Saturday Night Genealogy Fun: Who is your MRUA?

Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings has issued another Saturday Night Genealogy Fun Challenge.

1) Who is your MRUA - your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? This is the person with the lowest number in your Pedigree Chart or Ahnentafel List that you have not identified a last name for, or a first name if you know a surname but not a first name.




2) Have you looked at your research files for this unknown person recently? Why don't you scan it again just to see if there's something you have missed?



3) What online or offline resources might you search that might help identify your MRUA?



4) Tell us about him or her, and your answers to 2) and 3) above, in a blog post, in a comment to this post, or a comment on Facebook or some other social networking site.


Let's see if I can find mine!

The MRUA in my tree are #34 & #35 the parents of Elizabeth Ann Wrean/Wren.  According to the 1880 Census of Brown, Lycoming, Pennsylvania, Elizabeth's mother's first name was Minnie and she was born in Scotland.  Minnie was 75 and living with Elizabeth and her husband William N Gamble. (My 2nd great grandparents)  I don't have a first name for Elizabeth's father.

I haven't looked for these people in a long time.  I suppose the first place to go would be my local genealogy library and see if they have any Canadian birth records. Elizabeth was born in Nova Scotia, Canada.  If there are birth records at the library for Elizabeth, then they SHOULD have her parents' names on them. I might also try FamilySearch.  I've not come up with anything on Ancestry.

I have lots of work to do.  I hope I can get some library time in soon.  Thanks for the nudge, Randy.

SNGF - Ahnentafel Roulette

Randy @ Genea-Musings has come up with another great Saturday Night Genealogy Fun.

1) How old is your father now, or how old would he be if he had lived?  Divide this number by 4 and round the number off to a whole number.  This is your "roulette number".

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ahnentafel.  Who is that person?

3) Tell us three facts about that person with the "roulette number".

4) Write about it in a blog post, in a Facebook note or comment, or as a comment on this blog post.

5) If you do not have a person's name for your "roulette number" then spin the wheel again - pick your mother, or yourself, a favorite aunt or cousin, or even your children.

Here goes!

My dad, Thomas Edwin Gamble, is 66.  Divide that by 4 and you get 16.5 so that rounds to 17.  Number 17 in my ahnentafel is my great-great grandmother Elizabeth Ann Wrean.  She was born in 1829 in Nova Scotia, Canada.  She married William N. Gamble about 1851 in Pennsylvania.  They had 6 children, the youngest being my great grandfather Ulysses Grant Gamble.  She died in 1911 in Cedar Run, Lycoming Co., Pennsylvania.

I don't know anything else about her except her father was born in Scottland and her mother's first name was Minnie.  Unfortunately, I don't have any photographs of her either, at least not that I know of.  I have a whole bunch of unidentified photos on DVD that my uncle gave me.

Thanks for the great blog topic tonight, Randy!

My 16 Great-Great Grandparents

I decided to take on Randy Seaver's challenge for Saturday Night Genealogical Fun. I am a bit late since it is almost Sunday night, but what the heck! Here are my 16 Great-great grandparents.

1. William N. Gamble b. 24 May 1825 in Cedar Run, Lycoming Co., PA m. Elizabeth Ann Wrean abt. 1851 d. 24 Sep 1904 in Leetonia, Lycoming Co., PA (2nd Generation American)

2. Elizabeth Ann Wrean b. 1829 Nova Scotia, Canada m. William N. Gamble abt. 1851 d. abt 1911 Cedar Run, Lycoming Co., PA (Canadian)

3. William Snyder b. 28 Mar 1851 in Blackwell, Morris Twp, Tioga Co., PA m. Laura Campbell abt 1874 d. 5 Nov 1927 Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., PA (American)

4. Laura Campbell b. 20 May 1857 in Cedar Run, Lycoming Co., PA m. William Snyder abt. 1874 d. 18 Apr 1931 in Jersey Shore, Lycoming Co., PA (American)

5. James Clinton McElroy b. 19 Nov 1861 in New York m. Angie Clark in 1884 d. 1905 in New York? (American)

6. Angie Clark b. 1866 in PA m. James Clinton McElroy in 1884 d. 20 Jul 1946 (American)

7. Emil Mosch b. 8 May 1864 in Saxony, Germany m. Wilhelmina Hedwig Kortz 21 Sep 1885 in Wellsboro, Tiogo Co., PA d. 25 Oct 1937 in Coudersport, Potter Co., PA (German)

8. Wilhelmina Hedwig Kortz b. 27 Apr 1866 Germania, Potter Co., PA m. Emil Mosch 21 Sep 1885 in Wellsboro, Tioga Co., PA d. 12 Feb 1940 in Coudersport, Potter Co., PA (1st Generation American)

9. Solomon Turpin Abrams b. 22 Feb 1845 in Jackson Co., KY m. Louisa Edmonds 17 Mar 1887 in Jackson Co., KY d. 9 Mar 1923 in Jackson Co., KY (American)

10. Louisa Edmonds b. 2 Oct 1862 in TN m. Solomon Turpin Abrams 17 Mar 1887 in Jackson Co., KY d. 10 Jun 1947 in Jackson Co., KY (American)

11. William Houston Baker b. 1866 in Terra Houte, IN m. Mahaley Jane Malicoat d. 30 Jan 1919 in Three Links, KY (American)

12. Mahaley Jane "Jennie" Malicoat b. 1865 in Jackson Hollow, Madison Co., KY m. William Houston Baker d. 1900 in KY (American)

13. James Marshall Helton b. 10 Jan 1871 in Valeria, Wolfe Co., KY m. Sarah Elizabeth Peck 15 Nov 1892 in Menifee Co., KY d. Jul 1944 in Ezel, Morgan Co., KY (American)

14. Sarah Elizabeth Peck b. 24 Oct 1871 Wolfe Co., KY m. James Marshall Helton 15 Nov 1892 in Menifee Co., KY d. 1 Jan 1914 in Menifee Co., KY (American)

15. William Jackson Landrum b. Jan 1869 in Wolfe Co., KY m. Sarah Ella Lackey 1891 in Wolfe Co., KY d. 14 Jun 1943 (American)

16. Sarah Ella Lackey b Apr 1871 Wolfe Co., KY m. William Jackson Landrum 1891 in Wolfe Co., KY d. 6 Aug 1903 in Powell Co., KY (American)

Most of my ancestors of this generation were born in the USA and with some I'd have to go back several generations to find an immigrant. This was a fun exersize. I learned I need to do more research on this generation to find marriage dates, etc. Thanks,Randy for the suggestion.