52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks

SALT ! SALT ! SALT ! If any of you are Jimmy Buffett fans, you might know that this is the common audience participation refrain when he performed his famous song Margaritaville in concerts. But in this case, that same refrain might have been heard well over 230 years ago by settlers in the county of Kentucky, which was still part of Virginia around 1775. You see, salt was a necessity for survival back then. It was used to preserve meat and fish, it was a much needed dietary nutrient, and was so valuable it was used as currency. Early Kentucky explorers found many natural mineral springs that were rich in salt content. One of these areas was named Bullitt’s Lick, and it is the focus of this post. Bullitt's Lick historical marker I have been researching my 3x great grandfather, John Hinch (1804-1862), and am attempting to prove his lineage back to Capt John Hinch (b. about 1745), so two generations back. I will refer to him as Capt John. I know that he married Hannah DeWitt be...

        What is a quiet life? Is it living in a quiet area, like an isolated cabin in the mountains, or residing in a home by yourself, or having a quiet voice or even a quiet persona? I thought about this a few days, as I couldn’t seem to pinpoint a particular ancestor to write about.   Many of my ancestors lived in rural areas, and many of them farmed for a living. But these same families had 7 or more children. So even though their surroundings were quiet, I bet their lives were anything but. And they had neighbors in the same situation, also with large families. Uncle Roy Hinch, in college days So how about living on an island? That is what my Uncle Roy did, starting in the early 1930’s. He had just graduated from college with a degree in teaching. He grew up in Cumberland County, Tennessee - pretty land-locked! His first teaching job was on an island in Lake Erie. It was (and still is) called Put-in-Bay, close to Sandusky Ohio. The only access...

        Something unexpected has happened to me since I first started family history research about 15 years ago. I started out as most people do, by gathering names and dates, and by building a tree of my ancestors’ vital records - birth, marriage, death, etc. That is fairly typical. Over the past few years those specifics have taken a back seat to wanting to know the places my ancestors lived and the history they lived through. Years ago would I ever have read a 300 page book about a particular battle in the Revolutionary War? Nope - no way. But now, I crave all the information I can find about that battle that my ancestors fought in.   My go-to book for pre-state of Tennessee history And even more than the history they lived through is the yearning to know the places where they traveled and lived. I never expected this. I find myself studying old maps and deeds, wanting to know where my people lived, reading old newspaper articles, and searching...

            One of the hard truths of family history research is eventually  every family line  ends in a brick wall, because at some point you run out of written records and sources. In most cases being able to  accurately  trace ancestors back 6 or 7 generations is generally considered a successful result, at least to me.         With that said, I am revisiting our John Hinch brick wall. Yes, I bet you didn’t know that he was a brick wall, or maybe even exactly who John Hinch was. Truth is, I haven’t really focused on him yet. So let me set the stage for a deeper dive into John Hinch and his ancestors over the next weeks, as I attempt to go back to the Revolutionary War period, and the mid 1700’s.           John Hinch headstone, Tollett Cemetery, Bledsoe County, TN     (transcription: John Hinch, was Bornd January 4, 1804. Dec July 25, 1862 Age 58 ys 7 mo...

         We definitely have some patterns going on in our family, some good and some bad. High cholesterol, back problems, male pattern baldness, musicianship, church going folk, and chicken legs (Bob and I know about this one) to name a few. But one pattern I picked up on while doing family history is we tend to be a family of clerks !! In todays world, we would probably call them bookkeepers, bankers, accountants, and the like. We are numbers people, and we like things to balance! I actually first noticed this pattern while researching my Irish ancestors who came to the US around 1850. And let me tell you, the pattern I saw was anything but subtle. It almost shouted at me from the census page. And once I noticed it, I couldn’t unsee it. This Reilly family easily led the way when it came to “clerking.”   The 1855 NY census in Brooklyn - yes, Reilly is spelled Riley - but it is them. My 3rd and 2nd G-grandfathers show their "clerk" profession. ...