Ancestry Saturday: I've Never Been to Bloomington, But. . .

. . .I feel like Bloomington's been to me.

Someone mentioned Bloomington, Illinois and McLean County, Illinois in regular conversation this past week.

I didn't chime in, but I thought to myself:  I've never been to Bloomington, but I have ancestors galore from there.

I came back and looked it up.  It's true.

My great grandfather Elmer Armstrong was born in McLean County in 1883.  His father, John McClure Armstrong was born there too, in 1861, and his mother, Isabelle Baylor Armstrong, was born there in 1862.

Best I can tell, all 12 of John and Isabelle's children were born in McLean County.

Many have died there, buried in Bloomington's Blooming Grove Cemetery.

I'll chime in next time.

Ancestry Saturday: Shot Tower History Has Family History

Today, my kids and I stopped by the Shot Tower at the former Fort Hayes in Columbus. We've not stopped for a couple of years. It was a history refresher in more ways than one.

Fort Hayes' Shot Tower invokes a lot of history for the nation, Ohio, and Columbus. It's a source of family history for our family too.



It was begun as a military post in 1862. Though I can't find anything with certainty to say it happened here, shot towers are where lead shot was manufactured to help the Union win the war. Molten metal was dropped into a pool of water and the result was a ball used for ammunition.

It continued as a an Army facility.

Then, in 1905, my great grandfather Elmer Armstrong was, in his own words, "quartered in the shot tower" during his "first week of military service" which began 26 Jan 1905.

It wouldn't be his last time stationed at the shot tower.

The facility became an Army Reception Center, the first place recruits went to start their service to the war effort during World War II. Elmer Armstrong came out of retirement to command the Center at Fort Hayes.

So, he both started and ended his long career spanning five decades at the Fort Hayes shot tower.

Today, it's still standing and serves as a school. Lots of history.

Ancestry Saturday: My Own Genealogy Memories

One of the first Genealogy 101 suggestions is to quiz your oldest relatives about what they know about past generations. I've done that, and it's worked to give some depth to the family tree.

I am that relative too.

I'm just a few weeks removed from being the oldest of my generation on my mom's side of our family. As such, I'm the only one among my first cousins who can recall meeting our still-living great grandparents. Three of my eight great grandparents were still alive when I was born.

We had to drive under the railroad to get to his place. His retirement home had a lion drinking fountain. As he sat up in his bed, he had a bunch of young women around him in a bedroom not much bigger than mine.

Those were my memories of Great Grandpa Elmer Armstrong. He died March 4, 1971 when I was only four years old so the memories are, understandably, sketchy.

Today, I can piece the sketchy memories into a narrative. One would drive under the CSX line underpass to get from I-71 to Wesley Glen in the Clintonville neighborhood of Columbus. The view approaching that underpass hasn't changed in 45 years. I don't know if the Lion drinking fountain is still there (road trip kids?), but the young ladies must have been health care workers helping him prepare for our visit. He had a one-room retirement center suite.

I wrote about General Armstrong (he was actually an Army Colonel, which I learned after showing it to my grandparents) in the fifth grade. I inherited his bedroom furniture and still use it in my house today. I have some old photos and personal documents in my possession too.

Future generations can come to me to ask about Great Grandpa Armstrong. I'm ready to talk.