I love finding juicy stuff!

[fudge stripe cookays]

My ancestors tended to be pretty ordinary. Every once in awhile I find a drunk who died by falling down stairs or something, but got another tidbit!

I have a couple in the book. I'm in touch with their daughter-in-law. Their son died of Alzheimers a few years ago, so DIL has been my main contact on the family.

We could NOT find their marriage. DIL had said she checked EVERYWHERE in the near vicinity for their marriage, and couldn't find anything. I had a sneaking suspicion that they crossed state lines to do it. He was 16 years her senior, and her parents disapproved of the marriage.

This morning, I found this site for West Virginia by doing a Google search for West Virginia and marriages:

They even give you images of the records! Guess who I found in Mineral County, WV? Yup. And the best part? She gave birth to their son a month after the wedding. It's also very possible that she died (at 30) of a botched abortion. So sad.

[Gormy Cuss]

1. I had a gggrandfather who died in jail.

He beat up someone badly enough to land in the county hoosegow for 30 days and there he died, at age 70!

Using the WWI draft registration data I found a relative on another line whose current residence was the state prison. One of these days I hope to find out why (I'm thinking he was too vocal in his support of his homeland, our enemy) but his descendants have never mentioned that he had been in prison and I'm certainly not going to ask them about it.

[fudge stripe cookays]

2. My grandfather may have done something like that...

My cousin told me he was hustling pool in Beloit, Wisconsin (or Rockford, I forget which)

And supposedly he got into a fight with a guy and gave him an improvised tracheotomy with a pool cue. Thinking he had killed the guy, he took it on the lam up to Canada, but ended up coming home when his dad wrote and told him his mother was on her deathbed.

Then supposedly while he was home, he saw the guy around town and realized he hadn't really killed him.

Don't know if it's true, but makes a good story! :D

[Donnachaidh]

3. go to Rootsweb and look up the Black Sheep Society

Some of the stories there will curl your hair LOL! I'm a member of that society :evilgrin:

[fudge stripe cookays]

4. Coool! I'll have to check that out! Thanks! n/t

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

6. I'll have to check that out, too

My cousin sent me a link to the Salem Witch Society, but this other sounds fun, too.

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

5. Oh yeah

then there are the ones who are listed on the census as being born 5 YEARS before the parents were married--and no marriage before for either wife or husband. Still trying to puzzle that one out.

Glad you found out about yours!

[XemaSab]

7. I had a relative die of an ectopic pregnancy circa 1910

She was 13. :(

[Bitwit1234]

8. The good thing about the WVA site is this

If you find a death certificate you can pull it up and print it out. Most of the states you have to order, the cheapest Maryland death certificate is regular photocopy 12 dollars and a certified copy 25. I have had to order quite a few from MD and that was expensive. But I found my great grandmother on my mothers side, my mother's half uncle and their children and I printed out all the death certificates. What a find. I think Ohio and Missouri have an index but you still have to order the certificate. I don't have any near relatives there but I did find some "cousins" about 10 times removed.

[Bitwit1234]

9. One of my cousin connections

JOhn Thomas Sealock was called Rhoderick Dhu and we couldn't figure out why until a researcher came across the fact that during the Civil War Area it was a whiskey. And he used to be one of Mosby's Rangers so I guess they were a rough bunch and he was a whiskey drinker if that was his nick name. I had one aunt who boarded with a family along with her father and son (out of wedlock) Well while boarding, she had another son by the head of the household and the wife moved out and divorced him. They later married, but she sure broke up that marriage didn't she.

[Mr. McD]

10. My great great grandfather may have been a hog thief.

I have court documents relating to the individual I believe to be my great great grandfather in regard to the theft of several hogs. So far all I have is circumstantial evidence but I am convinced that he is at least related and has a high probability of being my great great grandfather.