My Genealogical Goals for 2014

With the new year quickly approaching, I decided to make a list of genealogy goals I am going to strive to achieve in the coming year. With having begun researching my family tree well over thirteen years ago, I still have a lot to research. I've intentionally left different branches of my family un-researched, so that I'd continue to have research to do as the years went on. With how much research I have completed on my Hungarian ancestry (the majority of my research), I am far from done. A vast majority of that consists of nobility resources; there's a wealth of information to be found, and I'll likely need to conduct that research on-site in Hungarian archives. With all that being said, here is my list of goals for the new year:


1. Write more. I need to write more. A lot more. I've sorely neglected my several blogs during the year due to medical issues within the family. Things have gotten much better, and I'm regaining the time I'll be able to devote to writing. Apart from my blogs, I'm going to be dedicating a very large majority of my time to writing two books. They're going to be related to Hungarian genealogy, my area of expertise, and completely unrelated to one another. I can't go into much detail about what the books will be about yet, but know that both will be extremely helpful to any research being conducted within the former Hungarian empire.

2. The most important family for me to research this year, is the family of my 3rd-great-grandmother, Martha Ann Miller. She was the wife of James Andrew J. Costilow and died fairly young; 45 years before her husband passed. I was fortunate enough to have found a record that was a crucial breakthrough in Martha's family, which then lead me to her parents and half of her grandparents. I plan to focus a lot of attention on researching these new families.

3. I plan on indexing far more records relating to Győr city and county. It's the sixth largest city in Hungary, and the largest and most important city in northwest Hungary. It's very close to the borders of both Austria and Slovakia and is situated on one of the most important roads in Central Europe. Because of this, it was a large hub for migrants and immigration. There were six Roman Catholic parishes in Győr, comprised of 27 microfilms of data. So indexing marriage records for this city would be extremely beneficial for those researching in this area.

4. There are a handful of military organizations I would like to join. The main ones including the SAR (Sons of the American Revolution), General Society of the War of 1812, Sons of Union Veterans of the Civil War and Sons of Confederate Veterans. My goal is to obtain all the documentation required to apply for membership within these organizations. I could easily piggy-back other applicants with their membership numbers and previous documentation, but I want to do it on my own.

5. My Polish roots are aching to be discovered. I'm more Polish than anything else, yet the majority of the records aren't readily available for research. My lines from Barycz and Osobnica will be extremely difficult, as I'll have to physically write to the church and request information. It's a hit or a miss and I won't make much progress. Hence why I haven't touched at all in all the years I've been researching. Two sides that I do need to focus on, are my Adas and Domagalski families. The Adas' came from the Putzig parish and I've been able to research the family back to the 1750's so far, but the records began in 1593.. so there's LOTS to be discovered! I also need to figure out the collateral line to the Adas family, the Pletzke's. They're from a neighboring parish and there's also lots to be found.

6. I need to research my Stümpges line. Previous researchers had traced the family line back to the 1540's, but I'm not content. I need to research the family in the church records myself, and verify that the direct Stümpges line is correct. Almost all of the maternal lines are completely blank, also. Those need to be researched and known. There's so much information to be found here!

Surname Saturday #14: Costilow

I've been researching this line ever since I started doing genealogy, and it has been a pretty dead-end line. Here is what I know on this family:

1. Samantha Aylene "Mancie" Costilow
b. 02 Dec 1869, Holmes County, Mississippi
d. 13 Aug 1908, Carroll County, Mississippi
m1. L. Joseph Lancaster; date unknown
m2. Samuel Christopher Columbus Martin; abt 1900
*Willie David Lancaster, b. 08 Sep 1895, Montgomery County, Mississippi
*Joe Lafayette Lancaster, b. abt May 1897, Montgomery County, Mississippi
*Samantha "Sammie" Martin, b. abt 1901, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Ellen Inez Martin, b. 04 Jun 1902, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Mossie Glispie Martin, b. 28 Dec 1904, Carroll County, Mississippi
*James Gordon Martin, b. 17 Aug 1906, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Sam Hart Martin, b. 03 Jun 1907, Carroll County, Mississippi

2. James Andrew J. Costilow
b. 25 Dec 1833, Yazoo County, Mississippi
d. 22 Feb 1923, Montgomery County, Mississippi
m1. Martha A. Miller; 25 Jul 1855 (place unknown; source of this date unknown. Anyone have information???)
m2. Alvana Adams; 29 May 1879 (place unknown)
m3. Sarah F. Elizabeth "Sallie" Tollison; 09 Nov 1896 (place unknown)
*Mary Catherine "Mollie" Costilow, b. 28 Apr 1856, Holmes or Yazoo County, Mississippi
*Frances A. "Fanny" Costilow, b. 19 Dec 1857, Holmes or Yazoo County, Mississippi
*Octavia Jane Costilow, b. 21 Sep 1861, Holmes or Yazoo County, Mississippi
*James D. Costilow, b. 19 Dec 1861, Holmes or Yazoo County, Mississippi
*Walter Lynn Costilow, b. 23 Oct 1865, Holmes or Yazoo County, Mississippi
*William Thomas Costilow, b. 02 Dec 1867, Holmes County, Mississippi
*Samantha Aylene "Mancie" Costilow, (above)
*Samuel James "Bud" Costilow, b. 19 Nov 1871, Yazoo County, Mississippi
*Ceabron Callihan "Pony" Costilow, b. 19 Nov 1871, Yazoo County, Mississippi
*Edward Jefferson "Babe" Costilow, b. 24 Jan 1874, Yazoo County, Mississippi
*Amanda Viola "Mandy" Costilow, b. 13 Aug 1877, Yazoo County, Mississippi

3. James Costilow
b. abt 1775-1794, place unknown
d. between 1838-1848, Holmes or Yazoo County, Mississippi
m. Mary Bethia Hopkins; 17 Sep 1818, Adams County, Mississippi
*Daughter Costilow, b. abt 1818-1820, Adams County, Mississippi
*Mary Jane Costilow, b. abt 1829, Adams County, Mississippi
*James Andrew J. Costilow, (above)
*Henry Costilow, b. abt 1835, Yazoo County, Mississippi

Surname Saturday #7: Martin

Long has this family been a mystery to me up until a few years ago, when I started to finally make some breakthroughs. Martin is the surname of my paternal great-grandmother on my mother's side of the family. Here is what I know on this line:

1. Ellen Inez Martin
b. 04 June 1902, Carrollton, Carroll County, Mississippi
d. 02 May 1991, Jackson, Hinds County, Mississippi
m. Fred Lamar Rodgers; 10 June 1917, Grenada County, Mississippi
*Children omitted for privacy reasons.

2. Samuel Christopher Columbus Martin
b. 02 Feb 1850, Gaston County, North Carolina
d. 16 Feb 1922, Grenada County, Mississippi
m1. Mary Britnal; 06 Dec 1873, Carroll County, Mississippi
m2. Samantha Aylene Costilow; bef. 1901, possibly Carroll County, Mississippi
m3. Evie Evelyn Rodgers; 27 Sep 1908, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Millie Martin, b. abt 1874, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Samantha "Sammie" Martin,  b. 1901/1902, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Ellen Inez Martin, (above)
*Mossie Glispie Martin, b. 28 Dec 1904, Carroll County, Mississippi
*James Gordon Martin, b. 17 Aug 1906, Carroll County, Mississippi
*Sam Hart Martin, b. 03 Jun 1907, Carroll County, Mississippi

3. William S. Martin
b. abt 1804, Lincoln County, North Carolina
d. 1860/1868, Mississippi (Civil War???)
m1. Ann L. Hannah; 04 Feb 1831, Lincoln County, North Carolina
m2. Ellen P. Hovis; 01 Sep 1845, Lincoln County, North Carolina
*George J. Martin, b. abt 1834, Lincoln County, North Carolina
*Thomas H. Martin, b. abt 1837, Lincoln County, North Carolina
*Mary C. Martin, b. abt 1846, Gaston County, North Carolina
*Elmira Terissa Martin, b. 28 Jan 1848, Gaston County, North Carolina
*Samuel Christopher Columbus Martin, (above)
*Saliana Martin, abt 1854, Gaston County, North Carolina
*John L. Martin, b. abt Feb 1856, Gaston County, North Carolina
*Nancy Martin, b. abt 1858, Gaston County, North Carolina
*Ollie M. Martin, b. abt 1860, Mississippi

William S. Martin's parentage is uncertain, but one there's one thing i'm positive of.. he's the grandson of Samuel Martin, a Captain during the Revolutionary War. Here is his information:

5. Samuel Martin
b. 26 Mar 1732, Ireland
d. 18 Nov 1836, Dallas, Lincoln County, North Carolina
m. Margaret McCurdy
Both are buried in the Goshen Presbyterian Cemetery in North Belmont, Gaston County, North Carolina

*Anne Martin, b. abt 1766, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*Jane Martin, b. abt 1771, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*Robert Martin, b. abt 1773, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*William Martin, b. abt 1774, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*Joseph Martin, b. abt 1774, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*Margaret Martin, b. abt 1775, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*James Martin, b. abt 1776, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*John Martin, b. abt 1780, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*Mary Martin, b. abt 1784, Tyrone County, North Carolina
*George Martin, b. abt 1781/1784, Lincoln County, North Carolina
*Thomas Martin, b. unknown, North Carolina

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - List Your Matrilineal Line(s)

Here are the rules, as posted on Randy Seaver's blog, for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun!!:

1) List your matrilineal line - your mother, her mother, etc. back to the first identifiable mother. Note: this line is how your mitochondrial DNA was passed to you!

2) Tell us if you have had your mitochondrial DNA tested, and if so, which Haplogroup you are in.

3) Post your responses on your own blog post, in Comments to this blog post, or in a Status line on Facebook or in your Stream at Google Plus.

4)  If you have done this before, please do your father's matrilineal line, or your grandfather's matrilineal line, or your spouse's matriliuneal line.

5)  Does this list spur you to find distant cousins that might share one of your matrilineal lines?  

Here's mine:

My matrilineal line is:

a) Nick M. Gombash
b) Réne Rodgers
c) Elaine Florella Stuempges (1926, Polar, WI -1987, Chicago, IL) married Thomas Thurman Rodgers
d) Sylvia Maria Bertha Hedwig Martin (1909, Polar, WI - 2008, Antigo, WI) married Walter John Stuempges
e) Maria Summ (1883, Antigo, WI - 1972, Antigo, WI) married Herman Wilhelm Gustav "Gust" Martin
f) Maria Blum (1860, Gutach, Germany - 1951, Norwood, WI) married Johann Georg Summ
g) Barbara Schneider (1824, Gutach, Germany - 1864, Gutach, Germany) married Georg Blum
h) Barbara Brohammer (1788, Gutach, Germany - 1856, Gutach, Germany) married Jacob Friedrich Schneider
i) Catharina Beilharz (1761, Hohenweg, Germany - 1818, Gutach, Germany) married Christian Brohammer
j) Barbara Winkler (? - ?) married Johann Jacob Beilharz
Similar to Randy, I also had my DNA tested and I came up as mtDNA Haplogroup K. We're cousins, Randy! :)

On my Gombash side, the matrilineal line of my father is:

a) John E. Gombash, Jr.
b) Mary Louise Adas (1940, Chicago, IL - 1986, Chicago, IL) married John E. Gombash, Sr.
c) Martha Violet Czarny (1911, Chicago, IL - 1989, Chicago, IL) married Edward Robert Adas, Sr.
d) Rozalia Sophia Wozniak (1887, Osobnica, Poland - 1959, Chicago, IL) married Wojciech Czarny
e) Agatha Turek (? - ?) married Wawrzyniec Wozniak

My Rodgers grandfather's matrilineal line is:

a)  Thomas Thurman Rodgers (1928, Duck Hill, MS - 1983, Paducah, KY) married Elaine Florella Stuempges
b)  Ellen Inez Martin (1902, Carrollton, MS - 1991, Jackson, MS) married Fred Lamar Rodgers
c)  Samatha Aylene Costilow (1869, Holmes Co, MS - 1908, Carroll Co, MS) married Samuel Christopher Columbus Martin
d)  Martha A. Miller (1836, AL? - 1877, Holmes/Yazoo Co, MS) married James Andrew J. Costilow

My Gombash grandfather's matrilineal line is:

a)  John E. Gombash, Sr. (1935, Caretta, WV - 2005, Joliet, IL)
b)  Catherine Anna Grządziel (1906, Barycz, Poland - 1970, Chicago, IL) married Alex Gombash
c)  Amelia Stec (1887/1888, Barycz, Poland - 1968, Cleveland, OH) married Frank Grządziel
d)  Sophia Zwiszek/Swiszek (? - ?) married Jan Stec

The Love... Square... of Mary "Polly" Hovis

A few months ago, I met a not-so-distant cousin on the internet and she was able to shed some light and new information on one of our brick-wall ancestors. Her name was Ellen, and she was the second wife of William S. Martin, of Lincoln County, North Carolina. She shared with me Ellen's maiden name.. Hovis.. and that's when all the pieces gradually began to fit together.

I knew that Ellen Hovis was born sometime around 1825 and probably in Lincoln County, North Carolina. She had a previous marriage to a Robert Kenedy (Caneda) on 23 Jan 1840 in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Robert must have died, because Ellen was then married to her second husband, William S. Martin (also a widower), on 01 Sep 1845 in Lincoln County, North Carolina. Here are the children of Ellen Hovis Kennedy Martin:

Ellen Hovis & Robert Kenedy:

*Margaret E. Kenedy, married to William Misskelley

Ellen Hovis & William S. Martin:

*Mary C. Martin
married to a man named McDowel; divorced?

*Elmira Terissa Martin
married to James K. McDaniel

*Samuel Christopher Columbus Martin (my 2nd-great-grandfather)
married first to Mary Britnal
married second to Samantha Costilow (my 2nd-great-grandmother)
married third to Evie Evelyn Rodgers

*Saliana Martin

*John L. Martin
married to Clementine "Clemmie" McDonald

*Nancy Martin

*Ollie M. Martin


At this point, I was at a dead-end. I didn't know anything on the parents or siblings of Ellen Hovis or William S. martin. I did however know the name of the bondsman for the marriage of Ellen and William.. Jonas Lineberger. I originally found a Jonas who was the son of a Michael Lineberger and Katherine Hovis.. a definite clue and possible connection. This later led me (with the aid of another newly found cousin) to a publication called "Our kin : being a history of the Hoffman, Rhyne, Costner, Rudisill, Best, Hovis, Hoyle, Wills, Shetley, Jenkins, Holland, Hambright, Gaston, Withers, Cansler, Clemmer and Lineberger families", published in 1915 by D.E. Ryne, L.L. Jenkins and L.M. Hoffman. Yes.. a very lengthy title.

This book was my jackpot! On page 392, it stated that Ellen Hovis who married William Martin, was (one of three) illegitimate children of Polly Hovis, later married to Eli Chapple. The book actually gave a nearly-whole page account on Eli Chapple, and the author of this section clearly knew this man and this specific family well. I knew this information had to be correct! The information has Mary "Polly" Hovis as the daughter of Andrew Hovis and his wife Nancy Foster. Later searches around the internet brought up the same information, as well as Mary "Polly" and the illegitimate kids.. who erroneously bore the Chapple surname of their step-father.

I was then told about holy grail of records for illegitimate children.. Bastardy Bonds! I never knew these type of records existed back then and I was ecstatic while reading-up on them on the internet. With Mary "Polly" having THREE illegitimate kids, odds were in my favor that something had to have been recorded.. or at least I hoped so! A week or two after finding out all this exciting information, a gracious genea-friend sent me copies of an index to the Bastardy Bonds for Lincoln County, North Carolina, covering years 1784-1842. I found the exact entry I was hoping for, for my Ellen.. and I was given an extra surprise. It had her birthdate! It listed the father as "Jonas Huffman", which I knew was a mis-spelling of Hoffman, a very large family in Lincoln County, North Carolina.

I narrowed down my search for Jonas Hoffman, which was actually pretty easy, to a man born in 1788 and died (very young) in 1829. Ellen was only 5 when her father died.. I wonder if she knew he was her father at all, at that age? Anyway.. this is where the story gets good.. really good. Jonas Hoffman was a MARRIED MAN! Ten years prior to Ellen's birth (1814), Jonas Hoffman was married to Anna Maria Costner. From 1814 til his death in 1829, Jonas Hoffman and Anna Maria Costner had nine children.. and Ellen was born smack-dab in between the 5th and 6th child. How could Anna Maria Costner have continued to be with this man, fully knowing what he had done? She had to have known, because the bastardy bond was listed as a "joint bond".. both parties accepted the support of the child (Ellen). Anna Maria had to have known her husband was paying to support an illegitimate child... Right?

The story continues to unravel. In the publication I mentioned above, it stated that Mary "Polly" Hovis "lived on the old Hoffman tract of land embracing a very small piece of ground and a cabin put up for her". In the will of Jonas Hoffman's father, John Hoffman, this is verified. It appears it was HIS land, that Mary "Polly" was living on. So the whole Hoffman family must have known she had Jonas' bastard child! The will describes a portion of land that is to be divided between Jonas Hoffman's six surviving songs, because Jonas was deceased already. It's described as "the little place where Polly Hovis lives". Further research into John Hoffman, finds that his wife was a Hovis.. and the aunt of Mary "Polly". Ellen's parents were first cousins, they shared the same grandparents.

One last little clue that is pretty cool. Ellen's half-sister, Lanie Salena Hoffman, was married to a Jonas Lineberger.. the bondsman for the marriage of Ellen Hovis and William S. Martin. Something also interesting, is that Ellen and William had a daughter named "Saliana" (according to 1870 census). Could "Saliana" be a name-sake for her aunt Lanie Salena Hoffman? Ellen must have had a close relationship with her half-sister Lanie Salena Hoffman, for her husband to be a bondsman to her marriage and to name a daughter after her!

In the Bastardy Bonds index, I was able to find one more entry for a sibling to Ellen. It was in 1818 and I believe it was for her older brother, Rufus Hovis. The father is listed as "Joseph McCallister", probably McAllister.. another large family of Lincoln County, North Carolina. Mary "Polly" was later married to Eli Chapple, a "Yankee" shoemaker originally from New York. Mary "Polly" and Eli had a son names Joseph, who was later married to a McAllister woman. Was she a half-sister to Joseph's half-brother, Rufus? I found no entry for Ellen and Rufus' brother, whose name I've seen written as both Christian and Christopher.

Oh, that connections!

If I Could Speak To My Ancestors...

Earlier today, I was analyzing all the information in my family tree (no surprise there!). I was looking at my dead-ends and trying to figure out which records I needed to persue to crack the brick-walls. I then, again, began to dream and wish that I had some way to communicate with my ancestors and ask them questions. Thinking about it all more and more, I thought if it WERE a possibility, what three questions would I ask to any of my ancestors?

Rules:
1. You may ask any three questions to any ancestors from any period in time.
2. Not all questions have to be directed to one specific ancestor, you can have a single question for three different ancestors.
3. You can't repeat a question, they have to be three unique questions. Asking three different ancestors what their mother's surname was is far too easy!
4. Before each question, you must identify which ancestor you're asking the question to.
5. After identifying the answer and the question, give a little information about this ancestor that's related to your question. You never know who will stumble upon this information and contact you!

My Three Questions:
#1 Ancestor: Hiram Howell (b. about 1790, SC; d. 1853, Tippah Co, MS)
#1 Question: What complications lead to your murder?
Fact: Hiram Howell was murdered in 1853 (exact date unknown) by Lindsey Slaughter, his probable son-in-law. I believe that Lindsey Slaughter's wife, Bathsheba, is the daughter of Hiram Howell. Lindsey and Bathsheba Slaughter had a daughter named Temperance, a name extremely unique to the Howell family (the name of Hiram's daughter whom I descend from, and the name of Hiram's sister-in-law).

#2 Ancestor: Eszter Tóth (b. 1874, Tiszadob, Hungary; d. 1950, Lore City, OH)
#2 Question: What was the family information in the paperwork that you brought with you, when you immigrated to America?
Fact: Family stories from cousins all recollect that my great-great-grandmother had brought with her when she immigrated, papers about her family tree and ancestors. My cousin in Arizona (whom inherited the papers, yet won't share a single piece of information) has stated she DOES have these papers and it has a full family tree and also includes information about a King that we supposedly descend from. Hearing of this claim years ago, I knew it was at least more plausible than family stories of others.. Eszter was of nobility! A noblewoman is more likely to descend from a King than a peasant. Just in the past two years, I have researched enough to the point that I have proven that we DO descend from a King of Hungary. To be precise, we descend from the early "true" Magyar Kings of Hungary from the Árpád Dynasty. I just want those documents my great-great-grandma brought over from Hungary!!

#3 Ancestor: Martha A. Miller (b. 1836, AL?; d. 1877, Holmes or Yazoo Co, MS)
#3 Question: Who are your parents?!
Fact: According to a family bible (that no one seems to know where it is, or who had it), Martha A. Miller was born on 18 Nov 1836, married to James Andrew J. Costilow on 25 Jul 1855 and died 19 Dec 1877. No places for any of these dates were provided in this supposed family bible. There have also been claims that Martha has Native American roots. Martha truly is a brick-wall. I haven't been able to locate her in the 1850 census anywhere. Any possible matches have been disproven, so I always end up right at the brick-wall again.

What are your questions? :)

My Brick Wall - The Costilow Family

When I first began my research and connected with extended cousin from Mississippi, they gave me the initial information on the Costilow's to begin my research.

My 3rd-great-grandfather is a James Andrew J. Costilow, born 25 Dec 1833 in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He died 22 Feb 1923 in Montgomery County, Mississippi. The family originally believed him to be the son of Christopher Costilow and Mary Reeder from Harrison/Barbour counties, Virginia (now West Virginia). Christopher and Mary Costilow did indeed have a son named James A. Costilow, born 10 Nov 1831 in Harrison County, Virginia, but he is not our James. James from Virginia, was married to an Eliza Robison in 1859 and could later be found in Barbour County, West Virginia in the 1870 census.

After finding that census and marriage information, I was positive that we did NOT connect in with the Virginia Costilow's. I soon found a 17 year old "James Costilough" in the 1850 census in Yazoo County, Mississippi. He was listed in the household of John Z. Bell and his wife Bertha. Also listed was a "Henry Costilough" at the age of 15, a probably brother to James.

I later found a marriage for a John Z. Bell to a Mrs. Mary B. Castlow on 14 Apr 1848 in Yazoo County, Mississippi. So this Mary Bertha Castlow/Costilough Bell is obviously the widowed mother of James and Henry. More in-depth research into Mississippi marriages finds a marriage for James Castilow to a Berthia Hopkins on 17 Sep 1818 in Adams County, Mississippi.

So now we know that James and Henry Costilow are the sons of James Costilow and Mary Bertha/Berthia Hopkins. A simple google book search brought up a title called "The David Hopkins family of New Jersey, 1696-2006", by Mildred Hopkins Pretzer and Dwayne Lewis Pretzer. The book listed a Bethia Hopkins, wife of James Costelow/Castillow, as the daughter of Gideon Hopkins and Sara "Sally" Luce/Luse. Both were originally from Morris County, New Jersey and resettled in Adams County, Mississippi sometime about 1796, when Gideon and Sally were married.

So, the ancestry of Mary Bethia Hopkins Costilow Bell is well documented, with her ancestors going back to the early English and French kings. As for her husband, James Costilow/Costelow/Castilow/Castillow, nothing is known prior to their marriage in 1818.

James appears in the 1818 MS State census for Adams County, as "James Costilow" and with only 1 male over 21 years of age in the household. So this was obviously before they married. He also appears in the 1820 and 1830 Federal census for Adams County. In 1820 he is listed as "James Costlow" and in 1830 he is listed as "Jas. Costeloe".

I am seeking any information on James Costilow. Anything of his parentage, siblings or any kin in general is appreciated, or even where he came from. Also seeking any death and probate information for him sometime between 1840 and 1848 in either Yazoo or Holmes counties, Mississippi.