It all started with a Prince

The Sheridan family has been in Perrinton, Gratiot County, Michigan since the 1850's when Patrick Sheridan filed for 80 acres of land in Gratiot County through the Bureau of Land Management in Ionia.  The first school in Perrinton was built in 1888 and had 52 total students with one teacher. The brick Perrinton High School was built in 1917 and was the one that my mom (Lorraine Sheridan) would have attended. 1939 was the last graduating class when Perrinton and Middleton consolidated and they built the Fulton High School that we know today.  At the time of my mother's High School years (1939-1942) the town's population was less than 400 persons.  Including students from Middleton along with Perrinton, 33 were in the graduation class of 1942. Mom's sister Alice Sheridan was in the first graduation class of the new High School in 1940. My mom's 'Autograph Book' from 1939 has comments from friends from her community.  Some were neighbors and others were just sc...

  As the sun was slowly lightening the morning sky, Pauline let herself into the storefront after inserting the large cumbersome key into the lock. The rustling of her skirts could be heard along with the chirping of birds in the trees. A horse neighed in the distance and a wagon rattled along the deserted street. The front window on the south side of the store was glistening in the early daylight. Pauline settled herself into the overstuffed chair located to catch those early rays and picked up a dainty green velveteen hat piece. She began slowly and steadily stitching the small piece of veiling just off side of center. After she finished this and added the green dyed marabou feather it would be placed on a wooden millinery stand in the window to show it off. Hopefully, it would also pull a few ladies in to check out her hats. She still had to finish black hats for Mrs. Baker and her daughter.  It was so sad that she lost Mr. Baker so unexpectedly. She was just waiting for th...

My maternal great-grandmother was Elizabeth (Holland) Sheridan. Elizabeth was the youngest child of Thomas and Mary (Shevlen) Holland both of which were Irish immigrants. She had an older sister Minerva and an older brother Thomas Holland, Jr. Her brother Thomas, Jr was born April 12, 1854, in Union, Cook County, Ohio.  By 1870 the family had moved from Ohio to Fulton, Gratiot County, Michigan where Thomas, Sr took up farming on 80 acres of land next door to the Patrick Sheridan family. (Now you know how our great-grandparents Michael and Elizabeth met) Thomas, Jr married Lillian Aurilla Fairchild at the young age of 19 on September 25, 1873, in Ithaca, Gratiot County, Michigan.  By the 1880 census they were living on a farm in Fulton and were the parents of four children: John, Charles, Minerva and George. The call for free land and open space must have caused them to want more for their young family. They sold their farm, packed up and followed along with others going West. ...

 My grandfather, Harry Edward 'Ed' Porter was born August 1, 1888, in Rochester Township, Cedar County, Iowa the oldest child of William and Carrie (Barnhart) Porter. I knew him fairly well as he lived until 1972 just a year after I graduated High School. Unfortunately, I never thought to ask him questions regarding his younger years and even his older years and his working history. Different stories abound - he was a carpenter, a laborer, a farmer, a cook, and the owner of a restaurant. A real jack of all trades.  He was raised in Iowa, married (twice) there and then after he married my grandmother Nellie Dillingham October 14, 1914, they moved to Flandreau, South Dakota where they owned a small restaurant and my dad was born. By 1920 they had moved back to Sioux City, Iowa where my dad and his siblings were raised. Well, they worked in a restaurant. I have never found proof that they owned it. Just the family stories. They lived above the restaurant and in the 1920 census he...

After a few long days flying Douglas DC-3 routes for North Central Airlines in the 1950s, Kenny found his way back to calm in a much smaller cockpit: the kitchen table.  The DC-3 demanded constant attention—radio calls crackling in, weather shifting without much warning, and the steady responsibility of carrying passengers safely through an era when flying still felt a little raw and unpredictable. By the time he parked the real aircraft for the day, his mind was often still running at cruise power, full of checklists, engine sounds, and invisible crosswinds. That’s where model airplanes came in. Building and flying them in his leisure time gave him a different kind of control—no passengers, no radios, just balsa wood, glue, and the satisfying logic of something he could shape with his own hands. He would sand wing ribs until they were smooth as bone, fit the fuselage together piece by piece, and let the familiar smell of dope (balsa lacquer) and Ambroid glue replace the noise o...

  Many years ago, my mom showed me Dad’s DD214 papers from his time in WWII.   I was excited to see it, had copies made and made sure the original was given back to her. I quickly added his list of battles and ribbons awarded to his genealogy profile. And then I moved on. Recently, I was looking for something else and veered off to look at his papers again. Down the rabbit hole I went. Just like any other family genealogist. Before, it was just dates and cities and countries. But I read that document differently that day. Suddenly, I could almost picture him in a tent, a rifle at hand, on alert constantly. Defending our country from the enemy. I could feel the heat, the sweat, the inner fear of the unknown. It made me want to know more about the timeline of him being in Australia. This isn’t a complete synopsis of his time in the South Pacific, just a small part of his story. Bill Porter - Australia Upon arrival in late December 1941, the 147th South Dakota Field Artillery...

 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...

  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...

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:  ...

  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...

  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...

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...

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 ...

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...

They say that every story has a shred of truth to it and you should never completely dismiss it. I have a Thomas Henry Sheridan born Oct 15, 1843, in Wheatland, Monroe County, New York.  He would have been my half 3x great Uncle. His mother, Mary, died in August 1849 and then his father Michael Sheridan died sixteen months later in December 1850. Suddenly, this small six-year-old boy lost everything dear to him. I next find Thomas in the 1855 Wheatland, Monroe County, New York census living in the Harris Rogers household. He is 11 years old and is listed as a laborer. The enumeration date is June 5, 1855.   A hand-written missive by a contributor on FamilySearch states "that young Thomas was placed in a Catholic home/orphanage and attended school there. At 14 years, he ran away from the home and started to walk to New Orleans to see his uncle (no name) who ran a lighthouse there. When Thomas was 17, he was drafted into the Rebel Army. When camped near the Union Army he sl...

My dad, William Nathaniel Porter (October 10, 1917 - December 17, 1970) enlisted with the Army Reserves from Flandreau, SD back in 1940 and was a part of the 147th Field Artillery division. When he returned home in 1945 after three years in the South Pacific campaign, the maternal uncle that he was named for, Nathaniel B Dillingham, gave him a pair of Black Hills gold cufflinks that had been handed down to him. Dad moved to Michigan later that year and married my mom in 1946. On his wedding day he wore those cufflinks. And so, a tradition was started. I am the middle of five daughters. Dad was alive to walk #2 daughter down the aisle wearing those magical cufflinks but unfortunately passed away before any of the others were married. That oldest son-in-law wore them when he walked the other four daughters down the aisle. Since that time, the fathers of any granddaughters have worn them to walk her down the aisle. And if it was a grandson who was the groom, he has worn them. We even have...

Jay Shepard Porter (my dad's first cousin 1x removed) was born on  April 7, 1898, in Salem , Oregon the eldest son of George Washington and Anna Mary (McGowan) Porter. His father had traveled from Iowa to Minnesota to Oregon as a young man and as an adult earned his livelihood as a farmer. Jay’s early years were shaped by the routines and responsibilities of rural life and the labor required before the onset of modern machinery. By about 1916, at the age of eighteen, Jay made a significant transition, leaving the family farm and relocating to the Multnomah district of Portland . This move reflected a broader pattern seen in many young men at that time who sought opportunity in larger towns. In Portland, Jay took employment as an express delivery truck driver, serving local industries such as the region’s woolen mills. The occupation “express driver” or “express truck driver” indicates work in the early commercial delivery system between manufacturers and customers, before modern ne...

...He was a farmer and lived the quiet and peaceful life of a tiller of the soil, winning respect and esteem of the community in which he lived... I have generations of farmers in my ancestry. They farmed to survive. They did the work daily with a serenity that comes from communicating with nature. A feeling of a sense of pride for a job well-done. Oliver Harris was born November 18, 1824, in Stamford, Bennington County, Vermont on the family farm. He was the eldest of the eight children of Eseck and Prudence (Pratt) Harris.  He married Lucy E Wade (born October 28,1791 in Vermont) the daughter of Ransom and Lucy (Blandin) Wade. They were married February 8, 1842, in Stamford, Vermont. They were the parents of nine children: Joseph, Lewis, Lucy, Amanda, Salem, Everett, James, Martin and Minnie.  In 1865, his father Eseck deeded the family farm in Stamford to Oliver with the following stipulations:  the farm would yearly give his parents Eseck and Prudence the use of one c...

Phyllis Maxine (Porter) Drummond was my dad's older sister. She was born February 20, 1915, in Manning, Carroll County, Iowa the oldest child of Harry Edward and Nellie (Dillingham) Porter. Many of my memories of her are not always complimentary. She could be sharp spoken; always had to dominate the conversation and many times she would make comments that would hurt your feelings. But I think she loved her family, especially her two younger brothers. She told many stories about their years living in South Dakota and Iowa, but those are for another missive.                                                                                                      Harry, Bill, Phyllis ca1919               ...

Sometimes brick walls just won't fall. Back in the early 2010's I found this newspaper article while researching my Sheridan family in the Perrinton, Gratiot County, Michigan area. In the Maple Rapids Dispatch newspaper Friday, 1 June 1888 Vol X #35 Pg8 Col2 - from the Perrinton Mirador:  "Two sharp looking boys arrived on the noon train today, from Detroit, sent by the St. Anthony orphan asylum, to find homes with Michael Sheridan and Thos. Holland." Michael Sheridan was my great-grandfather, and Thomas Holland was his brother-in-law. Note: Thomas Holland was the town sheriff. With no 1890 census available, I found the 1894 Michigan census and found a 14-year-old male named Frank Morrison listed with the Patrick Sheridan family. His relationship to head of household showed adopted boy. He was born in Michigan ca 1880 and both of his parents were listed as unknown. Patrick Sheridan was my 2x great grandfather and why was young Frank listed living with him instead of ...