This side of the Road: Still plowing along on family roads

It's a little after noon and the sun is shining. I should be outside going for a walk but I can't quite convince myself that I actually want to. I'd rather sit here by the heat vent and look for dead relatives on ancestry.com.

I found this family tree submitted by a guy who recorded a lot of names and dates I needed so I think I'm a little closer at connecting the Hilfords and the Downs. I've got to play around with it a little more to make sure the dates match up. Jane Downs was my g. grandmother and I've had a heck of a time figuring out her family links. Her dad was Ben Downs and he died when she was young. Ben's dad was named Henry and he married Mary Nixon. Henry's mother was an Owens and that's my link to Hilfords. Confusing, to say the least.

Sometimes I find myself making my own family charts to suit my way of connecting the dots. I'm going to work on the early 1800 census today. Until they started recording actual names, it's a big guessing game. Like this:

1820 census: Murder Hundred, Kent, DE

1 male bet 16-18

2 males bet 16-26

1 male 45 and over

1 female 26-45

1 female over 45

2 male slaves over 45

Once I get the census figured out a little better, I'll delve into the aunts and uncles of Ben so I can track down his cousins and such. A lot of the time this leads you to the data you want. Other relatives may research into one of Ben's siblings and ignore the others as they only want to know about their particular line. Once my Ben data grows, I can post it and it will be there for other people to use. Amazing how much is online these days. Course there's never enough to please me. The pleasure is in the hunt.

I got a letter from the Children's Home Society in Seattle last week. I was hoping to find a little more info on my mother's adoption back in the 20s. The lady was nice enough to send me this 3-page report from their files, and while I already had most of it, I did get a few tidbits I was unaware of.

My mother weighed 7-1/4 lbs at birth, for example, and her biological dad was gassed while in WWI in France. He also suffered from eczema. My grandmother signed the relinquishment papers on Jan 3, 1927 and the Nisbets of Chimacum adopted her on Jan.11, 1927. (she was 11 months old then)

Dates always jump out at me and I noted that my mother was relinquished on the same day her future husband turned four. In October of 1929, a follow-up visit was made to the Nisbets and this was noted: Parents are devoted to the child, whom they now call Alice. Her birth mark is still in evidence, but so far over on the temple that it's partly covered by hair. Mrs. Nisbet affectionately made the remark that she wouldn't be Alice without that mark. The Nisbet home is an ordinary country one, but at the same time filled with happiness. Mr. Nisbet is proud of James and Robert, both fine boys. Alice is her father's companion when the boys are in school.

May 14, 1930-- Order confirming adoption. My mother was four years old by this time, and the Nisbets were 50 and 51. They changed her name from Harriet Yvonne Caufman to Alice Gray Nisbet.

House seems extra quiet now that Jake is gone. I think he had a good time visiting gramma, but Mary tells me he was over the moon happy to get back to his house. He walked around waving his arms up and down and smiling. Also konked out to sleep in record time. Don't think his portable crib was as comfy as the regular one in his own room. Mary also said she thinks he was very aware that they were getting closer as she approached their neighborhood as his excitement level rose. He was very happy to see his daddy too!

Can't think of much news offhand. Observed the cops walking a young teenage? girl to their car (in handcuffs) yesterday. I can remember when you would NEVER see a scene like that. The news just gets more horrific day by day. I wish the powers that be around the world could get their act together and unite to wipe those stupid ISIS slimedogs off the face of the earth! Jordan had the right idea!

Sounds like Jeb Bush is gonna' throw his hat in the ring. I don't know much about him really. I'll probably vote for Hillary. Am especially looking forward to not having Obama's face and voice show up in my living room all the time. Sometimes we just pick ineffectual leaders.

Here's some totally cool pictures I got from Les Walden......