36 Days…

That’s how long it took me to research my friend’s family tree.  It is not finished, but it is a start.  This #blog starts back in the latter part of October when a friend of mine was telling me about her trip to the Carolina Renaissance Festival in North Carolina.  One of the things she purchased was a crest of her maiden name and, knowing I do genealogy, asked if it was real.  She wanted to get something special for her Dad for Christmas. I asked her if I could research her family, for free. Yes, this is something I want to do “on the side”, in my 5-year plan and, although I am comfortable researching my line, I needed the experience of researching somebody else’s line. She agreed. She knew her grandfather and knew the names of her great grandparents, but that was about the extent of it other than family lore and stories. Her family intrigued me the deeper I dug.  It wasn’t long before I was in France with her Dad’s paternal line.  My friend grew up is New Orleans as did her father, grandfather, great-grandfather, and great great (or 2nd great grandfather).  Her 3rd great grandfather was born in France and arrived in America with his father before 1843.   I say before because he married in New Orleans in 1843.  Her 4th great-grandfather was born in Languemburg, de la Meurthe, France and is her immigrant ancestor.  Unfortunately, he died in a horrible accident while walking, and getting stuck on, the train tracks. Her other 4th great-grandfather was a wealthy planter in St. Domingo when the negroes revolted and drove the white planters out. He came to Louisiana with his family and numerous faithful slaves, who assisted him to make his escape from the island, thus saving the lives of all his family.  The French government allowed him an indemnity, which was paid until his death. Her dad’s maternal line also only took me back to France and Germany and only to the 3rd great grandparents.  Her dad’s mother’s line was more extensive, and I could trace them back farther. The paternal side, again, only to the 3rd great grandparents in Germany, but her grandmother’s mother’s side was the jackpot.  All of them, until her 2nd great grandparents, were born in Louisiana.  Her 3rd great-grandfather was born in Mississippi with a shortened name… his last name was Green.  His wife was also from Mississippi.  Green’s father was Lundgren born in Lunderhage, Fleringe, Gotland, Sweden and arriving in America on May 6, 1836.  I could trace this line back ten generations, all in Sweden. Now, Mr. Green’s mother was a Cameron.  Her paternal line traces to my friend’s 7th great-grandfather in Scotland.  His son being in the Civil War and owning a lot of land in Mississippi.  Their son married a Stanford, my friend’s 5th great grandparents.  The Stanford line can be traced back to the 1660s where it is only theorized that he came from England to possibly Virginia then to Maryland about 1 695. This family helped to colonize Maryland. In 1695, this Stanford “patented” a plantation, 125 acres he called Long Ridge.  His son served in the Revolutionary War as did his son, fighting in the battle of Harlem Heights in New York, was captured by the British, and placed aboard the prison ship “Jersey” for six months. He is listed on a memorial plaque at the Warren County, Georgia courthouse in Warrenton with other Revolutionary soldiers who settled in that area.  Records also show he owned 133 acres in Maryland. Their son, her 6th great-grandfather, served in the War of 1812 and owned land in Georgia. My friend’s grandmother’s grandmother’s family was from Italy and France, but I could not find much on that line before having to stop to organize my information and put everything on a flash drive for my friend.   I felt like I was giving away a piece of myself handing over that flash drive.  I must admit, I still have her tree in my Ancestry program and peek at it now and then to see if I can uncover anything else. So, is her family crest she bought at the Renaissance Festival real?  There is a crest with that name, but is it her line?  Are they related?  Only her new “#family historian” will find out. Names were omitted to protect the innocent.  I truly loved researching her tree and cannot wait until her father “unwraps” it.  I hope I was able to help them discover more about themselves and, spark their interest in #genealogy.

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