Photo Restoration

It has been over a week since my last writing. It has been a bit of a hectic week. Melissa and I had to go to Oklahoma City to see a Perinatologist to make sure that the baby didn't have any problems on account of Melissa's gestational diabetes. Everything came back fine, but then Melissa convinced me to check my blood sugar. It came back 276. At the Doctor's Office on Friday it was 459, so they put me on Metformin and I haven't been feeling so well. Anyway, I'll be writing more frequently for a while, hopefully.

Everyone who does some work on the family history will eventually run across some old photos that are either damaged, faded, dirty, or all of the above. Fortunately, we live in "the future" where we can sometimes restore these old photos a bit. I have an old 4 generation photo on the Barrett side that is not in very good shape. Here is my original:

Using the Gimp and a few plugins, I was able to remove the horizontal and vertical crease in the photo, as well as the spots on Edward Exum's knee and James Bennett's Suit. I was also able to slightly sharpen the image. Here is the result:

I don't think I can improve much more on this one. The photo is too old and my original is a copy of a copy of a copy of the actual photo to begin with, so this is probably the best I can do unless I can get my hands on the actual photograph itself. Problem is, the original photo may or may not still exist. Fortunately, this restoration only took about 20 minutes. I'm a complete novice when it comes to this, and plan to improve my photo restoration skills in the future. Perhaps I will write a tutorial when I have more experience.

Setting the Records Straight: Henry Clay McGaughy and Family

"The Descendants of William and Margaret McGaughy/ey" by Polly Rachel McGaughey Sutton is often considered "the source" for information on the McGaughy/McGaughey surnames. The book had the following to say about my great great grandfather, Henry Clay McGaughy:

Henry Clay McGaughy, b. 10 June 1846, d. 24 Jan. 18__, connected with the State Militia, died at Boling Green, Ky. Married Minnie Walden in 1880. Came with his father to Texas in 1869 and owned a mercantile store in Spanish Fort, Tex.
Issue:

1. Roxie Walden McGaughy, married William Beall
2. Beall McGaughy
3. Henry McGaughy
4. Bernice McGaughy

This information is pretty bad. To be fair, the author of the book admits in her forward that the book will have errors and that's just how things are, but I wanted to set the record straight on the youngest of my ancestors to appear in the book.

Click for full size image

His tombstone agrees with who he married. It even lists his children: Roxie, Beall, Henry, and Bernice. This information seems OK.

However, The McGaughy book gets it wrong on both counts as far as when he died and when he was born,. His tombstone states he was born 11 June 1848 and died 10 July 1924. I have not been able to verify where he died just yet, but I find the McGaughy book's claim of him passing on in Kentucky highly dubious.


For the rest of his biography, I will have to cross reference another book. "History and Biographical Record of North and West Texas" volume 2, by BB Paddock. Pages 439-441 state the following about HC:

HENRY C. McGAUGHY, a pioneer settler of Montague county, who is meeting with prosperity in his well conducted farming interests in the Red River valley, was born in Lee county, Mississippi, on the 11th of June, 1848. He war [was] reared to farm life with the advantages afforded by the common schools. His parents were William L. and Mary (Harris) McGaughy, both of whom were natives of Tennessee, in which state they were married. Soon afterward, however, they removed to Mississippi. The paternal grandfather was G. W. McGaughy, of Georgia, who eventually became a well known and leading planter of Mississippi, where he owned a large number of slaves and conducted extensive agricultural interests. He prospered in his undertakings, lived an honorable upright life and was a devoted and loyal member of the Presbyterian church. His residence in Mississippi continued up to the time of his demise. In his family were the following named: William L.; Carroll and Lee, who came to Texas; Jack, who is living in the Indian Territory; Benton, also of Texas; and Sally, the wife of John Nicholson.

William L. McGaughy, father of our subject, took up his abode in Mississippi soon after his marriage, there purchased land and engaged in farming, becoming a prominent planter and slave owner of his locality. For many years he successfully conducted his business interests there and he remained upon the old homestead in Mississippi during the period of the Civil war and until after the re-construction. His farm lay in the path of the contending armies, who foraged on his place and largely reduced the value of his estate. His slaves were freed, his property devastated and, desiring then to abandon farming, Mr. McGaughy in 1869 turned over the plantation to two of his sons and with the remainder of his family came to Texas, settling first in Grayson county, where he remained for a year. He then removed to Dallas county, where he spent two years, and in 1872 he came to Montague county, locating in the Red River valley, where his son, Henry C., now resides. He had made a prospecting tour in the spring of the same year and had purchased five hundred acres of valley land, whereon he finally took up his abode, giving his attention to its development and improvement. His remaining days were devoted to agricultural interests here and he remained upon the homestead farm until his life’s labors were ended by death in 1874, when he was seventy years of age. He was a consistent and worthy member of the Cumberland Presbyterian church. Politically he was a Whig in ante-bellum days, but at the time of the Civil war he became a stanch Democrat, favored secession and remained an advocate of the party throughout his remaining days. He was too old for active service in the army but he furnished eight sons to the Confederacy. In his business interests he manifested an intelligent understanding of all that he undertook, close application and untiring purpose, and his prosperity resulted from honorable and active effort. His wife survived him and died February 20, 1874, at the age of sixty-nine years. She was a daughter of George Harris, a leading planter of Mississippi, who died in that state at a ripe old age. There were three children in his family: George and Glenn, who served in the Confederate army; and Mrs. Mary McGaughy.

Unto Mr. and Mrs. William L. McGaughy were born ten children: Marion P., who was killed in the Civil war and left a wife and three children; G. W. D., who was also in the army and is now living in Collinsville, Texas; Nehemiah R., who was an army surgeon and died in the service in the Civil war; James F., who was also in the army and is now a farmer of Dallas county, Texas; W. H., who was a soldier and died at his home in Mississippi; John, who also wore the grey uniform and is now living in Mississippi; Benjamin, who espoused the cause of the Confederacy and died in the service; Henry C., of this review, who was connected with the state militia; Sally, became the wife of J. M. Buchanan and died in Mississippi, leaving four children; and Mary J., who became the wife of Mr. Walton, who died in the army, leaving two children. Later she married Mr. Van Arsdale and had three children. Mr. and Mrs. William L. McGaughy were members of the Cumberland Presbyterian church and were people of the highest respectability, enjoying the friendship and regard of all with whom they came in contact.

Henry C. McGaughy was reared in Mississippi and remained upon the old home plantation until after the war. He came to Texas with his father and the family in 1869, and accompanied his parents on their removal from Grayson to Dallas county and to his present home in Montague county in the spring of 1872. He made this selection and in company with a brother-in-law, Mr. Buchanan, bought five hundred acres of land. His brother and brother-in-law, however, returned to Mississippi, but Mr. McGaughy remained and improved the farm and cared for his parents throughout their remaining days. He yet remains upon the old homestead, where he has resided continuously for a third of a century. He made a wise selection of land, his farm being a level tract of country, very fertile and productive. Farming at that time was an experiment in Texas, for previously the land had been used simply as a cattle range and it was not known whether crops could be raised profitably or not. The grass however, was abundant and the range was free and the settlers devoted their energies to raising cattle. The country was sparsely settled but little actual farming was done. Mr. McGaughy, however, secured his claim, which he began to open up and cultivate and he also gave a part of his time to the cattle and stock business, in which he continued as long as there was free pasture. He was succeeding well when the country and pastures were taken up and fenced, so he disposed of his herd and has since kept stock only for the support of the farm. He raises both cattle and hogs. Farming is no longer an experiment here but a very profitable industry, and Mr. McGaughy is among those who have demonstrated the value of this work in Texas. He has never failed to raise good crops save on one occasion. He now largely gives his attention to corn and cotton. He is pleased with the country and its possibilities and his labors have been attended with a gratifying measure of success. He has done much to improve his farm and his land border on the Red River, so that here is a good supply of water. He has erected a commodious frame residence, good barns and out-buildings and his home stands upon a natural elevated building site, commanding an excellent view of the farm and surrounding country. It is a fine home tastefully furnished and the entire place is equipped with modern improvements and conveniences. In 1887 Mr. McGaughy also embarked in the mercantile business, taking charge of a stock of general goods at Spanish Fort, which he conducted for twelve years. He has since, however, abandoned that line of activity and give his entire attention at present to his farming interests.

In 1880 was celebrated the marriage of Mr. McGaughy to Miss Minnie Walden, who was born in Virginia in 1862 and is a daughter of C. M. and Henrietta (Purcell) Walden, both of whom were natives of Virginia. Her father was a mechanic, plasterer and bricklayer and followed those pursuits in the Old Dominion in his younger days. He served throughout the war of the rebellion with the Confederate army in Virginia and in 1876 he came to Texas, locating first in Grayson county, where he rented land and engaged in farming, but in 1878 he removed to Montague county, where he carried on general agricultural pursuits. He also gave some attention to the stock business in the Indian Territory. His wife died September 13, 1904, and he has since broken up housekeeping and make his home with Mrs. McGaughy. He followed his trade until he came to the west and has lived the life of a plain honest mechanic and farmer. Although he rendered active service to the Confederacy during the Civil war he was never wounded nor taken prisoner. He is a man of genuine personal worth, faithful to honorable principles and is a devoted member of the Presbyterian church, while his wife was a member of the Methodist church. They had three children: Lillie, who became the wife of J. Damron and both she and her husband are now deceased; Minnie, now Mrs. McGaughy; and R. E., who follows farming in the territory.

Unto our subject and his wife have been born a daughter and two sons: Mary R., at home; William B., born December 26, 1894; and Henry W., born August 13, 1896. Mrs. McGaughy is a member of the Methodist church. Mr. McGaughy gives his political allegiance to the Democratic party and is unflattering in his advocacy of its principles, but has never sought or desired public office. In public life he is progressive but without aspiration for office, preferring to concentrate his energies upon his business affairs. Those who know him, and his acquaintance is wide, esteem him for his genuine worth and throughout his residence in Montague county he has made for himself an honorable name and a record that any business man might envy.

The above biography agrees with the McGaughy book in that Henry came to Texas in 1869, and that he married Minnie Walden in 1880. It even agrees that he had a mercantile store, but by the time of Paddock's writing it seems he had abandoned that enterprise. However, Paddock's writing disagrees with the McGaughy book and instead sides with the tombstone concerning Henry Clay's birth date, not with the McGaughy book. This is probably because BB Paddock most likely actually met our subject.  I believe that Paddock's account is more likely to be true as a result.  Now it is time to take issue with Henry Clay's... Issue. Concerning his children, there are a couple census records.  By 1900, Bernice was the only child that hadn't been born. In the 1900 census, Henry C. McGaughy's family shows up with children Roxie, age 19, Beall, age 5, and Henry W., age 3.

Click Image for full size census form

By 1910, Roxie had moved out and Bernice was 5 years old. Henry W. shows up again, aged 13. Beall shows up again, this time rather illegibly. It looks like W (scribble) B., but he is aged 15 in 1910 which would make him the right age to be Beall from the 1900 census.

Click Image for full size census form

These 2 census forms somewhat agree with the McGaughy book. There really isn't enough information at this point to form much of a disagreement. Additional sources are needed to decide one way or the other, but it appears from the information in the 1910 census that Beall was the middle name of Henry Clay's 2nd child, not the first..

I have managed to find death certificates for all four children of H.C. Beginning with Roxie's:

Click for full size death certificate

This certificate shows a Mary Roxie Tucker, b. 24 November 1880, d. 18 May 1975. Her parents were Henry Clay McGaughy and Minnie Walden, which proves the McGaughy book wrong on her name. It was not Roxie Walden McGaughy, but Mary Roxie. Since her married name appears as Tucker, she should show up as Mary or Roxie Tucker in the U.S. Census somewhere. She does, as Roxie M. Tucker married to Charles R. Tucker in 1920:

Click image for full size census form

The McGaughy book is wrong again. She did not marry William Beall (wouldn't that would be weird?!), she married Charles R Tucker. They appear to have no issue by 1920, and are 39 and 43, respectively. It is likely they had no children. The next child of our subject to consider is my great grandfather, William Beall McGaughy. Below is his death certificate:

Click image for full size Death Certificate

His parents are listed as H.C. McGaughy and Minnie Walden. His full name is William Beall McGaughy. He was born 26 December 1894 and died on 16 October 1966. Beall was just what everyone seems to have called him. I have several photos of him and his wife labeled as Beall and Delia, so I am assuming he went by Beall. I have plenty of vital records of his marriage and children, but I intend to write more on him later. Be assured that he married Delia Ann Gill in 1916 and had five children: Evelyn (Svajda), Lorraine "Rushie" (Andersen), Dexter Eugene (my grandfather), William Baxter "Tince", and David Thomas.

 Back to Henry Clay's issue, though. Next in line is Henry Walden's death certificate:

Click image for full size death certificate

This lists his father as Henry Clay McGaughy and his mother as Minnie Walden. It also lists his full name as Henry Walden McGaughy. He was born 13 August 1896 and died 26 October 1968. Looks like the McGaughy book put the middle name Walden on the wrong person. He shows up in the 1940 census with a wife, Alice (I believe to be Alice Wade, but have no proof at the time of this writing), and two children, Henry Clay McGaughy and James Wade McGaughy. They are at the end of a page on the census and had to be continued on the next. Here are the two pages:

Click for full size census form part 2

Click for full size census form part 1

The last child of Henry Clay to get straightened out is Bernice. I have her death certificate:

Click for full size death certificate

Her parents are listed as Henry Clay and Minnie Walden. Her full name is listed as Bernice Ruth Gill. This is of particular interest because it means that William Beall's children and her children are double cousins. She shows up in the 1930 Census as being married to a Thomas J. Gill, and again in 1940 as being married to a Judd Gill. I believe her husband's name was Thomas Judson Gill, based on their gravestone and these census forms. In the 1940 census, they have a child, either Jane or June N. Gill. It also appears that they took care of Minnie Walden in her old age.

Click image for full size census form.

Click for full size image

Click Image for full size census form

Now that we have solved the issue of Henry Clay's biography and issue, we can lay the problems with the McGaughy book to rest. I am sure I will revisit this family at a later date, but can definitely conclude that the McGaughy book had plenty of erroneous information regarding the family of my Great Great Grandfather, Henry Clay McGaughy.




I only have one photo of him from a book I found. This is it:

Photo taken from page 11 of "Images of America: Nocona" by Shannon Gillette

Edit: Ran across another photo of Henry Clay:

Photo taken from page 122 of "Images of America: Bowie and Montague County" by Shannon Castle Gillette

The Beecher House of Sandusky, Ohio

My Aunt Susie has done a lot of work on my Mom's side of the family. She is a former member of the Daughters of the American Revolution through our ancestor, Thomas Huston. Back in 2008, she went and visited Sandusky, Ohio and found out some interesting things considering the home and life of my 4th Great Grandfather, Lucas Selkirk Beecher. There is a lot of history in that old house, and Aunt Susie did a superlative job of collecting information about it.

The blog "Graveyard Rabbit of Sundusky Bay" has a nice little bio on Lucas Selkirk Beecher:

Lucas Selkirk Beecher was born in New Haven, Connecticut, on March 31, 1798. He lost a leg in an accident when he was thirteen years old. At the age of 18, Lucas S. Beecher moved with his family to New York State, where he studied law. He married Janet Walker Turk in 1824. By 1828, Lucas Beecher settled in Sandusky, where he practiced law with Eleutheros Cooke. Beecher became blind in 1830, but an operation in New York City restored his sight partially. An article in the January 1897 Western Reserve Law Journal stated about Lucas Beecher that "He was a very eloquent and forceful speaker, honest with the courts, his clients and opposing counsel, had a wonderful memory and great tact in the examination of witnesses, was respectful and kind to all, more especially to the younger members of the bar. He had a very large and remunerative practice." Judge E. B. Sadler, in the same article, wrote about Beecher: "Disabled as he was when just entering upon the threshold of a successful practice, nevertheless, he rose to a height which enabled him to easily maintain his position as a leader in this most difficult of all professions." Lucas S. Beecher was the counsel for Benjamin Johnson, a former slave who settled in Sandusky. The Justice of the Peace at Sandusky, John Wheeler, sided with Beecher and maintained that Johnson was a free man, under the provisions of the Ordinance of 1787, which stated that involuntary servitude was prohibited in Ohio. The Lucas Beecher home, still standing in Sandusky, was a safe haven for runaway slaves during the Underground Railroad. Lucas S. Beecher died on October 18, 1882, and is buried in Oakland Cemetery. Mrs. Beecher died in May of the same year.

 

There is another nice little biographical snippet from a Statement of Significance for the National Record of Historical Places Nomination:

The Lucas Beecher House, built in 1847-1848, was the home of an important lawyer in Sandusky's history who successfully overcame a tragic series of handicaps. The house is architecturally significant for its fine stonework and detailing, and it is the last remaining early 19th century building facing Washington Park and the courthouse square.
The following biography of Beecher is taken from Hansen's history:

"Lucas Selkirk Beecher was born in Connecticut in 1798. When he was about thirteen years old he went on a hunting trip. A terrific storm ensued and lightning struck a large tree, felling it on Beecher. His leg was crushed and and his hunting companion was compelled to amputate the leg in order to release him.

"About 1816, Beecher moved to New York where he taught school and studied law. He was admitted to the bar in 1824 and married Janet W. Turk in 1826. After practicing two years in Williamsport, Pa., he came to Sandusky in 1828 and formed a law partnership with Eleutheros Cooke.

"Three years later Beecher became totally blind. Aldrich's History states that after treatment in New York his sight was restored enough for him to resume his practice and read and write a little. He formed several law partnerships including association with John Campbell, Pitt Cooke, Cuyler Leonard and then finally, in 1853, with his son, John T. Beecher. Their law office was in a small brick building just east of this house.

"The following tribute by fellow attorneys was printed in the Sandusky Register after his death in 1882:

Lucas S. Beecher stood in the front rank as a lawyer during a long practice of over fifty years. Keen, bright intellect, wonderful memory, perhaps intensified by his blindness... His identification with the anti-slavery movement marked him as a man who preferred principle to profit and who had the courage to profess and advocate a great moral truth..."

In 1900 Beecher's heirs sold the house. From 1902 to 1918 it housed the telephone exchange. In 1932 the American Legion purchased the building and occupied it until 1977. The additions made by the Legion have been removed preparatory to rehabilitation.

I have another article from a 24 page packet of information regarding the Beecher House. I am not positive of its authorship, but came from the Follett House Museum Branch of Sandusky Library:

Changing with the Times

The Beecher House has been remodeled several times since it was built. The interior was
changed to suit the needs of the various owners and tenants and to keep it up-to-date with the conveniences of succeeding eras.

The Beecher House remained a simple family home while the Beechers owned it. However, progress through the 1800's slowly changed its neighborhood, and a city grew around it.

When it was built, each of the homes along Washington Row had their own carriage houses, barns, and privies. Those outbuildings were commonplace and necessary in their time.

Aunt Susie at the Park across from the Beecher House.

In 1922, Emma Beecher recalled that living on Washington Row "was like living in the country." This was partially because a park was in front of the Beecher House. The City of Sandusky overtook the "country" and, by 1880, the outbuildings were disappearing, and commercial buildings were replacing many of the stately Washington Row homes. The Beecher House became a commercial building in 1902 and remains so. Numerous remodels brought the Beecher House through several generations of progress, from the quiet horse-and-buggy days to the modern era.

When Lucas Beecher built it, his home was heated by wood or coal fires in several stoves and fireplaces. Those stoves gave way to a central heating furnace years later. Also, the cool breezes of summer, which once wafted in through opened windows, have now been replaced by air conditioning. Electricity provides power for appliances, gas now fires the furnace, and indoor plumbing replaced the privy.

Works remodeling the house in the late 1970's found a hidden vestige of the past, supporting conjecture that the house was used as a hideout for escaped slaves in the 1850's and 60's. The discovery of two secret rooms in the basement provides substantially conclusive evidence that the Beecher House was one of the last Underground Railroad stops before slaves secretly boarded boats in the Sandusky harbor to seek their freedom in Canada.

A "Hint" of Greek Revival

Uncle Don and Aunt Susie at Beecher House, 2008

When Lucas Beecher built his home, the development of "Greek Revival" in American
architecture was at its peak. "Greek Revival" architecture resurrected the austere lines of Grecian temples, with their columns and classic proportions, to inspire beautiful American homes. The Lucas Beecher Home at 215 Washington Row is representative of the Greek Revival form. It was constructed from Sandusky's native "blue" limestone.

The Beecher House differed slightly from the pure Greek Revival style. To give a hint of the colonnades which surround Greek temples, the Beecher House has a pair of pillars supporting an entablature at the front entrance. That "hint" of a colonnade was repeated in the fram of the window over the front entrance and in the railings and columns of a porch that was attached to the ell of the home. The ell, which was demolished in the early 1900's to make room for commercial buildings, was attached to the house on the east. Today, the driveway of the First Federal Savings and Loan building occupies this area.

Many Owners

The Beecher House was owned by the Beecher Family from its construction in 1848 until 1902, when it was sold to the Central Union Telephone Company.

Central Union moved Sandusky's first telephone exchange to the stately home and operated it as a part of The Bell System until 1918. The old home then was turned over to the offices of the Erie County Investment Company, which shared the building with the Christian Science Reading Room and an engineer, Charles Judson. Irma Walkircher's women's clothing store moved into the building in 1925.

John Rieger, who owned the Rieger Hotel, purchased the home in 1921 and leased it to the American Legion in the early 1930's. The American Legion bought the property in 1944, and kept it until 1977 when the Savings Building and Loan Company purchased it. Savings Building and Loan, with brances in Port Clinton and Huron, became the Erie Islands Division of First Federal Savings and Loan Association of Toledo in 1986.

First Federal Savings of Toldeo moved its loan offices and loan-closing department into the building in 1988, after another remodeling project was accomplished at this historic site.

With all of Aunt Susie's research, there's really not a whole lot I can add to the history of this building. I will provide a link to her documentation in PDF Form, along with a couple more photos pertaining to the building. Thanks, Aunt Susie, for doing all the work. Here's what I promised:
https://docs.google.com/file/d/0B3yM72vm279EdDRRSUtqdU1SdGs/edit?usp=sharing

Sign at parking lot for Sandusky Bay Visitors. The Beecher house was one of the homes of the Underground Railroad.

Sign hanging in Lucas Beecher's Home

How incredibly unlikely is your birth?

Genealogy is fascinating. There is the aspect of learning about the lives of my ancestors, what they did, whether they fought in wars, et cetera. There is the thrill of finding out I am a descendant of someone who fought in the Civil War on the side of the Confederacy, and then finding someone on a different line who was an Abolitionist and used their home as part of the Underground Railroad. There is the even more fascinating consideration that eventually, two families that presumably would have been completely opposed ideologically on the issue of slavery, would come together in marriage (albeit a few generations down the line). It's incredibly interesting to find how all these events eventually culminate into my own existence.

My Great Great Great Grandfather, William L. McGaughy, supplied 8 sons to the Confederacy during the Civil War. Some of them died. Fortunately for me, my Great Great Grandfather, Henry Clay McGaughy, did not. However, neither of these individuals escaped the Civil War unscathed. William L.'s plantation lay between the paths of both contending armies and was devastated. So, William L. decided to move to Texas. George Washington McGaughy, William L.'s father, went to Texas to consider a move after the Civil War. However, George Washington McGaughy was not impressed and went back to Mississippi. Many of William L's sons decided to stay behind in Mississippi as well. Had William L. or Henry Clay decided to do the same, I would not be here today.

There are a number of other stories that had to happen in such an exacting way in order to facilitate my birth. Had my grandpa, Dexter McGaughy, not died in that car crash, would Dad have ever met Mom? It's hard to say.

If William McGaughey, the Great Grandfather of William L. McGaughy, never took the boat from Scotland to America back in 1738, neither of the two stories above would have taken place, and my birth would never have happened. You wouldn't be reading this blog post right now.

It only gets more and more exact the further back I go. Eventually, my existence is dependent on literally thousands of people. Going back 12 generations means that 8,190 people had to choose where they were going to live, who they were going to marry, when they were going to have children, et cetera. Everything in their entire life had to go just a certain way or else I might not exist. And that only takes it back to around the 17th Century! My ancestors quite obviously go back further than that.


Knowing that I will be a father soon makes me consider all of the things that had to go just a certain way in my life in order for my unborn child to exist. If I had never gone to Detroit for training on that Walmart Photo Equipment, I never would have traveled to Guymon, OK, where I met my wife, Melissa. Had I never attended those silly LAN parties back in High School, I never would have been recommended for the Computer Repair Pro job in the first place, and therefore never would have gone to Detroit. Had Dad not put that box of computer parts in my room, I might not have taken the interest in computers like I did, which means I never would have been looking for the Computer jobs in the first place. I could go on ad nauseam. The point here is that any particular person's conception is incredibly unlikely, and that doesn't even consider the biological factors that must take place.

Melissa and I are going to see a specialist next week in Oklahoma City. The fact that we can travel that far to see someone for a pregnancy is pretty remarkable in and of itself, but consider how much more unlikely the births of people 100 years ago must have been without all the medical intervention afforded us today. Vitamins and Dietary Supplements to help the baby's development were not available. Ultrasounds were not available. Many things were not available that makes the average pregnancy more likely to be successful.

Being able to get a glimpse of the types of lives my ancestors lived before me gives me the desire to live life in a way that would not only honor them, but honor my descendants as well. I have certainly made my fair share of mistakes, anyone has, but hopefully I can live up to the bar set by my parents, grandparents, and so on. Life is beautiful, people, and I intend to make the most of it.

Edit: Dan Nickolie posted the following on the Genealogy Facebook Page today (12 September 2013). It seemed relevant, so I decided to throw it up here:

Proving The First Three Generations

Proving that I am the descendant of my parents is easy enough. I have my birth certificate, which proves who my parents are. However, I do not have the birth certificates of my parents. I haven't asked Mom for hers, and Dad has lost his and probably hasn't sent off for another copy from Clovis. This will make it a little bit more tricky to prove my grandparents. Either way, here is my birth certificate:

Ha! Like I'd actually post my birth certificate on the internet. My wife would kill me!

Instead I'll just post the index, which says I was born 20 September 1984 and that my father is Timothy Mike McGaughy and my mother is Rebecca Lynn Barrett:

"Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/V8PC-W79 : accessed 10 Sep 2013), David Michael Mcgaughy, 1984.

This clearly shows who my parents are: Timothy Mike McGaughy is my father, Rebbeca Lynn Barrett is my mother.

Now, here's where it gets a little dicey. I do not have access to the birth certificates of my parents. Good news! I happen to know when they were born and where. Often times, states will keep birth indexes, which are almost as good. It worked as a replacement for my birth certificate, didn't it?

Using Family Search's Records Search I was able to find Mom's Birth Index.  It says her parents were Raymond Earl Barrett and Dorothy Elouis (this is incorrect, grandma's middle name is Louise. However, it's close enough that it won't matter) Dixon, and that she was born 17 August 1957.

"Texas, Birth Index, 1903-1997," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VDH6-M9K : accessed 10 Sep 2013), Rebecca Lynn Barrett, 1957.

Now, this is good enough verification for me, since I'm pretty sure I know who my mom is, but to the genealogical researcher they need rigorous sources. If I do a search for Rebecca Lynn Barrett from the Texas Birth Index, there are more than one Rebecca Lynn Barretts listed. This is where my birth certificate comes into play. You see, since we know my father's name is Timothy Mike McGaughy and we know they are married, we can go back and look at the Texas Marriage Index.

A quick search yielded exactly what I needed. How many Timothy Mike McGaughys are there in Texas, and how many of them married a Rebecca Lynn Barrett? I'm going to go out on a limb and say just one. The record indicates that they were wed on 14 August 1976, and that Dad was 23 and Mom was 18 at the time.

"Texas, Marriages, 1966-2010," index, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/VTB3-S23 : accessed 10 Sep 2013), Timothy M Mcgaughy and Rebecca L Barrett, 1976.

This means that Mom was born somewhere between 1957 and 1959 depending on where her birthday fell. The other Rebecca Lynn Barretts in the birth index do not fall into this time frame of birth, so we can be reasonable sure that the record I found for Mom's birth is, indeed, the correct one, and that my grandparents are who I say they are.

Now Dad's side of the family is a little bit more difficult, because it appears that New Mexico does not have birth indexes going back to 1953. Fortunately for me, Grandma's obituary is available online:

http://www.carmichael-whatley.com/services.asp?page=odetail&id=9449&locid=#.Ui5vjT_7ej0

In the event that Carmichael Whatley Funeral Home decides to take down the obit, I am going to paste it here:

Mary Frances McGaughy June 4, 1926 - December 4, 2005
SERVICES: 10:00 AM Wednesday, December 7, 2005, at Carmichael-Whatley Colonial Chapel, with Rev. Alan Burkhalter, pastor of the Chaparral Hills Baptist Church of Amarillo, and Dr. Johnny Funderburg, pastor of the First Baptist Church of Pampa, officiating.

BURIAL: Graveside services will be at 3:00 PM Wednesday, December 7, 2005, at the Castro County Memorial Gardens Cemetery in Dimmitt, under the direction of Carmichael-Whatley Funeral Directors.

BIOGRAPHY: Mrs. McGaughy was born June 4, 1926 in White Deer, Texas. She was a graduate of Texas Tech University in Lubbock. She married Dexter Eugene McGaughy on August 29, 1946 in Lubbock. He preceded her in death in 1967. She was an educator with the Pampa Independent School District for over 20 years. She also taught in Amarillo, Dimmitt, Dalhart, and Thrall. She was a member of the First Baptist Church and the Pampa Senior Citizens Center. She was an avid bridge player and loved to travel.

SURVIVORS: 1 Son: Tim McGaughy & wife Becky of Amarillo. 1 Sister: Virginia Flaherty of Pampa. 2 Grandsons: David McGaughy and J. T. McGaughy, both of Amarillo. 2 Granddaughters: Megan McGaughy of Albuquerque, New Mexico, and Mekala McGaughy of Amarillo. 1 Great-Granddaughter: Misha McGaughy of Albuquerque, New Mexico. She was preceded in death by a son, Joe Don McGaughy in 1967, and 2 brothers, Alton Powers and Ray Powers.

MEMORIALS: Hidden Falls Ranch, P.O. Box 136, Wayside, Texas 79094

There is good information here. You can see under the survivors that she had 1 Son, Tim McGaughy and wife Becky of Amarillo. You can see that I am listed as her grandson. You can even see that she was preceded in death by Dexter Eugene McGaughy.

This is probably enough to prove how I am related to my paternal grandparents. However, I have an old newspaper clipping of Grandpa's obituary as an additional source, although I have no citation for it. Still, the information there agrees with the information from Grandma's obituary.

Finally, here's a tree:

embeddable family tree updated live from WikiTree

Out of Print Books

One of the biggest problems I've come across when doing research is finding books. Many genealogical books have been out of print long enough they are nearly impossible to find, but not out of print long enough to be in the public domain yet.

The Descendants of William and Margaret McGaughey by Polly Rachel McGaughey Sutton, for example, was particularly difficult to find. After some searching, I ended up finding a copy of it on microfiche at the Oklahoma History Center in Oklahoma City. It was the closest copy I could find, and it was still a five hour drive from my house. I wanted a copy of the entire book, though, mostly because I'm crazy. However, I was only allowed to print off the parts of the book that were particularly pertinent to me because it was still protected under copyright. I got my prints, but was not satisfied. I wanted to be able to use the entire book as a reference at my leisure. I also wanted to see what was in the 1991 supplement to the original book written in 1984. I couldn't just go to Barnes and Noble and buy a copy, it's out of print! I can't download it off the internet, because it's protected under copyright and is not a very popular book. After about a month or so, I got lucky and found a copy of both books for sale on ebay for $35. Turns out, the 1991 supplement only adds some info to my patriot ancestor, William McGaughey, Jr., but none of the rest of my ancestors. It has a wealth of information on other lines, however.

The point I'm trying to make here is that this information is dastardly hard to come by. There are other genealogical books I've looked into, such as History of Pittsylvania County Virginia by Maude Carter Clement. I know, I know, there's a copy of the book available from Amazon for like 35 dollars, but I'm not really even sure what sort of information I'd be able to get from it. What if I spend the money on the book and find out there's no mention of the information I was hoping for? Even if there is some information, it seems silly to buy the entire book in hopes that there will be a page or two of information that I'm really looking for.

Campbell Chronicles and Family Sketches by Ruth Hairston Early was another book that was kind of hard to get. It has been out of print since like 1927, so it should be well within Public Domain. I even managed to find a copy of it on Google Books, but there was another problem. For whatever reason, Google would only let you preview certain pages of the book, and no downloading whatsoever! It was incredibly frustrating to know that Google took the time to digitize an out of print public domain work and then restrict access to it, particularly the one or two pages that was important to my research. I later discovered the entire book was available on Hathitrust. However, the problem here was that it was a preview only, and they wouldn't let you download the book, or so they thought. I found a little program called Hathi Download Helper, available from here, that let me download the entire book by putting in the URL to the preview. The only problem was that the resulting PDF was about a gigabyte, so I had to use another piece of software, Foxit Phantom PDF, to compress and optimize the PDF file. I finally ended up getting it down to about 70 megs, which is still large, but manageable.

There was one book by BB Paddock, that was available on the internet archive with no fuss. The only problem with that book is I probably never would have found my ancestors biography because it's a 2 volume, nearly thousand page per volume book set with no index and no table of contents. No one has taken the time to create an index for it, either. If it weren't for genealogymagazine.com having the biography of Henry Clay McGaughy on their website, I never would have known to look into BB Paddock's magnum opus.

The easiest book for me to get a hold of was A Few Barrett Kin by Emma Barrett Reeves. I just borrowed my grandpa's copy of the book and digitized it.

It's just been a bit of a frustrating journey locating information within genealogy books. I hope that other people have a better time of it than I did.

A Family Tragedy

I recently had the opportunity to go through and digitize most of Grandma Gay's old photos. I am really glad I did, because I found some interesting stuff in there.

You see, I never knew my grandfather, Dexter Eugene McGaughy. He died in a car accident along with my Uncle, Joe Don, back in the 60's. I had heard stories of this unfortunate event my entire life, but something about seeing the old newspaper clippings really brought it to life for me.

If you click the image of the newspaper clipping, it should open it in full size for easy reading. I was also able to locate my grandfather's death certificate:

Hearing about the story of grandpa dying in a car crash was completely different from seeing the car he was pulled out of. My imagination never captured the brutality of this accident.