Journeying with Jacque

Migration – Month 3 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on March 3, 2025 by Jacque

How We Got from There to Here

What are the odds that Gary and I both ended up in California at the same time, ready for the next stage of our lives? We met in October 1988 at Julius Corsini Elementary School, got engaged in December, and married on June 26, 1989.

Our migration journeys were different, but we both ended up in California for our careers, me in 1985 and Gary in 1987.

I was born in California, moved to Oklahoma, then Kansas, then Oklahoma, then Kansas, and back to California.

Gary was born in Illinois, moving to Pennsylvania, New York, Montana, Missouri, Montana again, South Dakota, and Wyoming before settling in California.

Interestingly, Gary and I have a connection with ancestors from southern Pennsylvania.

My 2^nd great-grandfather, Samuel Watkins was born in Fayette, Pennsylvania in 1818 (his parents, Joseph Hanslep Watkins and Margaret McElroy, were both born in Maryland). Samuel married Susanna Osborn in 1842.

Susanna was also born in Fayette County, Pennsylvania as was her father, Nicholas. Susanna’s grandfather, Jonathan, was born in Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. He died in Fayette in 1814.

According to MyHeritage, I have a potential 4^th cousin, S. Meckley which means we share 3^rd great-grandparents. S. has a tree with only 12 people and no additional sources. Her father, however, is also a DNA match to me, but he is marked “private” with no first name given. She does list her grandparents as Joseph Ray Meckley and Ida Rebecca Phleeger. MyHeritage suggests that our DNA connection may be through Nicholas Osborn and Rebecca Martha Smith (my 3^rd great-grandparents). S. and I have no surnames in common and since Nicholas and Rebecca had 9 children (and those children had multiple children), it would take quite a bit of research (or S. expanding her tree) to see exactly how we are related.

Gary also has a strong southern Pennsylvania Meckley connection – his paternal grandmother was Anna Mae Meckley and this branch of the Meckley family settle in Dauphin and Lancaster counties.

I have been able to trace Gary’s Meckley ancestors to Melchoir Meckley (Gary’s 4^th great-grandfather) who was born in 1775 in rural Mt. Joy, Lancaster County, Pennsylvania.

So…Samuel Meckley and Mary Ann Brestle (Gary’s 3^rd great-grandparents) and Samuel Watkins and Susanna Osborn (my 2^nd great-grandparents) were living in southern Pennsylvania in the early to mid-1800s. One of Susanna’s siblings most likely is related to S. Meckley, my 4^th cousin.

Regardless, Gary’s parents, John and Georgene Coble, and my 2^nd great-grandmother, Susanna Osborn Watkins, along with her 12-year-old son, John Calvin Watkins (my great-grandfather), began their migration west looking for new opportunities, allowing Gary and me to eventually meet. In June we will celebrate our 36^th wedding anniversary.

Posted in Coble, Genealogy, Watkins | 1 Comment

Surprise – Month 2 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on February 22, 2025 by Jacque

Not One, Not Two, but Three Brothers

The year was 1885. The place was Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. The local newspaper called it “a strange coincidence.”

The Harrisburg Daily Independent stated that the Coble brothers were “well-known and were personally popular.”

Tragedy struck those brothers, though, in March 1885. The first brother to be affected was John H. Coble (Gary’s 2^nd great-grandfather). The Lebanon Daily News said that John died after “an illness of three days from congestion of the brain.” The Harrisburg Daily Independent gave a more detailed account, saying that he died after “an illness of a very few days, during which time he was perfectly devoid of reason. Prior to this attack, he had always been considered rational and sound in every way.”

Just a day or two after John’s funeral, as family and friends grieved, John’s brother, Samuel, began exhibiting many of the same symptoms as John. Samuel “was noticed to be acting rather peculiarly, and it was evinced from his incoherent talk and moody demeanor that he was becoming insane. He remained in that condition for several days when he died (Strange).”

Shockingly at the time of Samuel’s death, a third brother, in what was labeled as a strange coincidence, began “showing signs of insanity, and it was feared that he will too go the way of the other two members of the family (Strange).” Ultimately, he did not succumb to whatever caused these horrendous symptoms and lived many more years.

The name of the third brother was not given, but it was either Isaac who died in 1903 of asthma and a complication of diseases or Christian who died in 1896 of typhoid fever. (Jacob had died in 1862.)

John H. Coble was considered to be “a man of note.” He and his family were Mennonites. In addition to being a farmer, John was also a teacher and school director. “His fellow-citizens showed their appreciation of his intelligence and good judgment by electing him to various township offices (Commemorative).” Even though he died too young, John H. Coble left a lasting legacy.

Sources

“Commemorative Biographical Encyclopedia of Dauphin County, Pennsylvania.” Ancestry®, 2005, www.ancestry.com/imageviewer/collections/14060/images/dvm_LocHist000975-00388-1?ssrc=pt&treeid=184221014&personid=142412825447&usePUB=true&pId=628.

“Death of John H Coble.” Lebanon Daily News, 13 Mar. 1885, www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news/107348332/.

“Death of John H. Coble – Mount Joy Herald.” The Lancaster Weekly Examiner and Express, Lancaster Examiner, 13 Mar. 1885, www.newspapers.com/article/the-daily-news/107348332/. “Strange Coincidence.” Harrisburg Daily Independent, 25 Mar. 1885, www.newspapers.com/article/harrisburg-daily-independent/107348183/.

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Favorite Photo

Posted on January 18, 2025 by Jacque

A Piece of Americana

Photos give us a wonderful glimpse into the lives of people as well as the culture of the times. “Favorite photo” is a misnomer of course; there are so many special ones that it’s really “favorite photo of the moment.” (Unfortunately, photos from the past were often not readily available so much of our past is not visually documented. Today, many people have “picture overload” and sometimes become so overwhelmed that they lose the specialness of the photos.)

Photos have the ability to capture a moment in time and preserve important life moments. They can connect us to our history and can sustain memories.

A Favorite Picture of my Mother

My mother, Geraldine “Jerrie” Ann McLeod, was born on May 20, 1938 in Vallejo, California to Malcolm McLeod and Anna Anthony. According to the 1940 US Census, the family was living in Benicia, California which is in the San Francisco Bay Area where her father was a welder at Mare Naval Base on Mare Island. They were still living there in 1942. (By 1950, Malcolm and Annie were separated and had moved back to Southern California; Malcolm lived in San Bernardino and Anna, Will, and Jerrie lived in Beaumont.)
The family often traveled to San Bernardino where both sides of the family resided. I think this picture was taken on one of these visits. Malcolm’s father was a farmer so this picture may have been taken at the farm. I love the background of this photo. Also, notice the boots Jerrie is wearing.

Jerrie with her Family, Still Wearing the Boots

Not to be outdone, the current generation has a fondness for the rustic life and the fun boots. These pictures are of my niece who was born in 2010.

I love seeing the similarities of the generations. Enjoy the special events and memories captured by your family photos.

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Resolution – Month 12 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on December 31, 2024 by Jacque

Reflections and Resolutions

2024 was the year of travel. Gary and I took 13 trips this year (okay, our last trip was actually a staycation on the Las Vegas Strip and was only 13.3 miles away, but still…). We took two amazing cruises. The first was a Panama Canal cruise where we went through the canal and visited Central America. It was truly remarkable. Our bucket list cruise was Australia/New Zealand which was absolutely incredible (we’ve been planning this trip since before we retired). Highlights were the Sydney Opera House and Hobbiton…definitely a dream come true. We had long trips, short trips, family trips, and everything in between.

We have been so fortunate to have had a year like this. Gary and I both enjoy experiencing new adventures, seeing the world, and meeting new people including our new niece and our new grandniece. Growing up, I never imagined that this could be my life.

I wish I had been able to share all these wonderful trips with my mother; after all, my mother was the one who instilled a desire to travel in me. Inspiration often comes from unexpected sources. My mother frequently talked about her sixth-grade teacher who shared her travel experiences, including slides, with her students. My mother grew up extremely poor and they were always in survival mode so travel for fun was never a possibility. However, this teacher made it seem like an attainable dream. The summer before my mother had this teacher (1949), the teacher and her friend went to Alaska. My mother often talked about the Alaska trip as well as some European trips that the teacher had taken earlier. Unfortunately, life circumstances prevented my mother from being able to enjoy this aspect of life, but she shared the impact that the stories had on her with me. So this teacher that I never met inspired my mom to “catch the travel bug,” and in return my mom inspired me by passionately sharing her teacher’s stories. Though my mom, unfortunately, was unable to fulfill this dream, I’ve enriched my life through travels in ways I never thought possible including two trips to Alaska that she would have loved. It really is important to share stories with others; you never know the impact they may have.

Speaking of stories, I have continued my blog. The first year of my blog was during COVID and I wrote a story about at least one ancestor every week (the 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks Challenge by Amy Johnson Crow). After the first year, I concentrated on 12 Ancestors in 12 Months. With travel and other events in my life, this seems much more doable. This year, I have written 13 posts. I really feel much more connected to family through my foray into genealogy.

My immersion in Ancestry continues. According to Ancestry.com, I added 288 ancestors to my family trees and I have 3,174 new DNA matches.

In addition to genealogy, another major hobby for me is reading. It is one of my great pleasures to sit out on patio with a cup of tea or a glass of wine and simply read. According to Goodreads, this year I read 68 books by December 18.

Now on to those resolutions… Yes, I still want to lose those 10 pounds and increase my exercise. It’s an ongoing battle. A huge part of our entertainment revolves around food as we get together with friends. I cherish those times so it’s a balance.

As far as genealogy goes, I want to continue researching (new resources are always becoming available) and I plan to continue my blog, focusing on 12 Ancestors in 12 months. My mother’s paternal side has proven to be a bit challenging and I would like to continue working on that. My mother’s paternal grandmother was from Canada and on MyHeritage, I recently discovered a relative with a public tree. I would like to explore this and see if I can find some information on the Ligget side of the family.

I have multiple photo projects and my recipe calendar that I compile every year that I plan to continue to work on. It often seems that I have more projects than time…I’m sure that’s true of most people. I intend to just keep enjoying my retirement and living in this wonderful community.

New Year’s Eve with friends has become the best way to start the New Year. We plan to travel “all the way next door” (it’ll take minutes) to enjoy the evening with good food and great conversation. As always, we will ring in the New Year with those on the East Coast. Cheers!

Posted in Coble, Genealogy | 2 Comments

Wordless Wednesday 12/25/24

Posted on December 25, 2024 by Jacque

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Wordless Wednesday 12/18/24

Posted on December 18, 2024 by Jacque

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Wordless Wednesday 12/11/24

Posted on December 11, 2024 by Jacque

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Wordless Wednesday 12/4/24

Posted on December 4, 2024 by Jacque

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Random Number – Month 11 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on November 29, 2024 by Jacque

And the Number is…35

Since the theme for this month’s blog is “random number,” I asked Gary to select a number, any number. He chose 35 for the number of years we’ve been married. I had decided to research whatever ancestor corresponds to that number. Every direct ancestor has a number according to the Ahnentafel numbering system. Ahnentafel is German for “ancestor table.” This is a method for organizing these ancestors. It is a universal system which can be particularly helpful when you get to generations with lots of ancestors. Remember, each generation doubles in size: by the time you get back to 10 generations, you have 1,022 direct ancestors through your 7^th great grandparents (1023 people including you). You are number 1, your father is number 2, and your mother is number 3; your paternal grandfather is number 4 and your paternal grandmother is 5; your maternal grandfather is 6 and your maternal grandmother is 7, and so on. (Men have even numbers and women have odd numbers.)

I put 35 into an Ahnentafel calculator (http://www.billiter.com/oldjoe/up/ahnentaf.htm) and this is the result:

Rebecca Martha Smith is Jacque’s great-great-great-grandmother.[3rd great-grandmother]
Specifically — Rebecca Martha Smith is Jacque’s father’s father’s father’s mother’s mother.

My 35^th ancestor is Rebecca Martha Smith. She is my 3^rd great-grandmother on my father’s side and is part of my 6^th generation (numbers 32 – 63). According to Ancestry, I currently have 39 DNA matches to Rebecca.

Rebecca was born on December 24, 1797 in Magnolia, West Virginia to Micajah Willets Smith and Esther Hogue. This branch of the family were Quakers.

Rebecca married Nicholas Osborn and they had nine children including my 2^nd great-grandmother Susanna Osborn who married Samuel Watkins. (After Samuel died, Susanna and her youngest son, my great-grandfather John Calvin Watkins, moved to Kansas. The Watkins family settled in Kansas, Arkansas, and Oklahoma where many still live today.)

Rebecca died on July 24, 1890 in Haymond, Taylor County, West Virginia at the age of 92.

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Wordless Wednesday 11/27/24

Posted on November 27, 2024 by Jacque