Colleen Greene – Page 3 – Colleen & Jeff's Roots

#52Ancestors: The Revolutionary War Pension Affidavit of 5th Great-Grandfather Ferdinand Harless

Harless Ferdinand Revolutionary War Plaque Giles County — Memorized with other Revolutionary soldiers on the grounds of the county courthouse.¹

My 27th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” family history blogging challenge for 2015.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

Amy’s 2015 version of this challenge focuses on a different theme each week.

The theme for week 27 is – Independent: This is the week for Independence Day! Which one fought for (or against) America’s independence? Or which of your ancestors was independent?

I am still playing catch-up on this challenge, due to the Boston University genealogy research certificate course taking up all of my spare time this summer. Hence, the belated reference to Independence Day.

My 27th ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 5th great grandfather Ferdinand Harless (1755-1853), who served as a patriot in the Revolutionary War.

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I wrote about Ferdinand’s Revolutionary War service and pension file last year, in the 2014 version of this blog challenge. However, at that time, I struggled with reading the 1834 handwritten document, and I was not too familiar with analyzing these types of records. Fast forward 13-1/2 months to today, and thanks to the Boston University program in which I am currently enrolled, transcribing and analyzing the files is a piece of cake. A piece of cake rich with biographical information about my husband’s 5th great grandfather. So I am revisiting the research I did last year.

Following is a verbatim transcription of Ferdinand Harless’s sworn affidavit applying for his pension for service in the Revolutionary War.² My corrections and annotations are noted in [brackets], but no modifications are made to original spelling, punctuation, or grammar. I have opted to insert a blank line between paragraphs instead of using the record’s indentation style, simply for ease of reading in a blog format.

Soldier’s Affidavit

Harless Ferdinand Revolutionary War Pension Application — Page 1 of the 3-page affidavit.³

State of Virginia
Giles Country
SS

On this 22nd day of March 1834 personaly [personally] appeared before me Robert M. Hutcheson a Justice of the Peace in and for said county Ferdenan Harless a resident of said county aged seventy nine years who being first duly sworn according to law doth on the oath make the following Declaration in order to obtain the benefit of the provisions made by the act of Congress passed the 7th June 1832—That in the Spring of 1777 in the County of Bottetourt [Botetourt] in that part that is now Montgomary [Montgomery] County Virginia—he volunteered to serve against the Indians and served as herein stated and under the command of the following named officers—That owing to the envations [invasions] and depredations of the Indians committed on the Inhabitants along the frontier settlements of western Virginia the people was compelle[d] to erect Fort and station men in there for their defense—that for this purpose in the spring of 1777 as above stated—he volunteered under the command of Capt Floyd and served in a garrison situated in the County of Bottetourt [Botetourt] Virginia at a place called Smithfield in that part of the county that is now Montgomary [Montgomery]

That he served in this garrison from the 1st of April 1777 until the first of October of the same year

That there was a regulary [regularly] embodied corps stationed in garrison with him under the command Captain Floyd and Col Preston was there—That the nature of his servis [service] was to remain in Fort for its defense in case it was attacted [attacked] by the Indians or to hold themselves in readiness to repore [report] to the assistance of any other Fort that might be attacted [attacked] by the Indians

That again in the Spring of 1778 volunteered and served under the command of the same officers above named and served in the same garrison (at smith field) from the first april 1778 until the 1st of October—and that the nature of this servises [services] this year was the same as the year former and

That in the spring of 1779 he volunteered and served from the 1st of April until the first of October under the command of Capt Lucas and was stationed in a garrison situated on sinking creek a tributary stream of New River then in the county of Bottetourt [Botetourt] in that part that is now Giles

That he volunteered in the springs of 1780 & 81 and served from the first of April until the 1st of October in each year in the last named garrison under the command of Captain Lucas

That the nature of his servis [service] was to remain in garrison for its defence [defense] and to range and reconnoiter in spying parties to watch the approach of Indians That the company to which he belonged was divided and a part remained garrison with him some was stationed in a garrison situated at the mouth of sinking creek & also some was stationed in a garrison the mouth of stoney creek both tributary streams of New river all within the same neighbourhood [neighborhood] owing to the scarsity [scarcity] of men in these new settlements there could not be a sufficient number of men raised to defend these points until there was men drafted and brought out either from Augustia [Augusta] or Franklin Counties and stationed in those Fort

That he was one of the early settlers of western Virginia and had to endure much of the hardships of Indian warfare—That he recollects a party of Indians given chace [chase] after Martin Harless and that he narrowly escaped and arrive[d] in the Fort after a race of 3 or 4 miles then he recollects of the murder and the taken into captivity many of his neighbours [neighbors] among whom was of the Families of Sybrook Chapman & McKindsy and a number of other a Daughter of Sybrooks was skelped [scalped] and beate [beat] on the head with a war club and found living next morning and when she was found asked for a drink of water and soon after expired—in seanes [scenes] like these he passed through the Revolutionary [Revolution] or at least up until the fall of 1781 after which time he declined to be engaged against them.

That the time time he served was with an embodied corps that during which time he followed no civil persuit [pursuit]

That he can support his declaration by the evidence of Philip Harless Parker Lucas and Daniel Harless who served in garrison with him

1st he was born in the county of Shenadore [Shenandoah] Virginia in the year 1755—2d he has no record of his age

3d he was living that part of of Bottetort [Botetourt] Virginia in that part that is now Montgomary [Montgomery] since the revolutionary war he has lived in that part of Bottetort [Botetourt] that is now Giles—4th he volunteered 5th in the years 1777 & 78 Col Preston and Captain Floyd—after 1778 Captain Lucas—6th he never received a written discharge 7th Rev Isaac Scott and Robert W Dennis can testify to my character for varasity [veracity] He [appears to be a mistake, the start of the next line]

He hereby relinquishes every claim to a pension or an annuity except the present and declares that his name is not on the pension roll of any agency in any state—sworn to and subscribed the day and year aforesaid

Ferdinand Harless X his mark

And I Robert M. Hutcheson a Justice of the peace in and for said county do hereby declare my opinion that the above named applicant served against the Indians as he states

Robert M Hutchisan J P

RESEARCH TIP: Revolutionary War Pension Application Dates On 7 June 1832, Congress passed an act allowing all Revolutionary War veterans, and their widows, to apply for pension benefits. Prior to this act, only those disabled in service had been eligible for pension benefits. Therefore, it was not unusual for a veteran or widow to apply for a pension forty-nine years or more after the war ended.⁵

Next Steps

This pension application raises a number of additional questions about Ferdinand Harless.

Why was his original pension application rejected?
What change occurred that allowed his application to eventually be approved?
Was he illiterate, since he signed his mark rather than his name?
Or was the 79 year old veteran just too ill (possibly losing or having already lost his eyesight) to sign his name by this time?

Sources

The Genealogy Fallout from Nixing Richard Pace of Jamestown Due to DNA

I blogged earlier this week about just receiving the much-anticipated results for a Y-DNA test that proved my husband’s Pace line is not genetically related to the same line as Richard Pace (1583-1627) of Jamestown, despite a long-time widely perpetuated claim made via an accidental (or possibly even intentional) paper trail error by some Pace researcher.

On the plus side, this DNA test did confirm that my husband Jeff’s family is descended from the same male-line as William Henry Pace (1745-1815), a member of General George Washington’s elite bodyguard unit know as the Commander in Chief’s Guard.

Armed with this new information though, I now face the unpleasant chore of cleaning up my genealogy house due to this fallout.

Wasted Efforts?

I have not invested much time or original research very far back into the Pace line, because a) I knew I’d have to visit local repositories out in Virginia and have not yet had the time, and b) shortly after reviewing what others have researched on this surname, I learned of the DNA controversy and put my research time and dime on hold until we could get our hands on a male-line Pace to test from our family. So no loss there for me.

Jeff With Richard Pace Plaque — Jeff posing with the plaque paying tribute to Chanco and to who we previously thought was Jeff’s 11th great grandfather, Richard Pace.

When Jeff and I traveled with my parents to Washington, D.C. and Virginia last fall, we planned a full day road trip from our Massanutten mountain-top timeshare condo across the state of Virginia to historic Jamestown. Any regrets now? Nope. We would have visited historic Jamestown anyway. After all…. it is historic Jamestown!

On that trip, we had hoped to have enough time in the late afternoon and early evening to take the ferry across the James River to drive by the former location of Richard Pace and wife Isabella Smyth’s Ancient Planter land grant, Pace’s Paines. But we ran out of time and decided against it since it would have has us all back to our condo well past midnight (my parents are usually in bed by 9:00pm). I was a bit bummed at the time. However Jeff and I now joke about how happy we are that we did not waste that extra time.

Cleaning House

I do have a bit of clean-up to do now, most of which will have to wait a couple of weeks until I am done with my summer class.

My Research

Deleting all Pace ancestors and collateral relatives from my Ancestry tree (which I consider a “leads” tree, not my confirmed-findings tree), beyond William Henry Pace of the Commander-in-Chief Guard (CnC Guard).
Deleting all Pace ancestors and collateral relatives from my research database, extending back beyond William Henry Pace of the CnC Guard.
Deleting the same for Richard Pace’s wife Isabella Smyth.
For all Evernote notes I have saved over the years:
- Merge all notes for each ancestor or relative beyond William Henry Pace of the CnC Guard into a single master note for each of those individuals. I do not want to delete all those Notes, lest I ever need them for future reference.
- Add a “VOIDED” prefix to each newly merged master Note, so that it is immediately clear when viewing a note or viewing a list of notes that these Paces notes are not part of my research line.
- Remove Anhentafel number tags, the “Pace” surname tag, and any research-action-oriented tags from those notes (ex: “to confirm”).
- Move those notes out of my active research notebooks, and into a newly created “Voided Research” notebook.
- Do the same for the Isabella Smyth line (his wife).

Richard Pace - Voided Notes — Updating all of my Richard Pace notes in Evernote.

This Blog

Add a prominently featured updated note to the top of every blog post about Richard Pace or his wife Isabella Smyth, noting the false connection. Like my Evernote research notes, I do not want to delete these posts. For one thing, I do not delete blog posts even if they become obsolete–I add a correction or a link to more updated information. I also want other Pace researchers to be aware of this fallacy, so they do not replicate the same error in their own work.
Make any necessary corrections to blog posts about William Henry Pace of the CnC Guard, which might reference Richard Pace and Isabella Smyth.
Remove the Genealogy Snapshot box from these posts, which displayed the descendancy route down to my husband.
Add a “VOIDED” note to the archive view of all blog posts pertaining to these two individuals. Again, I do not want to delete them from lists like our Surnames List, but I want to make it clear to others that these are false findings.

Richard Pace Snapshot Box — Time to delete my Genealogy Snapshot box for Richard Pace of Jamestown.

Richard Pace in Ancestor List — I need to now add a “VOIDED” annotation to my blog’s ancestor list, and an explanatory note to all all posts referencing Pace and Smyth of Jamestown.

Next Steps

After all necessary clean-up, I plan to make this line a major research focus for 2016.

As I mentioned in my last post, the Y-DNA test only proves that my husband’s Pace line is descended from the same line from which William Henry Pace the CnC Guard also descends (the John Pace of Middlesex line). The test does not prove our family is descended directly from William Henry Pace. After the disappointment of learning we can no longer claim the Jamestown connection, I would like to be able to provide my husband’s cousins with a conclusive answer about the CnC Guard Pace. I am hoping the more advanced DNA education I will receive at SLIG this January will help me better analyze the DNA evidence against the paper trail evidence. And I definitely have to now buckle down and study that paper trail evidence myself.

Since the DNA test has proven our Pace line descends from the John of Middlesex line, I need to now begin researching John of Middlesex and his descendants. This is not a name that has been on my research radar until now.

I think this will be a very interesting case to research and study to share!

#52Ancestors: DNA Proves Our Pace Research is Only Halfway Right

My 26th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” family history blogging challenge for 2015.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

Amy’s 2015 version of this challenge focuses on a different theme each week.

The theme for week 26 is – Halfway: This week marks the halfway point in the year — and the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks challenge! What ancestor do you have that you feel like you’ve only researched halfway? What ancestor do you feel like takes up half of your research efforts?

I am quite behind on this blog challenge due to a very busy summer school class, hence the reference to this week being the “halfway point” in the year.

My 26th ancestor is who we had hoped was my husband Jeff’s 11th great-grandfather, Richard Pace (1583-1627), an Ancient Planter who is credited with helping save the Jamestown colony from a 1622 Indian massacre. Exactly one week ago today, we received DNA confirmation that my husband’s family is NOT descended from this noteworthy Pace.

Righting a Research Wrong

I have done very little original research on my husband’s Pace line beyond the last four generations. With so much already written and shared by others, I have instead focused on our lesser-known family lines. It appears that I will now need to make this Pace line a priority research project for 2016.

Incorrect Paper Trail Assumptions

I wrote five months ago about the research error that has perpetuated for quite some time, identifying this Richard Pace of Jamestown and William Henry Pace (1745-1815), a member of George Washington’s Revolutionary War elite bodyguard unit–the Commander-in-Chief Guard (CnC Guard)–as being in the same line of descent, seven generations apart. In an attempt to confirm or refute this claim, the Pace Society of America became an early adopter among surname society-sponsored Y-DNA studies.¹

Upon learning of this project, I wanted my husband’s family to participate. But my husband Jeff is a Pace through his mother, so his DNA could not help us. Unlike autosomal DNA, the Y chromosome is inherited only by males, which “passes down virtually unchanged from father to son.” ² This allows Y-DNA testing to determine patrilineal (direct male-line) ancestry.

We needed a direct male-line Pace. Fortunately Jeff’s 1st cousin once removed (who I will call Male Cousin Pace to protect his privacy) volunteered right away after his wife learned about our dilemma and reasons for wanting to test.

The Research Question

The primary question we wanted Male Cousin Pace’s Y-DNA test to answer is from which of these two prominent Pace men our branch of the family is descended. Of course, this wasn’t a question with just two possible answers: Richard Pace of Jamestown vs. William Henry Pace CnC Guard. A third answer was always possible, one which we hoped would not be the case…that our family was descended from neither of these men.

The DNA Evidence

After several months of impatiently waiting and regularly checking the processing status of Male Cousin Pace’s kit on Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), I was beside myself when on 4 August 2015 I noticed–well ahead of the notification email from FTDNA–that processing had finally been completed. I immediately hopped on to the Pace Family Genealogy group on Facebook, notifying the DNA project administrator that Male Cousin Pace’s results were ready.

Less than two hours later, the DNA project administrator Rebecca Christensen replied to my post: “The results belong to the John Pace of Middlesex group (as expected) – not the Richard Pace group.”³ Rebecca private-messaged me, elaborating a bit more:

The results actually have 3 mutations (differences) from the modal (most common) results for the group although 2 of the differences are shared by kit number 288002 – so that person may share a more recent ancestor with you. Your results came in as expected since you are related to William Pace of George Washington’s guard – he is a known John Pace of Middlesex descendant.⁴

My husband’s Pace branch is descended from the same line as William Henry Pace of the CnC Guard, not from Richard Pace of Jamestown.⁵ This particular research question is clearly answered by the DNA.

Pace DNA Project - John Middlesex — A closeup view of how our family test kit falls under the results for the John of Middlesex line, within haplogroup I-M223, on the FTDNA public results page.

DNA Answers Only Part of the Question

Note that I state descended from the same line as William Henry Pace, instead of explicitly stating descended from William Henry Pace.

Until I devote some research time towards thoroughly vetting the records tracing my husband’s Pace grandfather and great-grandfather back to William Henry Pace’s generation and then to John of Middlesex, I cannot be certain that my husband’s family actually descends from the CnC Guardsman. All that the Y-DNA test tells us is that my husband’s line descends from John of Middlesex. If William Henry Pace had a brother, it might be his brother from whom our family descends. The linkage to John of Middlesex could be through another of John’s male descendants altogether–occurring prior to William Henry Pace.

We just cannot know until a thorough analysis of the paper trail is conducted. This type of genealogy problem requires both DNA and historical records.

Related Further Back?

Another question I pondered when learning about the DNA project disputing a line of descent between Richard Pace of Jamestown and William Henry Pace of the CNC Guard, is if it might be possible that my husband’s family was descended from one line yet could also be related to the other line further back in time? Perhaps several generations back?

According to the DNA evidence, the answer is a firm no.

Pace DNA Project - Richard Pace — A closeup view of test kits that fall under the Richard Pace of Jamestown line, within haplogroup R-M269, on the FTDNA public results page.

Richard Pace of Jamestown and William Henry Pace of the CnC Guard are not genetically connected at all. Not just in a genealogical time frame. These two Pace lines are not even connected in an anthropological time frame. The public DNA results, available on Family Tree DNA, assign different haplogroups to these two Pace lines. Our John of Middlesex line belongs to haplogroup I-M223, while the Richard Pace of Jamestown line belongs to haplogroup R-M269.⁶ ⁷

RESEARCH TIP: Y-DNA Terms Referenced

If you are not familiar with this terminology:

Genealogical Time Frame: “A time frame within the last 500 up to 1000 years since the adoption of surnames and written family records. An individual’s haplotype is useful within this time frame and is compared to others to help identify branches within a family.”⁸
Anthropological Time Frame: “A time frame of over 1000 to tens of thousands of years ago that predates recorded history and surnames for most people. The Y-DNA haplogroup tree traces SNP mutations over anthropological time.”⁶
Haplogroup: “A genetic population group of people who share a common ancestor on the patrilineal [all-male line] or matrilineal [all-female line] line. Haplogroups are assigned letters of the alphabet, and refinements consist of additional number and letter combinations.”¹⁰
Mutation: “A permanent structural alteration or change in the DNA sequence. Mutations in the sperm or egg are called germline mutations. Germline mutations in the Y chromosome of the male are passed on to all of his male-line descendants.”¹¹

I am not going into further detail in this post about the three mutations that Rebecca noticed in Male Cousin Pace’s Y-DNA kit, except to note that this does not mean my husband and his Pace side of the family are mutants :-).⁴ Nor will I go into an explanation about the two haplogroups. My Y-DNA experience is not yet ready to tackle those topics in a meaningful way. Those explanations have to wait until after I study under Blaine Bettinger at SLIG this January.

Next Steps?

Needless to say, the results of Male Cousin Pace’s Y-DNA test have made a mess out of the family’s research–some of his siblings and his wife have also been researching the Pace family history. I discuss the fallout and housecleaning efforts among my own research notes, and this family history blog, in my next post. I have to get my own house in order before I can help the others get theirs straightened up too.

Sources

#52Ancestors: 2nd Great-Grandfather Leonard Jackson Harless Homesteaded in California

My 25th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” family history blogging challenge for 2015.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

Amy’s 2015 version of this challenge focuses on a different theme each week.

The theme for week 25 is – The Old Homestead: Have you visited an ancestral home? Do you have photos of an old family house? Do you have homesteading ancestors?

My 25th ancestor is my husband’s 2nd great-grandfather Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946).

About Leonard Jackson

Leonard Jackson was born on the overland journey (possibly in present-day Nebraska or Utah), when his parents emigrated via wagon train from Missouri to California.¹ The family crossed from Nevada into California over Ebbett’s Pass, a High Sierras pass that closes during winter each year.² Last July, my husband and I made a road trip retracing the family’s route from the eastern end of Ebbett’s Pass, following their settlement steps down the western side of the Sierras across the California Central Valley, and then south to Mariposa County.

Born to Miles Washington Harless (1826-1891) and Margaret Daisy Gann (1830-1919), Leonard Jackson was third of eight children, and the oldest of two sons. His 3rd great-grandfather was Johan “John” Philip Harless (1716-1772), the progenitor of the large well-established Harless line in the United States. Leonard Jackson married his second cousin Pauline/Paulina “Lena” Adeline Gann (1860-1938) on 26 August 1889 in Merced County, California.³ The couple spent the majority of their married life in Mariposa County, where they are buried side-by-side at the historic Mariposa District Cemetery.⁴

Headstone Leonard Jackson Harless and Pauline Adeline Gann — My husband Jeff, standing beside the headstone for his 2nd great-grandparents.

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Homestead Records

Homesteading played a critical role in the settling of the American West. Yet despite being a Western U.S. historian (specializing in California history), I never paid much attention to homestead records because most my ancestors were late-comers to the U.S. who did not even own homes until the early-to-late 1900s. And homesteading (aka the Homestead Acts) just happened back in the 1860s, right? [Wrong.] Most of my people weren’t even in the U.S. at that time. Nor was it a topic discussed in any detail during my college California history classes, or in my own California history research.

California Homesteading

When I saw a session being offered by Jamie Lee McManus Mayhew at the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree this past June on “Homesteading California,” I thought that the California historian in me ought to go learn a bit about this historical era and its records. The information might come in handy when helping library patrons at work, or helping others with their family history. Even if my California ancestors weren’t homesteaders.

Discovering GLO

During her session, Jamie talked about and demonstrated GLO.

While GLO–in genealogy-speak, the Bureau of Land Management’s General Land Office database index and digitized records– was a database I was aware of, I never bothered to actually use the site, since I was certain my ancestors were not homesteaders, and did not think it likely bought any other federal land.

We provide live access to Federal land conveyance records for the Public Land States, including image access to more than five million Federal land title records issued between 1820 and the present. We also have images related to survey plats and field notes, dating back to 1810. Due to organization of documents in the GLO collection, this site does not currently contain every Federal title record issued for the Public Land States.⁵

Sitting through that introduction to GLO, a thought hit me…

My husband’s ancestors–the Harless and Gann lines who came to California in 1858–had been ranchers and farmers, and might have acquired Homestead land. I started searching for my husband’s Harless line. Bingo! The very first entry I found listed was for my husband’s 2nd great-grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann.

Harless and Gann - Government Land Office - CA — GLO search results for “Harless” patents in California. Leonard Jackson’s entry is highlighted in blue. His wife Paulina’s entries are highlighted in green, and his mother Margaret’s entries are highlighted in pink. It is interesting that there are no entries for Leonard’s father Miles Washington Harless. I do not yet know who William H. Harless is, and if he is any relation to our family.

The second listing for Harless on the GLO index results is for Leonard Jackson Harless himself. And since, unlike that first entry for his wife Pauline, Leonard Jackson’s entry shows that the digitized document is included, I am focusing on his Homestead claim for this post, and to learn more about GLO as well as Homestead laws.

I will definitely revisit the records for his wife Pauline and mother Margaret when I have more time. And identify William H. Harless.

The Land Patent

I will analyze the record details more thoroughly in a later post, but following is my extracted summary, as well as a digitized copy of the original record–the serial patent file.⁶ I find it interesting that although Leonard Jackson grew up in a California pioneer family during 1860s and 1870s, his particular homestead patent was not purchased and registered until 1912, at 54 years of age.

Claimant: Leonard J. Harless [index says Leonard Y. Harless]
Registered: Sacramento, California
Issue Date: 1 July 1912
Issued By: President William H. Taft
Total Acres: 40
County/State: Mariposa County, California
Meridian: Mount Diablo
Township/Range: 007S – 017E
Aliquots/Section Number: SE¼SE¼ – Section 2
Patent Number: 281632
Land Office: Independence
Authority: April 24, 1820: Sale-Cash Entry (3 Stat. 566).

Leonard Jackson Harless - 1910 Homstead Patent — Homestead land patent to Leonard Jackson Harless.

Here’s a look at where Leonard Jackson’s homestead of 40 acres is located in Mariposa County. I cannot wait to explore this more on Google Earth.

Harless and Gann - CA Homestead Location — Map displayed on the GLO patent record detail. The little tiny orange box (within the larger box), marked with a red arrow, is his 40 acres.

Sources

#52Ancestors: Treasured Heirloom, MIL Betty Sue Pace’s Well-Worn Bible Allowed Her to be Part of Our Wedding

Betty Pace's Bible — This is one of the items we grab if the house catches fire…Betty Pace’s teaching Bible.

My 24th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks” family history blogging challenge for 2015.

The challenge: have one blog post each week devoted to a specific ancestor. It could be a story, a biography, a photograph, an outline of a research problem — anything that focuses on one ancestor.

Amy’s 2015 version of this challenge focuses on a different theme each week.

The theme for week 24 is – Heirloom: What heirloom do you treasure? Who gave it to you? What heirloom do you wish you had?

My 24th ancestor is my husband’s mother, Betty Sue Pace (d. 2002).

About Betty

I met Betty decades ago, a couple of times, when my husband Jeff and I first became friends in college. But Betty died far too young, five years before Jeff and I re-met in 2007 (long-lost friends by that time), started dating in 2008, and married in 2009.

Betty was the youngest child of Roy Delmar Pace (1913-2000), from Texas, and Rebecca Haley (1916-1991), from Arkansas, the only one of their children born after Roy and Becky moved their young family to California from New Mexico. Betty and her siblings grew up in the California Central Valley.

So although Betty technically was/is my (first) mother-in-law, I never knew her as my mother-in-law. By the time Jeff and I became reacquainted with each other, Jeff’s father had remarried to the woman I have always known and loved as my mother-in-law. I have written before about Jeff’s wonderful stepmom. She was Betty’s best friend since childhood, and had been divorced a very long time when Betty became ill from the tragic disease that took her from us way too young. Knowing she was dying, Betty–as my husband likes to tell the story–selflessly “fixed up” his dad and her best friend. When Betty’s husband and best friend were ready to move on from their shared grief, they started dating and eventually married (read this heart-touching story).

Betty’s Teaching Bible

Betty had a very strong Christian faith, bringing her peace and comfort as she grew more ill, knowing the end was near. She was very active in serving through her church and in teaching Bible study during my husband’s childhood. Betty remained an active teacher and leader with Bible Study Fellowship, an international interdenominational organization, until her illness made her too weak to teach anymore.

When Jeff and I were dating, he showed me his mom’s teaching Bible, which his father gave to him after Betty died. The Bible is well worn, with all sorts of highlighted passages and notes in Betty’s hand.

Betty Pace Bible — The inside cover of Betty’s teaching Bible.

After Jeff and I became engaged and started planning our wedding, we began pre-marital counseling with my family pastor. I had an idea. I wanted some tangible way to have Jeff’s mom Betty involved in our wedding ceremony. I remembered her Bible, and asked my pastor to marry us using Betty’s Bible instead of his own, explaining what that Bible meant to Betty.

My Wedding Bible — My future husband and future son, my pastor, and my groomsman nephew, watching me enter the sanctuary on my father’s arm. Pastor Gary is holding Betty’s Bible in his hand.

As the wedding date approached, I asked Jeff to let his dad, mother-in-law, and brother know about us using Betty’s Bible in the ceremony. I did not want to catch Jeff’s family by surprise during the ceremony; Jeff and I wanted them to be emotionally prepared.

Pastor Gary made a point during the ceremony to talk about Betty’s Bible–about our request, and about the Bible’s significance. He told the wedding guests how worn and annotated the Bible was, and how obvious it was that Betty heavily and regularly used it. He told our guests what Jeff had shared during our counseling sessions…how much comfort this Bible brought to Betty as she sensed her death drawing near.

Tears were heavily shed by us and our guests.

I cannot pretend to know how much my husband, his brother, his father, and his stepmom still hurt from losing Betty–especially losing her so young. I realize I will experience that same hurt and grief someday, but I am fortunate to still have my mom with us. I do know that my husband would have given anything to have had his mother there with us, in person, at the wedding. So it brings me such joy to have found even just a tiny tangible way to have included Betty in our ceremony and special day.

Because of how much that Bible meant to Betty, what it means to my husband, and the role it played in our wedding, Betty’s Bible will forever be a cherished family heirloom.

Were My Mexican Ancestors Part of the Elite Landed Hacienda Lifestyle?

On the hacienda in Mexico, SMU Libraries Digital Collections — Photo of a Mexican hacienda, 1900-10. These are likely the children of the hacienda owner. The photo is from the same time my family owned a ranch in Mexico, and is a possible representation of how my great-grandparents and 2nd great-grandparents dressed (in their Sunday best) during that time. Courtesy of DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.¹

I have always heard, from my dad, from his uncle (the only living sibling of my paternal grandfather), and from that great-uncle’s wife that our family had to to flee Mexico during the Mexican Revolution. Losing everything.

Specifically, this refers to Dad’s grandparents Jose Robledo (1878-1937) and Maria Hermalinda Nieto (1887-1972), and great-grandmother Maria Aurelia Compean (1864-1863).

Jose and Maria, along with their two oldest children (very young at the time), immigrated to the U.S. in 1915.²,³,⁴,⁵ Maria’s mother Aurelia followed suit in 1919.⁶

A Lifestyle Lost

What exactly was the “everything” they lost?

The stories I heard growing up always included references to lost family land…a hacienda, and that the family had been well-to-do back in Mexico.

The 1963 U.S. obituary for my 2nd great-grandmother Maria Aurelia (Compean) Nieto talks about Aurelia coming from a well-to-do family in the state of San Luis Potosí. That same obituary claims Aurelia had 21 children.⁷ My great-aunt, the wife of the sole living child of Jose and Maria Robledo, was quite close after marriage to my great-grandmother Maria and to my 2nd great-grandmother Aurelia. She says that these women often told her stories about their family life back in Mexico. When my great-aunt asked Aurelia how Aurelia was able to manage 21 children, Aurelia told her the family had servants who assisted with the children. This would indeed indicate that the family was financially well off.

My great-aunt has also mentioned that her father-in-law, my great-grandfather Jose Robledo, never quite recovered from his loss in status. It was a blow to him to come from a lifestyle where he had land and status, to a new country where Mexican immigrants had absolutely no socio-economic status, and to have to struggle to find work that would allow him to provide for the family.

Work opportunities for Mexican immigrants in the 1910s were few. Great-grandfather Jose worked as a dock laborer at the Port of Los Angeles (California) and sometimes as a migrant farm laborer.

The family thinks this blow contributed to his early death.

This year, I have learned from others in our extended family network here that Aurelia’s husband, my 2nd great-grandfather Refugio Nieto (1863-1909), committed suicide back in Mexico. I have not found records to verify this claim and these cousins have not provided me with a reason. But I wonder if perhaps the suicide was out of Refugio’s desperation and recognition that the revolutionary changes starting to catch fire in Mexico would soon take away the the family’s land, home, and entire way of life? Did Refugio perhaps have a strong affiliation with the Porfirio Díaz regime–soon to be overthrown? Did he simply suffer from depression? Had he lost his honor?

Refugio supposedly died in 1909. The Mexican Revolution is generally noted as taking place 1910-1920. Talk about pending revolution surely permeated the country in 1909.

RESEARCH TIP: Search Strategy

How will I try to verify if Refugio committed suicide? By conducting a reasonably exhaustive search among the church records, to see if he was buried by the church, and if a parish death record exists. A suicide is not supposed to get buried in consecrated ground, nor would sacramental last rites have been administered or recorded by the priest. The absence of Refugio from those church death and burial records might not mean anything, but that absence could also provide negative evidence. However, I will first try to locate a death record and the specific date date in the civil registrations.

I have no idea what if any bits of truth there are to these stories. Every descendant here of Mexican immigrants from the time of the Revolution wants to believe their family once owned a grand sprawling hacienda. I think it is very likely that my Mexican ancestors did own land there, which may have very well been classified as a hacienda or just a smaller estancia. I doubt I will find that answer out until I visit that area of Mexico next year, where I will hopefully come across old-timers or local historians who may know of the family. I am not well versed enough yet in what type of records might still exist from pre-revolutionary land holdings or might have been created and saved documenting revolutionary land confiscations.

The Hacienda Lifestyle

If my Compean, Nieto, Robledo, and Sanches ancestors had or brought any family photos, paintings, or drawings from Mexico, these either did not survive, or just did not get passed down to my branch of the family lines. So I often seek out imagery that helps me visualize my ancestors’ homes, lifestyles, and travels. Working off the family lore about our ancestors being well-to-do and owning a ranch back in San Luis Potosí, I went looking for photos, videos, and other artwork that depicts life on a hacienda in Mexico from the time of my ancestors.

Hacienda San Diego, Rio Verde, San Luis Potosi — “Hacienda San Diego, Rio Verde, S.L.P. (San Luis Potosí),” November 1909. Courtesy of DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.⁸

The photo above is a panoramic view of Hacienda San Diego, in another municipality (Rioverde) of San Luis Potosí–the central Mexico state in which my ancestors lived. The photo is dated November 1909. My ancestors were still living in San Luis Potosí at that time, presumably still on their ranch since the Revolution had not yet begun.

Depicted below is a hacienda (Hacienda San Javier) from another central Mexico state (Guanajuato), with the Valencia silver mine in the distance. The photo is dated 1905-09, also from the time when my ancestors still lived in Mexico. Mining was quite prevalent in their home state of San Luis Potosí. I wrote a couple months ago about my great-uncle Juvenal Joseph Nieto (1898-1978)–son of Aurelia Compean and José Nieto, younger brother to Maria Hermalinda Nieto–who left home at a young age to work in the mines of Mexico, eventually making his way up to the copper mines of Butte, Montana by the time he registered for the U.S. World War I draft in 1918.

Courtesy of DeGolyer Library, Southern Methodist University.⁹

Closer to my ancestral home, Hacienda Peotillos remained somewhat intact following the Mexican Revolution–particularly the main house–unlike the many haciendas that were destroyed during the war or the post-war land redistribution. Founded in 1863, the hacienda is situated in the municipality of Villa Hidaldo, state of San Luis Potosí, which is the municipality where my 2nd great-grandparents Refugio Nieto and Aurelia (Compean) Nieto married in 1883.¹⁰

This photo of Hacienda Peotillos was taken sometime between 1880 and 1897, the time when my 2nd great-grandparents married, and had their first children.

Hacienda Peotillo 1880-1897 — “Hacienda Peotillos,” dated between 1880 and 1897. Courtesy of the U.S. Library of Congress.¹¹

The family who still owns the hacienda does not a have surname that I have found in my family lines, so I have no clue if this family may be related to mine. But the geographic proximity to where my family lived means that this family could have been contemporaries and peers of my ancestors, if my family was indeed a member of the landed class. It is currently open for special events, but when Dad and I visit the area next year, I will try to arrange for a tour.

This video–produced by a website about travel and culture in central Mexico–provides a wonderful look at the the geographic area where my family lived, and what their lifestyle might have been like. It also showcases different types of records pertaining to the hacienda, which may prove helpful in my own research.¹²

The video below provides another look at Hacienda de Peotillas, from a travel reporter.¹³

Sources

A Look at Villa Hidalgo, SLP, Mexico, Where My 2nd Great-Grandparents Married in 1883

San Jose Cathedral, Villa Hidalgo — San José Cathedral, Villa Hidalgo, San Luis Potosí, Mexico. If this same building dates back to 1883, it is where my 2nd great-grandparents married.¹

I like to immerse myself in the history and geography of an area when researching my ancestors. The roll I have been on lately with Mexico church records has allowed me to finally identify specific municipalities (similar to our counties) and localidades (cities, towns, villages) in which my ancestors lived or experienced life events. Videos and photos of those areas are a key part of this research. They provide me with a glimpse–even if just a modern day one–of the surroundings in which my ancestor lived, worked, and traveled, and they are an essential part of scouting out areas for future research trips.

Family Ties to Villa Hidalgo

In my last post, I mentioned that my 2nd great-grandparents Refugio Nieto (1863-1908) and Aurelia Compean (1864-1963) were married on 18 October 1883 in the parish of San José, located in Villa de Yturbide (now Villa Hidalgo), a municipality in the state of San Luis Potosí.² Until finding that record back in May, I had never heard of an association between my ancestors and Villa Hidalgo.

About Villa Hidalgo

Villa Hidalgo is both a municipality and a town (similar to a county seat) in the Mexican state of San Luis Potosí. It was elevated to the civic administrative designation of municipo in 1854 and named after Don Miguel Hidalgo y Costilla, a Catholic priest and leader in the war for independence (1810-1821) against Spain, who is considered the “padre de patria” (founding father) of Mexico. By the end of that same year, however, the municipality and village were renamed to Villa Iturbide.³ Iturbide was the name of the royal house of Mexico, during the short-lived post-independence first Mexican Empire period from 1822-23.⁴ In 1928, the local legislature changed the municipo seat name back to Hidalgo.⁵

Two parishes serve the municipality of Villa Hidalgo–Nuestra Señora de Guadalupe in the nearby town of Peotillos, and San José in the actual municipo seat.⁶ San José is where my 2nd great-grandparents Reguio Nieto and Aurelia Compean married in 1883. The archdiocese website notes the parish founding as “28/08/06,” but with just an “06” I cannot determine the century. It would have to be 1806 at the latest, due to the marriage year of my 2nd great-grandparents. FamilySearch has parish records dating back to 1850. From what I am able to tell from Google Maps Streetview, photos, and videos, San José cathedral is located right on the town plaza. A festival is held each year on March 19 in honor of San José.

Virtual Tours

These videos show quite a bit of footage of Villa Hidalgo, including the cathedral where my 2nd great-grandparents married in 1883.⁹,¹⁰ The town looks quite poor, but is full of color and historic architecture. I find it a bit humorous that the opening scene of the first video is an exterior shot of a cantina–perhaps Dad and I will enjoy a cold drink there next year.