Peace

Photo by Patrick Jones. Kyiv Airport, 12 Sep 2014.

I took the photo above while transiting in the Kyiv airport in 2014. The quality isn't great, but the message resonates today. Four years later, I had the opportunity to participate in a conference in Kyiv, briefly experiencing the city, photographing street art and sharing a meal with Internet community acquaintances there. I don't have many more words to share, it is sad and heartbreaking for what is unfolding now for the people in Ukraine.

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural by Seth & Aleksey Kislow. Kyiv, 6 Dec 2018.

A Quiet Home Wedding

 

Siskiyou Daily News, 20 Oct 1904

I've previously posted about Harl Cain, brother of my 2nd-great-grandmother Mary Alice Cain. While looking again for leads on the Cain family, I stumbled on a news clipping of Harl's wedding to Anna Elizabeth Schnebele Brautlacht, in Siskiyou County, California in 1904. The article describes Harl as a "promising young man of the Bay City", which I know from his VA file that Harl had moved to California during his military service for the Spanish-American War, and was originally from Barren County, Kentucky.

Marriage Record for Easter and David

 

Source: FamilySearch. Indiana Marriages, 1860.

I don't think I have shared this document previously. Above is the marriage record for my third-great-grandparents, Easter Vail and David Armstrong. The record shows Easter's father, James Vail, provided an affidavit of consent. This document can be found on FamilySearch, under Indiana Marriages (image 380 of 634).

Selina

 

Source: F. Likens-Nazareth. Selina Hampton & daughter.

Courtesy of a distant cousin via Ancestry, this is an undated photo of my fourth-great-grandmother Selina Hampton Vail and a daughter. My assumption is the photo was taken in the mid 1870s to 1880, after the death of her husband James. She would have been in her 50s then. I am not certain which daughter is standing next to her, but candidates include:

- Sarah C. Vail (age 20 when she married first in 1873) 

- Phoebe Ann Vail (age 15 when she married in 1875)

- Hannah J. Vail (age 18 when she married in 1880)

This is a great find and I'm thankful this photo was shared.

A Petition for His Service

 

Source: Indiana State Archives. Petition of John Felmey, 1823.

A few weeks ago I received a copy of a document involving my 5th-great-grandfather, John Felmey. He was born in Switzerland about 1795, and immigrated with his parents and siblings from Switzerland to America sometime before 1813 (more on John's daughter, my 4th-great-grandmother Ursula, can be found on my post from November 2018). The document involving John Felmey was a petition for a pardon and remission of fines imposed on him due to alleged non-service in his company muster in 1823. John wrote to Governor William Hendricks, stating that the claims were false and he was standing in his proper company.

1823 petition of John Felmey.

The petition sought remittance of the fine of $2.25, for non-attendance of two company musters in 1820. John went before the Justice of the Peace in Harrison County, Indiana, at the time home to the State Capitol in Corydon. John said he belonged to the rifle company commanded by Captain Gillespie. John can be seen in the 1820 US Census in Harrison County, near his father, Martin Felmey. There is an entry for a Thomas Gillespie in Harrison County in the same census.

Ancestry. 1820 US Census. Harrison County, Indiana.

The file only consists of these two pages, so it isn't clear if the petition was successful. This does provide some pointers for future research on John Felmey and his military service. 

Year of the Tiger

 

Photo by Patrick Jones. Mural in NoMa, DC. 19 Sep 2021.

Happy Chinese New Year and welcome the year of the tiger!