Mystery Monday - Dennis Creeden Part 2

I first posted about the mysteries surrounding Dennis Creeden about a year ago. Dennis was one of the sons of my 2x great-grandfather Timothy Creeden and I hoped that tracing Dennis might shed some light on Timothy. Instead, it just raised more questions!

When I saw that FamilySearch.org recently added more indices to its California County Birth and Death Records, 1849-1894 collection, I searched again for Dennis and came up with a hit.

Death Certificate for Den Creedon, 1929, French Camp, CA

According to the certificate, Dennis died on January 17, 1929 in the town of French Camp, California. His date of birth was given as Sept. 8, 1882. his occupation was blacksmith and while his parents' names were unknown, Dennis' birthplace was given as Ohio. From other records, I think his year of birth was 1879, but the other data was a match.

There are several new pieces of information on the death certificate, the most intriguing being that Dennis was a widower. The certificate states that he had lived in California for 10 years and that he was buried in the San Joaquin General Hospital Cemetery, #2524 on January 19, 1929. The informant was J. Hogan. If he was in California for 10 years, then he should be in the 1920 census, but I haven't had any luck there so far.

Posts on RootsWeb in the CASANJOA-L Archives state that the graves in the San Joaquin General Hospital Cemetery were moved to either the Cherokee Memorial Park in Lodi, CA or the Stockton Rural Cemetery in Stockton, CA in 1989. I didn't find anything on FindAGrave for any of these locations, so the search continues.

Amanuensis Monday - Guardianship Bonds

I've followed a trail of probate records and Guardian's Bonds that link my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden to Patrick Creedan's family in Clinton County, Ohio. The bonds show that Timothy was named guardian of his half-sister Roseanna shortly after their father Patrick's death in Clinton County in 1883. The guardian's bonds were filed in Clinton County until 1887 when the probate case was moved to Mercer County, Ohio. The witnesses to the bond in Mercer County were Timothy's neighbors in Hopewell Township, Mercer County.

Guardianship moves from Clinton County to Mercer County - Click to enlarge

The record above shows that Timothy resigned his guardianship in Clinton County, Ohio since he had moved his family to Mercer County, Ohio. The text reads:

September 14th 1887 the following paper was filed,
to the ? Probate Judge of Clinton county Ohio.
   The undersigned guardian of Roseanna Creeden hereby tenders his Resignation of said trust and prays the same may be accepted. (signed by) Timothy Creeden
And the court finds that said guardian is chargeable with assets belonging to the Estate of his said ward amounting to $762.61 and is entitled to credits amounting to $333.56 leaving remaining in his hand $339.05 and the court finds that said guardian has moved with his said ward to Selina Mercer County Ohio and he has tendered his resignation as such guardian to this court and has made application and has been duly appointed and qualified as guardian of said Roseanna Creeden in the Probate Court of Mercer County aforesaid. It is therefore ordered and said resignation is hereby accepted for the purpose of transferring said Trust Estate to the Probate Court of Mercer County aforesaid. Copy of Letters of guardianship aforesaid is herewith filed October 7th 1887.  A. ? Williams PJ

Guardianship in Mercer County, Ohio - Click to enlarge

The corresponding record in Mercer County, Ohio shown above reads:

No 2798. In the matter of the guardianship of Rosannah Creeden, an imbecile. Oct. 4, 1887. appointment
   Upon application, and the court being satisfied that Rosannah Creeden, a resident of this county, is an imbecile; and incapable of managing her affairs, Thimothy Creeden is hereby appointed guardian of the person and estate of said Rosannah Creeden, and letters of guardianship are granted accordingly. Whereupon he accepts said appointment, and filed a statement, as required by law, of the whole estate of said imbecile, and the probable value thereof, was duly sworn, and afterwards, to wit: on the 5th day of October, 1887, came the said Timothy Creeden and presented his bond as such guardian in the sum of five hundred dollars with John H. Siebert and Henry Beathler as sureties, which bond is approved by the court.

I've been amazed at how much information I've been able to find on Timothy in the Ohio Probate Records. Images of these records are available online for free from Family Search. In the absence of any vital records showing Timothy's parents or family, I've been able to link him to his father Patrick and his sister Julia. Julia's death certificate named her parents as Patrick Creedon and Mary Coakley and her baptism record showed that she was baptized in Clondrohid, County Cork, Ireland in 1842. Patrick and Mary had another child there in 1848, but I couldn't find any records for them between 1843-1847. Timothy was born in 1846, so the search for records for Timothy continues.

Sources:

• Clinton County Ohio, Testamentary Records 1884-1889, volumes 12-13, "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org
• Mercer County, Ohio Journals 1886-1888, vol11, "Ohio, Probate Records, 1789-1996." Images. FamilySearch. https://familysearch.org

Amanuensis Monday is a daily blogging theme which encourages the family historian to transcribe family letters, journals, audiotapes, and other historical artifacts.

Monday Madness - Cracks in my Irish Brick Wall

One of my first posts was about my Irish Brick wall for my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden. The only records I have for him are after his arrival in the US and they just state his origin as "Ireland". I knew that there were other Creeden families in Clinton County, Ohio where I found my first records for Timothy, but I couldn't find any definite links to the other families.

The family I thought had the best possibility of being related to Timothy was headed by Patrick Creedan in the 1860 US Census for Clinton County, Ohio.

Timothy was born in 1846 and this says that a daughter Johanna/Joanette was born in 1846. The Timothy listed here was born in 1853 and the place of birth was listed as Ohio. I didn't think this was the right Timothy at first, but kept it open as a possibility.

The 1870 census shows that Johannah was born around 1851, so what if Timothy and Johannah's ages had been switched in the 1860 census?

Timothy moved to Mercer County in the mid 1880s and Patrick's son John lived there in his later years. I also saw a Roseanna Creeden in the Mercer County census listings for 1900-1920, but her death certificate didn't have her parents' names. She was in the Mercer County Infirmary during that time and listed as insane.

I have been unable to find Timothy's death certificate or an obituary. The church records were destroyed by fire, so I thought there might be some information in the funeral records. A couple of researchers in Mercer County found that those had also been destroyed, but mentioned that there was a probate record for a Timothy Creeden that was the guardian of a Roseanna Creeden.

I knew that FamilySearch had added Ohio Probate Records a few months ago, but I hadn't made much use of them yet. The records are not searchable, but I found that many of the volumes had an index of names. According to FindAGrave, Patrick Creedan died in June 1883, so I decided to try and find his will.

The Probate Records I found established a fairly certain link between my Timothy and Patrick's family! Patrick's will left shares to his sons Timothy, John, Patrick William and to his daughter Hannah Jane. He also left his daughter Julia's share to Timothy as her "full brother" and due to Julia being a "religious in the convent of the Sisters of Charity". He left two shares to his daughter Rosanna "in consequence of her feeble minded condition" and left his grandson Elija Bernard his daughter Johanna's share due to her being deceased.

I followed a trail of Settlement Records, Testamentary Records, and Guardian's Bonds that showed Timothy was named guardian of Roseanna shortly after Patrick's death. According to one record, the case was moved to Mercer County when Timothy moved his family and ward there around 1885. I also found the corresponding probate record in Mercer County that showed he was guardian of Roseanna.

I think this is a pretty good case that Patrick Creeden, born 1814 in Ireland is Timothy's father. The only Creedens I've found in Mercer County are Timothy, John, and their families and Roseanna. I have a note from another researcher that Patrick married Hannah Jane Hoover in 1851, so if that is correct, she was Patrick's second wife and is not the mother of Timothy or Julia. I still don't know a location in Ireland or the identity of Timothy's mother, but it is exciting to finally have a few family members for him!

Mystery Monday - First Cousins?

My great-great-grandparents Mary Ann Matson and Timothy Creeden were married in December 1868 in Clinton County, Ohio.

On the marriage license, part of it states "not nearer in kin than second cousins". The second is crossed out and first is written above it.

I am puzzling over how Timothy and Mary could be first cousins. Timothy was born in Ireland in 1846 according to all of the records I have on him and statements from my great-grandfather about Timothy's origins. If they are first cousins in the strictest sense, they must share at least one grandparent.

Mary's parents were Asa Matson (1810-1864) and Dolly Clevenger (born about 1808). Asa was born in Virginia and Dolly was born in Ohio. I do not know who Timothy's parents were.

Asa's parents were said to be John Matson (born 1758 in VA, died 1842 in Clinton County, OH) and Nancy Ann Clevenger (born 1752 in VA, died 1834 in Clinton County, OH). They were married in 1775 in Virginia. Their graves in Ohio have their age at time of death which seems to confirm their years of birth.

Dolly's parents were Aden/Adon Clevenger (born 1778 in VA, died 1853 in Clinton County, OH) and Sarah Beadles (1781 in VA, died in Clinton County, OH). They were married in 1801 in VA. Aden married Elizabeth Crouse in 1816.

In order for Timothy and Mary to be first cousins, either a sibling of either Asa or Dolly would have to be one of Timothy's parents or perhaps one of Timothy's grandmothers married into the families after Timothy's parents were born. There are several mysteries here:

• All of the siblings were born in VA and OH, so if one of them is Timothy's mother, how could he be born in Ireland?
• I have found marriages listed for all of the siblings and there is not a Creeden in any of them with any spelling (Creedon, Creedan, Credon, Credan, etc.). Could a second marriage be involved? If Timothy was born in Ireland and his mother later remarried into the Matson or Clevenger families, would that still count as a first cousin relationship for Timothy and Mary?
• Asa's mother Nancy Clevenger Matson would have been about 58 when she gave birth to Asa. That seems pretty unlikely, so are the dates or the relationship wrong? If John and Nancy are Asa's grandparents, that would leave a place where one of Timothy's grandmothers could have married into these families. This might be the most likely possibility.
• Could the first cousin relationship be once removed and be tied to one of Asa's or Dolly's grandparents? I do not know the names or origins of John Matson's parents or Sarah Beadles' mother. That still doesn't work for the Creeden name to be passed to Timothy unless there was a second marriage involved.

Obviously, more proof of all these relationships is needed. Creeden is not that common, but there seem to be a lot of them in Clinton County, Ohio during that time period. I have yet to be able to relate any of them to my Timothy, so I would love to hear from anyone researching these families!

Week 5 – Life Experiences - 52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy Week #5

Week 5 – Life Experiences: Sometimes the challenges in life provide the best learning experiences. Can you find an example of this in your own family tree? Which brick wall ancestor are you most thankful for, and how did that person shape your family history experience?

The brick wall ancestor that has taught me the most would have to be my great-great-grandfather Timothy Creeden from County Cork, Ireland. One of my uncles had gotten interested in genealogy in the 1990s and was telling me and my father how much more was becoming available online. My father asked me to see what I could find out about Timothy and that got me started on researching my family tree. While I still haven't found much on Timothy himself, the search has led to so many other discoveries.

One of my first posts on this blog was about Timothy and My Irish Brick Wall. While it seems like I've made little headway with Timothy, I can see from my post that I have learned a few things over the past year. One idea I had was to try and find obituaries for each of his children. So far, they haven't shed any light on Timothy, but they have been an adventure in themselves.

My search for Timothy has led to getting in touch with others researching the same trees and a wonderful visit from an Irish Creedon. We don't know if our families are related, but he does have a missing Timothy that's about the same age as mine. Even if I never find the exact link back to Ireland, it's been a lot of fun!

52 Weeks of Abundant Genealogy by Amy Coffin is a series of weekly blogging prompts (one for each week of 2012) that invite genealogists and others to discuss resources in the genealogy community including websites, applications, libraries, archives, genealogical societies and more.

Fearless Females - Brick Walls

March 20 — Is there a female ancestor who is your brick wall? Why? List possible sources for finding more information.

My shortest tree so far is for my Adams line. I've only been able to trace this tree back to my gg-grandmother Ruth Edna Adams Willis on the female side. She was born around 1839 in Delaware and was married to William Martin Willis. There was a Mary Adams age 55 living with Ruth and William in the 1860 census, so that could possibly be her mother. In the 1850 census, there is a Ruth E. Adams born about 1836 living with another family. There is also a Mary and Margaret Adams, both age 47 in the 1850 census in a different county than where Ruth is living. Ruth lived in Delaware and Maryland, so I need to further investigate the sources for each county that she lived in. There is a lot of information on the Delaware and Maryland GenWeb sites that I haven't fully investigated yet.

My Creeden tree stops at Timothy Creeden, born in 1846 in Ireland. I don't even have a first name for his mother, so I think this is my toughest brick wall. I posted everything I've tried so far on this tree here:
My Irish Brick Wall

My female lines in Maryland all stop around the early 1800's. There is some extensive research on some of the family surnames in that area in the 1700's, but I have been unable to hook my family up to the earlier families so far. The lines that were researched left Maryland, while my families stayed there. That applies to my ancestors in Queen Anne's County, MD in the Councill, Meredith, Sparks, and Chilcutt families.

Sources for more information:

• Organize what I already have to make sure I haven't missed anything
• Redo searches on Ancestry, FamilySearch, and other sites to see what's new
• Fully investigate sources on the GenWeb sites for counties they lived in
• Investigate the Maryland archives available online
• Investigate vital records for Maryland and Delaware
• Post on the message boards
• For my Irish line, keep up with the new records coming on line at the Irish Genealogy and the Roots Ireland sites. 
• Investigate other Creedon families living nearby in Ohio.

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Once again, in honor of  National Women’s History Month, Lisa Alzo of The Accidental Genealogist blog presents Fearless Females: 31 Blogging Prompts to Celebrate Women’s History Month..

Madness Monday - My Irish Brick Wall

All I know about my Irish ancestor Timothy Creeden's origins is that he is from Country Cork and every record I've managed to obtain on him just says Ireland. I've also been unable to find anything out about his parents or siblings.

Here's a few things I've tried with no luck so far:

• Obituary - A volunteer with the genealogy society where he is buried in Ohio went through the newspapers around his date of death (December 1899), but could only locate a short note of thanks from the family.
• Will - Everything left to his wife and children in Ohio.
• Cemetery - There is a large monument for Timothy and Mary Creeden and his age is listed down to the year, month, day. Who bought this monument and are there any records? From the church office: No records exist! (I found that hard to believe, but it was confirmed by a couple of other family history buffs who have been there.)
• Death certificate - Even though he is buried in Mercer County, OH where he lived, there is no death certificate listed for him. The note of thanks mentioned his illness, so perhaps he died in a hospital in a neighboring county or in nearby Indiana. No luck with that so far.
• Death record from the Catholic Church - Records for December 1899 were destroyed by fire!
• Marriage record from the Catholic Church - They have it, but it has faded to the point of being completely illegible. They provided me a copy anyway and it looks like a blank piece of paper!
• Civil War records - My Dad was sure that his grandfather talked about Timothy serving in the Civil War, but no luck with searches on any of the online databases. Also, no luck finding his wife Mary in the widow's pension records. There are a couple of Timothy Creeden records that come up, but they are the wrong age and place.
• Ship passenger lists - I've only found one record with the right age. The record lists a Timothy Creedon, age 20, arriving in the US from Ireland in 1866. There are no other Creedons in the passenger manifest though, so no clues to other family members.
• Other records I've found that just say Ireland or no location: 1870 and 1880 census, will, land purchase, tombstone, courthouse marriage record.
• Message boards - I've made some great contacts, but nobody knows anything about Timothy
• Other relations in Clinton County, OH - This is where I first found Timothy in the US. There are other Creedon families there, but so far I've been unable to find a link to Timothy.
• One promising new site is at http://www.irishgenealogy.ie/index.html - No luck so far, but worth checking back. The site is adding new baptism, marriage, and death certificates periodically and it's free!
• Lots of other online sites: ancestry, familysearch (and their beta site), World Vital Records, etc. No luck with anything other than census and marriage date.
• Ordered the closest record to Timothy's birth date from the Irish Family History Foundation. The father was William which is not a name used in my Timothy tree, but hard to tell anything further without knowing where Timothy was born.

Well, that's more than a few things, so I'll stop here before I do go mad!