Week 3 2026 - What this story means to me - Sheridan

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 1821 Ireland census for Cloncovid. Then sent the original to Dublin as demanded, which then burned up in the Four Courts fire. That left the copy to languish in the repository of the town records and then have Gearóidíne decide to research her family and seek some answers to questions she had and discover it a couple of hundred years later. There are five Sheridan families living in Cloncovid/Clonkiffer townland in 1821 and our small group connects to them. 

Mary Sheridan - 1821 Census Clonkiffel, Cavan County, Ireland

mother of our immigrant Michael Sheridan

Over the years, I have found records that state our immigrant Michael was from Longford County - the border is only 6 miles from Cloncovid. So, he could have felt he was from Longford, not Cavan. I have found records that state that he was from County Mayo. Now when he decided to head for America it was about the same distance to a port in Mayo as it was to go to Dublin. So reasonably, it could have worked that way if he had stayed and worked for a bit before boarding a ship to take him to Galway or Limerick to catch a ship for America. Unfortunately, I will never know. The name Michael Sheridan is way too common.

But, again, I have DNA connections to each person in our small research group that are connected to those Sheridan families that lived in Cloncovid/Clonkiffer at that point.  Checking the 1821 census for Michael Sheridan, there is not a Head of Household with that name in town.  But there are two widows, both named Mary (of course) with children.  One of those Mary's has children: Margaret, Alice, Mary, James and age wise there is a break between age 27 and age 22...that our Micheal would fit right into.  And those names...that are repeated in our Sheridan family. 

And again, because of the DNA connection, we know for sure that we connect to this town and the people named Sheridan. We may not know exactly, but I feel sure this is where we began. That 1821 Census is truly a blessing and helps in the culmination of my years of research on the Sheridan family.

Barbie

Week 5 2026 - A Breakthrough Moment - Aaron Porter

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 the siblings wanted to get his share of the father's estate (after what their mother would receive) and since there were some who had moved on, they wanted the courts to decide how to split it up. So, they had to hire a lawyer and publish this missive for a certain amount of time depending on what the courts decreed. Usually, up to six months. 

Recently while doing some random searching through papers that 'needed to be filed' I came across this published article. I must have printed it and then forgotten about it and so I finally sat down and actually read through the article. It is five years after Aaron died and the son John J who was executor of the estate was looking for some of the far-flung family members to, I am assuming, sell the property as others wanted to move on and out of Iowa. 

Iowa Capitol Reporter 27Mar1850 pg3

There are two additional children Merrick and Eli H listed in the petition that now need to be researched. How did I miss it? This could be the connection that I have tried to find for years.

I know Aaron and Lovina were in New York, near Lake George ca 1803.

In Jefferson County, Indiana from 1810-1830.

In Edgar County, Illinois about 1830-1836

And in Cedar County, Iowa by 1836.

Aaron Porter died in 1845 and by 1860 all had left Iowa except for John J. (my 2x great grandfather) and his family.

Suddenly, there are new avenues to pursue. New records and books to search through. Hang on to your hats...I am off and running in a new direction! Hopefully, there will be new discoveries soon.

Barbie

Week 4 2026 - A Theory in Progress - Aaron Porter

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 over 16, five males under 16 and two females. Based on Aaron being born ca1780 he would fit in that young male category. 

In 1800 John Porter is still in Castleton, Vermont with a son under age 20. 

In 1810 John Porter is still in Castleton, Vermont and there is only one male between 26 and 44. So the son has left.

There is no John Porter in Castleton in 1820. 

Did Aaron set out to make his own way in the world? Between 1800 and 1810 the son that is the right age to be Aaron is gone.  But Aaron could be in New York getting married and starting his family.  Aaron and his family are then found in 1820 in Jefferson County, Indiana.

I lean towards this John Porter as timing and areas fit.

BUT - there is also an Aaron Porter who was the son of Increase Porter and his wife Lydia Woodworth. They had nine children: Lucy, Benjamin, Lydia, Aaron (b 26 March 1780), Bela, Asahel, Clarinda, Amelia and Harriet. Every one of the children have birth dates and spouses EXCEPT for Aaron. There is only his birth. He fits perfectly. There is no spouse listed nor any other information. I did find a notation that Aaron Porter born 1780 of Hebron, Connecticut married a Lucy Foote. So, the dates fit, but if this is the correct marriage then that's not the correct Aaron. And they lived in Connecticut not Vermont.

So, I have two men named Aaron Porter who are the correct ages to be my ancestor.   

I sure wish I had a crystal ball.

Barbie

Week 2 2026 - A record that adds color - Sheridan / Yaw

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. His wife Alice had died in 1912 from Leptospirosis (bacterial infection from contact with contaminated water or soil). 

          

                     Alice Fairfield Green                                                       George L Green

After Alice died, George had remarried to Pearl Lamb in 1921. Alice is buried in Woodland Cemetery in Jackson, Michigan in a plot owned by George. But George and his second wife are buried in a different plot in the same cemetery. Maybe Pearl (Lamb) Green was also a bit 'green with envy' about the previous wife?

The daughter Grace Green married Melville Sanford April 20, 1904, in Jackson, Michigan. Her new husband was also a railroad salesman. But Grace traveled with her husband, and they also lived in Bradford, Pennsylvania, Los Angeles, California and when Grace died in 1926, they were living in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Melville switched to selling oil and worked with the Cosden Oil & Gas Company for a number of years. He then left Oklahoma and went to California where he worked in the motion picture industry. I was not successful in finding anything more about that endeavor. 

Grace Pearl Green Sanford

Grace is buried in Jackson, Michigan but Melville is buried in San Gabriel, California. Their only living son Jack Sanford lived in Oklahoma and was also involved in the oil industry.

I have a few pictures from Grandma Sheridan's Prince side that were identified but not connected to people in my family tree. Now we know a little bit more about them. It's always good to grow our family.

Barbie