52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 30: Colourful

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to think and write about an ancestor and then share it online.

I have been participating in Amy's 52 Ancestors challenge since 2014 and I must confess that I have completely lapsed on posting to this challenge in 2018.

This is due to many factors (an exciting breakthrough in my Coughlin research as well as my focus on DNA, family history writing and planning a genealogy trip to Ireland, etc). I have always told my children, "I can do ANYTHING, I just cant do EVERYTHING")

I found the Week 30 topic quite enticing though. Maybe it's the artist in me that was drawn to to the word "colourful" (Canadian/English spelling) or perhaps it was Amy's description (below). Either way, I took the bait!

52 Ancestors: Week 9: Where There's a Will

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly blogging prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 9 is "Where There's a Will".

Amy Crow was asked if this theme means a WILL (as in the probate document) or WILL(as in being determined or strong minded). Her answer was: YES!! She encouraged us to use this prompt however we were inspired to.

My "Will" to Locate My Poughkeepsie Ancestors 

For thirty years I have been unable to locate ANY information on my Coughlin Poughkeepsie ancestors and through sheer determination AND strong mindedness, I actually made HUGE progress last week (See my previous post "My Poughkeepsie Coughlin Breakthrough ")

The only evidence I have had of my Coughlin 2nd great-Grandparents - My great grandfathers baptismal certificate

 Duchess County, New York Records!

Part of my problem has been access to records in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, U.S.A..

Unlike Michigan and Ontario records, Poughkeepsie records are really hard to come by, and even where they are available (i.e. Ancestry censuses), keyword searches of "Coughlin" rarely achieve any results.

Initially, my "Coughlin breakthrough" was achieved with great thanks to three record sources:

1. Family Search Census Records: I decided to manually scroll through the records of the 1875 census for Poughkeepsie to locate my Coughlin Family. Once I located them in 1875, (I was so fortunate that they never moved from the same census wards) I successfully located them on sequential Federal and State censuses from 1875-1940
2. New York Directories:  With the census records and now certain of the location in Poughkeepsie of my Coughlin ancestors, I used the historical Directories to confirm their addresses and occupations.
3. Newspapers.com Poughkeepsie Newspapers: I used the newspapers to confirm the deaths of two Coughlin brothers whose headstones are the only headstones to appear on FindAGrave for St. Peter's Poughkeepsie. I also used the death indexes for Poughkeepsie to get possible dates and then looked them up in the newspapers. The two newspapers that I used are:
• The Poughkeepsie Eagle-News 1861-1942
• The Poughkeepsie Journal 1785-2018 or http://poughkeepsiejournal.newspapers.com/

William H. Coughlin 

1900-1913

Find A Grave: William H. Son of Daniel & Lillian Coughlin

Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News

John J. Coughlin

1904-1925

Find A Grave: John J. Son of Daniel & Lillian Coughlin

Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News

Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News

Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News

I'm Still Searching For More Records

I now know that my Coughlin Poughkeepsie ancestors lived, married and died in Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York.They passed their entire lives there. (Except one son Daniel Coughlin 1907-1979 who moved to Connecticut - but that's another blog post)

I am still having great difficulty locating Dutchess County death and marriage records and I will be focusing my next steps on accessing:

1. St Peter's Church and Cemetery Records
2. Naturalization Records
3. Emigration Records
4. Alms House and Medical Records 

Through Newspaper research and browsing Poughkeepsie Alms House Records, I have learned that my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (1842-1921) suffered a serious injury in 1891. In the following years he lived alternatively with his son Daniel and in the Alms House in Poughkeepsie. I hope to learn more.

Source: Poughkeepsie Eagle-News

Source: Ancestry: New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poor Houses 1830-1920

And thanks to Newspapers.com, I located a death notice for my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (1842-1921) and I have sent away to the he New York Department of Health for his death record which I hope will contain the names of his parents

Source: Poughkeepsie Journal

I believe that the man barely visible on the left in the photograph below is my 2nd great-grandfather Michael Coughlin (1842-1921) and I am even more determined than ever to uncover his story and share it with his descendants.

Poughkeepsie photograph from the photo album of Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan (1902-1992)

Poughkeepsie, N.Y. page; Source: Photo album belonging to Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan (1902-1992)

Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York Records

• Poughkeepsie Map 1891
• Find A Grave: Saint Peters Cemetery; Fairview, Poughkeepsie, Dutchess County, New York, 
• Poughkeepsie Eagle-News 1861–1942 Poughkeepsie, New York  USA
• The Poughkeepsie Journal  1785–2018
• Poughkeepsie, New York Directories, 1890-97 
• New York, Census of Inmates in Almshouses and Poorhouses, 1830-1920 (Choose Poughkeepsie in drop down menu) 
• LDS: Poughkeepsie Genealogy (in Dutchess County, NY)

  Dutchess County, New York Records

• Dutchess County, New York Genealogy Genealogy - FamilySearch Wiki 
• POORHOUSE History of Dutchess County
• LDS: Dutchess County NY Genealogy

New York Records

• Maps of New York: http://www.mapofus.org/newyork/ 
• How to order New York Birth, Marriage, Divorce and Death Certificates
• New York State Health Department, Genealogical Research Death Index, 1957-1963 at FamilySearch
• New York, Civil War Muster Roll Abstracts, 1861-1900  
• New York, Southern District Index to Petitions for Naturalization, 1824-1941
• New York, Index to Petitions for Naturalization filed in New York City, 1792-1989 
• New York, Family Bible Records, 1581-1917
• Genealogical Research Death Index: Beginning 1957 | Health Data NY
• NYS Gazetteer Interactive Search

52 Ancestors: Week 8: Heirloom

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly blogging prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 8 is "Heirloom".

Model ship built by James Henry Allan Annal (1849-1930)

The heirloom that I have chosen to write about is a model ship built by my 2nd great-grandfather  James Henry Allan Annal (1849-1930) who was a sailor all of his life and "as a boy was on a whaling expedition for three years in the Arctic."

James Henry Allan Annal 's obituary said that he "sailed every windjammer on the Great lakes a hardy and fearless sailor, and very expert in the construction of ship models."

My 2nd great-grandparents Mary (Hess) and James Henry Allan Annal celebrated their 50th wedding anniversary in 1922

My great-great grandparents lived in Wallaceburg, Ontario near the St. Clair River:  

"During the heyday of water transportation along the St. Clair River, from 1840 to approximately 1931, thousands of schooners, ferries, steamers and flat-bottomed freighters known as scows congested the waterway, hauling goods and passengers up and down the strait, making the river one of the most important arteries in the Great Lakes." (Source: Wallaceburg Courier)

 My 2nd great-grandfather John Henry Allan Annal sailed until he was seventy-three years old!

James Henry Allan Annal had emigrated from his birthplace in the Orkney Islands in 1870 sailing to New York with his sister and the Sutherland family on the steam ship Columbia that left Glasgow, Scotland on November 5, 1870 and arrived in New York on November 5, 1870.

The details of this voyage can be read at http://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.ca/2018/02/william-sutherlands1870-passenger-list.html

This Currier and Ives print is available for sale at http://collections.rmg.co.uk/collections/objects/140283.html

Model Ship Building 

There is a very long tradition of sailors and merchant seaman crafting model ships to pass the time on long voyages. (See PBS Antique Road Show http://www.pbs.org/video/antiques-roadshow-appraisal-folk-art-model-ship-ca-1900/ )

The boat that my grandfather crafted had three masts and it is encased in glass and, based on the handy chart below, I believe it to be a schooner.

Screen capture from Ancestry magazine July/August 2005

We have heard many cousins speak of  model ships built by our great-great grandfather (and his son John Annal) that they remember seeing in their youth but this is the only one that I know of that is still in existence. This treasured family heirloom is in the care of my brother for safekeeping.

52 Ancestors: Week 7: Valentine

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly blogging prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 7 is "Valentine".

While researching the members of the First Sandwich South Council (1893), I came across something interesting about the son of one of the Councillors who was born on Valentine's day 1890.


In 1890, A young boy was born on Valentine's day to Edward J. and Alice Ann (Holden) O'Neil in Essex County and he was named Roy Valentine O'Neil.

52 Ancestors: Week 6: Names

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly blogging prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 6 is "Names".

Today's blog post is about the old Irish name "Honora" which was the name of my 4th great-grandmother Honora (O'Leary) Moynahan.

 

The Old Irish Name: Honora

The name "Honora" was once common in Ireland.

Source: Photocopy of Irish Names

Source: Photocopy of Irish Names

Gaelic Names and Their Anglicized Versions

Census records, passenger lists, and parish records were either written in English or Latin (or in the case of Detroit and Essex county, Ontario, parish records were written in french). Never in Irish. The surname ALWAYS retains the English/French/Latin spelling. And so you see Honora written as Nora, Norah, Hannah, Anna ( even Jane, Jean, Joan!)

My 4th great-grandmother Honora (O'Leary) Moynahan on the 1851 census for Sandwich, Ontario (C-11720)

 Honora (O'Leary) Moynahan is found on the following records with many variations for her name:

• 1833: Detroit marriage record for her son Denis Moynahan she is recorded as "Nory Lery" "Nancy Leary"
• 1851: On the census for Sandwich Township (C-11720) she is recorded as "Honora"
• 1860:  Matthew Moynahan's 1860 Will #915 she is recorded as "Honora"
• 1861:On the census with her son Timothy she is recorded as a "Widow" named "Ann"

Name Variations and Nicknames:

From Old Irish Names: Varieties and synonymes of surnames and christian names in Ireland

From Irelandxo, here are some additional name variants for Honora:

• Hannah, Hanna  =  Honora, Johanna, Anna
• Honor, Honny, Onny, Noey, Norah  =  Honora, Honoria
• Noey, Norah, Onny  =  Honora, Honoria

An Irish ancestor’s first name might be the magic key to unlock the family’s story: their religion, economic status, place of origin in Ireland.

My 4th great-grandmother is my only ancestor with the name "Honora". It is a beautiful name and I hope to learn more about her life in Ireland at some point in the future.

 More LINKS About Irish Names

• Old Irish Names: Varieties and synonymes of surnames and christian names in Ireland. For the guidance of registration officers and the public in searching the indexes of births, deaths, and marriages by Matheson, Robert E. (Robert Edwin), Sir, 1845-1926 
• Surnames of the United Kingdom: a concise etymological dictionary M-Z  by Harrison, Henry, d. 1921; Harrison, Gyda Pulling, d. 1917
• http://www.irishgenealogical.org/sites/irishgenealogical.org/files/memsepts/2006274.pdf
• Hanora Moynihan - A poem by Francis Duggan https://www.poemhunter.com/poem/hanora-moynihan/

52 Ancestors: Week 5: A Census Surprise!

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly blogging prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 5 is "Census".

Sept. 2017 Statistics Canada Speakers Series entitled,
"A glimpse into the past:
Using historical censuses to research Canadian families".

Back in September 2017, I attended a Statistics Canada Speakers Series entitled, "A glimpse into the past: Using historical censuses to research Canadian families". I learned a lot at this session and I reported my findings on my blog post Statistics Canada - Speaker Series - Historical Censuses .

My 2nd great-grandparents Jeremiah and Mary (Brennan) Moynahan

Inspired by the speakers, I decided to revisit the historic censuses of some of my Essex County, Ontario ancestors and I started with the family of Jeremiah and Mary (Brennan) Moynahan who were my great great grandparents.

My 2nd Great-Grandmother

Mary (Brennan) Moynahan 

Learned How To Read!

One of the most exciting discoveries that I made following my census review was learning that my 2nd great-grandmother had managed to learn how to read!

This would have been something for Mary! She fled the famine in Kerry Ireland when she was twelve years old with her parents. They emigrated to Canada in 1853 and the ability to attend school was not available to her.

My 2nd great-grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan and her daughter Nellie

On the 1871 census Mary (and Jeremiah) were unable to read in 1871 and then on the 1891 census, at fifty years of age, Mary CAN read and write! This is confirmed on the later censuses where Jeremiah her husband is recorded as "unable to read or write" and Mary CAN read and write!

Mary (Brennan) and Jeremiah Moynahan's daughter (Nellie) and son (John) were well-known teachers in Essex county for many years (Nellie taught for thirty-five years and John taught for twelve years before pursuing a municipal career)

It's conceivable that Mary learned reading and writing from her children Nellie and/or John in the evenings or in the summer when school was closed and this is something about our 2nd great-grandmother Mary (Brennan) Moynahan that we would have never known if it weren't for the census records!

As I said in the comment section below, "Pioneer life being what it was (with so much work to do from dawn until dusk) I picture Mary with her handmade slate chalkboard practicing the alphabet by candlelight. That image in my mind makes me smile."

Mary's Son
Teacher: John Moynahan (1866-1933)

Essex Free Press: 25 April, 1975

Mary's Daughter

Teacher: Nellie Moynahan (1865-1940)

Source: St Mary's Church, Maidstone Ontario Centennial Book 1874-1974

52 Ancestors: Week 3: Longevity

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to think and write about an ancestor and then share it online. The theme for Week 3 is "Longevity".

80 year-old Jane Fonda thinks perhaps the most important revolution happening today is the “longevity revolution”. In her book "Prime Time" Jane Fonda writes,

"... a revolution has occurred within the last century - a longevity revolution. Studies show that, on average, thirty-four years have been added to human life expectancy, moving it from an average of forty-six years to eighty! This addition represents an entire second adult lifetime, and whether we choose to confront it or not, it changes everything, including what it means to be human." (Source: Jane Fonda; "Prime Time" Preface; xi)

(source: http://filipspagnoli.files.wordpress.com/2009/07/life-expectancy-through-the-ages.jpg)

I started to review the longevity of my ancestors to see if any of them had lived past 100 years and sadly, I did not find one. The oldest ancestor that I found was my 3rdgreat grandfather Denis Moynahan who lived ninety-eight years followed by his father (my 4th great-grandfather) Matthew Moynahan who lived to ninety years. 

For my female ancestors, my paternal grandmother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan had a longevity of ninety-two years followed by my maternal grandmother Dorothy (Moreland) Creighton who lived to be ninety-one years.

In terms of longevity, I stumbled upon a Kerryman who lived to 122 years and I so enjoyed his obituary that I am adding it here:

THE DEATH OF TIMOTHY SWEENY

In Fairview Township, Butler County, Pennsylvania, died on the 27th Feb, Timothy Sweeny, aged 122 years. 

Mr. Sweeny was born in the year 1737, in Carrhan, parish of Ardfert, county Kerry, Ireland, and emigrated to this country in 1837, being then one hundred years old. The subject of this notice was never known to have had an hours sickness, even up to the very day of his death, but was always remarkably stout and healthy, having the full use of all his faculties to the last, with a delicacy of hearing and a quickness of perception that was really miraculous in one who had journeyed so far beyond the allotted bounds of earthly existence. 

His last day on earth was spent, as usual, at the genial fireside of his daughter, Mrs. Nolan, surrounded by admiring and affectionate grandchildren, and nothing occurred to warn them that in the sleep of the coming night the patriarch was to sink silently and at once into the deeper slumber of the grave. 

Source: http://www.dippam.ac.uk/ied/records/22829

To "to sink silently and at once into the deeper slumber of the grave" is exactly how my 2nd great grandfather Jeremiah Moynahan (1837-1922) passed as well. Jeremiah "was about as usual during the day and did not complain of any ailment and retired at 8 o'clock that night. About 10, when Mr and Mrs Jobin (his daughter and husband) retired, they looked into his room and were surprised that he slept away without making a struggle."

Below is a list of my maternal and paternal grandparents, great-grandparents, 2nd and 3rd great-grandparents and their longevities.

Dennis Moynahan 1787-1888

My 3rd great-grandfather is the longest living ancestor in my family tree. Below is a certified copy of his Certificate of Death that I received from the Detroit Department of Health in 1988.

My 3rd great-grandfather Denis Moynahan's Death Certificate

The Men

(Paternal and Maternal Ancestors)

• 98 years: Denis Moynahan (1787-1885) My 3rd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 90 years: Matthew Moynahan (1770-1860) My 4th great grandfather (Blog Link)
• 85 years: Jeremiah Moynahan (1837-1922) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 84 years: Martin Broderick (1831-1915) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 81 years: James Henry Annal (1849-1930) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 79 years: William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952) My great-grandfathe (Blog Link)
• 74 years: Ernest Moynahan (1900-1974) My grandfather (Blog Link)
• 72 years: Charles Moreland (1858-1930) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 69 years: Frederick Creighton (1907-1976) My grandfather (Blog Link)
• 67 years: John Moynahan (1866-1933) My great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 65 years: Samuel Tomlin (1851-1916) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 63 years: James Annal (1813-1876) My 3rd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 63 years: Charles D. Creighton (1846-1910) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 60 years: John Moreland (1880-1940) My great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 48 years: William Alfred Curd (1862-1911) My 2nd great-grandfather (Blog Link)
• 27 years: Charles R. Creighton (1884-1911) My great-grandfather (Blog Link)

The Women 

 (Paternal and Maternal Ancestors)

• 92 years: Rhea Coughlin (1902-1992) My grandmother (Blog Link)
• 91 years: Dorothy Moreland (1909-2000) My grandmother (Blog Link)
• 91 years: Mary Broderick (1869-1960) My great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 85 years: Mary Brennan (1841-1926) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 79 years: Elizabeth (Betsy) Wylie (1813-1892) My 3rd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 74 years: Mary Hess (1853-1927) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 71 years: Mary Hussey (1842-1913) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 69 years: Elizabeth Annal (1884-1953) My great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 66 years: Emily Nickerson (1851-1917) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 61 years: Effie Tomlin (1886-1947) My great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 57 years: Jane Storey Dewer (1814-1871) My 3rd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 45 years: Dawn Creighton (1936-1981) My mother (Blog Link)
• 44 years: Mary Ann Steinbrum (1829- 1873) My 3rd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 43 years: Catherine Power (1856-1899) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 41 years: Jane Ann Wellard (1866-190) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 36 years: Agnes Bell Hind (1852-1888) My 2nd great-grandmother (Blog Link)
• 29 years: Florence Curd (1886-1915) My great-grandmother (Blog Link)

My Grandparent Tree

Jane Fonda's reminds us that thirty-four years have been added to human life expectancy!  What a gift we have in our hands that the majority of our ancestors did not!

"We have not added decades to life expectancy by simply extending old age; instead, we have opened up a space partway through the life course, a second and different kind of adulthood that precedes old age, and as a result every stage  of life is undergoing change" (Source: Social Anthropologist Mary Catherine Bateson; Composing a Further Life", New York: Knopf, 2010 p.12)

How will you make use of this gift?

52 Ancestors: Week 2: Favourite Photograph

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks was created by Amy Johnson Crow and is a series of weekly prompts to inspire genealogists and family historians to think and write about an ancestor and then share it online.

I have been participating in Amy's 52 Ancestors challenge since 2014, so I thought I would look back and revisit some of my previous posts about photographs.

In 2015, I posted  52 Ancestors No. 14: A Favourite Photo: My Grandparent's 1929 Wedding 

In 2014, I wrote a LOT about photographs:

• 52 Ancestors #2 Family Photograph Mysteries: this post was about a photograph of my oldest ancestor, my great-great-great grandmother. It would take the help of distant cousins Vicky Hess and others to sort this one out.
• 52 Ancestors #20: 1916 Holy Name Society (Wallaceburg, Ontario) This was a photograph with hundreds of men and I was sure that my great grandfather William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952) was there somewhere. This was a lesson about always checking the BACK of the photographs.
•  52 Ancestors #43: The Photographic Camera and a Photograph Album That post was about my grandmother Rhea Fern (Coughlin) Moynahan's (1902-1992) photo album that is is filled with pages and pages of nameless faces. This was a lesson about always checking writing names on the back of your photos in pencil.
• 52 Ancestors #42: Trick or Treating  which featured a photo of my grandmother Rhea Fern (Coughlin) Moynahan's (1902-1992)(found in the album mentioned above) dressed up for Halowe'en

Suffice to say that I have MANY, many favourite photographs and to narrow it down to just one favourite is quite literally impossible.

Today, I want to share one photograph that I have framed and always featured on a bookshelf near my favourite chair. It is a photograph of me, my great-grandmother Mary Elizabeth (Broderick) Moynahan (1869-1960) and my dear cousin Lorri. I love this photo because it is a photograph of the only great-grandparent alive when I was born and her hugging me and my dear cousin Lorri!

Sadly, all of my other great- grandmothers had passed at least a decade before I was born.

• Mary Elizabeth Broderick (1869-1960)
• Elizabeth Annal (1884-1953)
• Effie Alberta Tomlin (1885-1947)
• Florence Mary Curd (1886-1915)

 And, in terms of all my great-grandfathers, they too had all passed long before I was born.

• John Moynahan (1866-1933)
• William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952)
• Charles Creighton (1884-1911)
• John Moreland (1882-1940)

Here are the images of some of my great-grandparents whom I never met (Except for Mary Elizabeth (Broderick) Moynahan)

And here is the photograph of the only great-grandparent that I was blessed to meet.

Mary Elizabeth (Broderick) Moynahan (1869-1960)

Left to Right: Me, Mary Elizabeth (Broderick) Moynahan (1869-1960), and my cousin Lorri (Moynahan)

Mary is ninety-one years old in this photograph. In all other photograpghs of her, she was a big woman, "hale and hearty" as they would say, just like her mother before her (Mary Hussey 1841-1913) 

In this picture she is at her most frail but still strong enough to squeeze and hold me at the waist and hold my cousin Lorri on her lap.

The photograph was taken on her porch at 539 Campbell Ave., Windsor Ontario.

I have to say that I have had a life-long love of paisley and I can't help but wonder what Mary's beautiful paisley dress would have looked like in colour.

Researching the Broderick branches of my family tree has been incredibly exciting and rewarding, especially learning about Mary's father Martin Broderick (1831-1915) in the Fenian raids and her mother Mary Hussey's (1841-1913) promise to leave Ireland and meet her love in the Americas.

Oh how I wish I could have asked great-grandmother Broderick SO may questions about her life and her family. But I was just a wee little girl and so incredibly lucky to have received her love and hugs.

Previous Blog Posts on

The Brodericks of Essex County, Ontario

• 52 Ancestors #1: Sarah Daisy Broderick
• 52 Ancestors #28: Detective Leo William Broderick  
• 52 Ancestors #32 : RCAF: Leo Joseph Martin Broderick (1919-1943) 
• 52 Ancestors #40: My GG Mary (Broderick) Moynahan  
• 52 Ancestors No. 7: My Oral History Interview with Bernard Broderick  
• 52 Ancestors No. 8: Christian Brother: Bernard Broderick  
• 52 Ancestors No.17: The Broderick "Crayon Portraits"  
• 52 Ancestors No. 34: Brother Berchmans F.S.C. - A "True Son of De La Salle" 
• 52 Ancestors No. 35: Still Searching for WW II PoW Stories  
• 52 Ancestors No. 38: WWII Service Files of Canadian War Dead, 1939-1947  
• 52 Ancestors No. 40: 100 Years After His Death - Finding Martin Broderick's photo  
• 52 Ancestors No.41: Nurse Agnes (Broderick) Casey  
• 52 Ancestors No. 49: Last Will and Testament of Martin Broderick (1831-1915)  
• 52 Ancestors No. 50: Martin Broderick's Fenian Medal  
• 52 Ancestors No. 51: The Broderick-Murray Wedding  
• 52 Ancestors No. 52: The Broderick-Knapp Family Photographs  
• On This Day: May 12 
• List 279: Fenian Raid Volunteer Bounty Claim  
• Leo Joseph Martin Broderick (1919-1943) Update: CWGC Releases New Records  
• Every November 11 - I Remember Them 
• Bachelors, Spinsters, Priests and Nuns 
• Broderick 
• March 24th - Turning of the Page: Leo Joseph Martin Broderick (1919-1943) 

52 Ancestors: Week 1: Start

This blog began in 2014 and I owe a great deal of gratitude for the inspiration behind many of my posts to Amy Crow's 2014 blogging challenge that she called "52 Ancestors"

I am so delighted to learn that Amy Crow has recently decided to run "52 Ancestors" again in 2018 (after a brief two-year hiatus that she announced at the end of 2015. )

The theme for Week 1 of "52 Ancestors 2018" is "START" and I thought I would reflect on the many benefits that I have received by participating in  Amy's 2014 and 2015 challenges and hopefully encourage other genealogists to START the 2018 challenge with me.

 My Top Ten Benefits of Participating in 
Amy Crow's 
52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

In the process of blogging "52 Ancestors 2014" and then "52 Ancestors 2015", I discovered many things about my research. Here are my "Top Ten Benefits of Participating in Amy Crow's 52 Ancestors"

1. You can Share Your Family History With Descendants: Each blog post made it easy to share my genealogical research with living descendants. I would later get emails of thanks from relatives writing "I never knew that". Like when:
• I posted the detailed story of how Timothy Moynahan (1813-1902) left County Kerry Ireland, living in Pennsylvania for three years before landing and living the rest of his life in Essex County, Ontario (1828-1902)
2. You Can Share Your Posts in Your Genealogical Groups: Whenever I wrote a "52 Ancestor" post and discovered something that I had never known before, if I thought my Genealogical Societies or other Societies that I belong to could benefit, I would share the post with them. Like:
• When I shared my post about my My Grandparent's Funeral Cards with the Ontario Genealogical Society (Essex Co. branch)
• And the Essex OGS contacted me once about a fun little blog post and sketch I did called "Ancestor Problems"
• When I shared my Wallaceburg Schools (in the early 1900s) post with the Ontario Genealogical Society (Kent Co. Branch)
• When I shared my post about the challenges of  The Irish Brogue and French Priests in Detroit and Windsor with the Detroit Genealogical Society
• When I shared with the Facebook Group for genealogists who have 18th & 19th century American glassblowers in their trees the blog post about my great grandfather William Henry Coughlin (1872-1952) was a glassblower in Poughkeepsie N.Y. and Wallaceburg, Ontario..
3. You Can Share Your Posts And Relatives Might Find You: By sharing my 52 Ancestors blog posts on social media (twitter, Facebook) relatives found me! Like the time:
• I posted a story about my Moynahan ancestors of Kent County, Ontario and ancestors and a distant cousin (who I never knew until then) Caitlyn Cline who had insomnia and chanced upon my site and left a comment! We have bee sharing ancestor information ever since.
• I posted a story about  the 1952 tragedy on the Chapleau River and the descendants of these Chapleau Donivans thanked me saying that they always wanted to know what really happened to their family.
• I posted about Leo Broderick (1919-1943) who died in WWII and is buried in Germany where he was shot down and Leo's cousin Maggie Pearson discovered my posts. I send updates to her still.
• Alec Briggs contacted me about the same Leo Broderick (1919-1943) blog post because he is the son of Wireless Operator James Henry Briggs, who flew on HR810 LQ-X 405 Sqdn with my Second Cousin LJM Broderick. Alec has visited the gravesite of my second cousin LJM Broderick and left white roses. We still keep in touch.
4. You Will Examine The Evidence Closer: Like the time:
• I had a photograph of the 1916 Holy Name Society (Wallaceburg, Ontario) and I knew that my grandfather must be on there somewhere but I could not find him so I blogged about it. Then, as I was storing the photograph back in the box, I spotted it. A mark on the reverse side: http://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.ca/2014/05/52-ancestors-20-update.html
5. Your DNA Matches Will Love It! I am really new to the DNA world and I am managing my father's DNA matches. Whenever I connect with a DNA match, I locate the "52 Ancestor" blog posts and share it. I have even been contacted by a reader of a particular blog post to see if I have DNA results to share!
   
   • My blog post about the Tilbury Moynahans has been shared with our Tilbury Moynahan DNA matches http://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.ca/2017/09/our-ancestry-dna-results-are-in.html
   • Genealogists who have done their DNA have contacted me through one of my "52 Ancestors" blog posts about my Moreland roots from Scotland to find out if we can share DNA results
6. You Will Find Gaps In Your Research: This is the most helpful of all. In having to explain your findings in a blog post, you will likely find some gaps in it as well. 
• How many times have I sat down to write a blog post and realized that I do NOT have the census for a particular year, or a cemetery location, etc. "52 Ancestors" is an opportunity to review what you have and then go through the genealogy checklist to see if anything is missing https://legacyfamilytree.net/checklist.pdf
7. You Will Find Some Of your Research Mistakes: I have found PLENTY of these when I sat down to write out the blog post like:
   
• When I posted a bunch of folio snaps that I thought were about My Great Grandparents 1949 Golden Anniversary and when I sent out my 52 Ancestor blog post, my cousins said that can't be right! Together, we all figured it out eventually http://moynahangenealogy.blogspot.ca/2015/11/52-ancestors-no-42-coughlin-anniversary.html
8. You Can Have Fun Posting on Topics Beyond BMD: The blogging prompts encourage you to go well beyond JUST finding dates for Birth, Marriage and Death (BMD) like when:
• I posted about my grandmother Rhea (Coughlin) Moynahan (1902-1992) and her love for ice-boating on Lake St. Clair
• I posted about ancestors who operated a Feather Renovators business in 1906 in Wallaceburg, Ontario. Lisa (at Smallest Leaf) was just as surpised as me that this was an occupation!
9. The "52 Ancestors" Blogger Community Is GREAT! Genealogists are a great group of folks. We connect at conferences and we connect online. Through "52 Ancestors, we can connect through our story telling. Like when:
   • I posted about A Favourite Photo: My Grandparent's 1929 Wedding and I loved all the comments that I received from the "52 Ancestors Community"
   • Amy Crow has even visited my blog and left a comment - the ultimate compliment to a blogger - I was thanking her for the "52 Ancestors" challenge.
10. It Could Be A Foundation For A Family History Book ! My brother has printed every genealogy blog post that I have ever written. It takes up two large white binders and he brings those binders to all of our family reunions to share with all of our cousins. "52 Ancestors" can help you think about ways of writing your family history story for others to enjoy. Good practice for that Family History Book you've been meaning to write.

Join Amy Crow's 2018 "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" Challenge

I hope that I have given you some good reasons to sign up and START the 2018 "52 Ancestors" challenge with me and many others!

If you would like to START and join Amy in the 2018 "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" (did I mention that it's FREE by the way!) and receive the email prompts, click HERE: https://www.amyjohnsoncrow.com/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/ 

If you want to read what others are blogging about over the next 52 weeks, look for hashtag #52Ancestors on social media

My 52 Ancestors Blog Posts From 2014-2015

This is a summary of my 2014 #52Ancestors blog posts:

1. BRODERICK: Sarah "Daisy" Broderick
2. ANNAL: Family Photograph Mysteries
3. MOYNAHAN: John Moynahan: First Clerk Township of Sandwich South 
4. COUGHLIN: Glassblowers in the 1800s
5. MOYNAHAN: Timothy Moynahan: When Windsor Was A Wilderness
6. MOYNAHAN: Timothy Moynahan: The Voyage from the Old Sod
7. MOYNAHAN: Timothy Moynahan: 1829 - Days of the Old Horse Boats
8. MOYNAHAN: Timothy Moynahan: The Shillelaugh Guards
9. MOYNAHAN: Timothy Moynahan: Timothy Moynahan's kin?
10. MOYNAHAN: Nellie  Moynahan: School teachers in the 1800s
11. CREIGHTON - COUGHLIN - MOYNAHAN : Quilts and Crochet
12. MOYNAHAN - DEMARSE - BRODERICK - LENNON: Priests and Nuns
13. MOYNAHAN - LENNON: Departures
14. COUGHLIN: Wallaceburg Schools
15. MOYNAHAN: The Next Generation - We Are Family
16. MOYNAHAN: Family Places & Homes in Mimico
17. FOREMAN: Joseph Foreman (1933-1999): Track Star and Olympian
18. CREIGHTONS: Halifax, Nova Scotia Roots
19. MOYNAHAN: Talbot Settlers
20. COUGHLIN: Holy Name of Mary Society, Wallaceburg, Ontario; and Updated post
21. MOYNAHAN: Catherine Moynahan: "Unsound Mind" in the 1800s
22. MOYNAHAN: Timothy Moynahan: Meningitis and Lunatic Asylums
23. MOYNAHAN: Matthew Moynahan: 1770-1860
24. MOYNAHAN: Enos and James Moynahan
25. MOYNAHAN: Thomas Moynahan - 1861 Mail Carrier
26. MOYNAHAN: John Moynahan - Labour Leader
27. MOYNAHAN: Kent County Moynahans - Matthew, Timothy and Patrick
28. BRODERICK: Detective Leo William Broderick
29. MOYNAHAN: Detroit Postal Clerk M.J. Moynahan ~ Mt. Elliott Zinc Marker
30. COUGHLIN: Rhea Coughlin & Parke Davis
31. MORELAND: John Moreland: From Workhouse to War
32. BRODERICK: RCAF: Leo Joseph Martin Broderick (1919-1943)
33. ANNAL: Orkney Sailor James Annal (1849-1930)
34. HUSSEY: Mary (Hussey) Broderick (1842-1913)
35. O'CONNOR: The O'Connor Sisters
36. ANNAL: Fire Chief and Ice Dealer James Annal 
37. MOYNAHAN: William Moynahan's Amputation
38. BRENNAN: Mary Brennan: Maidstone midwife
39. DUFFY-COUGHLIN: Poughkeepsie Brick Wall
40. BRODERICK: My GG Mary (Broderick) Moynahan
41. COUGHLIN:  Coughlin Golden Anniversary 1949
42. COUGHLIN: Trick or Treating
43. COUGHLIN: The Photographic Camera and a Photograph Album
44. COUGHLIN: Ice Boating in Windsor, Ontario
45. CURD: The Curds of Dover, England
46. CREIGHTON-MORELAND: Beloved Matriarch Dorothy
47. CREIGHTON: Frederick Douglas Creighton (1907-1976)
48. MOYNAHAN: Autoworker Ernest Joseph Sr.
49. DONIVAN: The Chapleau Donivans
50. PLAUS: John J. Plaus (1912-1966)
51. FOREMAN: Donald Jennings Foreman
52. CREIGHTON: My Mother Dawn

This is a summary of my 2015 #52Ancestors blog posts:

1. HEGNA: Hannah (Hegna) Foreman (1885-1965)
2. HEGNA: Ole and Emma (HANSON) emigration (Norway to America)
3. CONLON: Thomas and Elizabeth (GREER) Conlon
4. FOREMAN: William H. and Frederick Dixon Foreman Alberta Homestead Records
5. MOYNAHAN: Maidstone Auctioneer William Moynahan (1878-1950)
6. MOYNAHAN: The Sad and Sudden Death of Patrick Moynahan (1853-1909)
7. BRODERICK: My Oral History Interview with Bernard Broderick
8. BRODERICK: Christian Brother: Bernard Broderick
9. ANNAL: Great Grandmother Elizabeth's Brother John  Annal
10. MOYNAHAN: James Moynahan (1842-1919) Civil War Soldier & Colorado Miner
11. HESS - ANNAL: Hess & Annal : Feather Renovators (1906)
12. COUGHLIN: The Naturalization Papers of William Henry Coughlin 
13. MOYNAHAN: Rev. Ray Moynahan (1904-1980)
14. MOYNAHAN - COUGHLIN: Favourite Photo: My Grandparent's 1929 Wedding
15. DEMARSE - COUGHLIN: Sister Madeline Demarse (G.S.I.C) (1928-2010)
16. LENNON: The Lennon Sisters
17. BRODERICK: The Broderick "Crayon Portraits"
18. MOYNAHAN: Matthew Moynahan's Last Will (1770-1860)
19. DONIVAN: A Donivan Tragedy on the Chapleau River 1952
20. SCHOFIELD-COUGHLIN: Arthur and Margaret Schofield
21. LANGLOIS: Brokenhearted Three Months After Wedding
22. COUGHLIN: The Art of Colorizing Photos
23. MOYNAHAN-McHUGH: The Wedding Photos
24. ESSEX Co.: Grandparent's Funeral Cards (Various surnames)
25. ESSEX Co.: My Mystery "Homestead Veranda" Photograph (Unknown)
26. SULLIVAN-MOYNAHAN: Halfway: Is Johanna A Missing Moynahan Daughter? 
27. MOYNAHAN: Ottawa Photographs of Moynahan Kin?
28. MOYNAHAN:  The Irish Brogue and French Priests
29. MOYNAHAN: Mary (Moynahan) Moynahan of Corktown, Detroit 
30. MOYNAHAN: Grand Army Department Commander James Moynahan 1917
31. ANNAL - HESS : Meeting Distant Cousins from the Annal-Hess Clan
32. VARIOUS SURNAMES: 32 Great Grand Parents
33. LANDERS: The Landers Brothers (Part I)
34. BRODERICK: Brother Berchmans F.S.C. - A "True Son of De La Salle"
35. BRODERICK: Still Searching for WW II PoW Stories
36. VARIOUS SURNAMES: Working For A Living
37. LEFAIVE: The Lefaives of Detroit
38. BRODERICK: WWII Service Files of Canadian War Dead Available 
39. COUGHLIN: The Coughlin's 1940s Sing-Along! Part 1
40. BRODERICK: October 100 Years Ago Martin Broderick Died
41. BRODERICK-CASEY: Nurse Agnes Broderick 
42. COUGHLIN-ANNAL: Coughlin Anniversary Folio Pak Snaps
43. COUGHLIN: The Coughlin's 1940s Sing-Along! Part 2
44. DEMARSE:  Madeline (Coughlin) Demarse (1900-1929)
45. MORKIN:  Mabel (Moynahan) Morkin (1902-1945)
46. CREIGHTON: Creighton Wedding Photos
47. BOYLE: My Grand Aunt Mary Aileen (Moynahan) Boyle
48. BONDY - MOYNAHAN: The Moynahan-Bondy Family of Detroit
49. BRODERICK: Last Will and Testament of Martin Broderick (1831-1915)
50. BRODERICK: Martin Broderick's Fenian Medal
51. BRODERICK-MURRAY: The Broderick-Murray Wedding
52. BRODERICK-KNAPP: The Broderick-Knapp Photographs

This is a summary of my 2015 (Optional) Themes:

• FOREMAN: Week1 - Fresh Start
• ESSEX TEACHERS: Week 8 -  Good Deeds