Sometimes the Genealogy Jokes Just Write Themselves

A sense of humor is definitely a requirement when doing genealogy and family history research. There are times when you find a funny name or funny place or stumble upon a funny story. If you’re really lucky, you get a “double funny” as I call them.

Recently I was working with the U.S. Civil War Era Records page over at FamilySearch (it is an amazing free resource) and looking for possible McEntee ancestors who served on the Union side. Under the Union: Pensions section is the United States Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904 record set which is basically a series of cards noting when someone wrote with an inquiry and the nature of the inquiry.

A New Ancestor: Balls McEntee

So how neat would it be to find an ancestor who either through a given name or through a nick name was called “Balls” as in “Balls McEntee?” That is what I thought I had when I searched the record set:

As my mind is racing with an image of this ancestor, perhaps so nicknamed due to some heroic event involving testicular fortitude, I do what every good genealogist does: I carefully looked at the record to make sure I was gathering every detail. And because of my vision issues, I enlarged the image and found out that the name was Bails and not Balls.

Oh, bullocks.

Bails as in . . . Wait for it . . .

Even with all the air let out of the many family story possibilities, I still had to look at the image itself. And that is where I got the second giggle of the day involving this record:

Cue drums: bah dump dump. So what are the chances that a man named Bails is writing to the US military about his desertion record? As I said before, sometimes the genealogy jokes just write themselves.

©2015, copyright Thomas MacEntee. All rights reserved.

Another Twitter Cousin

On Saturday morning I opened up my Tweetdeck console, and while I checked out my Twitter messages I decided to post a few Surname Saturday messages. Surname Saturday is a daily blogging theme that I and many genealogy bloggers use over at GeneaBloggers - it lets us post our surnames we are researching either in a blog post or as a message on Twitter.  The goal is to get a wider recognition for some of the surnames and to see if others are perhaps researching the same lines.

Well, I posted some of my usual Surname Saturday messages on twitter which always include the hashtags #surnames and #genealogy (click the image to embiggen):

Pretty soon, I receive a reply from someone on Twitter.  While it isn't related to my MacEntee or McEntee lines, it is someone who also has a surname from Ulster County, New York:

Right away, I could see that we were probably cousins - I have the names Roosa (also related to the Roosevelts of Hyde Park, New York) and Schepmoes in my research.  So in my next message, I say how I am related along the Schepmoes line:

Well it turns out that we have the same 6th great-grandmother - Rebecca Schepmoes, born 1687 in Kingston, New York! You can see the rest of the messages here:

So to see if we are even further related and how far removed, I wanted to trace my descendancy from our common ancestors.  Hopefully I'll get a response from Chris, my new found cousin in Charlotte, North Carolina!

Jan Pieter Schepmoes, d. 24 Jun 1608 - 9th great-grandfather
Jan Janszen Schepmoes, 1605 - 1686 - 8th great-grandfather
Dirck Jansen Schepmoes, 1648 - 1724 - 7th great-grandfather
Rebecca Schepmoes, b, 1687 - 6th great-grandmother
Isaac Abraham Roosa, b. 1728 - 5th great-grandfather
Isaac I. Roosa,  1780-1860 - 4th great-grandfather
Jane F. Roosa, 1822 - 1903 - 3rd great-grandmother
William R.  Krom, 1847 - 1891 - 2nd great-grandfather
Loretta Margarette Krom, 1892 - 1947 - great-grandmother
Loretta Slattery, 1920 - 1986 - grandmother
Richard MacEntee [dates withheld for privacy purposes] - father

So the lesson of all this is: put those surnames out on Twitter, Facebook and other social media just as you would post a query on a genealogy message board! You never know who is going to find you and what connection you will make!


© 2010, copyright Thomas MacEntee

SNGF - Ahnentafel Roulette

This week's edition of Saturday Night Genealogy Fun has been posted by Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings:

1) How old is your father now, or how old would he be if he had lived? Divide this number by 4 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ahnentafel. Who is that person?

3) Tell us three facts about that person with the "roulette number."

4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook note or comment, or as a comment on this blog post.

5) If you do not have a person's name for your "roulette number" then spin the wheel again - pick your mother, or yourself, a favorite aunt or cousin, or even your children!

Here are my results:

1. Well using my father's age of 70, I come up with a "roulette number" of 17.

2. Using my Ahnentafel report, the person designated number 17 is Elmira Wood, my great-great grandmother.

3. Elmira Wood was born on December 10, 1851 in New York City. On March 11, 1874, she married John W. McEntee at Guilford, Chenango County, New York. She died on her birthday - December 10 - 1882 at Gardiner, Ulster County, New York and is buried at the New Paltz Rural Cemetery in New Paltz, New York.

I have to admit that my Wood line is one that I've not pursued very much and it could use some work. To me, this is why Randy's games are not just "games" - they are exercises that spur us to take a closer look at our research and jog our memories or remind us of further work that we need to do.

You Say MacEntee, I Say McEntee

[This post was written for the 13th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture hosted at Small-leaved Shamrock.]

I think it is a bit of coincidence that just this week a distant MacEntee cousin whom I met on Facebook asked me why my paternal grandfather's name is also listed as McEntee. And here I am to tell the story just as the Carnival of Irish Heritage & Culture is coming to town!

Most of what I know about the MacEntee surname is all family legend - it has been on my genealogy "to do list" to actually determine the "why" behind the name change from McEntee to MacEntee. Here is the information that I have about my surname, its origins and how it came to its present spelling:

- the name means "son of scholar" and in Gaelic is written as Mac an tSoi

- the name is found mostly in County Armagh and County Monaghan in Ireland

- my grandfather Abraham MacEntee almost always used the name McEntee with the "a" added

- it was Abraham's father - Elmer McEntee - who supposedly began using MacEntee for reasons which are not clear

- some say that local folk in Ulster County, New York pronounced the name as a "Mac" name anyway and he decided to change it - not legally - but through usage

- others say that due to anti-Irish sentiment present at the time in turn-of-the-century New York, the "a" was added to make the name appear as Scottish in origin

- and still others talk of a rift between two McEntee brothers over religion, that one became a Protestant and wanted to show the separation by adding the "a"

I've discussed the usage of MacEntee in a previous post and have been able to prove that it was in fact Elmer McEntee who originated the usage.

So I continue through a search of court and probate records, wills, etc. to see if any further information can be gleaned as to the "why" of the name change from McEntee to MacEntee.

Names, Places & Most Wanted Faces

Craig Manson over at Geneablogie has started a new meme which I think is important since it gets the surnames in my genealogy research info out into the blogosphere.  As Craig put it:

"List the surnames you are researching and the general localities. Then tell the names of your “Most Wanted Ancestors,” that is, the ones you most want to find behind that brickwall."

Note: I have been particular with the formatting of the information below and use ________ Surname hoping this will allow more people using Google and other search engines to find my post. Also I am using _______ County for the same reasons.

AUSTIN Surname: New York (Jefferson County, Lewis County, St. Lawrence County); Rhode Island (Kent County, Washington County)

CHRISTIANA Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

CRANDALL Surname: Rhode Island (Kent County, Washington County)

DEGROODT Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

DENCE Surname: New York (Lewis County)

FARREN Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County); Ireland (Belfast)

FINEHOUT Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

HENNEBERG Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County, Queens County, Nassau County), New Jersey (Essex County, Hudson County)

KROM Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Ulster County)

LEEHIVE Surname: New York (Ulster County)

MACENTEE Surname or MCENTEE Surname: New York (Dutchess County, Orange County, Ulster County)

MCGINNIS Surname or MCGINNES Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County), Ireland (County Monaghan

PRESSNER Surname: New York (Bronx County, Kings County, Queens County)

PUTMAN Surname: New York (Albany County, Montgomery County, Schenectady County)

SLATTERY Surname: New York (Orange County, Ulster County)

MOST WANTED ANCESTOR: Frances Pressner, my Great Grandmother, born abt 1889 in Liepsig, Germany, died March 10, 1960, Bronx County, New York. Having her parents info would allow me to know all 16 of my great-great grandparents.

My Foray Into The World of DNA Testing and Genealogy

I've taken the plunge and I've actually used a DNA testing kit for the first time. You can read more at my recent post over at Examiner.com where I give a review of a YDNA kit from familybuilder.com.

My reasons for being hesitant to test my DNA had to do with the price of the DNA testing kits and my feeling that the technology was not far enough into its development. With plunging prices on a variety of test kits (the 17 marker YDNA kit from familybuilder is $59 and Ancestry recently announced a 33/46 marker YDNA kit for $79) I no longer had any reason to put off taking my genealogy research to the next level.

In a previous post here at Destination: Austin Family, I discussed what couldn't be learned about my family tree from DNA testing. But what I most want to learn is this: is my theory about the MacEntees of New York's Hudson Valley being related to the famous McEntees of the same region true?

Stay tuned. I will have results in about four weeks and then I will need to contact McEntee family members who also have DNA testing data they can share.

I'd like to hear from anyone else who has decided to pursue DNA testing as part of their research.

Disclosure: familybuilder sent me their YDNA kit at no charge for purposes of reviewing the process of taking a DNA sample, using a DNA kit for genealogy purposes, and to receive and interpret results. I am disclosing this as a matter of transparency and honesty of my opinion. My intent is to give a good review (meaning a well-researched and written review) not necessarily a favorable review of all products I receive gratis.

Copyright 2009, Thomas MacEntee.  Some rights reserved.

Tombstone Tuesday

Monument of Charles H. McEntee (1842 - 1862). Taken March 10, 2008. Montrepose Cemetery, Kingston, NY. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Charles H. McEntee was my 1st cousin 4 times removed and was born at Kingston, NY on January 21, 1832^[1], the son of Charles McEntee and Christina Tremper. He was a brother of the famous painter, Julia McEntee Dillon.

Charles attained the rank of Captain (posthumously), Company H, 120th NYS Infantry Volunteers in which he enlisted on August 18, 1862^[2].

Maurice died at Falmouth, Virginia on December 21, 1862^[3] most likely from injuries at the Battle of Fredericksburg.

Notes

[1] 1860 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed February 27, 2008, citing Census Place: Kingston, Ulster, New York; Roll: M653_870; Page: 0; Image: 347.

[2] Van Santvoord, Cornelius, The One Hundred and Twentieth Regiment New York State Volunteers (Rondout, New York: Kingston Freeman Press, 1894), p. 297. "Company H was raised by Captain Charles H. McEntee and Lieutenants James K. Holmes and Michael E. Creighton.".

[3] Id., p. 298. "A gallant and promising young officer stricken with brain fever and died at the beginning of his military career on December 21, 1862, at Falmouth, Va. His remains lie in Montrepose Cemetery, Rondout, where loving parents have erected a broken column to mark his resting place."

Tombstone Tuesday: Maurice Wurts McEntee

Headstone of Maurice Wurts McEntee (1836 - 1983). Taken March 10, 2008. Montrepose Cemetery, Kingston, NY. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Maurice Wurts McEntee was my 1st cousin 4 times removed and was born at Kingston, NY on January 30, 1836, the son of James Smith McEntee and Sarah Jane Goetschius. He was a brother of the famous landscape painter, Jervis McEntee.

Maurice graduated from the Clinton Institute at Clinton, New York (Clinton was known as the "village of schools" due to the large number of private schools located there). He later attended the United States Naval Academy.

During the Civil War, he was a 1st. Sergeant, 1st. Lieutenant and Adjutant, 20th New York State Militia, April-August, 1861. Maurice was Acting Master in United States Navy under Admiral David Farragut and was honorably discharged on May 14, 1867.

Besides his military service, Maurice was a reporter and editor for the Kingston Daily Freeman newspaper. In addition, he wrote tales of the sea for youngsters, under pen name, "Uncle Blue Jacket" (in reference to his military service), for St. Nicholas and Harpers Our Young Folks.

Maurice never married and died at Kingston, NY on June 14, 1883.

My Key to Ireland: Unlocking Family Mysteries

This post was written for the 11th Edition of the Carnival of Irish Heritage and Culture.

As I've related in several posts, my last name has always been a family mystery - whether it should be MacEntee or McEntee - with various explanations as to how the "a" was added.

The solution of that mystery was the key to opening up a treasure chest of other mysteries including where the McEntees lived in Ireland prior to arriving in the United States.

In one of many emails received from distant cousins, I've been told that the McEntees are from County Monaghan which is in the province of Ulster. It appears that Charles McEntee, my 4th great-grandfather arrived in Salina, Onondaga County, New York around 1800 where he and his wife Mary both died in 1806.

I've found some wonderful online resources for the McEntee family in County Monaghan including the McEntee surname study at the Connors Genealogy Homepage.

Right now I have no excuses for not delving further into my research. I guess I have been so focused on trying to connect Charles' son Edward McEntee with the famous McEntees of Ulster County, New York that I've neglected to realize that this mystery could be better solved by going back to the roots - back to County Monaghan.

Tombstone Tuesday

Headstone of Elmer J. McEntee. Digital photograph taken March 10, 2008 at New Paltz, New York by Thomas MacEntee. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Elmer J. MacEntee, my grand uncle, was born on June 20, 1911 in New York, the son of Elmer A. McEntee and Margaret DeGroodt. About 1937 he married Florence Puff, the daughter of Samuel Puff and Mattie Holmes.

Elmer MacEntee died on May 15, 1971 at Newburgh, New York at the age of 59. He is buried at the New Paltz Rural Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday

Headstone of Elmer A. McEntee and Margaret DeGroodt. Digital photograph taken by Thomas MacEntee on July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Elmer McEntee, my great-grandfather, was born on November 27, 1881 in New York. He was the son of John W. McEntee and Elmira Wood.

Elmer married Margaret DeGroodt in New York about 1900. She was the daughter Jacob L. DeGroodt and Georgiana Simpson.

Elmer was a carpenter by trade, according to the 1910 and 1930 Federal Census. According to family legend, Elmer was responsible for placing the "a" in the surname to create MacEntee. This is evidenced by the use of "MacEntee" on several of the Federal census records.

Elmer died on November 8, 1848 at Gardiner, New York and is buried at the New Paltz Rural Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday

Headstone of John W. McEntee. Digital photograph taken by Thomas MacEntee on July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

John W. McEntee, my 2nd great-grandfather, was born on January 21, 1840 at Gardiner, Ulster County, New York, the son of Edward McEntee and Ann Freer.

On March 11, 1874 at Guilford, New York, he married Elmira Wood, daughter of William and Elizabeth Wood.

John enlisted as a Private in the Union Army on April 20, 1861 at the age of 22. He fought with the 11th Infantry Regiment New York, Company C and was mustered out June 2, 1862 at New York, New York.

John W. McEntee died on January 21, 1918 at Gardiner, New York, at the age of 78 and is buried in the New Paltz Rural Cemetery.

Tombstone Tuesday

Headstone of Edward McEntee and Ann (Antje) Freer. Digital photograph taken by Thomas MacEntee on July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Edward McEntee, my 3rd great-grandfather, was born on January 14, 1795 in County Monaghan, Ireland, the son of Charles and Mary McEntee. He arrived in the United States as a young child and eventually settled in the Ulster County, New York region.

On June 29, 1833 at New Paltz, New York, he married Annetje (Ann) Freer, a descendant of one of the original Huguenot families who settled New Paltz in 1675.

In the 1850, 1860 and 1870 Federal Census his occupation is listed as farmer or farmer/weaver.

Edward McEntee died on February 11, 1875 at Gardiner, New York, at the age of 80 and is buried in the New Paltz Rural Cemetery.

Ancestor In The News

I was not hard pressed to find newspaper articles mentioning my ancestors but the difficulty was selecting a story that I wanted to post and share with readers.

Many of the articles are the standard obituary type although there were one or two which leaned more towards the sordid with gruesome details of my ancestor's death.

I've opted for one which caught me by surprise since no one had ever mentioned that my grandfather Abraham MacEntee had been an amateur boxer. In 1933, when my grandfather would have been 20 years old, he was part of the Civilian Conservation Corps or C.C.C. as it was known. The C.C.C. was a work relief program created earlier in that year by the Roosevelt administration to utilize the labors of unemployed men in locations that could benefit from basic civil engineering projects on a small scale. There were C.C.C. camps in each state and they were run by the Army.

Abraham MacEntee was dispatched to the 232nd C.C.C. camp in Bountiful, Utah along with many other young men from Kingston, New York. The article displayed here appeared in the August 18, 1933 issue of the Kingston Daily Freeman as a way of allowing the men to communicate as a group with their families back in Kingston. Articles in this same vein contained typical items as to events, weather, project, etc.

In the article, besides a description of the newly built mess hall and a visit from the Secretary of War on August 3rd, there is a mention of the "Friday night fights." It seems that my grandfather was matched against a G. VanFleet from Bountiful and after "three fast rounds" in the ring, my grandfather won the bout in a decision.

One bit of information which requires my follow-up is this quote: "This past Friday night a cameraman was here at our camp taking all kinds of pictures of our camp, among which was one of our entire company." Since I don't have any photos of my grandfather, I might be able to find one if I do some research.

Finally, over the summer Donna Pointkouski posted a great article at her site, What's Past Is Prologue, explaining how to use records of the C.C.C. in genealogy research.

Possible New Evidence - Edward McEntee Is A Son of Charles McEntee

I have been sitting on this information that I came across before my vacation and I wanted to take some time to do some further vetting before disclosing it.

Edward McEntee (1795 - 1875) is my 3rd great-grandfather and I have been working for the past few months to verify that he may indeed be one of the sons of Charles McEntee (abt. 1768 - 1808). One piece of evidence that may bolster my theory is shown above in a clipping from the Auburn Bulletin on February 17, 1890. Here is the text as I have been able to transcribe it:

"THE PEOPLE OF THE STATE OF NEW YORK: To Edward McEntee, James McEntee and Thomas McEntee (brothers of Patrick McEntee), late of Aurelius, N.Y., deceased); Edward McEntee and John McEntee (nephews of said Patrick McEntee); the next of kin and personal representatives, if any, of Honor Reilly (a deceased sister of Patrick McEntee), whose names and places of residence are unknown, legatees and next of kin of the said Patrick McEntee, deceased;

Whereas upon the petition of William H. Barne, of Aurelius, N.Y., the last will and testament of the above named Patrick McEntee, deceased, dated the 16th day of July 1873, was on the 24th day of July 1888, duly admitted to probabtein the Surrogate's Court of Cayuga county, without notice to you: and whereas, Horace T. Cook, administrator with said decedent's will appeared, and how applied to Surrogate's Court for probate thereof as against you, and for a judicial settlement of his accounts as such administrator.

Therefore, you and each of you are hereby cited to appear in our Surrogate's Court, before the Surrogate of said county of Cayuga, at his office in the city of Auburn, on the 25th day of March, 1890, to attend the probate of said will as against you; to show cause why a decree should not be made establishing as valid and effectual as against you the probate thereof already had; to show cause why the accounts of said administrator should not be then and there judicially settled with the same force and effect as though you had been cited to attend to original probate of said will; and, if no cause be shown, then to attend the judicial settlement of the accounts of the said Horace T. Cook, as administrator of the goods, chattels and credits of the said Patrick McEntee, deceased, with the will of said deceased annexed.

If any of the aforesaid persons so interested in the estate of said deceased are under the age of twenty-one years, they will please take notice that they are required to appear by their general guardian, if they have one, or if they have none that they appear and apply for the appointment of a special guardian, or in the event of their neglect or failure to do so, a special guardian will be appointed by the Surrogate to represent and act for them in the said proceeding.

In testimony whereof, we have caused the seal of our said Surrogate's Court to be hereunto affixed. Witness Hon. Geo. B. Turner, Surrogate of the county of Cayuga, at the Surrogate's office, in the city of Auburn, this 7th day of February, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and ninety.

GEORGE B. TURNER, Surrogate.

Frederick E. Storke
Attorney for Petitioner,
85 Genessee St., Auburn, N.Y." [1]

Is it possible that even though the Patrick McEntee who was the son of Charles McEntee died in 1878, that the will could still have been contested as late as 1890? If this Patrick McEntee is the brother of my 3rd great-grandfather, then perhaps it can be proven using the probate documents in the Surrogate's Court of Cayuga County, New York.

I am still not totally convinced though - here are some other problems with this piece of evidence and some other possibilities:

- My 3rd great-grandfather died in 1875 - would the administrator of Patrick McEntee's will not have known that?

- Why are the nephews of Patrick McEntee mentioned when he still had living offspring as of 1890?

- It is entirely possible that there is another Patrick McEntee from the Utica or Auburn area who is a descendant of Charles McEntee and not the brother of Edward.

So I have some work to do - and even if I need to discover a whole new branch of McEntees in the Utica area, it will still be worth it even if it doesn't help prove my theory.

Notes:

[1] Auburn Bulletin, Auburn, New York, February 17, 1890.

On This Date: August 13th

Deaths

Mary Swan McEntee, wife of Calvert Vaux and my 1st cousin 4 times removed died on August 13, 1892:

"Early in August, the horse that had been pulling the carriage in which Mary and a friend were riding through the Palisades woods suddenly bolted. Both women were thrown to the ground. The friend perished instantly, but Mary survived with a fractured skull. She lingered for a week before dying on the morning of August 13 at Closter, New Jersey, near where her family had so loved living in the mid-1870s."[1]

Notes:

[1] Kowsky, Francis R., Country, Park and City: The Architecture and Life of Calvert Vaux, New York, NY: Oxford University Press, 2003, p. 312.

Two Roads: Do McEntee and MacEntee Converge or Fork? Part 4

[Editor's note: I appreciate everyone's patience waiting for the next installment of this series. Again, this group of ancestors has taken about 20 hours of research and writing over the past few weeks.]

The McEntees of Wyoming County, New York

Very often the last name McEntee is associated with Philadelphia, Pennsylvania since many McEntees arrived there from Ireland beginning in the early 19th century. However, the “famous McEntees of Ulster County, New York” have their roots in a common ancestor, Charles McEntee.

1st Generation

Charles McEntee (1768 - 1808)

Charles McEntee was born about 1768[1] in County Monaghan, Ireland and immigrated to the United States in 1794[2]. His wife, Mary ________ was also born in Ireland about 1770 and arrived here with Charles as well as one of their five sons.

Arriving in Herkimer, Montgomery County, New York, the family settled in Salina, Onondaga County, New York with an occupation in the salt business (hence the town’s name Salina). Both Charles and Mary died within nine days of each other, August 27 and August 16, 1808, respectively[3].

Charles and Mary had the following children:

- Patrick McEntee, born May 10, 1791 in County Monaghan, Ireland[4]
- Thomas McEntee, born about 1795 in Herkimer, Montgomery, New York[5]
- Phillip McEntee, born August 9. 1797 in Oneida County, New York[6]
- James S. McEntee, born March 21, 1800 in Western, Oneida, New York[7]
- Charles McEntee, born about 1806 in Western, Oneida, New York[8]

2nd Generation

Patrick McEntee (1791 - 1878)

Patrick McEntee was born May 10, 1791 in Ireland and arrive in Herkimer, Montgomery County, New York with the rest of his family in 1794[9]. On March 7, 1815 in Clinton, Oneida County, New York, he married Mary Stebbins[10]. Mary was born on April 22, 1798 in Pompey, Oneida County, New York, the daughter of William Stebbins and Lydia Branch[11].

Patrick died on May 19, 1878 at Perry Center, Wyoming County, New York[12] and his wife Mary died on June 10, 1883 at Olean, Cattaraugus, New York[13].

Patrick and Mary had the following children, all born at Perry Center, Wyoming County, New York:

- William Hervey McEntee, born May 30, 1818[14]
- James Smith McEntee, born March 5, 1822[15]
- Charles Rollin McEntee, born 1827[16]
- George Wallace McEntee, born about 1829[17]
- Thomas Milton McEntee, born .about 1829[18]
- Mary Antoinette McEntee, born about 1829[19]
- Patrick Henry McEntee, born August 29, 1830[20]
- Catherine Brown McEntee, born February 9, 1833[21]
- Amaziah S. McEntee, born 1837[22]
- John McEntee, born 1840[23]
- Edward Salisbury McEntee, born 1842[24]
- Gertrude Augusta McEntee, born 1849[25]

Thomas McEntee (1795 - 1876)

Thomas McEntee was born on October 29, 1795 at Herkimer, Montgomery County, New York[26]. He was the first McEntee son of Charles and Mary born in the United States and my theory is that since his birth was at Herkimer, it occurred soon after the family immigrated and was making its way across New York. Thomas was first married to Rebecca Colburne of Vermont[27]. Born about 1796, she died at Perry, Wyoming, New York on May 26, 1835.[28]

Next, Thomas married Harriet Borden sometime after 1835 at Perry, Wyoming, New York[29]. Harriet was born on April 7, 1807 and died on August 6, 1839 (most likely during childbirth), both at Perry.[30]

Finally, Thomas married Eliza B. Butler about 1839 at Perry, Wyoming, New York. Eliza was born in New York about 1798 and died on January 15, 1866 at Perry[31].

Having outlived three wives, Thomas McEntee died on December 30, 1876 at Warsaw, Wyoming, New York.

Thomas and Rebecca had the following children:

- Stephen J. McEntee, born October 29, 1823 at Perry Center, Wyoming County, New York[32].

Thomas and Harriet had the following children:

- Harriet B. McEntee, born 1839 at Perry, Wyoming County, New York[33].

Thomas and Eliza had no children.

Phillip McEntee (1797 - 1879)

Phillip McEntee was born on August 9, 1797 at Whitestown, Oneida County, New York. On December 27, 1820 at Whitestown he married Lucy Douglas[34]. She was born on September 27, 1799 at Whitestown and died on September 18, 1851 at Whitestown[35]. Phillip died on December 30, 1879 at Whitestown.

Phillip and Lucy had the following children, all born at Whitestown except for the first child:

- Mary Smith McEntee, born September 23, 1821 at Perry, Wyoming County, New York[36].

- Daniel Douglas McEntee, born August 2, 1826[37].
- Thomas Ellis McEntee, born July 20, 1828[38].
- James Smith McEntee, born September 8, 1836[39].
- Emmett McEntee, born February 24, 1840[40].
- Hiram R. McEntee, born February 18. 1842[41].

James S. McEntee (1800 - 1887)

For extensive information on James S. McEntee and his descendants, please see Two Roads: Do McEntee and MacEntee Converge or Fork? Part 2.

Charles McEntee (1806 - 1876)

For extensive information on Charles McEntee and his descendants, please see Two Roads: Do McEntee and MacEntee Converge or Fork? Part 2.

[1] Sylvester, Nathaniel Barrett, History of Ulster County, New York: With Illustrations and Biographical Sketches of Its Prominent Men and Pioneers, (Philadelphia, PA: Everts & Peck, 1880), p. 204.

[2] Id.

[3] Chapman Brothers, Portrait and biographical record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, Chicago, IL: Chapman Brothers, 1892, (http://www.ancestry.com) accessed on March 7, 2008 citing pp. 564, 567.

[4] Id.

[5] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Perry, Wyoming, NY; Roll: M432_617; Page: 260; Image: 155.

[6] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 20, 2008, citing Census Place: Whitestown, Oneida, NY; Roll: M432_564; Page: 75; Image: 151.

[7] Heidgerd, William, The Goetschius Family in America, (New Paltz, NY: The Elting Memorial Library, 1984), p. 83.

[8] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Kingston, Ulster, NY; Roll: M432_607; Page: 40; Image: 82.

[9] Portrait and biographical record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, pp. 564, 567.

[10] Id. "Our subject's father grew to manhood in Clinton, Oneida County, New York. He there had but three months' schooling and was married when very young, his wedding being celebrated March 7, 1815, at the age of twenty-four, his wife and our subject's mother being sixteen. . . . He was the father of sixteen children, of whom fourteen grew to maturity, nine of whom became the heads of family, seven living to the present time. The father of the family died in Genesee County, May 19, 1878."

[11] Greenlee, Ralph Stebbins and Robert Lemuel Stebbins, The Stebbins Genealogy, (Chicago, IL: 1904 (privately printed)), Vol. I, p. 361.

[12] Portrait and biographical record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, pp. 564, 567.

[13] The Stebbins Genealogy, Vol. I, p. 361.

[14] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Shelby, Macomb, MI; Roll: M432_357; Page: 153; Image: 301.

[15] Foley, Janet Wethy, The Early Settlers of New York State, Baltimore, Maryland: Genealogical Publishing Co., Inc., 1993, Vol. I, p 188.

[16] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Perry, Wyoming, NY; Roll: M432_617; Page: 260; Image: 155.

[17] The Early Settlers of New York State, Vol. I, p 188.

[18] Id.

[19] Id. Note: George Wallace, Thomas Milton, and Mary Antoinette most likely do not have the same birth date, since an instance of surviving triplets was quite rare, despite the lack of death dates for all of them. In The Early Settlers of New York State, they are listed as having been baptized as members of the First Church of Christ, Perry Center in 1829. It is unknown what their ages were at that time.

[20] Portrait and biographical record of Genesee, Lapeer and Tuscola Counties, Michigan, pp. 564, 567.

[21] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Perry, Wyoming, NY; Roll: M432_617; Page: 260; Image: 155.

[22] Id.

[23] The Early Settlers of New York State, Vol. I, p 2o2.

[24] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Perry, Wyoming, NY; Roll: M432_617; Page: 260; Image: 155.

[25] Various contributors, Inventory of Oak Ridge Cemetery, South Livonia, Livingston, New York, (http://www.internment.net), examined for any reference to "Lewis D. Perrin," accessed February 29, 2008.

[26] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Perry, Wyoming, NY; Roll: M432_617; Page: 260; Image: 155.

[27] First Church of Christ, Manual of the First Church of Christ, Perry, New York, Perry, NY: Silver Lake Sun Printing House, 1868, p. 20.

[28] Id.

[29] Id., p. 25.

[30] Id.

[31] Id., p. 28.

[32] 1880 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Antwerp, Van Buren, MI; Roll: T9_607; Family History Film: 1254607; Page: 312.3000; Enumeration District: 205; Image: 0656.

[33] 1850 US Census, (http://www.ancestry.com), accessed March 1, 2008, citing Census Place: Perry, Wyoming, NY; Roll: M432_617; Page: 260; Image: 155.

[34] Douglas, Charles Henry James, A Collection of Family Records with Biographical Sketches ....Individuals Bearing the Name Douglas, Providence, RI: E. L. Freeman & Co. Publishers, 1879, p. 202.

[35] Id.

[36] Id.

[37] Id.

[38] Id.

[39] Id.

[40] Id., p. 203

[41] Id.

New Paltz Rural Free Cemetery - A Field Trip

This past weekend, while visiting family back in the Catskill/Hudson Valley region of New York, I took time to return to the New Paltz Rural Free Cemetery in search of some elusive headstones.

Before my trip, I had called up the cemetery to find out in which section several McEntee or MacEntee headstones were located. I also ran a custom report on Family Tree Maker 16 and was able to sort out those names in my database buried at this particular cemetery.

On Monday, July 14th, we stopped at the cemetery again and proceeded to the left rear section as directed. With high temperatures and even higher humidity, your persevering author thought that he would right melt. And there was no place near for a restorative cocktail (let alone the time being 10:30 am). As well, the conditions along with a hoard of gnats kept me from using Jott to transcribe the headstone details as I had planned.

After 30 minutes of wandering through almost the entire left section of the cemetery, I finally came upon these gems:



Headstone of Edward McEntee and Ann (Antje) Freer. Photograph. July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Edward McEntee was my 3rd great-grandfather and is buried with his wife Ann (Antje) Freer. She descends from my Freer line, one of the founding Hugenot families that settled in New Paltz, New York at the end of the 17th century. Edward is the oldest McEntee/MacEntee ancestor that I can positively identify at this time.





Headstone of Mathew McEntee and Elnora Deyo. Photograph. July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Mathew McEntee was my 2nd great-granduncle and the son of Edward McEntee and Ann Freer. He married Elnora Deyo who also descends from one of the founding Hugenot families.





Headstone of Charles McEntee. Photograph. July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Charles, another son of Edward McEntee and Ann Freer, was also my 2nd great-granduncle who died at the age of 25 years.





Headstone of John W. McEntee. Photograph. July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.



Headstone of Elmira Wood, wife of John W. McEntee. Photograph. July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

John W. McEntee was my 2nd great-grandfather who married Elmira Wood when he was 34. Despite her being 11 years younger, she died in 1882 more than 25 years before his death in 1918.




Headstone of Elmer A. McEntee and Margaret DeGroodt. Photograph. July 14, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Finally, and most importantly, is the headstone for my great-grandfather, Elmer A. McEntee. This is the ancestor who for some reason added the "A" to make McEntee into MacEntee. Obviously the change didn't always "take" during his lifetime or even in death as the headstone clearly omits the "A."

So I finally have some of the evidence I need to prove that the current line of MacEntees that lived in Ulster and Orange counties of New York are in fact descended from a McEntee line. I believe that one "family urban legend" stating that there was a family feud which caused one member to add the "A" can be traced back to this:



Headstone of Elmer J. McEntee. Photograph. March 10, 2008 at New Paltz, New York. Digital image. Privately held by Thomas MacEntee, [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE,] Chicago, Illinois. 2008.

Elmer J. MacEntee is actually Elmer McEntee, Jr., son of Elmer A. and is buried in a separate section of the same cemetery as other McEntees. Census records from 1900 show Elmer A. as a "McEntee" yet beginning in 1910 he is listed as a MacEntee as are all 11 of his children.

In the next few days I will add another chapter to my serial posts Two Roads: Do McEntee and MacEntee Converge or Fork?

When Old News Is New News

I know many other genea-bloggers have been chiming in on Ancestry's recent announcement concerning new additions to its historical newspaper collection. Some have wondered whether it is as big a deal as Ancestry seems to think and to be honest, I wasn't sure the new additions would help me get through some of my "brick walls."

But count me in the "big fan" camp and I too am ready to shout it from the mountain top: Ancestry's "old news" is "new news" and access is free through June 19th.

I've been dealing with the MacEntee/McEntee issue for several months - mainly trying to document whether or not my MacEntee family is really just a variation of the McEntees of Kingston, New York and vicinity.

Well one of the new additions to Ancestry's collection of historical newspapers is The Kingston Daily Freeman, from 1914 to 1950. And in it are various listings for McEntee as well as MacEntee. Interestingly, for my grandfather Abraham MacEntee, his wedding announcement in the Kingston Daily Freeman has his last name spelled as McEntee.

I still have many articles to review which mention McEntee - over 3,000 - but many simply reference a "McEntee Street" which exists to this day in downtown Kingston. Now I just wish Ancestry would allow you to use Boolean logic for searches so I could eliminate all references to McEntee Street but still pick up those with just "McEntee."

My Jackpot - This Is Why We Blog

I was very happy to see Jasia's post Found Aunt Josie's Grave over at Creative Gene and it got me to thinking about one of my own blogging "gambles": my theory that the MacEntee and McEntee families of the Hudson Valley, New York area are, in fact, descended from the same common ancestor.

If you remember from my posts entitled Two Roads: Do McEntee and MacEntee Converge or Fork? back in February and March 2008, I had no conclusive proof of a name change by my great-grandfather Elmer MacEntee. All I had were copies of two census reports from different years, one with the last name spelled McEntee and the other one with the last name spelled MacEntee. In addition, there were various tales passed down from generation to generation as to why the name was changed: an ancestor moved from Canada to New York and since they weren't hiring "Irish" he added the "a" to make the name look Scots; an ancestor had a religious dispute with his father who was Roman Catholic and added the "a" when he became a Protestant; etc.

One way to get such a topic and a theory as to the change noticed and discussed is to post, and keep posting, about it in your blog. My jackpot payoff came last night when I received the following email from someone who turns out to be my 2nd Cousin and still lives in the mid-Hudson region:

"I was reading through your blog and came upon the entry regarding the McEntee/Mac Entee split. It made me smile as I recalled my Dad telling me about the name change. This was a big deal to him. As my Dad explained, the name change was deliberate. Dad said Elmer was a builder and his livelihood depended on word of mouth references. Apparently, McEntee was mispronounced often enough so as to prompt Elmer to make a change that would reconcile the pronunciation and name spelling. My dad was always very insistent about the space being placed in the name -- which makes sense given Elmer's intention. That said, I don't think his idea worked so well because my name is mispronounced as often as stated correctly. That's the explanation I have -- could be off the mark completely but seems plausible."

While this still offers no conclusive source evidence, it at least confirms what the census reports show me: it was Elmer MacEntee who made the name change.

And my new found cousin also offered me some great insights on Elmer from stories passed down through the years within his family:

"My father was eight when Elmer died, but he did have a strong bond with him. Dad said he was an excellent musician, played several instruments, including the coronet for the trapeze artists when the circus was in town. My father had also shared an endearing story about him. As a builder, Elmer was not always paid on time. One Christmas, the family went without gifts. In early January, he was paid and came through the door with a sack full of presents -- telling the children that the toys were late because Santa had gotten stuck in a snowbank."

All I can say is WOW! These "wins" make it all worth it. Now I'm sending out some genea-blogger karma to all my colleagues waiting for their own jackpots - I hope it happens soon!