Contagious Genealogy: A Pandemic

Jesse Pitcock's name might appear fairly average upon first examination, but there's something fun hidden in his middle name. He was my 1st cousin 4x removed on one of my mother's lines. And before a day ago, I didn't even know he existed, let alone would have picked him for this blog's subject line. But due to coincidental timing this week, I happened to discover him and have the perfect opportunity to shine a spotlight on him and his family. Jesse was born in 1890 in Greene County, Pennsylvania to parents John and Sidney Pitcock. John was my 3rd great granduncle. I believe Jesse was their youngest child out of 9 kids! He went on to marry a woman named Lucy John and they had 5 daughters together. Now, I don't have any strong evidence to back up this suspicion, but I believe Jesse's parents had a wonderful sense of humor. Jesse's name only sprung out at me while leafing through my Ancestry.com tree's image hints. His obituary had been uploaded by ano...

At the June 2018 Southern California Genealogical Society's Genealogy Jamboree event in Burbank, California, I had the pleasure of sitting down with The Photo Detective, Maureen Taylor, on the convention floor. She was offering immediate, in-person consultations on two photos for just $20. I couldn't pass up this opportunity to get her expertise on a photo of my 3rd great grandmother (actually two of my 3rd great grandmothers!). I admit I was a little intimidated. Although I had been studying my tree for years, I was still a baby genealogist and was rather green when it came to doing research the right way. Maureen was already well-known and established, so this was kind of like meeting a celebrity in genealogy circles. And I could tell she meant business when we began our session and she broke out her audio-set with a microphone that helped amplify her voice above the buzz of the expo floor. I asked if it was okay to record our session and her response was, "Absolutely!...

They say it takes a village to rear a child. My 2nd great grandfather, John Alexander Dean, was sure in need of one when Mollie Boyce, his wife (and my 2nd great grandmother), died at the young age of 36 in 1906, leaving behind 5 children to raise. Mollie, John, Chester, and baby Benjamin Dean, Big Wheeling Creek, West Virginia, circa 1900. The Deans lived up on a hill from Big Wheeling Creek in West Virginia. John was a blacksmith by trade who also took care of his own farm and raced horses on the side. Mollie was the homekeeper. In addition to raising 4 strapping young boys and 1 beautiful girl, the Deans had also given birth to a set of twins, 1 boy and 1 girl, Arthur and Mary. Unfortunately, the twins took sick in infancy. The ailment they suffered from differs across sources from thrush to tuberculosis to measles, but whatever afflicted them turned fatal. Sadly, part of the reason may have been lack of medical attention, as they were not the only ones in dire straits. Mollie, too,...

As the family story goes, Simon George Mills was a wife beater, and his spouse ran him out of the house because of it. Unless any court documents testifying to this fact (or contrary to it) come to light, this is the disparaging image we're left with of my 2nd great grandfather. But he probably was not brought up to act in such a manner. Simon George Mills alias George Simon Mills He was raised by parents, Lewis Mills and Ann (Jackson Smith) Hopkins, who both originally belonged to the Quaker faith. The official name for their religion is the Religious Society of Friends. It's said that the word "Quakers" was an insulting nickname bestowed upon them by others to describe the way their bodies shook while experiencing spiritual energy, but over time they've come to embrace it. Quakers believe that every individual is capable of experiencing the divine nature of the universe and receiving messages from God or finding their "inward light," even to this moder...

As I piece together the family tree, it's interesting to think about my 3rd great grandfather, Alban Francis Dimond, who worked as a blacksmith in the mid 1800s and pieced together components of wagons.  Unknown photographer, T. W. Magelssen and dairy wagon, circa 1880s. Only in recent years did I discover Alban could not have been the biological father of my 2nd great grandmother, Emma Virginia Diamond. In fact, I'm fairly certain she was unaware of this misattributed parentage also, but it doesn't mean he wasn't her dad. The Dimond/Diamond surname will always remain a part of my ancestry. What else will always remain are the patents filed by Alban in the 1870s with the United States Patent Office. He left behind a legacy of achievement in technology for his time. Initially, I only knew of two of his applications for patents via newspaper announcements: The Pittsburgh Daily Commercial , "List of Patents," 16 Jan 1875. The Tribune , "List of Patents,...

While reflecting on the patriots who laid the foundation for the country, one ancestor sticks out as witnessing the ever-changing beginnings of the United States, as the colonies struggled to gain their independence. While he was not born an American, he made the personal decision to become one and live the remainder of his life as one. Johann Conrad Leichleider, my 6th great grandfather, left his homeland of Germany in the year 1741 (the place would not actually be known by that name for another 100+ years), boarding a passenger vessel in Rotterdam called the Friendship, headed for the Americas. He landed in the port of Philadelphia and took the Oath of Allegiance in the courthouse on the 12th of October, his age given as 21 (though he was likely only 17). About 3 years later, he was married to Mary Barbara, and in 1750 they purchased 100 acres of land in the state of Pennsylvania. They raised a large family there, including a son, Johann Peter (my 5th great grandfather), who served i...

  JULY 04, 2022 As the United States annually celebrates the 4th of July as the birth of our nation, what many forget is that the day only marks the ratifying of the Declaration of Independence. In fact, many of the famous signatures laid upon that document were not even etched in until August 2nd of that year. And more importantly, the many famous battles of the Revolutionary War were fought in the years following, not leading up to. My 4th great grandfather, Hezekiah Marshall, testified to participating in one of those well-known engagements, The Battle of Trenton. In October of 1776, Hezekiah and his father’s team in Frederick, Maryland, were pressed into the service to haul baggage for the U.S. army, most of the time under the command of General Nathaniel Greene. At this time, and over the next two months, the Continental Army appeared to be on the losing side, and morale was low. Emanuel Leutze, 1851, oil painting of Continental soldiers crossing the Delaware. But Christmas ev...

  SEPTEMBER 26, 2021 My mom was supposed to have an older brother. I was supposed to have an uncle. My grandparents were supposed to have a son. But life is full of curveballs, and Chester Leland Millhouse became a victim of one of those wayward pitches. Chester Leland Millhouse, 1950, 157 Ridgecrest Rd, Bethlehem, West Virginia. Week 33: Tragedy On 10 February 1950, my would-be uncle, “Ches Le” was born in Wheeling, West Virginia to Edna and Ray Millhouse, first time parents. As Edna’s sister, Sheila, would put it, “Ches Le was such a bright light for us.” Annie Diamond (Williams) Millhouse, 10 Feb 1950, diary, unnumbered page, Chester Leland Millhouse birth announcement. The little boy came at a time when the family needed a little pick-me-up, as Edna’s father (Chester’s namesake) had suddenly passed away from a heart attack just a few months prior in November. Edna Millhouse and son Chester Leland, 1950, Oil City, Pennsylvania. Ray and Edna Millhouse and son Chester Leland, 1950...