Ancestry Saturday: He Hewed The Timber Into Central Ohio History

Columbus, Ohio at a time when the Broad Street Bridge (at middle right) is made of wood.

Charles Harper's 1911 obituary reads, "He hewed the timber for the first Broad street bridge in Columbus, and a part of the timber is still in use. He hewed the timber and was a contractor for a large part of the material in the old state penitentiary."

These two sentences give my kids' fourth great grandfather on their mom's side a lasting place in Central Ohio's history. There are ironic tie-ins to family history too.

The Broad Street Bridge is not made of wood today, but it's a landmark and a vital artery in Columbus' economic past, present, and future.  Ironically, in the 1990's, their grandfather on their dad's side, John Platt, had his offices in Columbus overlooking that same bridge.

Today, the site of the "old state penitentiary" is a high-end retail and housing district.  The district's place in Ohio's history, though, is more owed to a horrific fire April 21, 1930 in which 322 prisoners perished. 

Ironically, a 1930 Census record taken two days before the fire, showed Richard Harper was there.  Richard Harper, convicted for petty theft, died in that 1930 fire in the building built by his great grandfather.  He was brother to my kids' great grandfather, Orville Harper.

Charles Harper's memorial stands an hour northwest of Columbus near Richwood, but his lasting impact is still right there in the heart of the Capitol City.

Ancestry Saturday: Preserving My 10th Great Grandparents' Wedding Site

The preservation of my 10th great grandparents' wedding site made Fox News on Wednesday.  That's pretty cool.

The exact location of the wedding of Pocahontas and John Rolfe on 5 April 2014 has been reportedly been discovered.  Plans call for an appropriate historical marker on the location of the event.

See the article at FoxNews.com

When History and Families Collide: The 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie

4GG Elisha Gates, a few years (and a few pounds) after the march to Lake Erie

Today marks the 200th Anniversary of the Battle of Lake Erie.  This was the naval battle between the Americans and the British for control of the Lake that took place on September 10, 1813.

I am believed to have had an American relative there and one on the way too.

The one on the way is pretty well-documented.   According to my cousin David Armstrong in his blog Deep Roots, my fourth great grandfather, Elisha Gates, was on his way there.  Elisha had enrolled in defense of his country and, more specifically, to avenge his now-home, Kentucky.  He was among thousands of Kentucky militia men marching from Cincinnati to Lake Erie when word came down of the battle victory.

According to A History of the State of Oklahoma, a Platt ancestor was at the Battle of Lake Erie.  James Platt, my third great grand uncle, was reportedly there. 

Muster rolls show a George Platt was on the Brig Niagra that day too.  Niagra was the brig that Commodore Perry was aboard when the battle was decisively won. 

Though my third great grandfather, George Platt, served in the War of 1812, I don't have any reason to believe that was him.  I'll keep looking though.

Ancestry Saturday: 113 Years Early For a Bad Place To Live

The "A" marks the now-dubious address in Cleveland.  The street at the top of the screen has ancestral connections from 113 years ago.

Our ancestors can't have known back then what we know now when they made choices where to live. 

If you could, it's doubtful anyone would want to have lived in the neighborhood where the horrible abductions in Cleveland took place.  2207 Seymour Avenue will never be an address where anyone will want to live again.  The horrors are too much to want to conjure up every day. 

Go back 113 years, though, and that's the neighborhood where my Great Grandfather Andrew Baker lived.  It was an ethnic German neighborhood then.

The City Directory had him there in 1899 and 1900 after his service in the Spanish-American War.  Wade Ave, one block parallel to the north, was the street he lived on before he left for the Pittsburgh area sometime before 1905. 

His actual dwelling, converted after numbering in 1906, would have put him at 3511 Wade Avenue, a home that long-ago gave way to Interstate 90 right of way.  That's three blocks west and one full block north of the now-dubious address.

Who could have known?  No one.

Keeping That Poem From Cousin Key

The poem "Defence of Fort McHenry" was published almost 98 years ago. The work of Francis Scott Key later became immortalized as the words for the Star Spangled Banner, our National Anthem.

Now, the debate is underway to replace the National Anthem.  I say keep it!  And I was glad to see that 82% of people, according to a Rasmussen poll, agree with that stance.

Now a footnote for my kids:   David Armstrong, my first cousin, once removed, told me a few weeks back that Francis Scott Key and I shared a great grandfather, Richard Gardiner. Francis would be my fourth cousin, five times removed. And a memorable poet too.