Menzies News

Posted on by Kathleen

The last time I posted about the Menzies family, I didn’t know anything about the members of the family who stayed in England. Only a few snippets I had from some letters between siblings, William and Jane. Using clues from those letters and a marriage record from the FamilySearch records, I think I’m getting somewhere with mapping out William’s life.

On FamilySearch I found a Liverpool marriage record between a William Menzies and Ellen Patterson. At first I was thinking it wasn’t much help, because how could I be sure it’s my guy. Then I remembered the Love-Menzies Family Outline. It has a bunch of Menzies information written at the bottom. At the bottom were a bunch of Walkers and Pattersons. Sure if the wife married in, the Patterson name would be lost. It’s a little too coincidental for me though! I haven’t marked anything down yet, but I’ve made note of the marriage record. My next step was to search the 1861 England Census to see if I could find my William with a wife named Ellen.

Continue reading “Menzies News” →

I finished my 10!

Posted on by Kathleen

Last night, I sat down and decided to finish off my 10 pages of indexing the South Carolina Estate Files. It was a great experience. I learned a lot about how estate files worked, I made improvements on deciphering handwriting, and I helped out the genealogy community! It was a win win situation.

I can’t say it was the easiest thing I’ve ever done. I found it a bit of a challenge, but a fun one! It was a big eye opener for me in terms of what the country was like at the time. I was indexing estates from 1849, so it was before the Civil War. It was so strange to see people referred to like they were. I just can’t imagine living in a world where that was happening. Even though I’ve always known about that dark part of our history, this made it so much more real to me.

Once I got into the swing of indexing, it was much easier and I got a bit faster (which wasn’t the point of it, I was previously doing just 1 page every few days). Those last 6 pages flew by! Between these records and indexing for FamilySearch, I’ve realized how much I really enjoy the challenge of deciphering handwriting!

Once I knock out this site redesign in the next few weeks, I’m definitely doing another 10! If you’d like to volunteer too, you can sign up at the LowCountry Africana website. This is a very important project and even if it doesn’t pertain to your family, you could be helping out someone else!

Mystery Monday: Beulah Miller

Posted on by Kathleen

In the same batch of travel photos as the last Mystery Monday entry, we have these two.

Things I know about these photos:

  1. The name written on the back is Beulah Miller.
  2. The pictures were taken at the same time as the Alma Lycett picture. (sometime between 1923 and 1926)
  3. The trip was most likely with Llewellyn’s church, though I can’t confirm it yet.

Things I’d like to know about these pictures:

  1. Really I’d just like to connect the picture with it’s proper family! I know how wonderful it is to have a picture, so I’d love to know who Beulah belongs to!

Mystery Monday is an ongoing series I’m doing here on my blog. It’s also now a GeneaBloggers blogging theme topic. Feel free to post about your own mysteries!

William’s Letter #2

Posted on by Kathleen

After much debate with myself, I’m pretty sure this isn’t a second letter, but the second page of the first letter. I say that because of the context and because there wasn’t an address at the top of this one. So there ya go! Please note that I’m transcribing this as it is written. So spelling and grammar aren’t my fault! 🙂

click for full size image

Dear Jean, We have our troubles hear as well as you have in America all our troubles seems to come at once. I am very sorry to inform you, that Sister Ellen lost one of her little Boys last Saturday afternoon he died of Dropsey brought on by Scarlet Fever. Sister Ellen is in a sore way about him. There was no person at home but herself. Charles is in Alexandra Egypt and expects to stop there if he can get work he will be very much put about when he receives the news of the loss of his son. I would have gone down to Liverpool if I could off been spared Ellen was to bury him last Tuesday. I want her to come and spend a few weeks with me has soon as the wether gets warmer. I hope she will it will do her good I have forgotten to state in Alex letter that I shall be most happy to receive poor George. Lickeness, God Bless him I sincerely hope he is alive I will make Brothers Jamesh ?? as soon as I have time tell him to write a few lines to me when he as time you will please give mine and my wifes & childrens love to my mother and all my brothers and sisters and receive the same yourself. I will send you and mother a nice present before long you will excuse this short letter has I am afraid of its being over weight. Write soon again and believe me to remain your ever affectionate and loving Brother

W Menzies

William’s Letter #1

Posted on by Kathleen

I was writing up a post about William Menzies. When I tried to find the entry where I transcribed his letter, I couldn’t find it! It’s here somewhere, but for some reason it’s disappeared and it’s not tagged with the Menzies surname. Don’t worry, I’m going to fix issues like these when I redo the site (which is still ongoing, code is so consuming but I love learning it). In the meantime, I’m going to devote this entry to William’s letter so it’s easy to find. Then I’m going next door to play with the dogs because I think I need a dose of cute.

click image for full size

Depot St Rosehill  (? Could be wrong)

Derby Jan 15 /63

My Dear Sister Jean,

I now avail myself of the present opportunity of answering your very affectionate and ever welcome letter, and at the same time thanking your for sending me the lock of poor Margrets hair which I intend having put in a broch. I am very sorry to hear such bad news from my Dear Friends in America and feel very much for my poor Mother. I wish I was there to comfort her in all her trouble. I expect to come and see you all some day has I am quite sure I will never stay in England all my life as I am quite tired of it, I want to come and see you, and I will never be satisfied until I do come if it is only for a visit for a few weeks. I am happy to learn that Brother John has been doing so very well has to aquire property and will be most happy to hear of his arrival amoungst you all in New York. I supose he is not married yet, let me know if your next if soon is the case

That’s where the letter ends. There’s possibly another page to the letter. This is just a photocopy given to me by my Aunt Diane. There are several more letters also. Possibly more than I have. I’ll post the second letter tomorrow!

What I’ve been doing

Posted on by Kathleen

I have to admit something. I haven’t touched my own genealogy in at least a week. It could be longer. I don’t remember now. I’ve done quick little searches here and there. I’ve searched Footnote and Ancestry for some things. The plain fact is I got a bit burnt out. Not to the point where I want to take an extended break. In fact, I want to do some now! The problem is I’ve just been so busy. I know that if I get into my own genealogy, I’ll probably be at the computer all day long! So this is what I’ve been doing.

Continue reading “What I’ve been doing” →

Mystery Monday: The London Strangler

Posted on by Kathleen

The article you see to your right was given to me by my Aunt Diane. Basically, her box of good stuff and my boxes of good stuff came from the same place! So she had a bunch of stuff that she gave me copies of when I first started researching heavily. In fact I think all of my Menzies documents were in her box.

Basically the article states (you can click it to view it full size), ‘Lady’ Menzies and her daughter were found dead in their home one morning. There’s even a bolded part that says “Airports and seaports got the descriptions of a middle-aged man and a handsome bearded young man with pierced ears”. To be honest this sounds right out of a modern paper!

Mystery #1: When does the article take place?

This was actually my first big challenge in genealogy. Trying to figure out when this way. Until I figured that out I wouldn’t be able to figure out who the article was talking about. After a lot of searching in various Newspaper databases, I found over 20 printings of this event. It took place in February of 1954! All the articles were a little different but they all gave mostly the same information.

Mystery #2: Who is ‘Lady’ Menzies?

The victims from the article are at first listed as ‘Lady’ Menzies and her daughter (Mrs Isobel Victoria Chesney). Over the next few days, papers are printing a little bit more. It turns out Mrs. Mary Menzies was the owner of an “old people’s home”. She was known by the name ‘Lady’ Menzies by everyone. She styled herself as Lady because her husband, the late Thomas C Menzies claimed he was the 10th baronet of the clan Menzies. However, peerage officials made an official announcement that despite Thomas’ claims, the title had become extinct. Mrs Menzies daughter, Isobel led quite an adventurous life. Depending on which article you read, police sorted through 3,000 to 4,000 “love letters” to get clues as to what happened. The letters dated back to 1934.

Mystery #3: Did they ever catch the killer?

Yes they did, and it’s a doozy folks! Once I found out the year and month of their murders, I was able to follow up pretty quickly. It turns out Isobel’s husband, Ronald Chesney was the culprit. Police believe Mr Chesney killed his wife to “get her 10,000 pound ($28,000) legacy and marry a pretty German sweetheart”. Five days after the murders Mr Chesney shot himself dead in Cologne, Germany after his girlfriend refused him. Apparently, she wasn’t impressed by his actions. That’s when the crazy details really started coming out. Ronald J Chesney was actually, John Donald Merrett. He was even tried for the murder of his mother in 1927! The jury gave a verdict of “not proven” in that case. Ronald/John was even the subject of a TIME Magazine article in March of 1954!

So what’s the mystery here?

Really the mystery I have is how this family is related to my Menzies family. I have a great clue in Thomas C Menzies and his claim. At first I was worried that the daughter, Isobel, was the Bell Brodie that was sending letters to Jane T Menzies. I quickly realized it was a completely different person. It should be noted that this Isobel Menzies lived in London and Bell Brodie lived in London, just in the 1860’s. So that could still be part of my connection. Also, do we really have that connection to Castle Menzies or did I inherit Thomas Menzies wishful thinking?

Sources

There were many, many news articles on this event. If you really want to have fun, try to NOT find this story in a newspaper of your choice! I’ll list just the ones I have copies of:

  1. 12 Feb 1954. Police Seek Stranglers. The Frederick (Maryland) News.
  2. 12 Feb 1954. Scotland Yard Investigates Double Murday. Ames (Iowa) Daily Tribune.
  3. 12 Feb 1954. British Claimant to Title and Daughter Slain. Bedford (Penn) Gazette.
  4. 12 Feb 1954. Strangler Kills 2 Women in London. Joplin (MO) Globe.
  5. 14 Feb 1954. Love Letters Sifted for Murder Clues. The Daily Independent (Kannapolis, NC).
  6. 15 Feb 1954. 3,000 Letters Received by Slain Woman. Fergus Falls (Minn) Daily Journal.
  7. 17 Feb 1954. Smuggler Added to Bizarre Murder List. News-Tribune (Fort Pierce, FL).
  8. 25 Mar 1954. Two Deaths Said Murders. Fergus Falls (Minn) Daily Journal.
  9. Mar 1954. Not Proven. TIME Magazine. Retrieved online (Nov 2007, Sep 2010): link.

Mystery Monday is an ongoing series I do on the blog, it is also now a GeneaBloggers daily blogging theme option! So let’s hear those mysteries!

Black Sheep Sunday: Harry Tombs

Posted on by Kathleen

While re-entering my Dad’s side of family into my family file, I found this “Black Sheep” in the World War I Military Draft Cards. Harry E Tombs is technically my 1st cousin 4 times removed. He’s related to me through the Doremus line. To be honest, I giggled a little when I read the “Awaiting trial for Robbery at the Essex Co Jail” part. I’m sure it was very hard on the family at the time, but gosh it’s nice to know your ancestors were imperfect people too! Makes the idea of living in their shadow a little less daunting. 🙂

Black Sheep Sunday is a daily blogging theme from GeneaBloggers.

September 11, 2001

Posted on by Kathleen

Just typing the words gives me chills. I still clearly remember that day. I had graduated high school in June of 2001, so I was home at the time. I had a day off from my job at the video store and I hadn’t started classes at the College of Southern Maryland yet. I had slept in because I was sick that day. Little did I know what was coming.

I remember waking up to our house phone line ringing (we weren’t using cell phones yet). My mother told me to turn on the TV because we were under attack. I quickly turned on the local Washington DC news and I was just flummoxed by what I was seeing. Mom had to go, but I kept the TV on. I saw the second plane hit the tower, then I watched as both towers came crashing down. I heard the emotion from our local newscasters when the Pentagon was hit. These were the same people I remember from my childhood giving me a day off of school because of snow. These people were the same people who I watched every morning. They were there for me all through my childhood and now they were with me as I grew up in a big way. What did I know about politics and foreign policy? I certainly didn’t learn any of that in high school. I’m sorry if I was supposed to, but it just wasn’t taught to me. I had no idea who or why this would happen. I was only 17 years old at the time.

I remember just watching all day and crying. I was home alone until everyone got off work that evening and we were still watching. Mom watching for the first time late that night what had actually happened. She told me later when she heard it on the radio she thought the DJ was joking, until he started crying. Then she realized it was real and that’s when she called me.

The overwhelming sense of panic in the area can’t even be described. I’m sure I don’t have to because everyone felt it in some way. Since I was the only one home, I was fielding all the phone calls. The one I remember the most is my Grandmother calling and telling us all to leave now for Indiana. She was so afraid for us because we are so close to Washington DC. Who knew if we would be targeted or not? We do have a vital military base here. Really though, who didn’t feel like they were about to be attacked right then and there.

The next day, we got a phone call that my father’s mother had passed away. I can’t think of September 11th and not think about September 12th too. I didn’t “know” my Dad’s mother. Our family was never good at getting together and catching up. I have such guilt about not knowing her now. This was the first time I’d lost anyone to death like this. Coming the day after something like September 11th, you can imagine my emotions were a little radical. My parents went to Pennsylvania and New Jersey for the funeral. They said there were American flags littering the interstate the whole way. They said you could still the the smoke from the towers, and this was a week later.

After the initial shock, I think the thing that still sticks with me is the following weeks. We live on the outskirts of D.C. with a big Naval Base right here in town. Just driving past the base was a scary experience. Within hours the base was on full lock down. Looking at the gates, you’d see sharp shooters set up behind sandbags. This didn’t just last a week, this lasted for a very long time. A lot of people here were worried that they’d lose their jobs because of the attacks. For awhile the only way you could get on the base was if you lived there. There were so many false alarms over the next few weeks. Each one bringing a new fear and anger with it. The silence of all air traffic being grounded for so long still creeps me out to this day. It was very unusual for us not to hear planes over head. The base was always running practice drills. Only over the next few months, it wasn’t drills at all. The only thing in the skies above us were fully armed F-16s.

This is the first time I’ve really put my September 11th experience down in written form. I’m glad that I’m putting it down now, before I forget the emotions I was feeling at the time. I’m not sure if they’ll last for the rest of my life. I’d never experienced something of this magnitude before. Just thinking about those days, weeks, and months brings tears to my eyes.

It was after that when we started getting together every July 4th for a Moore Family Reunion. I think it was partly to do with September 11th, mostly to do with September 12th, and everything to do with family. It makes it even more bittersweet to know that the woman behind the reunions, my Aunt Diane, passed away in January.

Nobody told me how tough life was, but I wouldn’t take back any of the pain and loss. It’s made me realize why family is so important. It was because of September 11th that I realized I have more family than just who is related to me. We were all family over those months and years following that sad, scary Tuesday morning.

Treasure Chest Thursday: Lt Frank A Greene

Posted on by Kathleen

A few months ago, I found a newspaper article thrown into the mix with a bunch of cemetery deeds. That article made me wonder about what happened to Lt. Frank A Greene, who married my Great Grandmother’s cousin.  A very helpful commenter on that post, Liz from My Big Fat Family Blog, pointed me to a records collection at Footnote.com. There is where I found this report on what really happened to Lt. Frank A Greene, including a hand drawn map of about where his plane went down.

Found on Footnote.com

Treasure Chest Thursday is a Daily Blogging Theme from GeneaBloggers.