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Week 26 - A Hard Choice - Porter

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 Heading into the fall of 1950, there was worry in the air in the town of Midland, Michigan. Polio had reared its ugly head across the country and now the dreaded virus was becoming prevalent in many towns across the state of Michigan. The virus did not discriminate. Young or old; rich or poor. Community pools were closed during the summer; extra-curricular activities were cancelled or postponed. Always on high alert. People were suddenly aware of symptoms of Polio. Fever, sore throat, sudden fatigue, loss of appetite, stiffness in arms and legs. A fussy baby suddenly became suspect. You hoped and prayed for it to be teething or just the common cold. Then if it spread into the second phase: neck or back stiffness, sensitivity to touch and muscle weakness meant it was time to head for the nearest hospital or doctor's office. My sister Mickie was born in 1948 and in late September of 1950 she became one of Midland's child victims of Polio. My mom told me that she had become irrit...
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Week 25 - the Ancestor Who Stays With Me

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  Through years of researching my family history, one figure has haunted me more than any other: young Kate O'Brien. Her story has stayed with me, compelling me again and again to search the past and give voice to a life nearly lost to time. Catherine "Kate" O'Brien was born March 8, 1852, in Boston, Massachusetts. She was the daughter of Thomas and Katherine (Connors) O'Brien. Both of her parents were born in Ireland and were new immigrants to America.  Kate along with her sister Mariah and their parents lived in Hudson, Lenawee County, Michigan at the time of Kate's marriage to James Dennis Sheridan on May 25, 1874. James was a clerk in his half-brother Michael's general store in downtown Brooklyn, Michigan. James D Sheridan and Catherine O'Brien Michigan, U.S., Marriage Records, 1867-1952 James Sheridan was the half-brother to our 2x great grandfather Patrick Sheridan. A twist to the family story is that Kate's sister Mariah was married to our P...
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Week 24 - Possibilities - James Harris

Distinguishing between two men named James Harris and researching the correct ancestral line has proven to be a bit of a challenge. The possibilities are endless. I have gone searching for a Revolutionary War connection and my Harris line is a probable association based on location and dates/ages. Back in my early research days, when sources weren't as readily available, I researched this Harris family line: Pauline Prince Sheridan>Lillian Harris Prince>Ebenezer Harris>Eseck Harris>James Harris> Ebenezer Harris> Asa Harris>Asaph Harris I collaborated with my mom's cousin Suzanne via snail-mail back in the late 1990's, and I accepted a lot of what she sent, although over the years I have documented sources for much of what she shared and what I already had. In 2001, I corresponded with another researcher from the same line and he had: Pauline Prince Sheridan>Lillian Harris Prince>Ebenezer Harris>Eseck Harris>James Harris....but then he had:  ...
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Week 23 - A Place That Matters - Table

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  Growing up in a large family (five daughters and Mom and Dad), we filled every spot at the dining room table. Right down to the youngest in a highchair placed at the corner next to Mom. You learned to eat what was served, say please and thank you and always asked to be excused when you were finished. And don't forget to take your empty plate to the kitchen to be scraped and where you and your sisters would wash and dry it when everyone was finished. When I got up in the morning, I would find my mom sitting at her place at the table with a cup of black coffee and often a cigarette smoking in a square turquoise colored ashtray. She always smiled; made you feel like you were the most important person at that point in time.  During the day it was a gathering place. Aunt Aggie would come for lunch while working at the local A&P grocery. There would be no knowing she was coming, she would just pull up out front and mom would find something to eat.  When friends came to ca...
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Week 22, 2026 - A Name With Meaning - John Howland

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  A young man from a modest English farming family, John Howland grew up during a time of strong religious tensions in England. He was one of seven children of Henry and Margaret Howland and second born. Separatist and Puritan groups were breaking away from the Church of England, and many had relocated to Leiden in South Holland in the Netherlands to escape religious persecution. Young John who was born about 1598-1599 in Fenstanton, England became a manservant to John Carver, a wealthy English Separatist who would go on to become the first governor of Plymouth Colony in America. John Howland became well known because he was swept overboard in a storm while traveling on the Mayflower in 1620 but was able to grab a trailing rope and was pulled back aboard. The incident was recorded by William Bradford in his journals and over the years many books and stories have been written about the incident. He married Elizabeth Tilly about 1623/1624 in Plymouth Colony. She had come on th...
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Week 21, 2026 - An Unexpected Strength - Pauline Prince Sheridan

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May 6, 1911, a tiny girl was born at home to Pauline and John Sheridan in the small town of Perrinton, Michigan. Young Evalyn Agnes was the second born following her older brother Michael who had been born in 1908. Her mother became increasing concerned as the little girl wasn't eating and growing as she should.  On June 16th, just 40 days after being born, she passed away. The death was classified imperfect assimilation (#151 in the list of causes of deaths), but in layman's terms, she died from failure to absorb nutrients. Her mother Mrs. J O Sheridan is listed as the informant on her death certificate, and it was reported on June 24th. Child number three was Rexford Frances born in Perrinton. Then on December 9, 1914, young John O Sheridan, Jr was born. He wasn't a really active baby, seemed to have some issues eating, but was growing and doing all things that babies do. Then in 1915, the summer seemed to be hotter than normal, the heavy air would seem to sit and not mov...
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Week 20 2026 - At the Cemetery - Porter cemeteries in Iowa

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Back in 2016 my husband and I took a flying/driving research trip to Iowa to finally see where my dad came from. Dad was born in South Dakota, but was raised in the Sioux City, Iowa area. My grandfather Harry E Porter was born in Iowa but had moved to Michigan during WWII for work. My great-grandfather and 2x great grandfather were all born and died in the same area in Iowa.  My 3x great grandfather Aaron Porter was born in Vermont or New York in ca1780 and supposedly died in 1845 while traveling from Iowa to Indiana. There are no records for his death other than his probate records that his wife and sons created. We flew into Cedar Rapids, Iowa and then drove back southeast to the town of Tipton and went to the Rochester Cemetery southeast of town where John J. Porter (my 2x great grandfather) is buried.    It is over 13 acres in size, and t he cemetery is left to ‘prairie grasses’ in the summer, so access is extremely limited. We had attempted to drive in a part of the ...
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