The Eleventh Hour-Lest We Forget
 
On the the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 1918, the fighting ceased.  The “Great War,” World War I. ended with an armistice, a temporary halt of the war, which was formally ended soon after with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles.
 
From that time forward, Americans and many countries around the world have observed that day in remembrance of those who died serving their country.  The day was known for many years as Armistice Day. 
 
Many remember it being called “Poppy Day” for the pin-on silk poppies sold by veterans’ organizations.  I remember, as a little girl, my mom would give me a dime to donate so I could get a poppy pin.  But the poppies were a symbol of something greater than a pin to wear on that day.   They represented the poppies growing in a field that became the burial grounds for many American soldiers in Belgium during World War I.  A field known as Flanders Field, a cemetery for America’s fallen heroes. 
 
President Woodrow Wilson first proclaimed Armistice Day on November 11, 1919 as a holiday and stated, "To us in America, the reflections of Armistice Day will be filled with solemn pride in the heroism of those who died in the country's service and with gratitude for the victory, both because of the thing from which it has freed us and because of the opportunity it has given America to show her sympathy with peace and justice in the councils of the nations."
 
In 1938, President Calvin Coolidge issued a proclamation to make Armistice Day a legal holiday, saying it would be "a day to be dedicated to the cause of world peace and to be thereafter celebrated and known as 'Armistice Day'."
 
A World War II veteran, Raymond Weeks proposed an idea to General Dwight Eisenhower in 1945 that Armistice Day should honor all veterans, not just those who died in World War I.  During Eisenhower’s presidential term, he signed a bill, which Congress passed, changing the name from Armistice Day to Veterans’ Day, in 1954 and to honor all veterans.
 
In many parts of the world, two minutes of silence are observed at 11:00 a.m. to pay respect to those soldiers who died with the second minute dedicated to their surviving family members.
 
This year, make it your goal to not let the veterans in your family be forgotten.  If you have not researched the veterans in your family and written their stories, research them now.  Get their records.  Tell their stories so that their descendants, their children, grandchildren, and other family members will know of them and what they did for their country.  Instill pride in today’s and future generations of descendants of what their ancestors did to preserve freedom for them.
 
The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.  Let them never be forgotten.   
 

Memorial Day was originally created to remember and honor the fallen Civil War soldiers.  Today it is observed to remember the fallen from all wars and all of our loved ones but what about those who have no descendants? Someone else needs to tell their stories and make sure they are not forgotten. That is why I choose to honor this soldier on this Memorial Day. 

My 1st cousin, 4 times removed was George Neely. George was the youngest son of Thomas Davis and Mary (Canady) Neely. The family lived in Allentown, Allen County, Ohio. George’s father died when he was 3 months old, leaving his mother with 9 young children. George grew up never knowing his father. His mother remarried when he was 2, however, that marriage only lasted for 3 years when his step-father left his mother and married another woman, then died a year later. George’s main role model was probably his uncle, William who looked out for his mother and her children. William managed Mary’s finances and any legal business for her after Thomas’ death.  

Barely 16, George, along with 4 of his 6 brothers, John, James, Joseph, and Thomas enlisted in Co. K, 118th Ohio Volunteer Infantry on November 11, 1862.  The whereabouts of his brother, Samuel is unknown after 1850. Whether he was alive when the Civil War began is not known. George’s brother, William died in 1860, a year before the start of the war. Several of George’s cousins also served in Company K. George’s brother, James was promoted to sergeant and led the company.    

In January, 1862, he contracted typhoid fever. He was given a furlough when he became ill and died at home.

George’s brothers were married and had wives to support but George was able to send his pay home to his mother. He was her only means of support. 

Bringing up 8 children virtually alone and husbandless through most of their childhood probably ate up most, if not all of the estate left to her at the death of Thomas. Had she not been able to draw a small pension from George’s service as his dependent, who knows what means of support she would have had.  

George’s life was cut short at the age of 17, however he did not die in vain. He died as a hero who served his country and took responsibility for the care of the woman who had taken care of him for most of his life. May we take a moment to remember him and honor him this Memorial Day. 

George died on February 4, 1864 at his mother’s home in Allentown, Allen County, Ohio. He is buried near his father in old Ward Cemetery in Bath Township.

6I have so many photos that I love, to pick out one favorite to tell about is almost impossible. Anyone whose reads my blog or has visited my website has seen the photo at the top of the pages. Numerous times, people have told me how they like that photo or asked about the people in it so I’m going to tell you about it. 

Many years ago, I connected with a lady in Arizona whose aunt was married to my great uncle. One day soon after, I brought in my mail and there was a small package. I opened it and it was a box that checks had come in. When I opened the box, it was filled with photos that had belonged to my great uncle and a note. The note said that when Uncle Bee died in 1975, the sender had inherited his possessions. She was so glad to have made contact with someone in his family because she wanted the pictures to be returned to the Carder family. The rest of the box contained photos and a letter that Uncle Bee had written to his older brother when he was a child. What wonderful gift and treasure this sweet lady had given me!

The photo on my website is one of the photos that were in this little checkbox. Conveniently, Uncle Bee had labeled some of the photos and this was one of the labeled ones. At the bottom of the Home page of my website, I have a description identifying the photo and the people in it. I’m including that label here also. 

The photo is of my great grandmother, Mary Alice Alford Rider Carder surrounded by most of her children. Alice, as she was known, was the widow of Albert Rider when she married my great grandfather, Nathan Isaac Carder. She was born on June 12, 1873.

The photo was taken in the winter of 1916 because there is snow on the ground and the baby on my great grandmother’s lap is my great aunt, Margaret Eleanore Carder Finicle who had been born on April 24, 1915. It is the only photo I have of Aunt Marge when she was a baby.  

The house in the photo is numbered 635.  Although I have the address of numerous places my family lived, I haven’t found an address with the house number, 635. My guess would be that it was probably in Kenton, Hardin County, Ohio. I’m basing my guess on the fact that Aunt Marge is the baby in the photo and she was born in Kenton.

It is, of course, possible that they might have moved when she was a baby, but I don’t know. They were living in Bellefontaine, Logan County, Ohio by the time she was four, but their address in Bellefontaine was 504 Walker Street. 

The boy on the left with the big bow tie is my grandpa, Wilbur Silas Carder. His mother called him, “Wibbie”.  He was born on February 20, 1909. As an adult, he was called “Nick” after the dime novel, radio program, and movie character, “Nick Carter, Master Detective”. 

To the right of Alice, is her youngest son, Clarence Melvin Carder. Alice gave him the nickname, “Taunt” because she said that he always teased and taunted everyone. Taunt was born on March 1, 1911.

Behind them are Alice’s children from her marriage to Albert Rider.  On the left on the step is Charles Edward Rider. He was called “Bee,” because she said he buzzed around like a little bee. He was born on June 20, 1903. 

In the middle, is Alice’s oldest child, Florence Evylin Rider Harvey who went by Nina (9 ah). Nina was born on June 26, 1890.  

Although, on the back of the picture, the young man on the end is labeled as Bill Carder, it is not. There were a few family members named Bill Carder, but this is neither of them. It is Alice’s oldest son, Frances Earl Rider who was called “Billy”. Perhaps, he was labeled as Bill Carder because it is a Carder family photo and he was the stepson of Nathan Carder and went by Billy. Billy Rider was born on December 10, 1900. 

I doubt that the Carders owned a camera in 1916. Most people didn’t and they certainly were not in an income bracket that they could afford one so it's not likely that one of the missing family members took the picture.  Missing from the picture are my great grandfather, Alice’s husband, Nathan Isaac Carder, born on May 21, 1875, and their son, Nathan Eugene Carder, born on March 8, 1907.  So, where were they?

​[Photo: About 1916. Front, Left to right-Wilbur Silas Carder (my grandfather), Mary Alice Alford Rider Carder (my great grandmother), holding Margaret Eleanore Carder, Clarence Melvin Carder.  Back, Left to right-Charles Edward Rider, Nina Evylin Rider, and Francis Earl Rider (Billy), children of Mary Alice from her first marriage. Mary Alice was the widow of Albert Rider when she married my great grandfather, Nathan Isaac Carder.]

​

​I have written about my great, great grandmother, Rebecca Love Cheney, but have never written about any of her family. Rebecca’s parents were Samuel Love and Sarah Newell. 

Samuel was born about 1792 in Shenandoah County, Virginia. He was the first-born child of Revolutionary War veteran, William Love and his wife, Winiford Carney.

Samuel probably had to grow up fast. He became the “man” of the house at the age of eleven when his father was declared to be deranged and placed in the insane asylum in Williamsburg, Virginia on April 28, 1803. Samuel had four brothers and four sisters, ranging from age ten to age two. He may have shouldered a lot of responsibilities to help his widowed mother with their family. 

Samuel served during the War of 1812 as a private in Capt. Andrew Bryan's Co., 2nd Regiment, Virginia Militia. He served from September 21, 1812 to February 20, 1813.

Shortly after Samuel’s discharge, his father, William died in the Eastern Lunatic Asylum on April 10, 1813.  He is buried in the asylum’s cemetery. 

A few months later, on October 10, 1813, Samuel married Sarah Newell, in Harrison County, Virginia. She was the daughter of Isaac Newell and Abigail Vanscoy.  Like Samuel, Sarah was born in Virginia and was the oldest child in her family.

Between 1819 and 1820, Samuel and Sarah and their four children migrated to New Market, Fayette County, Ohio. Before 1830, they moved to Pike County, Ohio. Five more children were born to them in Ohio.   

My great, great grandmother, Rebecca, the second child and first daughter of Samuel and Sarah, married William Cheney about 1834. William’s uncle, Jonathan Cheney had founded a community, Cheney’s Grove in McLean County, Illinois. About 1840, some of the Cheneys and Loves moved to Cheney’s Grove, including William and Rebecca and her parents, Samuel and Sarah Love.

While living in McLean County, Sarah Newell Love died in 1842 and is buried in Barnes Cemetery, Ellsworth, McLean County, Illinois. Her daughter, Elizabeth and son-in-law, David S. Allen and several of Sarah and Samuel’s grandchildren are buried near her.  

After Sarah's death, William and Rebecca Cheney, their children, and her father, Samuel Love returned to Ohio where they took up residence in Marion, Marion County, Ohio where Rebecca’s brother, John lived. The widowed, Samuel moved into the household of his son, John, in Marion. Samuel farmed along side of his son, but not for long. 

Several Southern states ceded from the Union. War soon followed to reunited the country. John Love, along with most able bodied Marion County men enlisted in Co. E, 96th Ohio Infantry. He served as a wagoner for Co. E during the Civil War. 

He did not come home. He was captured by Confederates and taken to Andersonville Prison in Georgia where he contracted a disease and died on July 18, 1864. 

Whether Samuel stayed on, farmed his son’s land, and took care of his son’s family is not known. At some point in time, his daughter-in-law, Elvira remarried to a Mr. Johnson. 

By 1870, William and Rebecca had gone to Missouri, returning to Ohio permanently by 1880. Samuel died December 7, 1870 in Bowling Green, Marion County, Ohio. 

​After my mother passed away in 2016, my husband and I moved into my family home. One day shortly after the move, while dusting, I saw something stuck behind a shelf against the wall.  I reach over and pulled it out. 

It was a sandwich bag with some crumpled newspaper in it. I took out the newspaper and uncrumpled it. Inside of it was a small photo like people used to have taken in those little photo booths in the malls or stores.  The photo was not labeled, however, I am sure that it is a photo of my great grandma, Louella Sylvester Leveck. She was my dad’s grandma and I knew her very well.  I was pushing 30 when she passed away and had stayed at her house many times as a child.  I have no other photos of her as young as she is in this one I found, however she looked the same as the photos I have of Grandma Lou, only younger. 

As exciting as finding a photo of her and seeing what she looked like as a young woman, not as the great grandma I knew, there was something else! A small diamond ring was also wrapped in the piece of newspaper.  I’m guessing that it was her engagement ring, perhaps from her first husband who would have been my dad’s grandfather.  

How this got stuck behind the shelf will never be known. Maybe, Dad set it on the shelf and it fell behind and he didn’t realize it or couldn’t find it.  I don’t know, but what a delightful surprise it was when I found it.  I had met my mom’s grandma a few times but Lou was the only great grandma I knew and knew well so this picture and little ring are cherished treasures.

Great surprise, huh?   

​The first ancestor I began researching in the quest for my family history was John Mahlon Carder. To this day, he is the ancestor who I have repeatedly returned and attempted to do more research and the one who I believe I know best. 

Not only have I researched his life, I have written and spoken about him many times. Two of my lectures, Finding Eliza Jane and The POW Experiences of Two Union Civil War Soldiers  are based on his Civil War pension file, compiled service records, and his POW records.  I have a copy of a photo of him framed and hanging on the wall near my computer. I have visited the places he called home.  I feel like I know this great, great grandfather personally. 

When I started researching my family history twenty-one years ago, all I knew is that my great, great grandfather’s name was John Carder, that he came from the Shenandoah Valley, and that he had served in the Civil War.  I didn’t know where else he had lived, for which side he served in the Civil War, or his middle name.  Everything I knew was in the previous sentence.

My great aunt was living when I started my research so I asked her what she knew about him.  She knew where he was buried. The next day, my parents and I picked up Aunt Marge and we visited John Carder’s grave.  It was a government issue tombstone that you see on so many Civil War veterans’ graves. With the information on his tombstone, I was able to order his Civil War records and really start learning about him, my great, great grandmother, and their children. 

Twenty-one years later, I have probably all of his siblings, his wives and in-laws, and over 8,600 collateral relatives and  descendants. The one thing I have never been able to learn is the one reason I started doing my family history-to learn who John’s parents were.  That is still my #1 goal. Who were the parents of John Mahlon Carder?  

​I’m not posting a copy of the picture of the bearded man that hangs on my wall because the original is not mine.  Many years ago, I received a copy of the original picture that was supposed to be John Mahlon Carder, my great, great grandfather in his Civil War uniform.  The cousin who shared it now says that although that is who she was told it was, she is not sure. 

I personally think it is, because we have a couple of other photos who may be him and he always has that beard. A long, bushy beard that was popular during and after the Civil War.  The aunt of the cousin who shared the picture told us that the picture hung in her grandparents’ home and when she was a child, she thought the man in the picture looked like he was wearing a fur collar.

I hope the photo truly is my great, great grandfather, John. Looking at that picture on my wall has been an inspiration to delve more deeply into his life.  I’ve done so much research and written his story and told about him when I give lectures that I feel like I know him. Seeing his face looking back at me on my wall makes me smile and reminds me that his and my family’s story needs to be told and not forgotten. The man with the bushy beard will stay on my wall and continue to remind me the importance of preserving our family history.    

​One of the nice tools in Legacy Deluxe 9 is the search tool, which helps you make a list. My birthday is January 16th. I used the tool to find and make a list of everyone in my database who was born in January. The list contained quite a few ancestors and relatives with birthdays on the day before or after my birthday and several who share the same birthday. 

I think we all have favorite ancestors who we like to work on or have enjoyed learning about. One of these is my 3rd great grandfather, Ebenezer Cheney. I am proud to be Ebenezer’s 3rd great granddaughter. He was a man who I have come to greatly admire. 

Ebenezer was born on 15 January 1777, son of a Revolutionary War veteran, Thomas Cheney and Keturah Owen. Ebenezer was born and grew up in a frontier fort in Harrison County, Virginia. In 1798, he married Elizabeth H. Owen.

About 1807, Ebenezer and Elizabeth and their two children followed his father and brothers who had migrated to Champaign County, Ohio. Six more children were born to the couple in Champaign County.

When the War of 1812 broke out, Ebenezer, along with his brothers, served in Co. I., Wood's Spies from Ohio. 

In 1827, Ebenezer moved his family to Union County, Ohio, following an old Indian trail in a covered wagon pulled by oxen. The trail was not really a “real” road and Ebenezer and those traveling with him had to frequently stop and cut and remove logs from their path. 

Ebenezer was the second settler in Jackson Township, Union County and founded the second settlement there. It was part of Leesburg Township at the time. I’m not sure how it was determined who was the first or second settler. Several families had traveled from Champaign County together, including the family of Benjamin O. Carter, Ebenezer’s brother-in-law. Union County history credits Benjamin as the first settler.  All I can figure is that Benjamin’s wagon must have led the wagon train and Ebenezer’s wagon was second. 

In 1828, only three families resided in what became Jackson Township. Each of these families lost a member that year.  The first death was that of little Johnnie Carter, the son of Benjamin O. Carter. Mary Allen and Elizabeth Cheney were the other two victims. When Elizabeth died, Ebenezer donated part of his farm land for a public cemetery. This was the first public cemetery there. 

On March 3, 1829, Ebenezer presented a petition to the county commissioners of Union County for a new township, to be named Jackson to be created from the north side of Leesburg Township. The petition was granted and Jackson Township was formed on June 3, 1829. 

The township's early religious services were held at the Cheney home when the Finley Methodist Episcopal church was organized at Ebenezer's cabin in 1830. 

Ebenezer’s daughter, Elizabeth was the first school teacher in the new community in 1830 or 1831. Her marriage to Tabor Randall on January 1, 1832 was the first wedding in Union County. 

Ebenezer Cheney died July 15, 1833 and is buried next to his wife, Elizabeth in Cheney Cemetery. 

I admire my 3rd great grandfather for bravely serving his country and pioneering into new territory, for obviously being a good husband and father who cared that his wife had a place for a Christian burial and who raised children who became productive citizens.  I think that he was a good man, intelligent, loyal, and brave. I’m proud to be his 3rd great granddaughter and have my birthday on the day after his, albeit, a couple of hundred years later.

Many people in the Cheney side of my family have the middle name, Owen, after my ancestors with the surname, Owen. My 4th great grandparents on my mother’s side are Thomas Cheney and Keturah Owen. Their son, Ebenezer married Elizabeth H. Owen who are my 3rd great grandparents. Thomas and Keturah’s son, Jonathan William married Catherine Elizabeth Owen. 

You would think that these Owen women would all be related, but they aren’t. What? But how can that be? They all lived in Harrison County, Virginia and all migrated to Champaign County, Ohio. Then, there are also the Owen and Owens on my dad’s side of the family, who also migrated from Virginia to Champaign County, Ohio. They aren’t related either. 

What a confusing mess! It has taken years to sort out most of this confusion and I’m not sure that all of it is resolved yet. I’ve looked online at trees and message boards to see what others have and from what I’ve seen, these Owens have baffled everyone at one time or another and there is still a lot of confusion about them. 

Originally, I had Keturah, Elizabeth and Catherine all in the same family as cousins. A cousin of mine, who works with me on the Cheney family, always thought something didn’t seem quite right with Keturah ’s placement in this family. Keturah was born in New York. She was the only Owen we had who was born in New York. A few other “facts” we had about Keturah did not seem to fit in with the Owen family in which Elizabeth and Catherine belonged. My cousin did some deeper digging and discovered that Keturah came from another, unrelated Owen family who was, in fact, from New York. 

I did have Elizabeth and Catherine placed correctly as first cousins, once removed, in the right Owen family. Some of the other members of this family have been more difficult to place under the correct parents. 

Elizabeth was the daughter of John Owens II. and Mary Probst. Catherine was the daughter of Owen Owen. John and Owen were brothers and the sons of John Owen I. and Ann Horner.

To complicate matters more, researchers get John Owen, husband of Ann Horner and John Owens, husband of Dulcabella Bunbury mixed up. 

My poor, little brain gets strained sometimes trying to sort out all of these people of different families with the same name, but isn’t that part of what sparks our curiosity and keeps us hooked on researching our ancestors?

​We all know the old song, Yankee Doodle, but did you know that the song was written about a real person? His name was Thomas Fitch and he was born August 12, 1725 in Connecticut to Governor Thomas Fitch and Hannah Hall. He was my 1st cousin, 7 times removed. 

He acquired fame throughout the American Colonies for his bravery during the French and Indian War and because of his dashing appearance leading his volunteer troops, he was given the nickname, "Yankee Doodle".  He was the inspiration for the patriotic song.

Colonal Fitch was a distinguished officer during the French and Indian War at Crown Point, the Battle of Beauport, and Cape Breton, Louisiana and during the American Revolution. He led his hastily recruited volunteers to reinforce General William Johnson against the enemies at Ticonderoga and Crown Point in 1755. The well-dressed Colonel Fitch in his fine, gentleman’s clothes and his raggedly dressed, but victorious soldiers inspired the famous song and the nickname, "Yankees" for Americans.

During the Revolutionary War, he was one of the chief American commanders at Norwalk, Connecticut.  He commanded a regiment of Fairfield County militia and reinforced Washington in the summer of 1776. He and his regiment were with General Wooster at Rye, New York during the winter of 1776-1777.

When British troops attacked Norwalk on July 11, 1779, Colonel Fitch's militia wrecked havoc on the British troops.  The British set the town on fire destroying most of the homes. Colonel Fitch’s home was set on fire but extinguished before it was totally destroyed. 

Colonial Fitch’s grandfather was my 7th great grandfather. His father, Governor Fitch’s sister, Elizabeth and her husband, Joshua Raymond were my 6th great grandparents. 

Colonial Thomas Fitch married Sarah St. John on April 28, 1763 in Norwich, Connecticut. They had no children but Colonial Thomas Fitch will live on and not be forgotten through the song he inspired. 

So, now you know the truth and the real man behind the legend of Yankee Doodle.