Salon Advice Column/Marshall Family
So it has been a long time since this Salon advice column ran (in Sept 2006), and I'm still irked by it. The basic premise is that a daughter is irritated by how obsessed her parents have become by genealogy. The reply is what bugs me, since it essentially says that genealogists only are interested in finding out which famous people they are related to. You can read the replies; lots of genealogists wrote in to disagree, and say they do it for a whole host of other reasons. It looks like the most common reason is to find out more about history and "where I came from". You can read about my reasons for doing genealogy here.
Also, I haven't been writing very much this week, because, ironically, I have been doing research on someone who I might not be related to, but who is famous (ish). The Marshall family of western Pennsylvania has frustrated me for a long time, in part because I don't have easy access to primary records, and in part because there aren't very many primary records that were created. I am searching for more information on James Marshall (b. about 1822 in PA) who was married to Mary Lauderback (b. abt 1827 in PA). Their children were:
1. George Albert Marshall, b. 1845, probably in Brownsville; m. Viola Carter in 1865; d. 1933 in OK?
2. Erastus S. Marshall, b. 10 Aug 1847 in Elizabeth, Allegheny Co, PA; private, Co. E, 155th Pa. Inf. Zouaves; m. Sarah Melchi in 1867; d. 10 Jun 1919 in California, Washington, PA
3. Eperitus Marshall, b. 1849; m. Martha ____; d. 1908; carpenter (spellings of his first name vary widely)
4. Jemima Marshall, b. abt. 1856
In 1850, the family lived in Elizabeth, Allegheny County. In 1860, they lived in California, Washington County.
As an adult, Erastus lived in California. Eperitus also lived there for a time. George lived in McKeesport, before heading west.
The problem I am having is that James Marshall is WAY too common a name, even in sparsely settled western PA, especially since the family moved around so much.
In the course of looking for more information about MY James Marshall, I kept running across information about a James Marshel, b. 1753. I collected it, on the assumption that if I did manage to make a link from my James Marshall to a possible grandfather, James Marshel, I would be really irritated with myself for having not paid attention to all the other references. But then, I got interested in the James Marshel who might not be mine. He's an interesting character for sure. Plus, I learned a whole bunch about western PA history that I didn't know, but that is helpful for doing additional research.
This week, I decided it needed to be put into narrative form, because I was losing track of the notes and quotations and so forth that I had compiled. You can read a draft of what I've been working on here.
Here's a dilemma though. Do I want to be related to him? On the one hand, it would be nice to be related to someone whose letters and so forth I could actually read and learn more about. On the other hand, he doesn't seem to have been a very nice character. Everyone will have someone not so nice in their tree (probably many of them). You can't always find out much about them... although they tend to leave more of a trail than the nice ancestors, what with court documents and all. But it's sort of disturbing to find such people in your family tree.
Also, I haven't been writing very much this week, because, ironically, I have been doing research on someone who I might not be related to, but who is famous (ish). The Marshall family of western Pennsylvania has frustrated me for a long time, in part because I don't have easy access to primary records, and in part because there aren't very many primary records that were created. I am searching for more information on James Marshall (b. about 1822 in PA) who was married to Mary Lauderback (b. abt 1827 in PA). Their children were:
1. George Albert Marshall, b. 1845, probably in Brownsville; m. Viola Carter in 1865; d. 1933 in OK?
2. Erastus S. Marshall, b. 10 Aug 1847 in Elizabeth, Allegheny Co, PA; private, Co. E, 155th Pa. Inf. Zouaves; m. Sarah Melchi in 1867; d. 10 Jun 1919 in California, Washington, PA
3. Eperitus Marshall, b. 1849; m. Martha ____; d. 1908; carpenter (spellings of his first name vary widely)
4. Jemima Marshall, b. abt. 1856
In 1850, the family lived in Elizabeth, Allegheny County. In 1860, they lived in California, Washington County.
As an adult, Erastus lived in California. Eperitus also lived there for a time. George lived in McKeesport, before heading west.
The problem I am having is that James Marshall is WAY too common a name, even in sparsely settled western PA, especially since the family moved around so much.
In the course of looking for more information about MY James Marshall, I kept running across information about a James Marshel, b. 1753. I collected it, on the assumption that if I did manage to make a link from my James Marshall to a possible grandfather, James Marshel, I would be really irritated with myself for having not paid attention to all the other references. But then, I got interested in the James Marshel who might not be mine. He's an interesting character for sure. Plus, I learned a whole bunch about western PA history that I didn't know, but that is helpful for doing additional research.
This week, I decided it needed to be put into narrative form, because I was losing track of the notes and quotations and so forth that I had compiled. You can read a draft of what I've been working on here.
Here's a dilemma though. Do I want to be related to him? On the one hand, it would be nice to be related to someone whose letters and so forth I could actually read and learn more about. On the other hand, he doesn't seem to have been a very nice character. Everyone will have someone not so nice in their tree (probably many of them). You can't always find out much about them... although they tend to leave more of a trail than the nice ancestors, what with court documents and all. But it's sort of disturbing to find such people in your family tree.
Labels: ethics
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