The Scrappy Genealogist: Mystic

What I learned from Clarence or how I am going to do these #52Ancestors posts.

I cannot write a biography for a different ancestor every week. There are too many steps I feel I need to do to in order to prepare to write a biography and yes, I get bogged down in the details. Particularly in the case of Clarence. He had a lot going on in his life and I want to be sure I treat him correctly.

The good news is that I am getting reorganized and I have renewed my commitment to printing everything out for genealogy coffee table books (ala DearMyrtle). I love me my coffee table books! More on that next week!

This week I have completed a nice scrapbook page for my ancestor Clarence Norton Brainard. It was what I felt able to do for him for now. You will find it at the end of this post. I am so happy that I have already made four new pages for my ancestry scrapbook this year. It's a good feeling knowing that I have created something that others will enjoy!

Before I show you my new scrapbook page, I would like to share my process for getting ready to either write a short ancestor biography or create even a scrapbook page in their memory.

Getting My Stuff Together

1. Review computer folder.

Label all documents in the following format: Year-Month-Date Last Name First Name Item (i.e. 1883-08-12BrainardClarenceBirthRegp1)
Attach source citation to all documents

2. Review online tree.

Download/label documents not showing in computer folder. Attach citations.
Do another quick search and look for any obvious holes in ancestor's timeline.
Print ancestor timeline page.

3. Update ancestor binder.

Print all documents in folder along with citation forms.
File pages by date in ancestor's binder.

4. Review documentation.

Check citations. Redo if necessary.
Review timeline and look for any holes in research. Are there new sources or newly discovered sources to check?

5. Write biography.

Review each source in date order.
From each source document, write the facts (just the facts for this purpose) together with a link to the citation (end notes for this).
Review, review, review.

6. Scrapbook my ancestor.

Print a photo of my ancestor.
Combine photo with heritage papers and embellishments.
Add full name and pertinent facts; birth, death, marriages, children.
Photograph page, edit in Lightroom and upload.

7. Upload and publish.

Still struggling with best way to get from my computer program to Blogger and keep my formatting. For now I am copying and pasting.
Publish!

This is a lengthy process! Even if I could devote 100% of my time and energy to writing these posts, I would still struggle to create a new biography every week. How do you do it?

Here is Clarence!

Happy Fishing Friday!

Scrappy Gen

Let’s Remember!

This challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is provided by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small (Don't you just love that title?). I am jumping in on week three, which will be my week one, but I am omitting the number count in my title so as not to confuse anyone...or me. Thank you, Amy, for this challenge. Weekly recaps by Amy can be read here.

As a bonus, because I am the Scrappy Genealogist, each of my posts will include a heritage page featuring my ancestor. Hope you enjoy them! Wondering about the Fishing Friday title? That's fishing for family Friday.

Birth 1883 in Stonington, Connecticut
Irene Bertha Hammond was born 10 April 1883¹ in Stonington, Connecticut almost exactly a year after the 26 April 1882 marriage of her parents, Joseph Henry Hammond and Annie Fowler (Griswold).² She had two brothers; John Sherman born in 1887³ and Walter Edward born in 1888.⁴

Early Life - 1900

Sometime between 1884 and 1887, Irene attended a Hammond family gathering. She was photographed with her father and mother and extended family members.⁵ In August1898 Irene visited relatives in nearby Mystic, Connecticut.⁶ On 6 June 1900 Irene was 17 years old and living in Stonington in a home owned by her father, who was a plumber. She had attended school for nine months in the previous year. Also living in the home were her parents, her brothers and her Uncle Frank G. Griswold, her mother’s brother. Irene’s paternal grandparents, John and Caroline E (Palmer) Hammond, appear on the same page of the census, suggesting a nearby residence. They are living with Joseph’s sister Caroline, her husband Carl Kelb and their children Helen and Ralph.⁷

First Marriage in 1904
In September 1903, Irene visited Stonington, this time to see friends.⁸ January 1904 found Irene again visiting friends in Stonington.⁹ Was she visiting a man named Clarence Norton Brainard? She married him a month later at the First Baptist Church of Stonington on the 9^th of February.¹⁰ As a married woman during October of that same year she visited her parents at their North Main Street home in Stonington and then returned to her home in Mystic.¹¹

Children
Irene and Clarence produced their first child Norton Hammond 20 July 1905.¹² Their second Norma Elizabeth arrived 6 August 1907 and died a year and a half later on 6 February 1908.¹³ During 1907 Clarence was frequently reported to be out with friends hunting and socializing.¹⁴ The only news I have found to date about Irene during this same period reports that she was confined to her home with an illness in October 1907.¹⁵ The couple produced one more child, my grandfather, Stanley Lamb, 13 June 1909.¹⁶

A Troubled Marriage
On 18 April 1910 Irene and her sons are living with Irene’s parents on North Water Street in Stonington. Her status is reported as married,¹⁷ but her husband Clarence has a postal address in Mystic.¹⁸ Oral family history tells that Clarence, an alcoholic, deserted Irene and absconded to Canada. The truth is more complicated and will be treated in greater detail in Clarence’s sketch.

During 1912 both Clarence and Irene’s father Joseph are listed as residing at 1 North Main Street, Stonington.¹⁹ This suggests that she was also living there. Irene performed in a play, Farm Folks, in April 1912.²⁰ During 1914 both Clarence and Irene are listed separately as residing at North Main Street as is Irene’s father Joseph.²¹ Wives are not listed at all in this directory, so it does suggest an unusual situation. In February 1915, she was running a milliner’s shop.²² In September 1916 as a member of the order committee for the Mystic Lodge Daughters of Rebekah, Irene helped to create the sixty-fifth anniversary celebration.²³ Irene’s 1916 and 1918 residences are reported as North Main Street. Clarence is absent from both.²⁴ During October 1917, Irene hosted the Acroama club at her home.²⁵

Divorce and Second Marriage
In February of 1921 Irene finally brings a suit of divorce against Clarence on the grounds of desertion.²⁶One month later on 8 March, Irene and her sons were admitted to the Stonington Second Congregational Church.²⁷ In 1923 she is living in her parents new home at 201 Main Street, Stonington.²⁸ At the end of the 1920s Irene remarried to Stephen Jerome Hoxie. In 1927, Irene is listed in Stonington by her first married name, Brainard.²⁹ In 1929, she is listed in Mystic by her married name, Hoxie.³⁰ They are living together with Irene’s son Stanley at 29 Gravel Street in Mystic on 5 April 1930.³¹

Death

Eventually Irene and Jerome moved back into 201 Main Street. They are living there in 1942 at the time of Jerome’s WWII draft card³² and in 1953,³³ shortly before Irene’s death 20 October 1954.³⁴
^{1-34 Sources available upon request.}

Happy Fishing Friday!

Scrappy Gen

Let’s Remember!

This challenge 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is provided by Amy Johnson Crow of No Story Too Small (Don't you just love that title?). I am jumping in on week three, which will be my week one, but I am ommitting the number count in my title so as not to confuse anyone...or me. Thank you, Amy, for this challenge. Weekly recaps by Amy can be read here.

14 February 2014

Fishing Friday #52Ancestors Clarence Norton Brainard

07 February 2014

Fishing Friday #52Ancestors Irene Bertha Hammond