Annie Kent & Rachel Steemer

Annie Kent was born about 1822 in Maryland, perhaps into slavery. Her given name was Nancy after her mother and her father was Samuel Kent. While living free in London Grove, Chester, Pennsylvania, she married Peter Bostic, a free Black man. The couple had at least two children, William born in 1838 and Mary born in 1842. By 1849, Annie was widowed and remarried to … Continue reading Annie Kent & Rachel Steemer

The #mycolorfulancestry Craze

It seems like every genealogist on Facebook posted their version of the colorful Excel chart developed by Geneaspy blogger, J Paul Hawthorne. So without further ado, here’s my 5-generation Excel chart showing the birthplaces of myself and my ancestors. As you can see, I am a New Englander. And here’s a 6-generation chart which shows a little bit of variation. Aquene! Continue reading The #mycolorfulancestry Craze

The Storms of Vermont, Part 2 – Susannah Storm’s Probate Record

Susannah Storms was the second eldest child of Primus and Parmelia. She was born in 1788 in Fishkill, NY to an enslaved mother and free father. The family traveled to Basin Harbor, Vermont with Platt Rogers, mother Parmelia’s owner. The Storms became one of the many free, land-owning Black families in Vermont. When Susannah died unmarried on 16 September 1845, she left her 54 acre … Continue reading The Storms of Vermont, Part 2 – Susannah Storm’s Probate Record

The Women Before Me

I thank Heather Rojo from Nutfield Genealogy for her post on how she organizes her Surname Saturday posts. I’m going to work on the maiden names of women in my ancestry beginning with my maternal line. Those names include: Ransom, Slocum, Dailey, Curless, Vickers, Williams, Scott, Harry, Foster, Money, Henry, Quow, Jackson, Willett, Romsor, Pegan, Pollock, Brown, Toney, and Hazzard. And, yes, I know these … Continue reading The Women Before Me

Suicide by Drowning in the Charles River

While collecting vital records on my Storms ancestors, I came across The above is from the Massachusetts death records. The date of death was February 18, 1884. The town of Boston records included his burial site which was Mt. Hope Cemetery in Boston. There was no indication of who his parents were or where he was born in either record. I also couldn’t find any … Continue reading Suicide by Drowning in the Charles River

Family History Writing Challenge

This is my second time participating in this yearly challenge. This year I want to write a bit on two of my favorite families – the Toneys and the Storms (I’m doing two because I couldn’t decide on one). Caesar Toney and Primus Storms are my 5th great grandfathers. Without them, I wouldn’t be me. I don’t know as much as I’d like to about … Continue reading Family History Writing Challenge

Bostics, Then and Now, Part 1

My nephew is one of the last in our family with the surname of Bostic. The other day, while driving with my daughter through the local cemetery, he asked to see the monument with his name on it. (Yes! My children consider cemeteries as appropriate sightseeing destinations – after all, they were raised by me.) My daughter called me for the street name it was … Continue reading Bostics, Then and Now, Part 1