Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Wordless Wednesday...

Catherine Burtner Downey - Young
 Catherine Burtner Downey - Picture Postcard - Front
 Catherine Burtner Downey - Picture Postcard - Back
Catherine Burtner Downey - Death Certificate
State of Illinois Death Certificate #185

Catherine Burtner Downey - Newspaper Obituary
Decatur Daily Review newspaper
18 Mar 1916 issue, pg. 8, col. 1

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

The subject was...obituaries...

A few months ago I attended a genealogy chat in Second Life - the topic was obituaries.  It was another great chat hosted by Genie Weezles.  After the chat I visited several of the sites recommended and hit "pay dirt."  One of the suggested sites was for the United Brethren Obituaries Index (Sorry the link is no longer active).  My husband had ancestors that were United Brethren and I decided to check the index.  A quick search for "Burtner" showed Rev. Henry Burtner.  When I clicked on the link I didn't just get a transcript, but a clipping of the obituary from the 4 Mar 1857  issue of the Religious Telescope publication (Dayton, OH).  This wonderful clipping gave a memoir of Rev. Burtner's life, and contained information I didn't have previously.
Rev. Henry Burtner - Obituary
I am continually amazed at how great the chats are in Second Life.  They are full of useful information.   

Tombstone Tuesday...

Emily Susan Yunker - Headstone
Emily Susan Yunker
Daughter of John James & Mary Ann (Younger) Yunker
Born 11 Sep 1873, Effingham county, Illinois
Died 9 Nov 1884, Fayette county, Illinois*
Buried Pleasant Grove Cemetery, Effingham county, Illinois

Emily Susan Yunker spent the morning of November 9th baking pies.  Once she finished she went outside to play.  While playing around the family's wagon in the yard, she was crushed to death. The pies she baked that morning ended up being served to guests after her funeral.
*Fayette county, IL 1884 death register #1140

Monday, October 04, 2010

On this day in our family history...

Alanson Osborn
This is Alanson Osborn (also known as A. Lanson Osborn), my husband's great great grandfather.   He was born 15 Aug 1822 in Athens county, Ohio and died on this day in 1895 (4 Oct 1895) in Moweaqua, Shelby county, Illinois. 
Alanson Osborn - Headstone
Alanson, is buried in Ludwig Cemetery, Shelby county, Illinois.  A short obituary was found in the Moweaqua Call-Mail Newspaper (Moweaqua, Shelby county, Illinois), 9 Oct 1895 issue, pg. 3, col. 1.
Alanson Osborn - Obituary
The Protrait and Biographical Record of Shelby and Moultrie Counties, Illinois from the Biographical Publishing Co. of Chicago, 1891 (available on-line at the Internet Archive) has a biographical sketch of Alanson on pages 434 to 436.