Mystery Monday - Patrick William Creeden

I've run into a bit of a brick wall in trying to find information on Patrick William Creedan. He was born in Clinton County, Ohio around 1865 to my 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan and his second wife, Hannah Hoover. The family is in Clinton County, Ohio in the 1870 and 1880 census records.

Patrick is 5 in the 1870 census which was taken on June 23, 1870 in Wayne Township in Clinton County, Ohio.

Patrick W. is 16 in the 1880 census which was taken on the June 6, 1880 in Wayne Township.

In 1883, his father Patrick died and left a portion of his estate to his son Patrick William. That's the last definite trace I have of Patrick William.

I've found several more records that could be for Patrick William, but the name given is William or W. P. Creeden. My guess is he may have gone by William since his father's name was also Patrick.

The marriage record shown above states that W. P. Creeden married Mary C. Snyder on August 24, 1885 in Clinton County, Ohio. Several Ancestry.com trees have this marriage as May 16, 1885 in Ross County, Ohio, but there are no sources. I've been unable to find any Creeden marriage records in Ross County.

In 1887, Quaker records from Clinton County show that a John and William Creeden were received by request. The record lists John's wife Minerva and his son Hiram, but no family for William. In 1889, there is a disunity record for John, Minerva, Hiram and William, meaning that they left the Quaker group or were asked to leave for some reason. Although I can't tell for sure who William is, the John in the records is a match for the son of Patrick Creedan and brother of Patrick William Creedan.

In the 1900 census, William and Mary C. Creeden are living in Darke County with their children Minnie, Elsie, Orval, Ralph, Elzworth, William, and Mary O. They've been married for 15 years. The entry right above them is for a John and Ida Creedan and their children Flora and Stella. This is a match for Patrick William's brother John and John's second wife Ida. William's birth date is May 1864 according to this census record.

Kansas had a state census in 1905 and William and Mary C. Creeden are living in Sedgwick County as of March 1, 1905.The same children are listed, plus Violet. It looks like Mary O. from the 1900 census goes by Opal in this census. John Creedan lived out his life in Darke and Mercer counties in Ohio and died in Mercer County in 1923. William died in 1909 and is buried in Pratt, Kansas. His gravestone says he lived from 1862-1909, so that birth date is a bit earlier than any of the census records.

There is another William Patrick Creeden of about the same age in Ohio during this time. This William was the son of Timothy and Ellen Creeden in Hamilton County. A marriage record for him showed that he married Margaret Nolan in 1883 and consent was given by his father Timothy.

In the 1900 census record shown above, William and Margaret Creeden are living in Hamilton County with children Thomas, Michael, and Laurence. William was born in Feb. 1863. Timothy and Ellen also had a son named Laurence, so that name seemed to run in their family. I mention this William since I've seen records for him confused with the William who went to Kansas.

A death certificate and/or obituary for the Kansas William might help clear this up, but so far, I've been unable to find one online. According to the Kansas Historical Society, death certificates weren't kept by the state until 1911. Records before that may have been kept at the county or city clerk's office, but not all of these survived. The historical society has microfilm for some vital records, but I don't see anything for Pratt or Sedgwick. I'll post an update if I locate any additional records.

Church Record Sunday - Clondrohid Parish, Ireland

My 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan was from County Cork, Ireland. He had at least two children baptized in Clondrohid Parish in County Cork with his wife Mary Coakley. Patrick's daughter Julia was baptized there in 1842 and his daughter Honora in 1848. His son Timothy was born in 1846, but those records seem to be missing.

Patrick was born on March 17, 1814 according to his tombstone. I found a couple of possibilities for baptism records for him on the National Library of Ireland site. On Page 37 of Microfilm 5002/05, there were two Patricks baptized in March 1814 in Clondrohid.

The first Patrick was baptized on March 8, 1814 to parents Tim and Julian Creedan in Clondrohid, County Cork. The address given was Carigapuca and the sponsors were Michael Buckley and Johanna Creedan. The second Patrick was baptized on March 14, 1814 to parents Dennis and Mary Creedan. The address was Baurthanaknuck and sponsors were Timothy Murphy and Johanna Creedan. No maiden names were given for the mothers. The Creedan spelling seems to be the most common in this area, but I've seen Creeden and Creedon in some of the other locations.

Since my Patrick had children named Timothy and Julia, the first one seems like the best possibility. The first one also has the same address as that given when Patrick's daughters Julia and Hanora were baptized. If his tombstone is correct, neither of these is quite a match for a baptism date, but I didn't see any other good matches for the months following March. Also of interest on this page, there are several Coakleys. Patrick married Mary Coakley sometime before July 1842, but I haven't found a marriage record for them so far.

Shopping Saturday - Christmas Shopping in 1899

These Christmas ads were published in the Celina Democrat newspaper in Ohio on December 14 and December 21, 1899.

I love the drawing of the family with a glimpse into their home at Christmas. Dolls and toys were mentioned in many of the ads published on December 14. I was surprised to see the "X-Mas" spelling used in several of the ads.

This ad from December 21 was from optician and jeweler Henry I. Schunck. In addition to jewelry, he had an interesting collection of items for sale from novelties to musical instruments, Graphophones and records, Kodaks, and sewing machines. The Graphophone was an early record player that played wax cylinder records.

This ad was published on December 14, 1899 and is from another combination jeweler and optician. Sewing machines seemed to be a big item that year and what a bargain for $12!

Thanks to the Ohio History Connection for scanning the microfilm pages for me. The Celina Democrat is available online at Chronicling America for the years 1910-1918. The Ohio History Connection has additional years available on microfilm, starting with 1898.

Thankful Thursday - Happy Thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving! Wishing everyone a wonderful holiday filled with family, friends, and good times.

Church Record Sunday - Clondrohid Parish, Ireland

This is part of a Catholic parish register dated April 1847 in Clondrohid Parish, Ireland. Patrick and Mary Creeden were sponsors for a Timothy born to Denis Mahony and Catherine Creedan on April 22, 1847. My 3x great-grandparents Patrick and Mary Creedan had their daughters Julia and Honora baptized in Clondrohid, so it's possible they're the sponsors on this record.

There are several Creedens listed on this register. I've spelled the names as they were spelled on the register.

April 20 - Timothy, parents John Ring and Margaret Creeden, sponsors Con Shea and Julia Creedan
April 22 - Timothy, parents Denis Mahony and Catherine Creedan, sponsosrs Patt Creeden and Mary Creeden
April 25 - Daniel, parents Timothy Creedan and Catherine Hargan, sponsor Mary Lyhane

The Catholic parish registers are available on the National Library of Ireland site.

Sunday's Obituary - Timothy Creeden

This obituary for my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden confirms a lot of the information I'd pieced together from probate records. Finally, some proof that I have the correct family! While it doesn't mention his father Patrick by name, it mentions his sister Julia. An unexpected surprise was the story of his immigration to the US. Timothy was only 3 years old when he arrived at the Port of New Orleans with his 7 year old sister Julia. The two children traveled under the care of a friend. That places their immigration date somewhere between March 1849 - March 1850.

The obituary was published in the Celina Democrat on December 21, 1899. Much thanks to the Ohio History Connection for scanning the microfilm pages for me. The Celina Democrat is available online at Chronicling America for the years 1910-1918. The Ohio History Connection has additional years available on microfilm, starting with 1898.

          
  Timothy Creeden, a well-known citizen of this city. died last Thursday. Dec.14 of consumption. He was born In Ireland March 23. 1846. Mr. Creeden's father was a sturdy Irishman. who sought relief from the oppression of England. and came to this country to prepare a home for the wife and children. Shortly after he arrived in this country the wife died and the children were sent for. Timothy Creeden was three years old when. In company with his sister Julia. they sailed for America under the care of a friend. They were met at New Orleans by their father and they came up the river and settled at Wilmington. Ohio. Here the early youth of the deceased was spent and the character moulded. On December 10, 1868, he was united in marriage to Miss Mary Matson. Rev. Father Donahue officiating. Of this union ten children were born, eight of whom survive him -- Mrs. Mary Fischer, Daniel, Dennis, Edward. Charles, Julia, Idabelle and Joshua. In 1883? they moved to this county and have resided here ever since.  He was a kind and loving husband and father and an upright citizen. Funeral services were held at the Catholic Church last Sunday.
  Mr. Creeden had heen a member of the Catholic Knights of Ohio for the past six years and his heirs will draw from the organization the sum of two thousand dollars. He was the first member of the local organization to die.

    Dear father, thou hast left me.
      Hast gone to thy eternal home.
    Where we expect to meet you.
      And meet to part no more.

  Mrs. Mary Creeden and children desire to express their heartfelt thank to those who so kindly assisted them during the illness and after the death of their husband and father.

Source:  Timothy Creeden obituary, The Celina Democrat, Celina, OH, December 21, 1899, p.1, col. 6, para. 6, Microfilm Roll: 24013, digital images scanned by The Ohio History Connection on October 21, 2015.

Society Saturday - Ohio History Connection

See newer post with updated links at: Ohio History Connection.

If you have ancestors from Ohio, be sure and check out the the Ohio History Connection. This is the online home of the archives at the Ohio History Center in Columbus, Ohio. A few items I've found useful are:

Searchable databases - They have several databases searchable online including their online collections catalog, Ohio public records index, Ohio newspaper portal, and all volumes of the Ohio History Journal.

Ohio Public Records Index - Provides an index to Ohio death certificates and records for Ohio Industrial Schools searchable by name, county, and years. Names are spelled as they were entered into the index, so you may have to try variations. Only certain years are covered as stated on the main index page.

Online Collections Catalog - Searches their newspaper and state archives collections by keyword.

Newspaper index - This index lists their newspaper resources by county or city. Other documents available for the selected area are also provided in the search results.

Research guides - A set of research guides for help on researching specific record types.

Photocopy requests - Instructions on how to request photocopies of records in the archives. I had great success with this! I requested scans of microfilm images for a few issues of the Celina Democrat newspaper and received digital copies of the pages within a couple of days after making payment. Their email response was quick and very helpful and the quality of the scans was excellent.

This is just a sampling of what's available on their site. Thanks to the Ohio History Connection for providing such a valuable resource!

Note: "Flag of Ohio" image designed by John Eisenmann, SVG code by SiBr4 -  Licensed under Public Domain via Commons

Tombstone Tuesday - Sister Mary Felix Creedan

Sister

Mary Felix

Creedan

Died February 22, 1918

Sister Mary Felix was born in Ireland in July 1842 as Julia Creedan. Her parents were Patrick Creedan and Mary Coakley and her brother was my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden. Julia was baptized in Clondrohid Parish, County Cork on July 3, 1842 and was in Clinton County, Ohio by 1860. She entered the Sisters of Charity convent in Cincinnati, Ohio in 1870 where she took the name Sister Mary Felix. She is buried in the Sisters of Charity cemetery in Mount St. Joseph's, Ohio. Thanks to JP Finn for taking the photo and posting it on FindAGrave.

Census Sunday - John and Catherine Chilcutt

My 3x great-grandparents John Chilcutt and Catherine Harmon were living in Caroline County, MD in 1850. Their last name was spelled Chilcote and John's occupation was given as Carpenter in the census record.

There are three children in the household: Mary A., age 3, Caroline A., age 1, and James M., who was a few months old.

In the 1860 census, the family is in Talbot County, MD. This time John's name is recorded as John W. Chilcutt and his occupation is given as Farmer.

James, Mary, and Caroline are still in the household at ages 10, 12, and 11 in 1860. There are also Martha, age 7, George, age 5, Charles, age 4, Emily, age 3, and Lewis, age 1. A servant named Margaret Lloyd is living with the family. George is my 2x great-grandfather.

I didn't find any definite entries for the family in the 1870 census, but there were some Chilcutts with some of the children's names living with other families. It's possible that John and/or Catherine died by 1870 and the family was split up. George was married to Kate Covey by the time of the 1880 census, but I didn't find him in 1870. I'll post an update when I find out what happened to the family after 1860.

Church Record Sunday - Honora Creedan Baptism in Clondrohid Parish, Ireland

I've been searching for my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden's baptism record in the registers available on the National Library of Ireland site. From other records, I believe that Timothy was born in early 1846 and records for his siblings showed that they were baptized in Clondrohid Parish. Unfortunately, the NLI site shows that it only has 1846 records for November and December for Clondrohid. I've been searching through the nearby parishes, but so far haven't had any luck finding Timothy.

I decided to search for Timothy's siblings and quickly found a record for his older sister Julia. Finding his younger sister Hanora took a little more searching. I have a transcribed record that gives Honora's baptism date as August 6, 1848 in Clondrohid Parish, so started my search with August, 1848.

The first page that came up for August didn't have any trace for Hanora. In looking at the date, I wonder if this could be one of the missing pages for August 1846.

The next page for September also looked like it could be for 1846, as well as the page that followed for June.

Compare this to the second page tagged for September 1848, where the last number is definitely an 8.

Another page for August 1848 appeared a couple of pages down and this one looked like 1848. This is one of the harder to read pages, but I was able to make out the entry for Honora on August 6, 1848.

Hanora Creedan on Page 20, Microfilm 05003/01, Clondrohid Parish

The entry says that Hanora's parents were Pat Creedan and Mary Coakley. Witnesses were John Keeffee and Johanna Toomy and the location was Carrigapooca. Interesting to see John Keefe there, since a John Keefe and his wife Johanna Creedon were one of the other families that wound up in Clinton County, Ohio where my Creedens settled.

There are a few other Creedans on this page. At the bottom of the same page, I can't make out the date or child's name, but it also has the location of Carrgapooca. The parents are Daniel Riordan and Kate Creedan and one of the witnesses is Mary Creedan. The date above it is August 25.

Child of Daniel Riordan and Kate Creedan, August 1848, Clondrohid Parish

I'm finding that the Creedan spelling was used quite often in the Clondrohid records. Creedan also appears in the earlier records in Clinton County, Ohio, but most of them had changed the spelling to Creeden or Creedon by the 1880s.

Sunday's Obituary - Mary Coakley

This short notice appeared in the Wilmington Journal on December 28, 1887.

  The widow of the late Jerry Coakley died at the residence of her son-in-law, Patrick Egan, in Wilmington, on last Friday, at the age of eighty-four years.

Mary Ryan Coakley was born in County Cork, Ireland and came to Wilmington, Ohio with her husband Jerry Coakley. According to her tombstone on FindAGrave, Mary died on December 23, 1887 at the age of 81 years. Her son-in-law Patrick Egan was married to Catherine Coakley on September 13, 1868. Mary is buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery in Wilmington, Ohio.

I've been researching this Coakley family since my 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan was married to a Mary Coakley. Patrick Creedan and Jerry Coakley were both present at the first Catholic mass held in Wilmington in 1852 and the two families seemed close. I'd love to hear from anyone with information on the Clinton County Coakleys.

Sunday's Obituary - L. D. Matson

This obituary was published in the Clinton Democrat in Wilmington, Ohio on June 14, 1917. Lorenzo Dow Matson was the brother of my 2x great-grandmother Mary Matson Creeden. He was married to Ruth Athey.

L. D. Matson Dies of Paralysis. 

  L. D. Matson; well known farmer of Clinton county residing on rural route No. 5, passed away at 6:15 Friday evening, lune 8, at his home, paralysis being the cause of his death. Mr. Matson had been ailing for quite a while but was up and about until within a short time of his death, being confined to his bed but two days. Memorial Day he was in Wilmington to observe the exercises.
  Mr. Matson was 68 years of age and a life-long resident of Clinton county. He was one of the most highly esteemed farmers of his neighborhood, enjoying the respect of a wide acquaintance.
  He is survived by his widow and three sons, Henry, of Ogden, Lawrence and Roy, of Wilmington. Daniel Matson, residing on route No. 7, is a brother of the deceased, Mrs. Mary Creeden and Mrs. Theresa Shaller, both of Celina, are his sisters. Three step-children, Chelse and Walter Stoops and Mrs. Mary Laurens, are also living.
  Funeral services were held Sunday at the home and burial was made in New Antioch. Rev. Eliza Thorne, of  Sabina, conducted the services.

Church Record Sunday - Clondrohid Parish, Ireland

I've been spending some time looking through the Catholic Parish Registers on the National Library of Ireland site. The records aren't searchable, but can be narrowed down to the parish and date. There are controls to zoom in and out, adjust the contrast, download images, and a map feature that's handy for finding surrounding parishes.

I quickly found the record for my 2x great-grandfather's sister, Julia Creeden. She was baptized on July 3, 1842 in Clondrohid Parish. Her parents were Patrick Creeden and Mary Cokley and sponsors were Daniel Cokley and Hanora Creeden. The townland was given as Carrigapooka. I've also seen the last names for the parents spelled as Creedon or Creedan and Coakley, but I'll go with the spellings as they appear in the records.

Clondrohid, Ireland Baptism Register for July 1842 from National Library of Ireland

I was hoping to find a record for my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden, but no such luck. I'm fairly certain that he was born in early 1846 and the only records available for Clondrohid in 1846 are for November and December. It's possible he was born in another parish, so I'll keep looking.

Meanwhile, I'm going to start listing the Creedon and any related families that I find in the registers. This post covers Creedens in the Clondrohid baptism registers from July to December, 1842. I was really having trouble making out some of the townlands, so I'm using the closest match from the list of Clondrohid townlands on the Irish Time website.

The page with Julia Creeden lists baptisms recorded in Clondrohid Parish for July 1842. I didn't find any other Creedon or Coakley references for July, August, November, or December 1842. Following are the other Creeden and Carrigapooka listings that I found from September to December 1842.

Sept. 5, 1842 - Johanna, Parents: Timothy Creeden, Johanna Kelleher, Sponsors: Sebastian Murphy, Catharine Creeden, Townland: Lacktify
Sept 14, 1842 - Mary, Parents: Thomas Mullan, Mary Doody, Sponsors: Daniel Creeden, Ellen Mullan, Townland:  ? (Mullan is possibly Mullane)
Sept. 25, 1842 - James, Parents: Denis Creeden, Julia Mullan, Sponsors: Mathias Kelleher, Margaret Kierney, Townland: Mullenroe

Oct. 25, 1842 - Mary, Parents: Morty Kelleher, Mary Creeden, Sponsors: Jeremiah Kelleher, Catharine (no last name), Townland: Ardeen

Dec. 7, 1842 - Julianna, Parents: Patrick Buckley, Ellen Waters, Sponsors: Andrew Buckley, Mary Waters, Townland: Carragapooka

I'll follow up in future posts with additional listings from the registers. Thanks to the National Library of Ireland for making this resource freely available!

Mystery Monday - Meredith or Godwin?

I've posted about this census record before, but I'm taking another look at it in light of some new information.

1850 US Census, 3rd District, Queen Anne's County, MD

In the 1850 census for Queen Anne's County, MD, there are several people with different surnames living in the same household. Samuel and Susan Sparks are my 2x great-grandparents and they have a newborn named Martha Ann. Every tree I've ever seen for the family has Samuel and Ann Godwin as the parents of Susan Godwin, and Susan Godwin as the wife of Samuel Sparks.

There are a couple of marriage records to support this. From the marriage records for Queen Anne's County available on the Maryland State Archives site, Samuel Godwin married Ann Davis on March 23, 1824 and Samuel Sparks married Susan Godwin on July 16, 1849. There is a Rebecca Davis living with the family who is 6 years younger than Ann Godwin, so that indicates there could be a relation to the Davis family. There are also two Meridith children living in the household.

The new to me information is from the death certificate for my great-grandmother Arianna Sparks. I knew that Arianna was the daughter of Samuel and Susan Sparks and had thought that Susan's maiden name was Godwin. The death certificate says that Arianna's parents are Samuel Sparks and Susan Meredith! It's interesting that one of the Meridith children living in the Godwin household is also named Arianna, so it does seem like there is a relationship between the families.

 I can think of several possibilities for the difference in last names for Susan:

• The death certificate could be wrong. The informant was Arianna's daughter Ruby and perhaps she got the name confused with her other grandmother, Mary Ann Meredith, wife of Francis Councill.
• The death certificate could be correct and Susan's maiden name really was Meredith. That raises the question of why the Sparks and Merediths were living with the Godwins? I couldn't find any Queen Anne's marriage records for a Susan Meredith
• Susan could've remarried to a Meredith after Samuel Sparks died. This can be ruled out since Samuel died in 1899 and Susan's estate was filed in 1902 under the name Susan A. Sparks.
• Susan Meredith could've married a Godwin before her marriage to Samuel Sparks. I couldn't find any evidence to support this in the Queen Anne's marriage records.

For now, I'm leaning towards a mistake on the death certificate, although it's possible there was a marriage for Susan in another county. Investigating the Meredith children might shed some light on the relationship to the Meredith family, so I'll follow up on that in a future post.

Census Sunday - Francis and Mary A. Councill in Queen Anne's County, Maryland

Tracing my 2x great-grandparents Francis and Mary Ann Meredith Councill through the census has been a bit confusing. The names and ages of the children changed from census to census, but it looks like they may have used nicknames or middle names. All of the census records listed below were for District 3 of Queen Anne's County, MD.

1850 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

The 1850 census record has the family listed as Counall. The following individuals are listed in the household. I've added an estimated year of birth based on their ages.

Francis 35, 1815

Mary Ann 23, 1827

Mary 8, 1842

Frances 5, 1845

Sarah M 3, 1847

Richard James 2/12 months, 1850

This is the only census record where a Sarah is listed, although a Maria of about the same age is listed in 1860 and 1870. There is no mention of a Sarah or Maria in Francis Councill's will of 1886.

1860 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

This appears to be the same family in the 1860 census, although some of the names and birth years change. Both the 1850 and 1860 censuses were taken in July, so that doesn't explain the discrepancy in ages. The following individuals are listed:

Francis Council 40, 1820

Mary 32, 1828

Marietta 17, 1843

Frances 16, 1844

Maria 12, 1848 (maybe Sarah M. from 1850?)

Richard 10, 1850

Robert 8, 1852

John 6, 1854

Frank 1, 1859

 

1870 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

In 1870, the household has the following members:

Francis Council 55, 1815

Mary 45, 1825

Maria A. 19, 1851

Ric'd 20, 1850

Robert 17, 1853

John 13, 1857

Mary A. 10, 1860

Marietta, Frances, and Frank aren't listed here. Marietta got married in 1862 and I suspect that Frances was also married by 1870. Frank would've been too young to be married, so may have died young. Another child, Mary A. is added to the household.

1880 US Census, District 3, Queen Anne's County, MD

In the 1880 census, Francis and Mary are living with their grandsons, Fran. and W. Jas Booker. Their daughter Marietta married James Booker on December 18, 1862, so they are most likely her children. Marietta married Charles J. Weaver on December 28, 1878, so I don't know why the children are with their grandparents.

Francis Council 62, 1818

Mary 54, 1826

Fran. Booker, 12 1868

W. Jas Booker, 9 1871

The will of Francis was filed in December 1887 and the estate of Mary was probated in 1889. Their children Marietta Weaver, Frances Bramble, Richard, Robert, John, and Annie Dodd were left land and money in the will of Francis and the estate of Mary. Annie doesn't appear in any of the census records, so she may have been the Mary A. or Maria A listed in the 1870 census.

Sources:

• Ancestry.com. 1850 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 35. Year: 1850; Census Place: District 3, Queen Anne's, Maryland; Roll: M432_296; Page: 198A; Image: 158
• Ancestry.com. 1860 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 2.Year: 1860; Census Place: District 3, Queen Annes, Maryland; Roll: M653_479; Page: 34; Image: 34; Family History Library Film: 803479
• Ancestry.com. 1870 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 124. Year: 1870; Census Place: District 3, Queen Annes, Maryland; Roll: M593_593; Page: 433B; Image: 312; Family History Library Film: 552092.
• Ancestry.com. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line], Image 3. Year: 1880; Census Place: Centerville, Queen Anne's, Maryland; Roll: 514; Family History Film: 1254514; Page: 402B; Enumeration District: 061; Image: 0425. Note: Census image says District 3.
• QUEEN ANNE'S COUNTY CIRCUIT COURT (Marriage Licenses) 1817-1906 CE277, Maryland State Archives

Wedding Wednesday - Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith

The Maryland State Archives has digital copies of marriage licenses granted by the Queen Anne's County Circuit Court from 1817-1906. Click on the Link next to each set of years to open a PDF file with scans of the books. The records provide the names of the bride, groom, and officiant and the date of the marriage. There are gaps in the years available.

Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith, Maryland State Archives msa_ce277-1, Page 225

This entry is for the marriage of  my 2x great-grandparents, Francis Councill and Mary Ann Meredith. They were married in Queen Anne's County on July 8, 1840 by Rev. W. Larkins. The record also indicates that they paid $4.50 for the marriage license.

Transcriptions for the years 1817-1858 and 1865-1908 are available on Sandy's File Cabinet.

Military Monday on Memorial Day - Exploring Arlington National Cemetery with the ANC Explorer App

Memorial Day is a day to remember and honor the men and women who gave their lives while serving in the US Armed Forces. In honor of Memorial Day, Family Tree Magazine's genealogy insider blog recently listed 11 free sites that can be used to research Americans who've died in military service.

One of the sites listed is Arlington National Cemetery's ANC Explorer. The website allows you to locate gravesites, view photos of headstones, and take a virtual tour of the cemetery. Both a mobile app and web browser application are provided. This app wasn't available last time I looked at the Arlington website, so I decided to give it a try on my home PC.

My great-uncle Julius Councill was killed in action on August 12, 1918 in a battle in Fismette, France during WWI. Searching for Julius Councill on the ANC Explorer page brought up a display of a map of Arlington with a marker showing the location of Julius' grave site. Selecting the marker brought up details on Julius' grave and a small photo of his headstone.

ANC Explorer details on Julius K. Councill

The Details button brought up larger photos of the front and back of the headstone and the option to download the photos shown below.

The Directions button brought up the path to Julius' grave on the map and a detailed set of directions starting from the Welcome Center. There was a choice between the quickest and easiest route. In this case, both routes were about 1 1/4 miles from the Welcome Center.

Zooming in on the map showed that the Argonne Cross is not too far from Julius' grave.

I went back to the main page, selected "Browse Points of Interest", "Monuments and Memorials", and selected the Argonne Cross. Details about the Argonne Cross were displayed as well as front and back photos.

Argonne Cross Details from ANC Explorer app

This explained why Julius was buried in Arlington three years after his death. His burial case file included several forms filled out by Julius' mother Arianna Councill requesting that his remains be moved from France to Arlington Cemetery. I had no idea so many servicemen were moved to Arlington during that time.

Photo of the Argonne Cross from ANC Explorer app

If you have family buried at Arlington or are planning a visit there, I'd definitely recommend giving the ANC Explorer app a try. One thing to note is that the site says the tool is still under development and not all graves are included yet.

Sunday's Obituary - Catherine Desch Gast and grandsons in Celina, Ohio 1918

The Gast family of Celina, Ohio suffered the tragic loss of four family members to the Spanish influenza epidemic of 1918. Two sons of Mr. and Mrs. John Gast died on December 8 and December 11, 1918. That was followed by the death of John's mother Catherine Desch Gast on December 12, 1918. John's sister Antoinette "Mattie" Gast Ockuly died on December 23, 1918. It's hard to imagine losing so many in the family that quickly.

The following obituaries appeared in the Celina Democrat on December 13, December 20,  and December 27, 1918. I found them online at Chronicling America. The site has the weekly Celina Democrat available online for the years 1910 to 1918.

Celina Democrat, December 13, 1918

  GAST BOYS VICTIMS OF INFLUENZA
  Carl and Eugene Gast, ages 17 and 18, respectively, sons of Mr. and Mrs. John Gast, of North Cherry street, are both dead as the result of the dread Spanish influenza.
  Both were ill but a few days. Carl, the youngest of the two boys, passed away Sunday. Eugene's death occurred Wednesday. Medical science failed to stay the hand of the relentless reaper.
  Both boys were the pride and hope of their parents, were favorite among their fellows, and enjoyed the confidence and esteem of all whom they came in contact.

Celina Democrat, December 20, 1918

 THE GRIM  REAPER
  Mrs. John Gast, sr. (nee Desch), aged 64 years, one of the best known women of this city, died a week ago last night, after a week's illness of influenza. She had been at the home of her son John nursing the two grandsons,whose deaths were chronicled last week, until a few days preceding her death. Grief over the loss of her grandchildren and the absence of her youngest son Leo at Camp Merritt no doubt broke her spirit and hastened the death of the good woman. 
  The deceased was a daughter of the late Mr. and Mrs. Ferdinand Desch, and was born at St. Johns, April 23, 1854. She was married to Mr. Gast in 1871. Five years later they came to Celina. where they since resided. The deceased is survived by her husband and eight children—John. jr., Andrew, Leo. Matilda, Sister Margaret, Mrs. Geo. Pulskamp, Mrs. P. A. Ockuly and Mrs, Alex Miller, of Ottawa.
  Funeral services were held Monday evening and the remains deposited in the mausoleum to await the arrival of her son Leo before her interment. 

Celina Democrat, December 27, 1918

  Mrs. P. A. Ockuly (nee Gast), aged 32 years, died at the home of her father, John Gast, sr., last Monday night. Mrs. Ockuly had been ill for three weeks or more from an attack of influenza, and the deaths of her two nephews, followed closely by that of her mother, no doubt had a very depressing effect upon her and contributed much to her final dissolution. 
  The deceased for many years was employed at the Bote office, and was highly esteemed by a large circle of acquaintances. She was wedded to Mr. Ockuly only last April. Funeral services were held at the Catholic church yesterday.

Catherine Desch Gast was my 3x great-grandmother. Her daughter Mary married my 2x great-grandfather George F. Pulskamp in 1899. George Pulskamp was the publisher of the German Bote newspaper mentioned in the obituary of Mrs. P. Ockuly.

Sunday's Obituary - James Keefe - Civil War Vet of Clinton County, Ohio

This may be the most informative obituary I've ever seen for anyone connected to my family! The obituary was published in the Clinton County Democrat in Wilmington Ohio on January 13, 1916. James Keefe's mother was Johanna Creedon and his brother Timothy Keefe was the executor of my 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan's will. While I don't know the exact relation to my Creeden family, the two families seemed close. The Keefes were mentioned as being related to Patrick Creedan's daughter Julia in her obituary published in 1918.

OBITUARY.
On last Friday morning, January 1916, was written the final chapter in the life of one of our foremost citizens, when we consigned to their last resting place the mortal remains of a man, who, during a long and useful lifetime, was loyal to his God, his country and his fellow men. James Keefe was born November 16, 1844, in Macroom, County Cork, Diocese of Cloyne, Ireland. He was a son of John and Johanna Creedon Keefe, to which union were born six children—Patrick, who died while serving his country during the Civil War; Timothy, who died several years ago in Wayne township, Clinton county; James, the subject of this sketch, and three daughters, Mary, Julia and Honore, all of whom have preceded their brother into the Eternal Kingdom.

At the age of thirteen James Keefe, with his parents, emigrated to America and, landing at New York, went from there to Xenia, Ohio, and later came to Wilmington. Modern conveniences of travel were then unknown and the only conveyance obtainable for the trip to Wilmington was an ordinary road wagon. Upon arriving here the Keefe family located in the old home of the late Sheriff Smith, where James grew to manhood under the loving and watchful tutelage of his parents, acquiring those:sterling qualities of mind and heart which he displayed throughout his earthly sojourn. He received a good common school education, attending the school located where now stands the Friends Church. On the 10th of August. 1862, his patriotism led him to enlist and take up arms against the foe of his beloved country and for three years he faithfully and valorously served under the Stars and Stripes and was honorably discharged at Camp Dennison on June 17, 1865. 

The following year, 1866, James was united in marriage to Ann Shea, daughter of Michael and Margaret Shea, which union was blessed with five children, Mrs. Joseph Kuebler, John Keefe. Mrs. Thos. McDermott, Miss Honore and James M. Keefe, all of whom mourn the loss of a kind and
loving father. The early years of Mr. Keefe's married life were spent on the farm, but, upon moving to Wilmington, he was appointed street supervisor by the council, which position he capably held until 1910, when forced to retire by Ill health. Although endowed with a rugged constitution, he suffered in late years  from heart trouble, which, coupled with his advanced age, brought about his dissolution, and on Monday morn, January 3, 1916, at 8:30 he fell asleep in the Lord.

James Keefe was a kind and genial man, endowed with a keen intellect and an abundance of that ready wit found in so many of his race. To know him was to be his friend, for he was honest and charitable in his dealings with his fellow men. He will be missed by his immediate family, also by his few remaining comrades of the G. A. R., and last, but not least, by the members of St. Columbkille church, which he attended for over 50 years. "For God and Country" would be a fitting epitaph to inscribe on his monument, for he loved and served God from the days of his youth, and to his country he gave the best years of his life. At 7:30 Friday morning, after the G. A. R. had paid their last respects in his home to their deceased comrade, the remains were escorted to St. Columbkille church, where funeral services were conducted by Rev. Martin A. Higgins, his pastor, after which interment was made in Sugar Grove cemetery.

Farewell. dear father, your love for us 

Was tender, kind and true, 

And memory's surine will long preserve 

The warmest spot for you. 

Now gathered round your silent grave, 

While tears of sorrow roll, 

The fervent prayer springs from our hearts,

                                                          -God rest your noble soul."
CARD OF THANKS. 
Mrs. Keefe and family wish to express their heartfelt gratitude to all their friends for the assistance and sympathy extended them in their dark hour of sorrow, and also to Rev. Martin A. Higgins for his eloquent and consoling funeral sermon, and lastly to the G. A. R. for the honor accorded their deceased loved one. 
MRS. ANN KEEFE AND FAMILY.

Sunday's Obituary - Hannah Creeden

This obituary was published in the Clinton County Democrat on March 7, 1918.

  Mrs. Hannah Creeden, aged 85 years, an old resident and one of the most highly respected women of the community, passed away Thursday afternoon at her home on Sugartree street, her death following a long illness. Mrs. Creeden came from County Cork, Ireland, with her husband when they were young in life and experience. Her husband died in New York soon after their landing leaving her with four little children. In a strange land she fought the battle of life single-handed, earning a living for herself and little ones. She came to Wilmington in 1864 when her children were small and has since resided here. She leaves four daughters, Mrs. John Haley, Mrs. Mary Gorman, Mrs. Will Sliker and Mrs. Richard Egan, twelve grandchildren and thirteen great-grandchildren. Her funeral took place Saturday morning from St. Columbkille church, of which she was a devout member, solemn requiem high mass being conducted by Father Ertel assisted by Father Conroy, of Jamestown, and Farther Martin Malloy, of Loveland. This is the first occasion on which solemn requiem high mass has been celebrated in the new church.

I've always thought this was such an incredible story. Hannah's husband was Timothy Creeden and they were married in Clondrohid Parish, County Cork on Feb. 28, 1854. Hannah's maiden name was also Creeden. What the obituary doesn't mention is that her daughter Hannah (Mrs. Richard Egan) was born on the ship they came over on! Hannah and Timothy also had a son named Daniel who supposedly died during their voyage to the US.

I don't know the exact connection between this family and other Creedens in Clinton County, but I would guess that Hannah went from New York to Clinton County due to family ties. She must have been an incredible woman to raise her four daughters on her own after losing her husband and son.

Military Monday - Letter From Soldier Wounded in WWI

I've posted several times about the colorful military career of my great-grandfather's brother Edward Creeden. Edward enlisted in the US Army in 1904 from Salt Lake City, Utah. He listed his residence as Pueblo, CO and birthplace as Celina, OH.

Edward served in the Army until 1910 when he enlisted in the Marines at San Francisco, CA. His paperwork as a sharpshooter was transferred from the Army to the Marines. In October 1911, he mysteriously deserted his post in the Marines and reenlisted in the Army a few weeks later. He was honorably discharged from the Army in January 1915.

In August 1917, Edward joined the Canadian Expeditionary Forces. The Canadian records showed that he was wounded in France in April 1918 and lost his right leg due to a wound from a shell fragment in Arras, France.

An article in the Celina Democrat published on July 26, 1918 details a letter he wrote to his brother Joshua during his recovery. I found the article on the Chronicling America site. 

Edward Creeden, who has been in a war hospital in England as a result of a gunshot wound received April 20, while in service in France, has written an interesting letter to his brother Joshua, in care of his brother Charley in this city. He has been serving with the Canadian expeditionary forces, and is probably now on his way back to Canada minus his right leg. He has seen much army life, having served in the Phillippins, at Honolulu and along the Mexican border-- thirteen years in all. His letter shows he would like to be back in the war game. He has the proverbial American cheerfulness and fighting spirit, and takes his medicine that way. His friends, however, are sorry to hear of his misfortune.

I had wondered if Edward kept in touch with the family at all, so the article at least solves that mystery. It must've been quite a shock for them to get the news of his injury. I have a long list of places where Edward served, but I didn't know he served in Honolulu or the Mexican border.

I don't know if Edward got his wish to continue with his military service, but it seems unlikely. He was discharged from the Canadian forces as being medically unfit for duty in 1919. He listed his proposed next residence as St. Louis, MO, but I haven't found any records for him there so far.

A possible entry in the census places him in Sedgwick, KS in 1920 and from newspaper articles and his death certificate, I know he died in Newport, KY in 1937. I'm still trying to solve the mystery of what happened to Edward between 1919-1937.

Sunday's Obituary - Jeremiah Coakley

The following obituary was published in the Wilmington Clinton County Democrat on January 5, 1887. Jerry Coakley was very active in establishing the Catholic Church in Wilmington, Ohio and was present at the first mass said there in 1852. I posted a shorter obituary for him from the Clinton County Republican earlier this month.

JERRY COAKLEY, one of the old residents of the place, died last Friday at his home on Locust street, after an illness of several months, of no especial disease, but a general wearing out. Mr. Coakley was nearly eighty-seven years old and was born in Ireland. He left County Cork thirty years ago and came directly to Wilmington, where he has since resided. He was a hard-working, peaceable man and a good citizen. Funeral services were held in the Catholic Church on Sunday, and deceased was buried in Sugar Grove Cemetery.

It's interesting that the obituary states that Jerry came directly to Wilmington around 1857. I believe that my 3x great-grandfather Patrick Creedan arrived in Wilmington in 1849 and had been married to a Mary Coakley, so it's possible that they were related. Both Jerry and Patrick were present at the first mass in Wilmington in 1852, so they definitely knew each other. I'm still looking for that definite link between the families.