Family Recipe – Month 11 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on November 11, 2025 by Jacque

Grandma Coble’s Sugar Cookies aka Aunt Barbara’s Sugar Cookies

 “Here, you’ve got to try one of Grandma Coble’s sugar cookies. They’re really special.” This was my introduction to the Coble clan. Gary and I got married June 26, 1989, and went to the Coble Family Reunion in July. The sugar cookies were different from any I had tasted before and were very memorable.

Everyone in the family speaks very highly of these cookies and they evoke tons of memories. What makes these cookies a bit different from most sugar cookies are the ingredients of lard and sour milk. Lard in sugar cookies results in a softer texture and rich flavor. Lest you be concerned about lard being very unhealthy, it is actually considered to be a bit healthier than shortening or butter; of course, none of these are considered to be health foods. As long as the sugar cookies remain a special treat, you should be just fine. As for sour milk, it is simply the addition of vinegar to the milk. It is used as a “leavening agent and flavor enhancer.” It also produces a fluffier baked good.

A form of sugar cookies can be found in many cultures, but the sugar cookies that we love today actually originated in Pennsylvania in the 1700s. This explains why lard was the choice rather than shortening since shortening wasn’t even a thing until the early 1900s; Crisco was created in 1911.

Since our focus this month is on a Family Recipe, Gary made Grandma Coble’s sugar cookies and they were outstanding.

While the cookies are attributed to Anna Mae Coble, she gave credit to Aunt Barbara. Barbara Ann Coble was born in 1858 to John H. Coble and Elizabeth Gingrich. She lived her whole life in Dauphin County, Pennsylvania. Barbara Ann Coble was the aunt of John Ira Coble, Sr. who was the husband of Anna Mae. Now it is very likely that Barbara Ann got the recipe from her Aunt Barbara Coble who was born in 1825. This Aunt Barbara is the aunt of both John Ira Coble and Anna Mae Meckley Coble because Barbara married Isaac Meckley who was the great granduncle of Anna Mae. There is another Barbara who is the grandmother of Barbara (1825). She is Barbara Long who was born in 1768 and married John Hoffer.

The Coble and Meckley sides connect through Matthias Hoffer (1718) and Anna Marie Wohlweider (1727) who were married in 1745. Matthias and Anna Marie had three sons. Their son John Hoffer married Barbara Long and they had a daughter, Elizabeth who married Christian Coble. Barbara was their daughter.

Another son of Matthias and Anna Marie was named Matthias. He married Veronica Holderman, and they had a daughter they also named Elizabeth. This Elizabeth married Melchoir Meckley and they had a son Isaac Meckley who married Barbara Coble as well as a son, Samuel who married Mary Ann Brestle. Anna Mae Meckley Coble was descended from Samuel and Mary Ann.

The first Matthias Hoffer was born in 1718 in Basle, Switzerland and emigrated to Pennsylvania in 1743. His wife Anna Marie was born in Pennsylvania. So…Mathias and Anna Marie are Gary’s 6th great grandparents on his dad’s maternal side and his 5th great grandparents on his dad’s paternal side.

Now, back to sugar cookies, it is entirely possible that Gary’s ancestors were at the forefront of the modern-day sugar cookies as they were living in Pennsylvania in the 1700s and the legendary Coble family sugar cookies go back at least as far as Aunt Barbara.

This is my niece’s first time to help make sugar cookies and also her first time to eat them. Start them young with building special family memories.

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Music – Month 10 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on October 20, 2025 by Jacque

Turning on the Memories with Music

“As a girl, of course, she liked Chuck Berry and Little Richard. And Elvis Presley, the King himself…But the music Erik used to blast from the boom box in his bedroom? That was noise, pure and simple (Tova from Remarkably Bright Creatures p. 266).” Truthfully, there is nothing like the music from your youth, invoking the emotions and recollections of times past. We generally are convinced that our generation has the “best” songs. The time period between our pre-teens to our early 20s is when we are forming our identity, and the music we listen to during this impressionable time connects with us in a special way as we develop into the adults we will become.

I had the fun opportunity to attend two performances this year that brought back those special feelings and helped me connect my past with music.

It all started in 1966 when I was 11. That summer, my family moved to Bartlesville, Oklahoma from Beaumont, California. For Christmas that year, I got my first ever record player. To make this Christmas even more special, my grandparents gave me a brick red box filled with records that had belonged to my uncles (my dad’s younger stepbrothers) in the 1950s and early 1960s. This became the music I listened to in my formative years.

Billy Dean, Kenneth Gerald, Donald, Donald Claud, George Edward, Alta Mae

This is the only picture I have of my father’s immediate family with his dad, Donald, his older brother, Donald Claud, his stepmother Alta Mae, and his stepbrothers, Kenneth Gerald and George Edward. My dad (Billy Dean Watkins) was born in 1930 and was 15 years old when Kenneth Gerald “Jerry” was born on May 24, 1945. George Edward “Eddie” was born on September 13, 1946. My dad left home and joined the Air Force in 1948, moving to California when he got out of the Air Force. Unfortunately, my uncle Jerry was in a horrible car accident and died on May 1, 1964.

Kenneth Gerald “Jerry” Watkins
George Edward “Eddie” Watkins

Eddie went on to college at Oklahoma State University, married Ann Durand, and served in the army during the Vietnam War. He and Ann went on to own a sports and screenprinting store and had two sons. His sons now own the store and Eddie enjoys his many grandchildren.

My nostalgic journey in 2025 began with the Everly Brothers Experience. Jerry and Eddie must have had every record that the Everly Brothers ever recorded. I loved their music and listened to those songs over and over. Gary and I went to Myron’s at the Smith Center on May 16 (as part of our birthday celebrations) and saw the Everly Brothers Experience with the Zmed Brothers. The music brought back all those special memories of hours of listening to the Everly Brothers. Not only are the Zmed brothers great performers, they truly have the authentic sound. In addition to their performance, they shared the stories of the Everly Brothers.

Everly Brothers
Zmed Brothers

My next nostalgic evening was the 56th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s first Las Vegas performance in 1969. The Westgate (in 1969 it was known as the International Hotel) decided to re-create this performance as part of Elvis Presley’s 90th birthday celebration. They charged 1969 prices, and we were thrilled to get tickets. The Elvis tribute artist, Travis Powell, did a wonderful job and we felt like we were experiencing the actual performance. Okay, some of the audience members took this to the extreme and many women ran up to the stage, swooned, and waited for a kiss the cheek. I turned to my friend and asked if these women thought he was the real Elvis.

Las Vegas had dubbed this to be “The Year of Elvis” and we had another opportunity to enjoy a connection with Elvis. In June we went to the steakhouse at Westgate for restaurant week and since we were locals, our waiter asked if we wanted to see the dining room where Elvis ate before his performances. Of course we jumped at the chance and got a couple of pictures.

Continue to enjoy the music that speaks to your soul, understand those that like music that seems totally unpleasant, and continue to find new music that you appreciate.

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Animals – Month 9 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on September 15, 2025 by Jacque

Camels Belong in the Desert, but Nevada?

Which is more exotic, an elephant or a camel? When I was nine, I went to the Indio Date Festival with my girl scout troop. One of the activities we participated in was the elephant and camel rides. I took my decision very seriously and with all the confidence of a sheltered and inexperienced young girl, I ascertained that the camel was a rarer choice. This was a fun memory.

Recently, I discovered that camels have played a part in the history of Nevada, my adopted home state.

It all began in 1865 with a pet project of Jefferson Davis who was Secretary of War (1853-1857). Actually, when Jefferson Davis was a senator, he came up with the brilliant idea of having a Camel Corps. The other senators did not think this idea was “brilliant” and the Camel Corps failed twice; in fact, it was literally laughed out of committee (Shepard).

Alas, Jefferson Davis did not let those other pesky senators stop him. When he had the power to do so, he just ignored them and decided that camels would improve transportation in the desert. So, the Army brought dromedaries to the West in the 1850’s as an experiment and used them to transport supplies (Shepard).

According to historian Mark Hall-Patterson (if you have watched ‘Pawn Stars”, you’ve probably seen him), “Camels were useful in early Nevada because they did well in the desert and could also sustain cold weather. Although haulers had to make shoes for them in rough country because they didn’t have hooves, they could carry a much heavier load that an ox or mule. And they could eat nearly anything (Brigham).”

Come to find out, camels were a huge asset to the mining camps as they were able to haul water, lumber, and salt that was used for processing ore.

Their usefulness was not long-lived, however, as camels proved to be unpredictable. They might be good-tempered and intelligent one minute, then all of a sudden, they would be spitting and kicking; they also had a tendency to scare the oxen and mules causing them to run.

In 1875, the Nevada Legislature decided that camels were no longer desirable and enacted “An Act to prohibit camels and dromedaries from running at large on or about the public highways of the state of Nevada (Brigham).” This law was really irrelevant though, because the railroads had taken over and the use of camels was obsolete.

In case you were wondering, there are no camels running around wild in Nevada.

Sources

Brigham, Noble. “Camels a brief experiment in Nev.” Las Vegas Review-Journal, 29 Dec. 2024, pp. 1-2.

Camello Safari dunas Maspalomas. (2005). The amazing characteristics of the camels. https://www.camellosafari.com/92-2/about-camelus-dromedarius-2/alomas.

Shepard, John. Army University Press. (1922-2025). The United States Army Camel Corps 1856-66. www.armyupress.army.mil/Journals/Military-Review/Directors-Select-Articles/The-United-States-Army-Camel-Corps-1856-66/y Camel Corps 1856-66.

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Earliest Ancestor – Month 8 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on August 18, 2025 by Jacque

Seriously, You Want Proof?

My earliest ancestor is the Welsh god, Afallach. Okay, that’s not likely, but the King of Gwynedd (Wales), Cunedda Wledig, proclaimed that his ancestor was the son of the god Afallach. Yeah, he had a bit of an ego problem so we sure can’t depend on his account of his ancestry. So, was Cunedda Wledig (born abt 370 and died abt 460) really one of my ancestors? Well, maybe. On Geni.com, I was able to trace my family’s lineage back to Cunedda Wledig; however, absolute documentation does not exist. It seems like a lot of people descended from the early Welsh people were descended from him. Some reports say that he had a minimum of nine sons and two daughters, so if each of the children had multiple children, over the years it is very possible, but certainly not a definitive conclusion. Obviously, there were no birth certificates or census reports that far back.

I have suggestions of ancestors per the Pedigree of the Family of Watkins of Court-Robert that traces the Watkins family to the 1400s. I wrote about Watkin Vaughn who was shot through the heart by an arrow on Easter Day, 1456 (Coble). Other than the Pedigree, I have limited resources to support my connections to these probable ancestors. I am confident though that I can trace my Watkins line to John Watkins who was born on December 23, 1611 in Monmouthshire, Wales and was the first in this line to immigrate to the New World.

Now if you really want proof of the earliest ancestor, I suggest you find a relative who has been documented in a group like The Daughters of the American Revolution or The Mayflower Society which demand extensive and exhaustive research and documentation to prove your lineage.

For this post, I will use information from The Mayflower Society. At this point in time, it is estimated that there are approximately 35 million living descendants of the Mayflower passengers. Now I am not a direct descendant of anyone who sailed on the Mayflower. However, John Howland (yes, the one who fell off the Mayflower and survived) is my 9th great grand-uncle. His brother, Henry, is my 9th great grandfather. Through Henry and John, I can positively conclude that my earliest ancestor that I can prove is their father, Henry Howland. In addition to whatever records can be found, recent advances in DNA can add reliable assurances. In the case of my 10th great grandfather, Henry, Big Y-700 DNA analysis shows that Henry’s ancestry is strongly linked to Kent, England.

Henry Howland was born in 1564 in Fenstanton, Huntingdonshire District, Cambridgeton, England. While there is speculation, we do not know for sure who his parents were (the parish registers for Fenstanton do not begin until 1612.). He and his wife Margaret had seven children (including their sons who were part of the Great Migration to the New World – John, Henry, and Arthur). He died in Fenstanton on May 17, 1635.

Now, we actually have more documentation of Henry Howland from records that were kept for Fenstanton. Back in the 1600s, Fenstanton followed frankpledge which was a system where the people practiced a system of collective responsibility. Henry Howland and John Ashwood were called before the court on May 7, 1614 and fined five shillings for taking a ‘scabious horse’ (probably a horse with mange caused by mites) to the common field. This was unacceptable because the horse could have spread the disease to other horses. The second time Henry was mentioned in the surviving records, he was “asked to scour his streams (overflowing) leading from the street to the Greene sometime before the feast of St. Martin (Henry Howland).”

Henry and Margaret Howland left a lasting legacy. Their children had strong convictions and made sacrifices to achieve their dreams and have a better life. It’s interesting to know that it began in 1564 with the birth of Henry Howland.

Sources

‌ Brief Life History of Cunedda Wledig. FamilySearch, Cunedda Wledig ab Edern of Gwynedd (0386–0460).

Coble, Jacquelyn. “Family Justice, 1456.” Journeyingwithjacque, 5 May 2021, Crime and Punishment – Week 18 of 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks | Journeying with Jacque.

“Cunedda Wledig Ap Edern (Abt. 370 – 460).” WikiTree, 8 Apr. 2025, www.wikitree.com/wiki/Ap_Edern-3.

“Henry Howland (1564 – 1635).” WikiTree, 2025, Henry Howland (1564-1635).

The General Society of Mayflower Descendents. The Mayflower Society, 2025.

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Cousins – Month 7 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on July 3, 2025 by Jacque

The Baby who Survived

“The baby who survived” was 7-month-old Charles Franklin Lewis. Charles (1921-2008) and my grandfather, Donald Watkins (1905-1981), were cousins. Their mothers, Emma Clark Lewis (1888-1922) and Florence ‘Lavina’ Clark Watkins (1876-1952) were sisters.

In a truly tragic accident, three members of the same family were killed when an Interurban rail car collided with an Oakland automobile with side curtains.

Mary Lewis was driving the car with her mother Mary McAleer Lewis, her sister-in-law Emma Lewis, and her nephews, 2-year-old Paul Lewis and 7-month-old Charles Lewis, as passengers. She entered what was well-known as a very dangerous railroad crossing with limited visibility enhanced by having the side curtains down, when her car was hit by the Interurban train. According to the Wichita Beacon, “witnesses saw the interurban car approaching and all insisted that it failed to signal in any way for the crossing.” They also said that it was traveling at a high rate of speed. Conversely, when the motorman of the Interurban gave his account, he said that he had given “ample warning by whistling for the crossing.” He also said that the car was speeding. Someone on the train agreed.

The horrific crash killed 3 generations of the Lewis family: Mary McAleer Lewis who was 68, Emma Lewis who was 30, and 26-month-old Paul Lewis. The driver, Mary Lewis, 27, who was pinned under one wheel was severely injured. Shortly after the crash, the car was destroyed by fire when the gas tank exploded.

Miraculously, Charles Lewis was not injured. “The seven-months-old baby was tossed into the air by the impact of the collision and, falling on the ground, rolled to safety. Miss Marie Weber, who picked the child up almost immediately following the crash said that he didn’t hit the earth directly, but rolled along the sloping ground. Although crying, he was apparently unhurt. She said he looked like a big ball of clothing rolling on the ground (Wichita Beacon).”

Charles not only survived but thrived. His father Paul remarried and he and his wife, Margaret Eva Armstrong, raised Charles along with six brothers and two sisters. During World War II, Charles was in the Army Air Corps and was based at Pearl Harbor. When he returned from his military service, he worked at the family business, Lewis Brothers Hardware. He married Seraphine Herman and they had five children.

His daughter, Katy, contacted me after viewing my tree in Ancestry. Her father Charles is my 1st cousin 2x removed. Katy is my 2nd cousin, 1x removed. She told me the story of her father, and we discussed relatives that we both had met. She had a few questions for me about the Watkins side of the family that I was able to answer. She then had a question about one of our common ancestors, Washington Clark, who was a confederate soldier who became a prisoner-of-war. That question remains unanswered, but we both continue to search – cousins with a common goal.

Sources

“Jan 08, 1922, Page 1 – the Wichita Beacon at Newspapers.com – Newspapers.com.” Newspapers.com, 2025, www.newspapers.com/image/76264917/?match=1&terms=Mary%20Lewis. Accessed 13 June 2025.

“Jan 08, 1922, Page 1 – the Wichita Eagle at Newspapers.com – Newspapers.com.” Newspapers.com, 2025, www.newspapers.com/image/64032080/?match=1&terms=Mary%20Lewis. Accessed 13 June 2025.

“Jan 09, 1922, Page 5 – the Wichita Eagle at Newspapers.com – Newspapers.com.” Newspapers.com, 2025, www.newspapers.com/image/64032214/. Accessed 13 June 2025.

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Favorite Name – Month 6 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on June 9, 2025 by Jacque

German Ancestors from A – Z

Growing up, I was intrigued by the German side of my family. The names seemed very exotic to me, a young girl from Beaumont, California. My favorite name was Gertrude Stockschlaeter who was my mom’s cousin. Her name was quintessential German.

Gertrude was born on April 15, 1918 in San Bernardino, California to Phillip and Barbara Anthony Stockschlaeter. Barbara was my grandmother’s older sister. Gertrude was 20 years older than my mother, so even though my mother and Gertrude were cousins, they had a more aunt/niece relationship.

Jim Elwood, my mom Jerrie McLeod, Gertrude Stockschlaeder Elwood

Their great-grandfather was Heinrich Schmidt which is another very German sounding name. Unbeknownst to me, when Heinrich emigrated from Germany and settled in La Crosse, Wisconsin, Heinrich Americanized his name and became known as Henry. This was very common among German immigrants.

Heinrich Schmidt is the bridge between Germany and America. He provides the A and the Z for my ancestors. Heinrich was my 2nd great grandfather. He was born in Birresdorf, Rhine Province, Germany. He married Maria Christina Schaefer. Their first child, my great grandmother, Gertrude, was born in 1867. The family of three emigrated to America in 1870 and settled in La Crosse, Wisconsin. Heinrich and Maria went on to have 16 more children. Heinrich supported their family as the proprietor of a grocery store.

Heinrich is right in the middle between the A and the Z of names. Going alphabetically backwards, Heinrich’s great grandfather was Friderici Zilckens and his grandmother (Friderici’s daughter) was Maria Agnes Zilckens. Heinrich’s granddaughter (and my grandmother) was the epitome of the A’s – Anna Agnes Anthony. I wrote a blog post about my grandmother dated July 21, 2021 https://journeyingwithjacque.com/fashion-week-29-of-52-ancestors-in-52-weeks/.

According to Ancestry.com, there are 11 DNA matches that descend from Friderici Zilckens to me. That of course, requires that people have tested with Ancestry.com and have built trees that trace back to Friderici and his wife, Gertrudis Calenberg.  Enjoy finding all the interesting names in your family tree.

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At the Library – Month 5 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on May 16, 2025 by Jacque

Visiting the Library

The most recent library that I have visited in person (March 2025) was in the ancient city of Ephesus, the Library of Celsus. “The Library of Celsus is considered an architectural marvel and is one of the few remaining examples of great libraries of the ancient world located in the Roman Empire. It was the third-largest library in the Greco-Roman world, behind only those of Alexandria and Pergamum (Wikipedia).” In its heyday, the library in Ephesus had over 12,000 scrolls. Visiting Ephesus was awe-inspiring.

In comparison, the library that I am currently using is part of the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District. Instead of physically visiting the library, I use the Library District app as well as the Libby app to read books on my Kindle, listen to audiobooks, read magazines, and do research (I haven’t tried streaming movies yet, but the option is there). The Library District app provides lots of genealogical resources such as the library versions of Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, Fold 3, as well as several resources that I haven’t explored yet.  Instead of 12,000 scrolls, “the Las Vegas – Clark County Library District has a collection of almost 3.6 million items which is almost 20 times the number of slot machines in Las Vegas (Fast Facts).” (The number of items increases when North Las Vegas, Boulder City, and Henderson are included.) Now, my 14-year-old niece in Kansas assumes that gambling is pretty much all those of us who live in the Las Vegas valley do. Clearly, we are actually a very literate community.

Libraries have always played an important part in my life. My idea of libraries was heavily influenced by the first two libraries where I had library cards – both were Carnegie libraries. These special libraries were made possible through the philanthropy of Andrew Carnegie. He donated a great portion of his fortune to build 2,509 libraries between 1883 and 1929. While the architecture of these libraries leaned towards the formal and elegant, the focal point was the “prominent doorway, nearly always accessed via a staircase from the ground level. The entry staircase symbolized a person’s elevation by learning (Carnegie Library).”

My very first exposure to a public library was in Beaumont, California. This Carnegie Library opened in 1914. I got my first library card when I was 4 (66 years ago). This historical library in Beaumont still provides library services for the area.

Beaumont, California Carnegie Library

My next Carnegie library was in Coffeyville, Kansas. This library opened in 1912. I wrote on my blog (August 26, 2022), “We had just moved to Coffeyville (1967) and hadn’t had a chance to make friends yet. We met the girl across the street and my sister Becky, our neighbor, and I began going to the library weekly. We would walk to the library, browse, check out our books, go across the street to Peter Pan and buy cherry limeades, then walk home. Two books that I remember reading that summer were The Red Planet by Robert Heinlein and Treasure Island by Robert Louis Stevenson (Jacquelyn Coble).”

In 1979, a new library was built in Coffeyville and the Carnegie Library was then used by Coffeyville Community College. In 2024 this impressive library was put up for sale for $57,500. As of today, it has not sold.

Reading and libraries have always been an important part of my life. I was very fortunate to land my dream job when I became the school librarian at Desert Springs Middle School. Here is a link to a blog post that I wrote, focusing on my school librarian years:

At the Library – Generations Cafe Ancestry Challenge

Be sure to visit your library in person or via the app.

Sources

“C.1911 Fixer Upper Carnegie Library for Sale in Kansas under $58K.” Old Houses under $50K and Beyond, 31 Aug. 2024, oldhousesunder50k.com/c-1911-fixer-upper-carnegie-library-for-sale-in-kansas/. Accessed 6 May 2025.

“Carnegie Libraries of California – Beaumont, California.” Carnegie-Libraries.org, 2025, www.carnegie-libraries.org/california/beaumont.html.

“Carnegie Library.” Wikipedia, 11 Apr. 2022, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Carnegie library.

Coble, Jacquelyn. “At the Library – Generations Cafe Ancestry Challenge | Journeying with Jacque.” Journeyingwithjacque.com, 2022, journeyingwithjacque.com/at-the-library-generations-cafe-ancestry-challenge/. Accessed 12 May 2025.

“Fast Facts.” Thelibrarydistrict.org, thelibrarydistrict.org/facts/.

Wikipedia Contributors. “Library of Celsus.” Wikipedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 19 Dec. 2019, en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Library of Celsus.

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DNA – Month 4 of 12 Ancestors in 12 Months

Posted on April 28, 2025 by Jacque

Ancient Ancestors

Breaking news – it’s now possible to trace your DNA roots back many generations. You can find out the breakdown of your DNA in various historical eras…the Bronze Age, the Iron Age, the Roman Era, and the Middle Ages. Who knew that we could go way beyond those elusive 5th cousins.

MyHeritage.com has partnered with a new company called Illustrated DNA. This company has obtained DNA samples from actual burial sites and archaeological remains. While it’s not possible to match a specific person, it is interesting to identify which ancient civilizations you descend from. These results shed light on thousands of years of migration and history. It’s interesting to see what genetic characteristics have survived thousands of years.

There is actually a scientific research field call archaeogenetics which is basically the study of ancient DNA. Through archaeogenetics you can determine your best genetic fit which is “how closely the model matches your DNA, reflecting how well the combination of ancient populations align with your genetics (Introducing Ancient Origins).”

While some people have been shocked by their results, there were no surprises in the determination of my closest genetic fit to the various historical eras:

  1. Bronze Age (3300 BC – 1200 BC): European Farmer
  2. Iron Age (1200 BC– 550 BC): Germanic
  3. Roman Era (753 BC – 476 AD): German and Roman Britain
  4. Middle Ages (500 – 1500): Insular Celt (British Isles) and Germanic

In the business world, modern managers often divide their sales people into Hunter/Gatherer vs Farmer archetypes to better use their innate traits to improve productivity. The most common traits that have survived are (Ku):

Hunter/GathererFarmer
Goal-orientedRelationship-builders
Self-motivatedService-oriented
PersistentFriendly
DisciplinedLoyal
Thick-skinnedTeam player
 Highly organized

While most of us have characteristics of both types, I definitely identify more with the farmer which makes sense; I have many farmers in my family tree as well as a genetic fit with farmers from the Bronze Age.

April is an appropriate month to focus on DNA because April 25 is National DNA Day. Happy ancestor hunting!

Sources

 “Introducing Ancient Origins: Trace Your Origins Back 10,000 Years – MyHeritage Blog.” MyHeritage Blog, 19 Feb. 2025, blog.myheritage.com/2025/02/introducing-ancient-origins-trace-your-origins-back-10000-years/. Accessed 27 Apr. 2025.

Ku, Daniel. “Sales Hunter vs Farmer: The Differences Explained.” Revenue Reveal, 10 Nov. 2022, revenuereveal.co/sales-hunters-vs-farmers/. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

“MyHeritage DNA | Reveal Your Ethnicity & Ancestry | DNA Testing – MyHeritage.” MyHeritage, 2019, www.myheritage.com/dna/ancient-origins/774397991. Accessed 28 Apr. 2025.

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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 2nd 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 4th cousin, S. Meckley which means we share 3rd 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 3rd 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 settled in Dauphin and Lancaster counties.

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

So…Samuel Meckley and Mary Ann Brestle (Gary’s 3rd great-grandparents) and Samuel Watkins and Susanna Osborn (my 2nd 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 4th cousin.

Regardless, Gary’s parents, John and Georgene Coble, and my 2nd 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 36th 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 2nd 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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