Category Archives: Genealogy

52 Weeks of Personal Genealogy #16 /My Favorite Restaurant

Most of you know that I received a Kindle Fire for Christmas and in doing so I have downloading some great books. I came across this little gem of a book called “The Big Genealogy Blog Book” by Amy Coffin. One of her suggestions for blogging genealogy is 52  weeks of personal genealogy. Amy gives 52 prompts to get you writing your own genealogy.  There other great prompts in this book as well. If you find your blog is becoming a chore, check out this book it just might put some life and enjoyment back into your writing!

I am starting on week 16 because that would put me around the end of April. So here is my first offering of my personal genealogy.

So where and what was my favorite restaurant?

I think the restaurant that probably has been in my life the most besides Cracker Barrel, where I work, would be a small Mom and Pop dinner called Leighright’s. It was a true diner. It had booths and a counter with a jukebox console in each booth.

Leright’s was  between our house in Westland and our place of worship in Wayne Mi.
Every now and again Dad would stop at Leright’s. after Sunday services and we would have our Sunday afternoon meal there. I believe that is where I learned about the wonders of a Reuben sandwich, still my all time favorite! If I recall correctly my sister, Trish, always ordered the Slim Jim of course both of these came with a great heaping pile of french fries. Mind you these fries weren’t the itty bitty skinny MacDonald’s fries, but home-made fresh from the potato fries! It was some wonderful eating.

There are a few memories that I have of Leright’s but I think the funnest one and probably the one I tell the most happened around Christmastime in 1972.
We bugged Dad for a quarter to play the jukebox, finally after much pestering he said fine, here is a quarter, you may play the jukebox if you can find a Christmas song. Giggles of joy escaped from two young girls and the pages started to fly! Hey Dad here is “Joy To The World” it’s a Christmas song (okay so it wasn’t, but we figured Dad had no clue) he said sure so we popped our quarter into the jukebox, with snickers and side glances. We all know what came from those speakers (giggle), Jeremiah was a bullfrog, was a good friend of mine. Dad look surprised and Mom well, I think she knew all along what was going on, she had a small smile on her face.

About ten years after this incident, my mother in law became a prep cook at Leright’s and very often she would bring home left over chicken or the most awesome stuffed mushrooms and on occasions she would bring home the chipped beef to share with the rest of the family.
I took care of a little girl who just thought Julie’s chicken was just the bomb, much to her mothers disappointment, because Judy knew full well that the chicken was not Julie’s but Leright’s. I never told!

There was even a sighting of the famous there. Steve Guttenberg  visit to the Diner sometime around the release of “There Men and a Baby” , if my memory serves me right. Jim’s Mom wasn’t sure who he was so we bought her a copy of “There Men and a Baby” and it became one of her favorite movies.

Leright’s was a land mark in Westland for many, many years. There have been several restaurants that have occupied that space since then and they have never done as well as Leright’s did. I am guessing it is because of the personal touch from Mom and Pop Lehright.

Happy Hunting!

 

Rebecca Cutter b. 20 Apr 1709 Happy 303 rd Birthday!/ Friday Family History

Rebecca Cutter,  believed to be the daughter of Richard and Mary Anne Pike Cutter.

Rebecca was born in Cambridge, Middlesex, Ma. on 20 April 1709. She descended from Samuel and Elizabeth Cutter of Newcastle-Upon-Tyne England, through their son Richard and Elizabeth Williams Cutter of Cambridge Ma through William and Rebecca Rolfe Cutter and to their son Richard.

I am not sure when and how the Cutter’s came to American, but by the dates that I have found I am guessing they were with some of the first settlers of Boston or surrounding areas.

Rebecca Cutter is my 6th Half Great Aunt ( hoping that is the correct way to name her)

Relationship Chart
Julia Katherine McCartney [2] is the Half 6th Great-GrandNiece of Rebecca Cutter [2004]

Common Ancestor Richard Cutter

Major Richard Cutter(1682-1756)Mary Ann PikeMarried 20 Aug 1706 [1118] Major Richard Cutter(1682-1756)Mercy Kelsey Married
Rebecca Cutter(1709-1792)Married Ephraim Frazee Ephraim Cutter married Susan Burwell
Samuel Cutter(1763-1859)Married Mary Cole
Ezekiel Cutter(1805-1877)Married 10 Jun 1830 Martha Charlton
Samuel J. Cutter(1833-1902)Married 13 Nov 1860 Christina Stucker(1836-1904)
Harry M. Cutter(1862-1955)Married 25 Oct 1883 Sarah Jane Starrett(1863-1924)
Christina S. Cutter(1889-1958)Married 4 Jul 1908 Arthur Cellus McCartney(1889-1971)
Willard Warren McCartney(1910-1996)Married 2 Nov 1935 Adela Ruth Ogilvie(1905-1985)
James R. McCartney m. Dency Terrill
Julia McCartney m.  James Hogston

Happy Hunting

1940 Census BINGO….

The 1940 census is here!  I haven’t done a lot looking as I have been indexing the census. It is has been fun. Colorado, Delaware, and Virginia are three of that states that I have worked on so far.

The other night I went searching for my grandparents. I called Mom and asked her were in Cleveland they lived (call me lazy  but I really didn’t want to look through all of Cleveland’s enumeration districts to find them.)  I did find them where Mom thought they were. What I did not expect to find is that Grandpa was on line 55 which means he answered some supplementary questions. Only the persons on line 55 and I believe it is 68 were questioned. So in looking I received a very nice surprise. It was not new information for us, but for someone who does not have this  information it could be a small gold mine!

Below is  the normal information asked

Supplementary questions found at the bottom of the census page.

Among the questions that Grandpa anwsered, are what was his usual occupation and where was he working. He was also asked where his parents were born and what language that he spoke. There are also four questions about military service.

I am still looking for my other set of Grandparents. You would think they would be easier to find, seeing they are in a smaller town then Cleveland. I have a road for which they may have lived on, but it is not listed as such in the program to find the enumeration district. I will have to find out if this road was called something else, like Main Street or something similar.

So back to the hunt and if you would like to help the hunt become easier, how about joining those at 1940 Census Community Project and help index the census. It is easy to do and will cost you nothing but a few minutes a day.

Happy Hunting!

 

 

 

To Index or Not to Index- to borrow a phrase

Okay, you say what is the fuss? Maybe you are thinking to yourself, what a daunting task indexing the 1940 census is.

The fuss, genealogical speaking, is that we will shortly have a look into our own grandparents and parents lives. The 1930 was awesome, but the 1940 census enumerated 18 yrs before I was born (you really don’t have to bother to do the math !), it will capture both of my parents and  my grandparents and a few of my great grandparents.

Daunting task, sure if one person does the indexing or even 100 would be indexing the census. The more folks we get to index the less time it will take to get the thing indexed! Is it hard, in one word NO. There is a wonderful program that you will install, if anyone has worked with the program called Transcript it is very much the same. The census page will show up in the upper part of the screen and on the lower will be the areas for you to fill in. Probably the only difficulty you might run into is either bad image  or hand writing that is hard to read. The writing should be somewhat easier to read as it is closer to the cursive that we learned in school.

I would urge you to visit the U.S 1940 Census Community Project and sign up to index. After you sign up and download the program you will find a practice 1940 census that you can try. I have indexed for a while and the great part is you go at your own speed and they don’t hound you about what you have or have not accomplished! Do you have five minutes a day! Perfect, 2 hours wonderful! Just take a few and help out.

After you have done the run through of the 1940 sample there is a contest that you can enter at U.S 1940 Census Community Project information is found here.

Who will you find in the 1940 Census!

Happy Hunting!

As part of the1940census.com ambassador program this blog post enters me into a drawing for a Kindle Fire

Surname Saturday/A Wee bit o’ Irish on St. Patrick’s Day


Long ago and far away. Lived a young man named Michael and himself  born in Northern Ireland about 1710.

When himself ventured to this country fair and left the Isle of Green it is not sure, but we find Michael and his clan in Allentown (Craig’s Settlement) PA as early as 1747. On Find A Grave we find himself buried at the Presbyterian Cemetery Northampton, Northampton County Pennsylvania, USA. Michael and Bridget are both buried in that cemetery.

Himself is found in THE HISTORY OF BUCKS COUNTY, PENNSYLVANIA, CHAPTER XXXVII, SMITHFIELD; Allen; MOUNT BETHEL; MOORE; EASTON; 1746 TO 1750from the discovery of the Delaware to the present time by W. W. H. Davis, A.M., 1876 and 1905* editions

The Scotch-Irish settlers in Allen moved in favor of forming the  township in 1746. Jonathan [John*] McCartney, Michael Clide and many others including the Craig’s are listed as signers to prove this settlement. John and Michael  I believe are two of my grandfathers.  I am descended from Michael twice.  Himself and Bridget are my 6th great grandparents. My fourth grandparents are if everything is correct,  first cousins.

Descendants of Michael /Clyde/
——————————
1-Michael /Clyde/ b. Abt 1710, Northern Ireland?, d. 7 May 1794, bur. Allen
Township Northampton Co. PA
+Bridget // b. Norhern Ireland?, d. 15 Dec 1786, Allen Township Northampton
Co. PA, par. Unknown and Unknown
2-Margaret /Clyde/
+John /McCartney/ b. Bef 1750, Scotland, d. After 1780, Columbia Co. PA,
par. Unknown and Unknown
3-Isaiah /McCartney/ b. 17 Nov 1776, d. 27 Feb 1847, Salt
Creek Township, Wayne Co., OH, bur. Fredericksburg West Side Cemetery
2-Eliza Clyde //
+James /Hudders/ par. James /Hudders/ and Margaret //
3-Lettice /Hudders/ b. 15 May 1786, Pennsylvania, d. 1 Mar 1864, Salt
Creek Township, Wayne Co., OH, bur. Fredericksburg West Side Cemetery

So my bit of Irish is doubled 😀  I will wear my colors proudly today!

and just a wee bit of Irish to share……..

From Saint Patrick’s Breastplate

Christ be with me
Christ before me
Christ behind me
Christ in me
Christ beneath me
Christ above me
Christ on my right
Christ on my left
Christ where I lie
Christ where I sit
Christ where I arise
Christ in the heart of every man
who thinks of me
Christ in the mouth of every man who speaks of me
Christ in every eye that sees me
Christ in every ear that hears me
Salvation is of the Lord

Happy Hunting!