Ancestor of the Day: Moses Ruyle (1780 - 1864)

Moses Ruyle is Donica's 5th Great Grandfather. Her descent from Moses is as follows: 

Moses Ruyle (1780 - 1864)

Andrew Ruyle (1814 - 1897)

John Ruyle (1852 - 1937)

Della Ruyle (1890 - 1954)

Floyd Davis (1911 - 1992)

Floyd's daughter

Her son

Donica

Moses Ruyle was born April 10, 1780 in Hampshire County, Virginia. He is often cited as the son of Henry Ruyle (1715 -1790), and his mother is identified as Catharine (1735 - 1810). Moses was the tenth of twelve children born to Henry and Catharine, their children are as follows:

Henry (1753 - 1840s)

Andrew (1756 - 1840s)

Mary (1758 - 1840s)

Magdalene (1760 - 1792)

John (1761 - 1842)

Margaret (1764 - 1794)

Elizabeth (1768 - 1851)

Catherine Celia (1770 - 1868)

Solomon (1777 - 1847) 

Moses (1780 - 1864)

Aaron (1781 - 1849)

Peter (1783 -1869)

By the time Moses was born, his elder siblings were in their twenties and the family had lived in Hampshire, Virginia for decades. At the time of his birth, the colony was one of four fighting for Independence during the American Revolutionary War. 

Possibly the only surviving print of Moses Ruyle, ca. 1860

Sometime between 1783 and 1790, the family relocated to Sumner County, Tennessee. Shortly after the move, Moses's father, Henry Ruyle died in 1790, when Moses was just 10 years old. Below are the paragraphs from Henry's Last Will and Testament that pertain to Moses:

"I leave and bequeath unto my sons John Ruyle, Solomon Ruyle, Moses Ruyle, Aaron Ruyle, and Peter Ruyle the plantation and land whereon I now live, with its appurtenances to be equally dividing it in such manner as my son Peter Ruyle, being the youngest may have the cleared the land that now is, to my said sons, their heirs and assigns forever...

Also it is my will and desire that the remainder of Stock of Cattle and Sheep undisposed shall go to the use of raising and Schooling my sons Solomon, Moses, Aaron and Peter they being the youngest, except in the case my som John Ruyle should make a crop or two on the plantation in order to support the family he is to have part of said Stock as a recompense for his labor and care...

I lastly constitute, nominate and appoint my wife Catharine Ruyle and my son John 
Ruyle to be Executrix and Executor to this my last will and Testament. In Testimony whereof I have herewith set my hand and seal this 16th day of Feburary, Anno Domini 1790.

Signed, Sealed, published and delaired by the said Henry Ruyle to be and 
contained his last will and testament.

Wit. N. Phillips, Jno. Cravens, Edward Jones
Proved: 1790 July"

During the decade after his father's death, Moses lost two older sisters, Magdalene (d. 1792) and Margaret (d. 1794). 

Moses married first Mary Goldston (1778 - 1809) in Sumner County, Tennessee in 1804. The couple had at least three children: Mary Jane (b. abt 1805), Catherine (1805 - 1850) and Moses Ruyle, Jr. (1807 - 1808) who died in infancy. Mary died during the winter of 1808 or 1809 and the cause of her death is unclear, though most likely related to childbirth given her age and birth of her last child. 

Marriage bond for Moses Ruyle and Elisabeth Kizer

As was customary in the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, Moses remarried soon after the death of his first wife, this time to Elisabeth Kizer (1788 - 1851) on May 19, 1809 in Sumner County, Tennessee. Moses's second marriage produced nine children as follows:

Austin (1810 - 1879)

Emily (1811 - 1910)

Elvira Ella (1812 - 1909)

Andrew (1814 - 1897)

Polly (1815 - 1896)

Sarah (1817 -1858)

Washington (1818 - 1907)

Parlee Ann (1820 - 1893)

Henry (1822 - 1913)

Littleton (1824 - 1871)

All of Moses and Elisabeth's children were born in Tennessee. According to family sources, Moses moved to Macoupin County, Illinois in 1829. Near the end of his life, Moses had relocated to Greene County, Illinois and was living with his youngest daughter, Parley Ann and her husband, Washington Hix. Moses Ruyle died in Scottsville, Macoupin, Illinois, USA on April 10, 1864 and is buried on what was his own property, now known as the Ruyle Cemetery in Scottsville, Macoupin, Illinois.

Moses Ruyle's headstone in Scottsville, Macoupin, Illinois

Ancestor of the day: Elsie Alice Walton (1895 - 1933)

Elsie Alice Walton was born in Chicago Heights, Cook County, Illinois on May 22, 1895. She was the daughter of Adolph Robert Walton (1861 - 1925) and Bertha Catherine Borst (1876 - 1906). Both of her parents were first generation Americans and all four of her grandparents were born in Germany. Not much is known about her grandparents before they arrived in the United States, but her maternal grandfather, Wendelin Borst, was born in Baden-Wurttemberg and his wife, Catharina, was originally from Bavaria. Adolph and his family moved from Chicago to Champaign, Illinois in 1903 where Adolph became employed as an Upholsterer for Mittendorf & Kiler. 

Elsie was the eldest of four children: her only brother Frank Julius Walton was born in 1896, her sister Grance Florence Walton was born in 1904 (died 1966), and her youngest sister Helen Rose Walton was born in 1906. Unfortunately, Helen Rose died shortly after her birth and Elsie's mother, Bertha died at their home shortly thereafter due to what her obituary called "puerpereal convulsions." It was also said that Bertha had been a "vigorous and healthy" woman. Elsie was 11 when she lost her mother. 

Aroung 1918 Elsie married William Hugh Guthrie (1886 - 1967) and the couple moved briefly to Raymond, Rice, Kansas, USA. Hugh already had three children from a previous marriage: William Henry b. 1908, Branch b. 1912, and Evert b. 1915. Elsie's first daughter, Goldia "Goldie" Marie Guthrie was born January 15, 1919. Her second daughter, Cleota Elizabeth was born in Kansas as well, in 1921.

The family relocated to Mahomet, Champaign, Illinois, USA sometime between Cleota's birth and the birth of the couple's third daughter, Eunice Alice Guthrie in 1924. Elsie and Hugh's fourth child, and only son, Floyd Jack Guthrie was born in 1926. 

Elsie's life was cut tragically short when she received a scratch from a rusted nail. The wound became infected and Elsie died of blood poisoning ten days later on April 23, 1933. According to a news article that accompanied her obituary, Elsie was not brought to the hospital until April 23 and was in critical condition upon her arrival. I can only imagine what her life could have been if she had arrived at the hospital before her injuries became so critical!

Elsie Alice Walton Guthrie was buried in Mahomet Cemetery in Mahomet, Champaign, Illinois. At the time of her death she was 47 years old.

Joseph Martin (1811-1854) -- My brick wall

Sometimes in genealogy you will hear a researcher refer to a "brick wall." This notion refers to an ancestor that is elusive or enigmatic, one for whom you can find little or no vital information. Hitting a brick wall can be frustrating, especially if the person is relatively close to you in your direct pedigree. For me, that person is the elusive Joseph Martin.

I give up on Mr. Martin every once in a while. Joseph Martin is my proof that the old Thomas Edison saying is true, "I have not failed. I've just found ten thousand ways that won't work." Here is the little I do know about Joseph Martin: he is my fourth great-grandfather in my direct paternal line (he is my father's, father's, father's, father's, father's father); according to a marriage record from Franklin County, Indiana (see the image below), he was married to my fourth great grandmother, Lydia Arthur, on 25 March 1831; he was alive at the time of the 1850 census, but Lydia was listed as Widowed in 1860, so he died at a relatively young age between 1850 and 1860. That's it. He appears in two vital records: the marriage certificate below and the 1850 United States Census. According to the 1850 census, he was born in Ohio. Lydia was born in Clermont County, Ohio, so I assume there is a good chance that Joseph was born in Clermont or a surrounding county. A distant relative identified his birth and death dates as 25 June 1811 and 27 September 1854, though the person was not able to tell me from where the information was obtained.

Here are a few tips to help when you hit a brick wall:

(1) Step away for a while. Focus on a less elusive ancestor for a few hours, or a few days. Sometimes an "ah-ha" moment will come after a few days (or weeks, or months) of time away.

(2) Review the information you already have. Genealogists sometimes rush through transcribing, recording, and chasing down leads. Go back to the original sources and see if you've missed anything.

(3) Search for other relatives. It is easy to become focused on one individual and forget that he or she had family members that may lead to possible clues. Research siblings, parents, children.

(4) Search for other resources. Don't limit yourself to just one database or institution. If possible, use your public library's genealogy database subscriptions or try non-fee-based resources such as https://familysearch.org/ or http://www.cyndislist.com/ .

(5) Seek help from others! It is easy (and helpful) to become self-reliant, but it is not always the best strategy when performing genealogy research. Check out your local archives or genealogy department in your public library, join the local genealogy society or reach out to them for advice. There are also private genealogists that can help (for a fee).

Mary Boleyn, c. 1500-1543

Yes, THE Mary Boleyn, aka "the other Boleyn girl." She was the sister of King Henry VIII's second wife, Anne "the most happy." I am directly descended from Mary Boleyn Carey twice: through her daughter, Catherine, and her son, Henry. Subsequently, she is my 13th great grandmother twice. To put this relationship into perspective, I found this handy chart that can be accessed here http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~pamonval/howbig.html . The chart calculates how many grandparents we have in each generation through the 15th great grandparents. It's pretty mind-blowing.

Generation #	Relationship	No. in generation	Accumulated Total
1	Parents	2	2
2	Grand Parents	4	6
3	Great Grandparents	8	14
4	2 X Great grandparents	16	30
5	3 X Great grandparents	32	62
6	4 X Great grandparents	64	126
7	5 X Great grandparents	128	254
8	6X Great grandparents	256	510
9	7X Great grandparents	512	1,022
10	8 X Great grandparents	1,024	2,046
11	9 X Great grandparents	2,048	4,094
12	10 X Great grandparents	4,096	8,190
13	11 X Great grandparents	8,192	16,382
14	12 X Great grandparents	16,384	32,766
15	13 X Great grandparents	32,768	65,534
16	14 X Great grandparents	65,536	131,070
17	15 X Great grandparents	131,072	262,142

That's right. Mary Boleyn is two of my 32,768 13th great grandparents! This is why genealogy takes some people a lifetime. I would have to track down over 400,000 people to complete a pedigree chart that goes back 17 generations. Depressing and exciting all at once!

On another very cool note, Mary's daughter Catherine (12th great-grandmother) is accepted by many historians as the illegitimate daughter of King Henry VIII and her son Henry (my 12th great-grandfather) has also been speculated to have been Henry's son. That means Henry VIII is pretty well accepted to have been my 13th great grandfather at least once, and maybe twice.

I'll briefly describe the lineage for Mary Boleyn within both lines:

                                                         Mary Boleyn 1500-1543

Catherine Carey (1524-1569)                                                                  Henry Carey (1526-1596)
Lady Anne Knoylls (1557-1608)                                                             John Carey (?-1617)
Gov John West (1590-1669)                                                                   Thomas Carey (1613-1687)
Col John West (1632-1689)                                                                    Thomas C Carey (1633-1681)
Cap Thomas West (1670-1714)                                                              Thomas Carey (1666-1720)
Thomas West (1690-1777)                         married                                  Bridget Carey (?-1777?)
                                                        Thomas West (1740-1802)

                                                        Thomas West (1760-1848)     

                                                        John F West (1796-1885)

                                                        Barney West (1827-1914)

                                                        James West (1858-?)

                                                        Hazel West (1917-1974)

                                                        My Grandma (1949-living)

                                                        My Mom (1967-living)

                                                        Me (1987-living)      

There's more to come along these lines. In the West part of my family (my great-grandmother was born a West), there are several noble and royal lines. Once you find one noble or royal, you usually find an abundance. I've also learned that many of these aristocratic lines ended up being American colonial settlers. I thought my family was full of recent immigrants, but I was wrong. A lot of my family lines end up being colonial. 

                                                      

Cinderella Vankirk, 1855-????

Cinderella Vankirk was born in May 1855 in Virginia to Arthur Vankirk of Ohio and Elonvia (maiden name unknown) of Virginia. The surname Vankirk is, according to Ancestry.com, 100% German. Cinderella is my third great-grandmother through my paternal side. The lineage is as follows: Cinderella Vankirk was the mother of Mary J. Woodruff, who was the mother of Thelma Clotine Sayles, who was the mother of my grandfather, who was the father of my father, who is the father of yours truly.

Cinderella married Cornelius C. Woodruff on February 24, 1876 in Sangamon County, Illinois. They had two children (according to the 1900 census): Mary J. in 1887 and Marion in 1891. The 1900 federal census places Cindrella in Champaign, Illinois at the age of 45. I have yet to find a record of her death, but she may have died between 1900 and 1910.

In the 1904 directory for Champaign, Illinois I discovered an entry for Cornelius Woodruff, electrician, living with Mary Woodruff (who would have been 17 years old at the time.) I then discovered a Nov. 1903 document from the "Judge's Miscellaneous Journal" that states Cinderella Woodruff was committed to a hospital for the insane in Kankakee, Ill in November of 1903. After that, she disappears off the grid. There is no record of her death in the state of Illinois.

I will add to this entry if I find anymore information. I'm currently (yes, like right now!) searching through the 1910 census record for the Kankakee State Hospital. Sometimes genealogy is detective work...

Tabitha Dale, 1769-1849

Pedigree and brief bio

Tabitha Dale is my fifth great grandmother on my mother's side. Here is the pedigree: Tabitha Dale, mother of John West, father of Barney West, father of James West, father of Cora West, mother of my grandmother, mother of my mother, mother of yours truly.

Tabitha Dale was born on August 12, 1769, in Snow Hill, Maryland, the daughter of John and Tabitha Melbourne Dale. She married Thomas West on November 30, 1791, in Sussex, Delaware. They had one child--that I know of--during their marriage, John Franklin West, in 1796. She died on March 2, 1849, in De Kalb, Tennessee, having lived a long life of 79 years, and was buried in Alexandria, Tennessee.

Records and using Find A Grave

Since Tabitha was born in the eighteenth century, there are no federal census records to verify her birth, life, and death. One tip I often give to beginning genealogists is to work backwards, in other words start with the ancestor's death date and work back towards their birth. I often begin these types of searches on FindAGrave.com. This website is growing from the addition of tens of thousands of entries daily. Researchers can search for a grave or memorial by the peron's name, date of birth and/or death, and location. Researchers can also volunteer and add information to the site in the form of memorial creations or by adding photos. Members also request photos and those requests are filled by volunteers. Once you find out when and where a person died (and often his or her birth date and family relations), you can continue your search for vital records.

Isabella Worth 1804-1886

Isabella Worth is my 5th great-grandmother on my paternal side. She was born on 27 January 1804 in Tuscarawas, Ohio. Her parents are unknown at this time. On 4 October 1821, Isabella married Absolom Kent in Harrison County, Ohio; she was 17 years old. In the 1850 census she is listed as the wife of Abraham Kent, most likely a transcription error. She had 7 children living with her at the time ranging in age from 2 years old to 22 years old.

Norma Faller from ancestry.com provides this bit of history on the Kent family:

"When Sally Dugan Kent met her husband, George Clabaugh, both were living in Owen County, Indiana.  They married there and spent some months there before moving north to St. Joseph/Marshall County Line.  At the end of her life, Isabella Worth Kent (mom) came to live with Sally and George and when they buried Isabella in the Fair Cemetery, they made sure she got one of the largest tombstones there.  It's entirely possible that Isabella herself asked that her daughters, Margaret and Sally, who were all living together in this one small farmhouse, to make sure her father had a nice tombstone over his grave.  The Clabaugh's themselves seemed to take great pride in the tombstone which was to cover their final resting place.  Isabella has a "Plinth" or "Oblisk", I'm not sure how you would describe it.  It's made from that ubquitious white sandstone which is the bane of all modern genealogists as it wears down so fast and I've been told it's not very readable today." Her memorial is pictured below.

Isabella Worth Kent died on 11 January 1886 in Marshall County, Indiana. She was two weeks shy of her 82nd birthday. 

Ancestor of the Day--Mary Jane Woodruff

Mary Jane Woodruff was born 7 Jul 1887 in Illinois, most likely in Champaign County. The first record of her birth that I have found is the 1900 census, which places her in Champaign, Illinois at 13 years old. Her parents were Cornelious C and Cinderella VanKirk Woodruff. Yes, Cinderella, or Sinderella, or Sindereola, depending on the document. Cornelious was born in Kentucky and Cinderella in Virginia, according to the 1900 census. Cornelious was listed as being a farmer.

Mary Jane's occupation is listed as "housewife" on her death certificate, so she was not employed (not surprising) and left no records via an employment record. She was married to Arthur Sayles and their first daughter, Florence May, was born in 1905. I suspect the two were married in 1904, meaning Mary was 17 when they married. Their second daughter, Thelma Clotine (my paternal great-grandmother!) was born 26 Jun 1906. These were their only two children as far as I know.

I have yet to find the 1910 census with her listed and since she died in 1918, she would not be listed in any other census records. I'm also still looking for the 1890 state census that may have listed her at 3 years old.

Mary Jane died 30 October 1918 in Champaign, Illinois of pneumonia, a complication that resulted from influenza. Because of the year and the local newspaper headlines, I suspect she died of the Spanish Flu, though her death certificate simply says "pneumonia" and lists the secondary condition as "influenza." Her death certificate can be found at the Champaign County Historical Archives in Urbana, Illinois.

She is buried in Woodlawn Cemetery in Urbana, Champaign, Illinois under her married name, Mary J. Sayles next to her husband, Arthur Sayles and her mother-in-law, Florence May (Baker) Sayles. Their memorial is pictured above.

Ancestor of the Day

I will try to post an ancestor of the day as often as possible. These posts will include pertinent genealogical information, pictures if available, and pretty much anything interesting about that person. I will not post on anyone still living for privacy reasons. If I can find a birth date or death date that corresponds to the day of the post, I will use that information when choosing an ancestor of the day, otherwise it will be random.