An Early Christmas Present - A Biological Grandmother

DNA is a wonderful thing.  It holds the secrets to who we come from.  It is both amazing and terrifying at the same time.

My maternal grandmother's first cousin, Dorothy, was adopted.  She looked for her biological parents but did not find them in her lifetime.  Dorothy passed in 2011.  Dorothy was born Joann Vitiello.  Her name was later changed to Dorothy Jean Martian by the parents who raised her, Catherine McQuaid Martian (AKA Aunt Kitty) and George E. Martian.

Dorothy's daughters Cathy and Terry, wanted to find their biological grandmother.  They started their journey with DNA testing earlier this year they got their results.  Through DNA matches, building out their family trees, Dorothy's notes and obituaries we were able to piece it all together and find Dorothy's biological mother!  Dorothy's birth certificate listed Rosalie Vitiello as mother and Fred Murray as father.

We hit gold with a 3rd - 4th cousin DNA match to N.D. who shares 117 centimorgans shared across 8 DNA segments with Cathy & Terry.  Thanks to the wonderful tree they had attached to their account, I was able to look up his grandparent's obituaries and discover that his grandmother's maiden name was Vitiello!  I think we're on to something! We also discovered that she married Michael Belangio in 1954. Then I was able to build a mirror tree and built out the family tree collaterally.  A trip to Trenton uncovered N.D.'s great grandparent's names on his grandmother's death certificate.  They are the common ancestor which makes N.D. a second cousin to Cathy & Terry.  He was easy enough to find on Facebook.  I sent him a message.

N.D. was quick to respond to my message.  He confirmed that his grandmother had a sister that went by "Ronna".  He shared: "She was special. Lol. She use to rob my pennies when I was a kid while playing poker. Haha".  He was unsure what cemetery she was in, but would check with family and get back to me.  He also was going to look for photos of her as well.

Now that we knew she went by "Ronna" we had another name to go on and found her obituary.  Unfortunately, it did not list her entombment.  Another trip to Trenton and I was able to find her death notice and published obituary. The death notice was not available online and this was key to finding the cemetery.

Death Notice

Obituary

 During that same trip to Trenton, I was able to look up her birth record as well.

The parents matched N.D.'s grandmother's parents. This is her!

Due to Cathy's awesome google search skills, she found a book that was written by N.D.'s father.  Naturally, both Terry and Cathy ordered the book.  This photo was in there. Standing in the center of the back row is Ronna with her siblings and parents.

Ronna is entombed in Hollywood Memorial Park in Union, NJ.  Visiting her grave revealed one extra surprise...she is with her parents.

 

The icing on the cake, she is less than 4 miles from Dorothy who is buried in Graceland Cemetery in Kenilworth, NJ.

 

Rest easy Dorothy; they found her!

Edith June Weller Turner - A look at her first 34 years

Thirty years ago today my paternal grandmother, Edith June Turner, passed away.  She was 73 years old.

When I look at Grandma Turner's time line with both genealogical events and historical events, it makes me see her differently.  I had no idea how many ups and downs she had in the 30's and 40's.

June 1, 1914           Born in Manhattan to Charles and Edith (Wegener) Weller.

Nov. 16, 1916         She was 2 years 5moths old when her brother Charles Weller was born.

April 6, 1917          At age 2 years 10 months The United States enters World War I.

Nov. 11, 1918         Age 4. World War I ends.

1920                       Age 6. Prohibition Starts.  Her maternal grandfather owned a bar in NYC at this time.

June 25, 1928        When she was 14, her paternal grandfather dies - Charles Weller buried at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, NY.

Oct.29, 1929          She was 15 on Black Tuesday - the stock market had crashed for the 4th time kicking off the start of the great depression that lasted 10 years.

Dec. 5, 1933            Age18, prohibition ends.

July 1934                 Age 20, she takes a cruise with her aunt and meets her future husband.

Dec 20, 1936          At 21, her maternal grandfather dies. He is buried in Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery in Queens, NY. There is no marker on his grave.

Feb 26, 1939          When she was 24, her father Charles Weller dies in Summit, NJ and is buried at Lutheran All Faiths in Queens, N.Y.

Oct. 6, 1939           Eight months later at age 25, she married Hugh D. Turner.

April 22, 1940       She was 25 when her paternal grandmother dies - Anna (Panzer) Weller buried at Lutheran All Faiths Cemetery, Queens, NY.

December 7, 1941    She was 27 when she received the news that Japan attached Pearl Harbor. The United States enters WWII.

April 22, 1943           When she was 29, she gave birth to her first son.

June 6, 1944             D-Day happened 5 days after her 30th birthday.

Feb 27, 1945            Still at age 30 when her brother Charles Weller KIA. Buried in Holland. He was only 29 years old.

Feb 26, 1946          At 31, she gives birth to her second son.

December 4, 1946  She was 32 when her father's body is moved from Queens, NY to Restland Memorial Park, East Hanover, NJ.

December 11, 1948    She was 34 when her brother was moved to Restland Memorial Park, East Hanover, NJ.

 

For me, it comes in to focus why she didn't like to talk too much about the past. Remembering her today and will try to keep the tears in check if I hear Fleiz Navidad on the radio today. It was one of her favorite Christmas songs.

History in Pictures - Morro Castle

The Morro Castle was a ship that traveled between New York City and Havana, Cuba in the 1930's.  The Newport News Shipbuilding and Dry Dock Company began construction on her in January 1929.  She was christened March 1930.  She had her maiden voyage from New York City to Cuba on August 23, 1930.  

My grandfather, Hugh D. Turner, was born and raised in Newport News, VA.  He was a Merchant Marine and lived in New York City in the 1930's.  I am not sure if this photo was taken in VA or NY, but know it could only be taken taken between March 1930 and September 1934.

On September 8, 1934,  a fire broke out on the ship.  137 passengers and crew members lost their lives that day.  This changed how ships were designed with fire prevention in mind.

83 years after the disaster, here is Hugh's great grandson, Jack, at the memorial placed in Asbury Park, NJ. Near the location where the ship's hull came aground.

Remembering September 11, 2001

It was a crisp fall morning.  The sky was so very blue with random fluffy clouds.  

I was sitting in my cubical at work in Summit, NJ when my co-worker, Sadie, told me she just got a call from her boyfriend. He had heard a plane crashed into one of the towers on the Howard Stern show.  I was in disbelief.  Thinking that was a horrible skit by the Howard Stern Show. 

We then proceeded to find a TV.  The conference rooms were packed. We were able to get visual conformation that the news was true, but being smokers at the time, we proceed to my car and listened to the news on the radio.  After chain smoking for while, we went back into the office. 

The feeling inside was dread.  It was quiet and no one was at their desks.  More planes were falling from the sky.  I didn't know what was going on, I thought we were going to war, and I wanted to go home.  I left work before 11 AM.  Coming down the mountain that morining,   People were pulled over gazing at the city. You could see the smoke and dust in the skyline. The landscape had changed forever that day.

I went to visit my husband, Bob, at the store in Garwood and was glued to the TV all day.  Living close to Newark Airport, you always hear planes flying by, but that afternoon there were no planes in the air. It was so,so quiet.

In the days that followed, we saw the best of Americans.  People volunteering and helping in any way that they could.  Streets were lined with American Flags.  You couldn't find flags for sale, they were all sold out.  People were still searching for their loved ones.  Funerals were happeneing all over the place for the lucky ones that could be laid to rest.

I guess I was one of the luckier ones.  I only attened one funneral.  The father of one of my brother's best friend answered the Port Authority radio call that morning.  He was also our 3rd cousin once removed. He was one of one of the good ones. RIP Bobby Kaulfers.

It was a time that none of will ever forget.

What were you doing or where where you when you first learned of the Twin Tower attacks?

A Memory of Grandma Turner

My daughter, Bridget, asked me to take her to Claire's at the mall today.  She never asks to go to the mall, so I said sure.  We'll go while daddy's watching football!

So I take her to Claire's.  As we were walking through the store, I couldn't help but think about Grandma Turner.   For my 13th birthday, grandma gave me a necklace that I loved.  It was a little pendant of an old fashioned fan that opened and closed.  It was unique, and I loved it.

I remember this because Grandma sent me a postcard after she received a note I had sent to her thanking her for it. Apparently, I had asked her where she found it.

This was around the time where I started to save every letter or note that I could. I still have that postcard from 1985.

After Bridget and I went to Claire's we went to lunch.  I told her about the first necklace I ever had from Claire's and about Grandma Turner.  She learned that I would spend a week at Grandma's every  summer.  I told her how we would go to the beach or swim in the pool (bathing caps and all).  Some times we would go up to the "Clubhouse" and play shuffleboard.   She taught me how to play poker.  We played every night and would play with poker chips (very common now, but back then she was the only one I knew with poker chips in a case) and we would drink chocolate soda.

When we got home, I showed her the pendant. Bridget thought it was neat.  I on the other hand still love it.

Happy 30th Birthday in Heaven

James Anthony Fiume

August 25, 1987 - December 14, 1987

Grandma Pickard Update!

Circa 1948 Bridget Reilly Pickard and Nancy Donnelly Turner

For years,  Bridget Reilly Pickard, AKA Grandma Pickard was a brick wall.  A GIGANTIC brick wall.   All I knew about her was on her death certificate.  She was born in March 1863 in Ireland and her father's name was Thomas Reilly.

Thanks to the power of my mother's DNA and a kind, kind cousin, Craig.  I know more about her.  He was able to compare strands of DNA and determine that it was the Reilly surname.  His Reilly's are from Lurgan Parish, Co. Cavan, Ireland.  He suggested that I check baptismal records for Lurgan Parish.

Within a few minutes, I struck gold.  Bridget Reilly was baptized on 27 April 1863 to a Thomas Reilly and Rose Brady.  This matched the year of birth and name of father.  Here is the record:  http://registers.nli.ie/pages/vtls000634887_100

I shared my find with Craig and he took the ball and ran with it.  Finding siblings and a marriage record for Thomas Reilly and Rose Brady.  He also very eloquently pieced together both Thomas and Rose's parents. Thomas' parents were Thomas Reilly and Bridget Curran.  This Thomas is brother to Craig's direct ancestor Ann.  Thomas and Ann's parents were Phillip Reilly and Judith, our common ancestors making us 7th Cousins. 

This branch was bare before his correspondence.  Now we know so much more than just her father's name.  This branch has now blossomed!

I can't wait to find out more about her siblings and research further on her mother's side.

Thank you Craig for connecting the limbs of our family tree and thank you mom for making the DNA investment!

Hugh Turner and June Weller met on the S.S. Colombia in July 1934

I always loved this photo of my grandparents.  Hugh in his Merchant Marine uniform and June in her playful sailing outfit.  I have no idea when this photo was taken, but they look so happy. I never knew how they met.

Recently, my brother called me from California after spending time with Uncle Bob.  He told me that our grandparents met on a ship!  He worked on the ship and she was a passenger. They met by chance returning to the ship at a port of call.  June was alone and Hugh was told to escort her back to the ship.  Not sure which port of call, but nonetheless, here is the ship manifests for the S.S. Colombia, where they clearly met. He is on the first line of the crew list dated June 18, 1934.

June is the last person listed on this passenger list dated July 18, 1934.

Two lines above her is Aunt Francis, her traveling companion.  The rest is family history :)

An Ellingham Adventure - She's a Good Sport

So this week, Mom and I went on a mini cemetery adventure.  We hit 4 cemeteries in one day.  We started out in Linden, NJ at Rosedale Cemetery visiting the grave of Jane (nee Allingham) Ellingham Stevenson.  Jane was born in 1844 in Drumhome, County Donegal, Ireland.  She is the daughter of Francis (Frank) Allingham and Elizabeth Montgomery.  She married first William Ellingham on October 2, 1865 in Poughkeepsie, Duchess County, New York.  They later relocated to Brooklyn. In the 1910 census Jane is listed as being the mother of 8, but only 4 are living.  William died on April 3, 1888.  Jane is Mom’s 2x great grandmother (my 3x).  Jane's Findagrave.com memorial.  On September 22, 1898, she married William Stevenson in Brooklyn, NY,  He died on July 2, 1915 in Brooklyn. Jane died November 25, 1915 in Elizabeth, NJ at age 71.

Jane is buried with her son William Ellingham, daughter Martha Miller, son-in-law Alexander Miller and members of his immediate family.  The other side with more names can be seen on Martha's findagrave.com memorial.

We made a few stops in Queens researching another line on my father's side of the family. More on that in a future post. Mom came along for the ride.  She was a great sport.  She walked around and helped look for markers.  She's really good at finding them!

1st Calvary Cemetery, Long Island City, NY

Our last stop in New York was The Evergreens Cemetery in Brooklyn.  We went to visit the grave of Jane's husband William Ellingham. 

She found his!

William Ellingham was born in 1846 in County Donegal, Ireland.  He is the son of William Ellingham and Ann Lenax.  William enlisted in Poughkeepsie, NY on September 6, 1864 and was honorably discharged at the end of the Civil War on July 12, 1865. He served as a Private.  He died on April 3, 1888 in Brooklyn at the age of 43.

Nancy Turner visiting the grave of her 2x great grandfather.

 We started and ended the day visiting Cenie's paternal grandparents.

I hoped to get to the Green-Wood Cemetery before leaving Brooklyn, but we ran out of time.  Thanks for being a great sport Mom!

John Lewis Monument

In the town of Staunton, Virginia, in the beautiful Gypsy Hill Park stands a monument to the first pioneer to settle the area, my 7x great grandfather John Lewis.