#52Ancestors (2014) – Page 2 – Colleen & Jeff's Roots

#52Ancestors: Who are the Parents of Grand Uncle Harry Flanagan?

My 45th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

I am still playing catch up, due to being sick so much of this year.

Michael Flanagan Patrick Flanagan Harry Flanagan — My grandfather Michael John Flanagan (center) with two of his brothers. Uncle Pat is on the left. Mom and I think that is Harry on the right. This photo was most likely taken shortly before Grandpa joined the Navy at 17.

My 45th ancestor is my grand uncle Harry J. Flanagan (b. 1920). Harry was my grandfather Michael John Flanagan’s (1927-1997) third oldest brother…or at least from among the brothers that Grandpa knew about (more later on the siblings he never knew).

I never met Harry, and I don’t think my mom or her siblings ever met Uncle Harry. Like Grandpa’s second oldest brother Leonard Ward (b. 1917), I did not even know Harry existed until I found that very first lead about my grandfather’s family history, the 1930 U.S. Census record for their orphanage. Harry too was placed in the German Roman Catholic Orphan Home in Buffalo, New York when the boys’ parents were stricken with tuberculosis and died. Harry was 10 years old when mother Sarah Kennedy (1898- 1930) died from TB and 8 years old when father Patrick Thomas Flanagan (1897-1928) died of it.

Birth

Uncle Harry was born 22 April 1920, supposedly in Bellaire (Belmont County), Ohio, where all siblings except baby brother Michael were born. I say supposedly because this is the birth location listed in his orphan records from the German Roman Catholic Orphan Home (GRCOH), and the birth county he identified in his marriage record and his Army enlistment record. Yet Harry is the only one of the Bellaire-born siblings for whom I have no official birth documentation, which means no official documentation telling me the names of his parents.

1930 US Census Flanagan Boys Buffalo — 1930 U.S. Census Record, German Roman Catholic Orphan Home. Courtesy of Ancestry.com.

Bellaire Birth Records V1 1909-1920 — I found birth records for all of Sarah and Frank Ward’s children when I visited the Family History Library in February…for everyone except Harry. Nor is there a record for a Harry born to Sarah and Patrick Flanagan in 1920.

Although the older boys — Joseph and Leonard — were recorded under the surname Flanagan and as the children of Patrick and Sarah Flanagan on the 1930 US Census and in the GRCOH records, I have confirmed that these two boys (along with older sister Catherine) are the children of Sarah and her first husband Frank J. Ward. I also know that my grandfather Michael and his older brother Patrick Joseph are the children of Sarah and second husband Patrick Thomas Flanagan. Yet, I have no real proof about Harry’s birth or parentage. Although Harry consistently identifies himself as a Flanagan, and the child of Patrick Flanagan and Sarah Kennedy in documentation throughout his life.

To complicate matters, when Harry was born (in 1920), Sarah and Patrick Thomas Flanagan were not yet married. They married five years later in 1925, when Sarah was already 8 months pregnant with their son Patrick Joseph. And a 1920 Bellaire city directory records Sarah still living with her first husband Frank Ward. I believe Patrick Thomas Flanagan was still married to his first wife at this time too.

So Harry could be the biological child of either of these two sets of first marriages, or the love child of my great grandparents Patrick and Sarah.

Military

Harry J. Flanagan enlisted in the U.S. Army on 12 November 1941 at Fort Hayes, Columbus, Ohio (Army serial number 35037563). He joined as a private, under the warrant officers branch code. Harry had only completed two years of high school (Grandpa never completed high school either), and had worked in civilian life as a semi-skilled miner and mining machine operator. He was described as single with no dependents, 5 feel 9 inches tall, and 152 pounds.

From what I can tell, Harry served in World War II. He was released from service on 28 September 1945.

Marriage

Harry married Anna M. Sabatino on 15 December 1944, in Belmont County, Ohio. It was a first marriage for both, and Harry was still employed in the U.S. Army. He identified his place of birth as Bellaire, Ohio, and his parents as Patrick Flanagan and Sarah Kennedy. I find no later record of children born to Harry and Anna.

Death

I do not yet have proof that this is the same Harry J. Flanagan, but I find several references to an 8 October 1981 death date for him.

It appears he is buried at All Saints Braddock Catholic Cemetery in Pittsburgh (Allegheny County), Pennsylvania. His wife Anne, who died 30 September 1988, is buried there too.

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#52Ancestors: Headstone for Walter Scott Gann (1875-1947) Prompts Me to Learn More

My 44th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

I am still playing catch up, from being sick much of this year.

My 44th ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 2nd great grand uncle Walter Scott Gann (1875-1947). Walter was the youngest brother I have identified for Pauline Adeline Gann (1860-1938), my husband’s 2nd great grandmother. He was born 7 September 1875 in California to William Chamberlain Gann (1831-1893) and Elmira Tucker (1840-1920).

Walter only recently came on my radar when Jeff and I visited the burial site of Jeff’s 2nd great grandmother Pauline and her husband Leonard Jackson Harless, who share a plot and headstone at the historic Mariposa District Cemetery in Mariposa (Mariposa County), California. We were there in July looking specifically for Pauline and Leonard’s headstone, but noticed a couple other Gann headstones located next to their grave site. I wasn’t sure who these Ganns were, just that they were likely related to us, so I snapped photos of the headstones. In doing a bit of follow up research for the names of those Gann headstones, I discovered that one of them was for Pauline’s brother Walter.

Headstone Leonard Jackson Harless and Pauline Adeline Gann — Walter’s headstone is located just off of my husband’s left shoulder, behind and to the right of the headstone for Jeff’s 2nd great grandparents, Leonard and Pauline.

I have thus far found Walter on the following U.S. Censuses:

(1880) 10th District, Calaveras County, California: 4 years old, living with his parents and siblings.
(1910) White Rock, Mariposa County, California: 35 years old, worked as a copper miner, married to Gertrude E. (possibly a son name Joseph P.), living with sister Pauline and her husband Leonard.
(1920) Lewis, Mariposa County, California: 45 years old, worked as a farmer on a stock farm, married now to Diana B., living next door to his sister Pauline and her husband Leonard.
(1930) Township 5, Mariposa County, California: 55 years old, worked as a gold miner, divorced, living with his business partner.

The only other real information I have on Walter is from his World War I draft registration card dated 12 September 1918. He registered in Madera, Madera County, California at 43 years of age. Walter lists a PO box in Lewis, Maricopa County, California as his last home address (his mother Elmira’s address), but identifies himself as a miner working for James H. Lestor in Raymond, Madera County, California. Gann is described with medium height, medium build, blue eyes, brown hair, and no physical disqualifications from service.

Gann Walter Scott - WWI Draft Card - Mariposa CA — WWI Draft Registration Card. Courtesy of Ancestry.com. Click to view a larger image.

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#52Ancestors: Is Andrew Jackson Gann One of the Gann’s from Gann’s Meadow?

My 43rd entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

I am still playing catch up, from being sick for a big part of this year.

My 43rd ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 3rd great grand uncle, Andrew Jackson Gann (1837-1910). Andrew Jackson was born on 14 November 1837 in Missouri to William Gann (1792-1845) and Leah Gann (1810-1863). He was the youngest brother of my husband’s 3rd great grandmother Margaret Gann (1830-1919), whom I recently profiled in a post about 26 Mile House in Stanislaus County. Andrew Jackson died on 12 May 1910 in Copperopolis, Calaveras County, California.

Gann's Meadow, Ebbetts Pass — The almost missable sign for Gann’s Meadow on Ebbetts Pass National Scenic Byway. A close up view from the west side.

This post, although attributed to Andrew Jackson since the 52 Ancestors series needs each blog post to profile an ancestor or relation, is really about a location — Gann’s Meadow on Ebbett’s Pass National Scenic Byway (Highway 4), one of California’s trans-Sierra routes. I talked about Ebbett’s Pass and the old emigrant route in detail in my post about Jeff’s 2nd great grandfather Leonard Jackson Harless, who came over the pass as an infant with his family in 1858. Our Harless family’s emigrant group was headed up by a Gann relation, and apparently met up in San Joaquin County with Gann relations who had arrived in California earlier that decade. These Gann-Harless relations can be found living near each other in Castoria (aka French Camp) on the 1860 US Census.

Leah Gann Family 1860 US Census Castoria CA — Andrew Jackson Gann and his brother George William Gann on the 1860 US Census in Castoria, San Joaquin County, California. Their mother Leah is listed here as well. A Thomas Gann, who I have not identified, is listed as the head of the household. Thomas is 9 years younger than Leah, so perhaps he was her younger brother. Leah’s husband William died before the family emigrated to California from Missouri.

While preparing for this genealogy camping road trip, I had come across references to Gann’s Meadow when reading up on Ebbetts Pass. I knew there were at least two Gann connections in our Harless family: my husband’s 3rd great grandmother Margaret Gann (referenced above) and his 2nd great grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann (1858-1946). So I made a mental note to stop and photograph that location on our trip. I had no idea how or if the Gann of Gann’s Meadow was related to us, but I had a strong hunch that we were connected.

Gann’s Meadow is located on Ebbetts pass National Scenic Byway, at mile marker 15.7 if heading east from Arnold or mile marker 45.3 if heading west from Markleeville.

The same information, pretty much verbatim, is provided on the Calaveras Heritage Council website.

Gann's Meadow on Ebbetts Pass — The turn off to Gann’s Meadow is on the south side of Highway 4. That brown lump on the ground (left side of the photo) between the trees is the sign for Gann’s Meadow. If you’re approaching from the east, it is very easy to miss. We had to double back.

Determined to try to find a specific connection with our Ganns, I spent quite a bit of time this past weekend researching my husband’s Gann line, trying to find male Ganns with these names, in the right place, at the right time. The names William, George, and Charles are pretty common among our Gann ancestors, so I decided to focus on Jackson, which does not appear to be as common a name. And since both the Ebbetts Pass site and the Calaveras Heritage Council sites identify William, George, and Jackson as brothers, I focused on finding sibling sets in our Gann lines with those same names.

The most likely candidates so far are the brothers of Margaret Gann. Margaret had brothers named George William Gann (1834-1923) and Andrew Jackson Gann (the subject of this post), both of whom emigrated to California. Andrew Jackson may have gone by his middle name, Jackson. Both Andrew Jackson and George William died in Calaveras County, not far from Gann’s Meadow. I do not find a brother named William though who lived to adulthood, just George William. However, I am still putting together all of the siblings’ names. So there may still be another brother I haven’t found yet. Those articles about Gann’s Meadow also reference a Charles “Charlie” Gann, who appears to be from a younger generation (perhaps the son of one of the brothers). I have not identified Charlie either.

Needless to say, I will definitely keep digging more into this part of our Gann family history.

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#52Ancestors: 2nd Great Grandmother Pauline Adeline Gann, Born in Jenny Lind, California

My 42nd entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

I am still playing catch-up, after being sick for much of this year.

My 42nd ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 2nd great grandmother, Pauline Adeline Gann (1860-1938). Pauline was married to Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946), the ancestor I recently wrote about who emigrated as a baby with his family from Missouri to California in 1858 over Ebbetts pass in the high Sierras. Pauline’s parents were William Chamberlain Gann (1831-1893) and Elmira Tucker (1840-1920). She and her husband Leonard Jackson were 2nd cousins, sharing the same great grandparents.

About Jenny Lind

Pauline Adeline Gann was allegedly born on 4 December 1860 in the mining town of Jenny Lind (Calaveras County), California, which was located on the road between Stockton and the southern mines. “Jenny Lind, located on the north bank of the Calaveras River, was a placer mining town as early as 1849. Most of the placer mining was done along the hillsides above the river – later the river was mined with dredgers. In 1864 the population was said to be 400, half of them Chinese.” (California Office of Historical Preservation) The town became a California historical registered landmark in 1937, and still exists as a small unincorporated community.

I do not yet have a birth record for Pauline.

Jenny Lind 1856 - Calaveras Co Historical Society — Jenny Lind, 1856. Courtesy Calaveras Co. Historical Society, via the Calaveras Heritage Council

When Jeff and I took that genealogy road trip this past July, after crossing Ebbetts Pass, we set up camp in adorable Dorrington just outside of Calaveras Big Trees State Park. We dedicated one entire day of this vacation to what we now call our “ancestor wild goose chase” day, to drive from Dorrington across the San Joaquin Valley and back again trying to find various historical places I have identified on records pertaining to Jeff’s Harless family history. Jenny Lind was on that list of places — along with French Camp (aka Castoria) and 26 Mile House.

Visiting Jenny Lind

Like French Camp, Jenny Lind was not what I expected. Although only 11.7 miles off of Highway 4, the slow drive up Milton Road felt much longer, with views of a whole lot of nothing. But, because the area is still so rural and isolated, it did provide us with a little glimpse of what life must have been like for Jeff’s ancestors here in the 1800s. The route we drove is the same one our Harless and Gann ancestors in that area would have taken any time they had to visit the post office, stage coach stop, or store at 26 Mile House or 28 Mile House.

Milton Road Junction — The Milton Road junction with Highway 4.

Milton Road, Valley Springs — Milton Road, one lane in each direction.

Milton Road — Not much to see other than cattle.

But we were even more surprised when we reached the actual community. There is nothing there. Well, almost nothing. Very few buildings. And really nothing that looked to us like it dated back to the time of Pauline Adeline Gann. We never even found the state landmark. I thought for sure that such a place would have a historical district. After about 10 minutes taking in the entire town, we disappointedly headed back along that long isolated rural road to the main highway.

Jenny Lind, California — Pulling into Jenny Lind.

After finding nothing at French Camp, 26 Mile Road, and now Jenny Lind, I was beginning to feel a bit worried about the additional spots we planned to hit on the rest of the trip.

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#52Ancestors: Looking for 3rd Great Grandmother Margaret Gann Harless’s 26 Mile House 1870 Census Home

My 41st entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

I am still playing catch up, from being quite sick much of this year.

My 41st ancestor is my husband Jeff’s 3rd great grandmother, Margaret Gann (1830-1919). Margaret was married to Miles Washington Harless (1826-1891), and was mother to Jeff’s 2nd great grandfather Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946). This is the family that emigrated from Missouri to California via the old emigrant road, traveling over Ebbetts Pass in the high Sierras in the summer of 1858 when Leonard was an infant.

Following our stop in French Camp (aka Castoria) to check out the locality where Margaret and Miles lived at the time of the 1860 US Census, Jeff and I headed back up Highway 4 to our next Gann-Harless family history stop, in search of 26 Mile House in Stanislaus County. By 1870 the family had relocated from French Camp, backtracking east to North Township in Stanislaus County, which was served by the 26 Mile House post office.

Harless 1870 US Census North Township CA — 1870 US Census, North Township, Stanislaus County, 26 Mile House Post Office. Courtesy of Ancestry.com.

The family is recorded on pages one and two of the census, taken 27 July 1870.

Miles: head, 41 years old, born in Kentucky, farmer (real estate value $1,000)
Margaret: wife, 39 years old, born in Tennessee, keeps house
Sarah: daughter, 18 years old, born in Missouri
Martha: daughter, 16 years old, born in Missouri
Leonard: son, 11 years old, born in Nebraska
Nancy: daughter, 8 years old, born in California
Francis: daughter, 6 years old, born in California
Mary: daughter, 5 years old, born in California
Harriet: daughter, 1 year old, born in California

When I first came across this census, I couldn’t find a modern day town or community named North Township in that area or good references to a town or city that previously went by that name. The term “26 Mile House” is a bit more distinct though, so I started searching for references to that location. All hits described it as a post office and stage coach stop, located 26 miles east of Stockton along the Stockton to Sonora stage coach route.

That 26 Mile House post office referenced on the census had just been established on 2 May 1870 (less than 3 months prior), when the settlement was at its peak. It was relocated to the nearby settlement of 28 Mile House (now Eugene) in 1894, and the to the town of Farmington (which still exists today) in 1930.

26 Mile House - Stanislaus Historical Quarterly — Courtesy of the Stanislaus Historical Quarterly and the California State University Stanislaus University Library.

North Township Area Map - Stanislaus Historical Quarterly — Courtesy of the Stanislaus Historical Quarterly and the California State University Stanislaus University Library.

The Autumn 2012 issue of the Stanislaus Historical Quarterly explains that this area, known as the Northeast Triangle Annexation Area was annexed by Stanislaus County in 1860 from San Joaquin County. Newly named North Township (our census district) used to be Emory Township prior to the annexation, and was also referred to as North Precinct. This annexed area extended north, including one mile of the Calaveras River.

At 26 Mile House and 28 Mile House, “stage line horses were changed, and travelers rested, ate, and refreshed themselves” (pg. 417). In the mid 1890s, a fire destroyed the roadhouse and tavern at 26 Mile House, causing residents and businesses — especially after losing the post office too — to abandon the settlement and move to 28 Mile House. 28 Mile House, located at the junction of the Stockton-Sonora Road and Milton Road, was founded in 1850 and changed its name to Eugene in 1890 (pg. 418).

This information helps put the 1870 residence of our Harless ancestors in context. While the census record does not record an actual address to pinpoint the exact location of their home, it does tell us that they lived in this newly annexed Northeast Triangle Annexation Area. And a check on Google Maps shows that Sonora Road, 26 Mile Road, 28 Mile Road, Milton Road, and the town of Farmington all still exist.

So, that was enough incentive for us! These spots got added on to our Harless family history San Joaquin Valley road trip itinerary.

The next stops after French Camp.

Farmington, California. Population 262. We pulled off here (Highway 4 and Jct. 6), figuring that our Harless ancestors might have lived near here, had friends here, or did business here.

Farmington General Store — The Farmington general store. Might this have been here in 1870?

Littlejohn's Creek on East Sonora Road — Littlejohn’s Creek on East Sonora Road. Was this a view experienced by our ancestors?

Alright. Dead end. Guess I should have zoomed in more on Google Maps before sending Hubby in this direction. East Sonora Road at Farmington Lake. East Sonora Road does NOT go all the way through anymore, it is cut in half by the lake.

South Henry Road — Heading south on Henry Road to get around Farmington Lake. I imagine this scenic agricultural setting is what our Harless ancestors saw.

Carter Road — Not what we were expecting! However, Hubby had a blast driving our little rental RV down this bumpy roller coaster of a road.

26 Mile Road, Oakdale — Heading north on 26 Mile Road. Did our Harless ancestors live near here?

East Sonora Road, Farmington — A farm along East Sonora Road.

East Sonora Road at 28 Mile Road. Site of the former 28 Mile House stage stop and post office.

East Sonora Road School — A cool old school, founded 1892. Our Harless ancestors had moved out of the area by this time.

Again, like French Camp, it was a bit disappointing to not find much in the way of 1870s-era historical structures still standing (well, to be fair, not even contemporary structures). But driving through this area still helped us get a feel for what life may have been like for our Harless ancestors at that time. Unlike French Camp, though, we had no expectations ahead of time (from a big fancy chamber of commerce sign) that there would even be anything here.

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#52Ancestors: Hallie “Hal” Corder Haley (1878-1942)

My 40th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

My 40th ancestor is my husband’s great grandfather, Hallie “Hal” Corder Haley (1878-1942).

Hal was born 21 March 1878 in Rome (Smith County), Tennessee. He appears to have been the youngest child (of the four I have identified) of William Jerry Haley (b. 1835) and Matilda Beasley (b. 1839). He, at 3 years old, is listed with his family of five on the 1880 U.S. Census living in the 12th district of Smith County, Tennessee.

In 1897, at about the age of 19, Hallie married my husband’s great grandmother, Gedie Webster (1881-1931). I have not yet found a marriage record for them. By the 1900 U.S. Census (01 June 1900), Hallie and Gedie were living next door to Hallie’s parents, and were already the parents of two daughters under the age of two, Catherine and Margaret. Hal worked as a farmer, and the family had a 10 year old black female servant child named Monsie Taylor.

Haley Hallie Corder Family - Haley William Jerry Family - 1900 US Census - Ancestry - Close Up — 1900 U.S. Census. 12th District, Smith County, Tennessee. William Haley Family and Hallie Haley Family. Courtesy of Ancestry.com.

At the time of the 1910 U.S. Census, Hallie and Gedie lived in the 4th district of Smith County, Tennessee, next door to his brother Comer and sister-in-law. Three more children were added to the family: sons Webster and Gordon, and baby daughter Francis. An adult black “hired man” named Ulus Beasley is also living with the family. Hal and Comer both worked as farmers.

On 12 September 1918, at the age of 40, Hallie Haley registered for the WWI draft in Nashville (Davidson County), Tennessee. On the card, Hal lists Nashville as the city of residence for him and Gedie. He would live in Nashville for the rest of his life. It does not appear Hal ever went back to farming. By 1918, Hallie was working as a carpenter at a powder plant in Davidson. He is physically described as tall, of medium build, with brown eyes, grey hair, and no physical disqualifications from service.

Haley Hallie Corder, WWI Draft Card — WWI Draft Registration Card for Hallie Corder Haley, 1918. Signed by him on page 1. Courtesy of Ancestry.com. Click to view larger size.

The 1920 U.S. Census records the family still living in Nashville, with Hallie working as a carpenter, and owning his own home. He and Gedie added four more children to their large family by this time: sons Norman and Comer, daughter Eleanor, and daughter Rebecca (my husband’s grandmother). On the 1930 US Census, again in Nashville, Hal is employed as a mechanic with the telephone company. By this time, he and Gedie had their final child, a little girl named Nan.

Gedie died the following year, in 1931, leaving Hal a widow with three minor age children. Hallie remarried in 1933, at the age of 55, to Lillian Mae Manning.

Hal, wife Lillian, and youngest daughter Nan (now 18) are listed in the 1940 U.S. Census in Nashville. Hal is still employed as a mechanic with the telephone company. Hal remained in that job for the rest of his life.

On 20 September 1942, Hallie suffered some sort of accident at home that resulted in a tetanus infection. He died from the infection on 13 October 1942. I don’t know if in these last years, Hal ever got to see his daughter Rebecca again and her two oldest children, but he definitely never met her youngest child Betty (my mother-in-law), who was not yet born when her grandfather Hallie died.

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#52Ancestors: Chasing 3rd Great Grandfather Miles Washington Harless to Historic Castoria (French Camp)

My 39th entry in Amy Johnson Crow’s “52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks family history blogging challenge.

My 39th ancestor is my husband’s 3rd great grandfather, Miles Washington Harless (1826-1891). Miles was the father of Leonard Jackson Harless (1858-1946), who I discussed in my last blog post. Miles, his wife Margaret Gann (1830-1919), and newborn son Leonard Jackson emigrated from Missouri to California, crossing over the Sierra Nevada range via Ebbetts Pass in the summer of 1858. Miles also provides our family’s roundabout connection to the famous Hatfields and McCoys.

Harless, Miles Washington Household - 1860 US Census — 1860 US Census, Castoria Township, San Joaquin County, California. The Miles Washington Harless household. Courtesy of Ancestry.com. Click to view larger image.

The 1860 U.S. Census is the first federal census that records the family living in California (16 June 1860), roughly two years after following the old emigrant route through Ebbetts Pass. The Harless household resided in Castoria Township (San Joaquin County) at this time, served by the Marietta Post Office.

Harless Miles Washington - Ancestry iPhone - French Camp — I plotted notes on a custom genealogy road trip Google Map before setting off on this trip. But, failed to print the map ahead of time and was afraid of what sort of data signal we might encounter that day. So I took a bunch of screenshots of the day’s maps.

A little bit of research taught me that Castoria was another name for French Camp, an unincorporated area that once served as the southernmost regular camp site for the Hudson Bay Company, who traded furs from Fort Vancouver. French Camp is also a California registered landmark.

French Camp is located 5 miles south of Stockton, and is considered “the oldest non-Indian settlement in San Joaquin County.” (San Joaquin Historical Society & Museum)

Awesome! Sounds like a cool place with which to have an ancestral connection and to visit! After all, French Camp is just 82.5 miles (1 hour, 40 minutes) from Dorrington, which is where we were camping after crossing Ebbetts Pass. A simple day trip across the San Joaquin Valley.

So the day after hiking in the footsteps of these ancestors on a stretch of the Old Emigrant Trail, my husband Jeff and I loaded up the RV and the dog, and set off for historic French Camp (aka Castoria). A quick internet search prior had revealed a huge sign put up by the chamber of commerce welcoming visitors “to historical French Camp, the oldest community in San Joaquin County, established 1828”. Such a proud well-advertised claim by a local chamber surely meant that there would be a cute preserved historical district, where we would hopefully be able to find at least one or two structures dating back to 1860 when Miles Washington Harless and his family lived there. And definitely a cute little downtown business area in that historical district, where we could grab a relaxing lunch, sit outside on the patio with our dog, and soak in the surrounding history. I anticipated a little museum, where I could chat with a local historian who might recognize the Harless name and be able to point out the current location of the area noted as their home on that census record.

Not quite.

Driving into French Valley, we saw that big proud sign from the chamber of commerce. We weren’t sure where to find the historical district, so we just kept driving. And driving. And driving. In circles. Taking a bunch of different roads through town, and around town. Looking for signs to the historic district. Signs that did not exist. Because no cute little historic district exists. The town looked like any small community that has seen better days. We found one or two old homes, and the California landmark plaque at the school, but nothing else that would ever make someone who hadn’t seen that big fancy chamber sign think this was a town of any sort of historical significance.

And lunch? We spotted two fast food type places. That was it. Lunch would happen somewhere else.

French Camp was a huge disappointment, on so many levels. I really should have investigated more before our vacation, sparing us the 4 hour round-trip drive across the entire San Joaquin Valley for nothing. It did however, provide us a glimpse of where our Harless ancestors lived after crossing over Ebbetts pass (and most likely taking their same route, along what is now Highway 4). So even Jeff admitted the trip was not a total waste. Fortunately, my husband loves to drive, loves road trips, loves country roads full of a lot of nothing, and can find humor in any situation.

I have no doubt my husband knows very well that he will spend many more years going on genealogy wild goose chases with me.

The trip wasn’t a total loss. My husband got to check another Bass Pro location off his bucket list, since Manteca was so close.

Jeff didn’t consider this road trip across the San Joaquin Valley a total loss. Bass Pro Manteca…the only Bass Pro we have encountered that does not allow dogs.

When we headed to Maricopa for the third and final leg of our Sierras genealogy camping trip, I smartly decided to stop at the local history museum first before doing any exploring out that way. What a well done museum! Staffed with helpful, friendly volunteers who are very knowledgeable about the area. When I mentioned to one of them that we recently drove across the valley from the mountains to visit our ancestral home in French Camp, the docent started laughing and asked me how we liked French Camp, and what we found there. Yeah… we all got a good laugh out of that.

Highway 4, Outside French Camp — Highway 4 heading out of town. On to our next Harless stop.

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