This site began as the online transcript of the Switzer-Merrill family history written by my maternal grandparents in the late 1960’s. It’s since evolved to include the ups and downs of my quest to prove its claims as well as new discoveries made along the way and, like genealogy, remains a work in progress.
Nicholas Eastin c1850
Photo courtesy of R. Eastin
AVING RECENTLY MADE CONTACT WITH SOME LONG-LOST EASTIN COUSINS (and since it is one of my 2013 goals), I’ve been inspired to re-double my efforts to break through one of the most persistent brick walls in my family tree — Nicholas Eastin. And while he’s actually been quite agreeable about sharing many of the details of his life he’s remained stubbornly silent on one of the most important pieces of the puzzle — the names of his parents.
As frustrating as this is, discovering my great-great grandfather’s story has been made all the more interesting by the fact he’s the first ancestor in my grandparent’s family history where more than a few “facts” don’t quite add up.
The first problem arises with Nicholas’ birth date. My grandfather claimed it was February 29, 1818 in Kentucky; Nicholas’ headstone says February 28, 1818. Ok, lots of February 29ers use the 28th for their birthday. The real problem here is that 1818 was NOT a leap year.1
There are two possibilities:
My grandfather wrote quite a bit about Nicholas’ life, he knew him and spent time with him, and his memory of attending his grandfather’s 80th birthday when he turned “20” seems to indicate Nicholas really was a leap year baby.
But there are problems with this as well.
Assuming for the moment that Nicholas was a leap year baby and that his birth year was 1816, he would have been 80 in 1896. However counting by leap years, he’d have only been “19”. More importantly, my grandfather was only 6 months old at the time and I doubt he’d remember any birthday party 
On the other hand, if Nicholas was born in 1820 he’d have been 80 in 1900 — but 1900 wasn’t a leap year so he couldn’t have turned “20”. The next leap year was 1904 in which he would’ve been “20” but his actual age was 84.
So where do all these convoluted calculations lead?
It’s my working theory that Nicholas was born February 29, 1820 and that in 1904 my grandfather (aged nine) attended his 84th birthday party when he turned “20”. Until I find some kind of birth record it’s my best guess.
There’s yet another problem with my grandfather’s account of Nicholas’ life — his assertion that “Grandfather outlived his sweetheart wife by 20 years.” I don’t know how he arrived at this conclusion but it’s definitely wrong. While Nicholas’ wife, Sarah Todd, did predecease him in 1901, Nicholas only lived another six years, passing away in 1907 from a malignant tumour of the jaw.2 All of which makes me a bit nervous because if grandad could make such a glaring error about this maybe the story about the birthday party is a fairy tale as well.
~*~
Unfortunately, none of this gets me any closer to the names of Nicholas’ parents and in the log run, maybe it doesn’t matter that much if he was born in 1818 or 1820. He’d have been counted in the “to 10″ column of the 1820 census and the “Of 10 and under 15″ column of the 1830 either way. And when he married in 1838 he’d have been under 21 and would’ve needed permission either way as well. So why do I care? Because apart from trying to further my grandparent’s research I’m attempting to document the claims they made and, if necessary, correct errors. So in that sense, it matters a great deal.
Next Time: Nicholas’ Marriage and Chasing Down Collateral Relatives
THICK, CATALOGUE-SIZED ENVELOPE from a genealogy society is always a welcome sight in the mailbox. Among the many treasures inside the one delivered last week was the obituary of my great-grandfather George Abraham Switzer. However, in one of those ironic twists that family historians love instead of furthering my research about George it actually handed me the clues needed to unlock the mystery of his third wife Elizabeth G - a woman I never knew existed till stumbling across her in the 1920 census.
HIS WEEK’S SATURDAY NIGHT CHALLENGE from Randy Seaver at Genea-Musings is to find a living male person from my maternal grandmother’s patrilineal line who could take a Y-chromosome DNA test.
1. What was your mother’s mother’s name?
2. What is your mother’s mother’s patrilineal line? That is, her father’s father’s father’s … back to the most distant male ancestor in that line?
3. Can you identify male sibling(s) of your mother’s mother, and any living male descendants from those male sibling(s)? If so, you have a candidate to do a Y-DNA test on that patrilineal line. If not, you may have to find male siblings, and their descendants, of the next generation back, or even further.
I recently posted transcripts of Robert Belding and Mary Alice (Richer) Belding’s amazing obituaries and thought it would be fun to take a look at the man responsible for their publication — son-in-law Willis E. Stevens (1864–1938). The following biography was published in “Historical Encyclopedia of Illinois and History of Fulton County“1 found at Ancestry.com and contains a wealth of genealogical information.
Willis Edison Stevens
Photo courtesy of T. Stevens
TEVENS, WILLIS E., a prominent and favorably known resident of the village of Avon, Fulton County, Ill., who, in addition to the conduct of farming operations in the vicinity of that place, devotes considerable attention to the management of his newspaper, the Avon Sentinel, was born in Lake County, Ill., on June 13, 1863. He is the son of Almon and Almira (Thomas) Stevens, natives of the State of New York. The father, whose occupation was that of a farmer, first established his home in Lake County in 1842. After remaining there about twenty-one years he moved to Fulton County, locating in Avon, where he officiated as Police Magistrate, being the first citizen of Avon to act in such capacity.
Source: Collections Canada
HE “THREE BROTHERS WHO IMMIGRATED” story is one most of us run into sooner or later in our research. These days it’s more likely to get a wry chuckle or roll of the eye than any serious consideration which is a shame because despite its cliché/myth status sometimes it’s true.
It may not be three brothers precisely, it may be two or four. Or it might even be three brothers and a sister but the fact remains siblings often did immigrate together or within a few years of each other. Such was the case with my great-great grandfather, Robert Belding, whose elder brother, William, also sailed to America in the 1850’s. Unlike Robert though he wasn’t alone — he brought a wife and family.
Last time I posted a transcript of Robert Belding’s obituary with the comment that it was one of the longest and most detailed obituaries I’d ever seen. His wife, Mary Alice Richer, received an equally long and detailed obituary but it’s interesting to note that several of the passages are almost word for word what was written in Robert’s — as if someone recycled it substituting the facts pertinent to Mary. It appeared in the Avon Sentinel shortly after her death on October 18, 1910.
______
Biographical Sketch of Mrs. Mary A. Belding, a Resident of Avon and Vicinity for Nearly 50 Years.
Photo provided by D. Switzer
NOTHER AMANUENSIS MONDAY and another opportunity to transcribe a family document — this time the obituary of Robert Belding, husband of Mary Alice Richer and my great-great grandfather.
It’s one of the longest and most detailed obituaries I’ve seen for the time period. While this might be a result of the high regard he apparently inspired a more likely explanation is the fact his son-in-law ran the local paper. Regardless, four generations later the family historian is very grateful.
From the Avon Sentinel, Avon, Illinois, No Date~
T’S BEEN A WHILE SINCE I’VE DONE a Surname Saturday and having just finished writing about my great-great grandmother Mary Alice Richer’s immigration story now’s the perfect time to take a closer look at her name and the other people in the Switzer-Merrill tree that share it.
The Richer surname first enters my family tree as my great-great grandmother’s maiden name. Depending on where you look the name is either English, German or French in origin and possibly means “knight” or “powerful army” so, who knows, maybe if I get back far enough, I’ll find a French paladin or German crusader in this line 
For now, though, they are solidly English and firmly settled in Norfolk county… well, mostly (see Mary Alice Richer: Coming to America Part 1 & Part 2).
Continued from Fearless Females: Mary Alice Richer ~ Coming to America — Pt. 1
Mary Alice (Richer) Belding
Photo provided by D. Switzer
FTER A HARROWING 10-WEEK JOURNEY across the Atlantic Mary now had to make her way to Avon, Illinois. This second leg of her travels probably began in a train but would have eventually required the services of a stagecoach. In the middle of January, crammed together with other passengers and mailbags, jostled by every bump and rut in the road, it would’ve been as unpleasant as the ocean crossing she’d just endured. Thankfully it would not have been nearly so long.
When Mary finally arrived in Avon, no doubt road weary and eager to put an end to her travels, she found her relations, Ira & Asa Wood, preparing to leave for Syracuse, New York. Did she arrive unexpectedly? Or did her journey take so long they thought she was no longer coming? Regardless, any ideas of settling in were quickly banished and with no other options at her disposal, Mary was on the road once more.
