there before 1889 are often thought of as pioneers. With that in mind, I wondered if there were any books regarding Tappen, ND.
A Google search of: Tappen AND “North Dakota” AND History yield over 365,000 returns. Way too much to even think about. I searched just Google Books and received over 3000 returns. Still, too many things to look at. Then I thought of WorldCat. A quick search on WorldCat for the keywords, “North Dakota” and “Tappen” in the title –Twenty-seven results.  Much more manageable. Several of the results were clearly not of interest to me, however, several other books clearly were potentially interesting.
One of the many nice things about using WorldCat is that it shows if the book you are looking for might be available locally.  That is really good.  Also, if not, it provides all of the information you will need to request the book through an interlibrary loan. Finally, WorldCat also provides citation information in 5 different formats.  (I use Chicago but many people I know use APA or Harvard.)
Clifford Gerome and Louella Lillian (Bean) Brown
Source: Tappen, 1878-1966: eighty-eight years of progress.
1966. [Place of publication not identified]: [publisher not
identified]. Page 237
I decided to order Tappen, 1878-1966: eighty-eight years of progress through interlibrary load.  Sure enough, a few weeks later it arrived.  With the Christmas season my focus directed elsewhere, I pursued the book, saw quite a few things that were of interest.  I didn’t have time to deal with it then, so I just jotted down the page number of pages that were of interest, then I photographed those pages with my iPad for further investigation.
The files languished for nearly six months, but I finally got back to them.  Very interesting filler information for Clifford Gerome Brown and his family. A photo of Clifford and his wife, Louella.  Photos of various classes during the 1924 school year showing most of Clifford and Louella’s children. All images that I never had before; there were photos of the schools and churches they attended.An amazing amount of background information.
The process I recommend is:

1. Search WorldCat.org using advanced Search

Under Keywords enter state and history, such as:  “North Dakota” History

Under Title enter the city/town/county of interest.

2. Select a book that is of interest.
3. Check/search Google Books and/or Google for the book.
4a. If available for free through Google books, review the book there.
4b. If available from a local library, review the book there.
4c. If not available electronically or locally, order through Interlibrary loan via you library.  Use the information from WorldCat to request the book.

Certainly WorldCat.org is a resource I don’t use often enough and it is one I should use more. I’ll bet you’re like me and should use it more, too.

———- DISCLAIMER ———-

 

Posted in Brown | Tagged , , , | Leave a comment

Biography – Albert Thomas Utterstrom (1898-1973)

Posted on July 2, 2016 by Don Taylor

 

Albert Thomas Utterstrom[1] was born on 12 July 1898 in Deering, Cumberland County,
Maine[2],. He died on 1 June 1973 in  Maine, aged 74[3], was buried in Falmouth Cumberland County, Maine at Pine Grove Cemetery[4].

He is the son of Olaf A Utterstrom (1865-), aged 33, and  Hanna A. Halverson (1866-), aged 32. The following information is also recorded for Albert:

Occupation: Trucking Company
Education : H4 (per 1940 Census)

Noted events in the life of Albert were:

  • Residence : 24 Olympia on 12 September 1918 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[5]
  • Physical Description : Described as Tall, medium build, Blue eyes, dark Brown hair on his draft registration on 12 September 1918 in Portland (Cumberland County, Maine,
    United States)[6]
  • Military Service : Entered military service on 31 October 1918 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[7]
  • Military Service : Discharged on 23 December 1918 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[8]
  • Residence : 24 Olympia Street on 1st January 1920 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[9],[10]
  • Residence : 52 Wellword Road on 1st April1930 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.
  • Residence : 52 Wellword Road on 1st April 1935 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[11]
  • Residence : 52 Wellword Road on 1st April 1940 in
    Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[12],[13]

He married[14] Lois M. Hodgdon (-1929), daughter of Victor Hodgdon and  Martha Wilkenson on 2 September 1926 in Portland, Cumberland County, Maine.[15]. Albert was 28. Lois died in 1929.

He next married Annie Evelyn Chase (1908-1976) on 1st October 1930 in Portsmouth, Rockingham County, New Hampshire.[16] Albert was 32 and Annie was 22.

He was extremely involved with the Masons Maine. He served as Commander-in-Chief of Maine Consistory from 1949 until 1952. He then served as Grand Commander of the Grand Encampment of Knights Templar in 1952. He was the treasurer for the Grand  Royal Arch Chapter of Maine from 1954 until 1970

Child of Albert and Annie was:

  • Living.

 Endnotes:

[1] Note: See Portland, Maine City Directories, 1918-1961 –
Transcripts.rtf for addresses.
[2] Sources: 1940 Census / Altert T Unterstrom – Maine,
Cumberland, Portland, Ward 9, ED 3-113, Sheet 9B – Family Search (Digitizing) –
Maine Vital Records, 1670-1907 / Albert Utterstrm – Birth – Family Search
(Digitizing) – United States Social Security Death Index – Family Search
(Internet) – United States World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 /
Albert Thomas Utterstrom – Family Search (Digitizing)
[3] Sources: Find a Grave / Albert Thomas Utterstrom –  Memorial# 146450669 – Find a Grave (Internet)
– Maine Death Index, 1960-1996 / Albert T Utterstrom – Family Search (Other)
[4] Source: Find a Grave / Albert Thomas Utterstrom –  Memorial# 146450669 – Find a Grave (Internet)
[5] Note: Worked as a Clerk at Maine Central R R, 242 St.
John, Portland Maine.
[6] Note: Tall, medium build, Blue eyes, dk Brown hair.
[7] Note: U.S.A. – S.#3666, P/#A2166, Call XC ICE – Mrs. O.
A. Utterstrom, mother.
[8] Note: Comments: Ind: Portland, Cumberland Co. No. 2, Oct.
31/18. Private. Org: 23 Co CAC Ft Williams to disch. Overseas service: None.
Hon disch on demob: Dec. 23, 1918.
[9] Note: Auto Truck – General Work.
[10] Source: 1920 Census / Olaf Utterstrom – Maine,
Cumberland, Portland, ED 62, Sheet 15B, Line 69. – Family Search (Digitizing)
[11] Note: Same house as 1940
[12] Note: Part owner in Trucking Business
[13] Source: 1940 Census / Altert T Unterstrom – Maine,
Cumberland, Portland, Ward 9, ED 3-113, Sheet 9B – Family Search (Digitizing)
[14] Note:
[15] Source: 1930 Census / Albert Utterstrom – Maine,
Cumberland, Portland, ED 85, Sheet 6B, Line 69 – Family Search (Digitizing)
[16] Source: New Hampshire Marriage Records, 1637-1947, /
Utterstrom – Chase – Family Search (Digitizing)

 

———- DISCLAIMER ———-

Discover yourself at 23andMeDiscover yourself at 23andMe

 

Posted in Blanchard | Tagged , | Leave a comment

The Great War – Over Here – 7 April 1918

Posted on June 29, 2016 by Don Taylor

By Don Taylor

Wartime Wednesday

Recently actually an old shipmate of mine, John Travers, from the USS Kitty Hawk (1972), came across issues from the New York Times showing photos of the Great War. He didn’t know what to do with them and asked me if I would like to see them.


I immediately thought of my Grandmother Madonna (Donna) and her efforts with the Preparedness Bazaar. Also, The Great War is interesting to me in general, so I said “sure,” and he sent me a box of newspaper pages. Wow. Amazing materials. I looked at the photos and decided to group the images into three categories.

Over Here – Images of the Great War from here in the United States.
Over There – Images of the Great War from the battlefields of Europe.
Somewhere – Images of the Great War from somewhere else, typically Great Britain.

This week, I’ll write about my thoughts about the Great War, Over Here.

 The Great War – Over Here – 7 April 1918

RECRUITS TO THE UNITED STATES COAST GUARD
FROM CHICAGO, JUST ARRIVED, AND MANY
WITHOUT UNIFORMS DRILLING IN BATTERY PARK.
A Vista of Lower Broadway shows in the background.
(Times Photo Service)
New York Times – 7 April 1918

The first photo reminds me that it was commonplace to see large numbers of men drilling all across the country. Rather than having the men drill exclusively on military bases, it was common to see them drill at parks all across the nation. I think, in many ways, this helped Americans stay committed to the Great War and accept the hardships that the war made people endure.

ANN PENNINGTON, IN THE
“MIDNIGHT FROLIC,” ATOP THE
NEW AMSTERDAM THEATRE
(“Abbe.”)New York Times – 7 April 1918

Ann Pennington was an actress who was known as a “shake and quiver dancer.” During the “Midnight Frolic” she performed a “syncopated frolic.” That style reminds me of the many dances that grandmother Donna did during her shows. She starred on broadway in Ziegfeld Follies in 1913. 1914, 1915, 1916, and again in 1918 immediately following her time with “Midnight Frolic.”
Ann, unlike my grandmother, went on to achieve fame in both silent and sound motion picture. Even though the war was going on, it was important to show home beauties. Being only 10 months younger my Donna, Ann was a contemporary show business personality who also moved from coast to coast – New York to California – in pursuit of a show business career. I am certain my grandmother either knew or knew about.

GIRLS OF THE NATIONAL HONOR GUARD
OF NEW YORK
Leaving for Base Hospital No. 1, Williams-
bridge, Bronx. Bearing Fruit and Flowers for the
Soldiers Recuperating There. They Are, Left to
Right: Missus Theodora Booth, National
President of the Guard; Vera Royer, and Augusta
Davis. (Press Illustrating Service, Inc.)
New York Times – 7 April 1918

Like all wars, the Great War, injured and crippled so many of our young Americans. While in the hospital, usually far from home and family, it is always such a blessing to be visited by a friendly face. The men and women who provide cheer to our military men and women while in the hospital are a special group whose selfless actions are often forgotten. I thank the many who volunteer to bring joy and hope to our military and veterans hospitals for their service.

Thank you again, shipmate, for forwarding these images to me.

Note: These images are reduced in size for the web. I also have the same images at much higher resolution. For example, the Girls of the National Honor Guard is on the web at a resolution of 764×778, but I also have it at 2143×2183.  I am looking for a permanent home for these images. If you know of a site that would provide permanent access to the higher resolution images, I would love to hear from them. Just use the contact section below.

These images are also available from The New York Times pages on Newspapers.com.

See my images for this date here.

———- DISCLAIMER ———-



Posted in Great War, Over There, Wartime Wednesday | Tagged , , | Leave a comment