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Week 7 2026 - What the Census Suggests - Berry, Dillingham

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Over the past several years, I have researched census and related records in an effort to present an accurate account of my second great-grandmother Clarissa (Hoard) Van Riper / Berry. She led a fairly complicated life. Clarissa was the oldest daughter of James Hoard and Hannah Moon. She was born 10 Jan 1813 in New York. Clarissa (Hoard) Van Riper / Berry Her first husband John Van Riper was living in Middlesex, Yates County, New York in the 1830 census. There were two persons in the family. A Male aged 20-30 years and a Female aged 15-20 years. John was born 25 Dec 1809 in New York. He would have been aged 21 in 1830. He was married to Clarissa Hoard 11 May 1830 in New York, and she was born 10 Jan 1813 in Yates County, New York. She would have been aged 17 in 1830. In the 1840 census John and Clarissa still lived in Yates County, New York and had five children. They had a total of eight children: Sarah Jane, Garrett, James, Mary Ann, Betsey Maria, John Jr, Jeremiah and Nelson. The la...
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Week 6 2026 - Favorite Photo - Sheridan Poultry Hall

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I have in my possession a picture that speaks volumes to me. It is a two-generational photo. It shows a family that was hard-working and proud of what they had accomplished over the years. Michael Sheridan born 2 Oct 1850 in New York, came with his parents to Michigan and grew up on the Sheridan farm that was located a couple miles south of the town of Perrinton, Michigan.  He was the son of Irish immigrants Patrick and Margaret (Hughes) Sheridan. The farm had been started about 1854 and was a thriving enterprise. There were cows, hogs, chickens, land under oats, wheat, hay and fruit orchards.  After Michael married Elizabeth Holland 5 Nov 1877, they decided there should be a way to sell all of the excess from the farm. And so, the Sheridan Poultry Hall was born. The buildings were acquired in downtown Perrinton and were located on Robison Street. Over the years Michael was known to be fair, and he would also buy from locals to supplement their supply. They even traveled as fa...
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Week 3 2026 - What this story means to me - Sheridan

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Over the last 50+ years, I have spent countless hours searching for our immigrant ancestor's story. Utilizing family histories, county histories, searching birth, death, marriages and following every lead that has popped up I am finally able to say with conviction where the Sheridan's originated. Because of DNA testing. Through matches, I found a great group of researchers that were also looking for Sheridan's from Ireland that showed we were connected.  Way, way back and some with more DNA than others.  But the proof was there. Kim, Christopher, Kevin, Wendy, Gearóidíne and myself. There are for sure many others but it is this list that has spent these many years trying to figure the total connection. Thanks to Gearóidíne who is a direct descendant of an original Sheridan family - over 250 years of her father's fathers, fathers staying the course and continuing to live in the same town and on the same land. Luckily a kind soul decided to make a handwritten copy of the ...
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Week 5 2026 - A Breakthrough Moment - Porter

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Over my years of researching, I have always been on the lookout for an article, a record, anything that shares the name of Aaron Porter. I knew he had children John, James, Hosea, Nicholas, Exa (Axey), Minerva and Sarah. I have followed them from New York to Iowa and all the places in-between. Always looking at books, for different newspaper archives that may be released, or new collections. And based on the children's names, looking for a John or James as his father so I would know I had the 'correct' Aaron Porter. But only if they used traditional naming patterns. Aaron died in 1845, under strange circumstances. He was living in Iowa, yet he died in December of 1845 in Indiana? Why would he have traveled during that time of the year? What would have taken him back to Indiana? There is a typed paper written by a Barrick relative that states he died in Indiana, but no proof. I have found his will and his probate and now this Petition for Partition. This means that one of th...
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Week 4 2026 - A Theory in Progress - Porter

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My 3x great grandfather Aaron Porter shows up for the first time in my family tree back about 1803 in the Lake George area of New York. Where he came from is still to be determined. A typed 'story' about Aaron and his family was written by a Barrick descendant (his daughter Minerva married Alpheus Barrick) and states that he came from the 'Vermont Porters'.  Information from Helen Strine via Don Barrick of Oregon Aaron and his wife Lavina Chapman were married ca 1803 and since Lavina is stated to be from near Lake George, New York it is possible that they were married there.  They had children Exa, John J, Minerva, Sara, Nicholas, and Hosea. Four children were born in New York, and the rest were born in Indiana. The family then went on to Iowa. Based on loose naming traditions Aaron's first-born son was named John so maybe his father's name was also John. I find a John Porter in the 1790 US Census for Castleton, Rutland County, Vermont. The census shows one male...
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Week 2 2026 - A record that adds color - Sheridan / Yaw

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My mom had a cousin named Grace Pearl Green. She was a distant cousin; technically, she was a 1st cousin 2x removed.  Grace's great-grandmother was Sylvia Bliss Yaw who was my mother's 2x great-grandmother. Sylvia Yaw was also a direct line descendant of John Howland of the Mayflower. Grace was born 26 July 1883 in Jackson, Jackson County, Michigan. She was the only living child of George L Green and Alice Fairfield Green.  Her father George was a railroad salesman in his early working years after having started his career as a bagman. By the 1910 census, he was a paper salesman, and in April 1917 he purchased managing shares in the Crown Paper & Bag Company based in Jackson, Michigan. The company sold brown paper bags and brown paper shipping materials. January 31, 1918 - The Jackson Patriot newspaper On February 2, 1928, George stated that he was heading home due to having some chest pains. He was discovered deceased in his car about fifteen minutes later by an employee....
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Week 1 2026 - An Ancestor I Admire - Daly/Conner

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I thought long and hard about this topic. There are many of my ancestors who survived catastrophic events or hardships and yet overcame so much. But here's a more recent event and a person I appreciate and respect. Doris Daly and Ken Conner met in High School in Lapeer, Michigan. At the age of 17, Doris quit school and she and Kenny married on October 27, 1951, in Imlay City, Michigan. Ken worked for his father-in-law building bridges and overpasses in Michigan. He would do anything to pay the bills and to save to fly. His goal was to be a pilot. Their first son was born in 1952 and their second son in 1953. In the meantime, Doris went back to school and got her GED.  Ken always loved the lure of the sky.  Ben Scott taught him how to fly.  He flew a Taylor Craft L2 in those early years. He worked on airplanes like others worked on cars.  There were a bunch of men that flew together:  Norm Burley, 'Doc' Wilcox, George Conner (brother), Dick Quick, John Miller and...
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