There is a remote possibility that some of the kidnapped missionaries are my remote cousins. Why? Because (in the TV news) I saw a picture of the Dunkard Brethren Church. I checked the Internet and found this story. My extended family can be found in churches with various “Brethren” names. My heart was burdened when I first heard the news. Now, I have an extra burden.
“Among the kidnapped are members of a family from the congregation of Dunkard Brethren Church in Hart, Michigan, according to the church’s minister, Ron Marks.”
I think that many of you have already heard that 6 of my son, Ray Noecker’s family were part of a group of 17 that were kidnapped as they went to visit at an orphanage in Haiti this morning. Please keep these people and their families in your prayers.
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CONFIRMED: An hour later and I have not (yet) developed the “Noecker” family in my Ancestry.com database. However, I found a “Noecker” young woman married to one of my fifth cousins–and they live in Michigan.
Boy, did I goof!? Remember how I crawled around—yesterday—rearranging electric cords? Today I moved the main power cord from one outlet to another outlet—without turning the computer off. It created a situation where my desktop computer was absolutely doing nothing. I spent more than an hour trying to get things restored—without success. I finally called my Internet provider—Spectrum—and a kind, thoughtful, considerate young man walked me through establishing my Internet connection. That is after I finally had images on my monitor.
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You be the judge: Another “dumb deed”? That was one of my outdoor projects, this morning.
I didn’t want to clutter the earlier message with my thought and opinions. Share that earlier message with your family and friends. Readers of my blog know I am a Bible-believing, God-loving, woman proud to identify as a Christian.
Waco traffic is terrible!! Laugh with me or at me (that’s OK). I compare my recent experience to “a cat on a hot tin roof”!! ‘Twas very uncomfortable and I was eager to get home. Personally, I was alarmed to see people “out shopping” as though things were “back to normal.” Continuing with “the cat” illustration: I’m a scaredy-cat and I’ll postpone shopping!! I want to live healthy and continue “climbing trees.”
Last night, I was climbing the “Smith” tree and was inclined to add a couple of paragraphs to a couple of individuals. Read it here or go to Amanda in my Ancestry database.
It’s complicated: Amanda Melissa Barnes (1809-1886) was married to my second-cousin-four-times-removed, Warren Smith (1794-1838). Warren was killed in the Haun’s Mill Massacre (do a Google search for details). Amanda was one of Warren’s several wives. After his death she became one of the many wives of Joseph Smith (1805-1844), founder of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints.
It’s complicated when an individual attempts to trace relatives with the “Smith” surname. I’ve searched… and have not located a connection between my branch of the Smith tree and the Joseph Smith tree.
My fifth-great-grandfather and Warren’s grandfather, Cheleab Smith Jr. (1742-1843), lived one-hundred-years-six-months.
I’m not a Mormon but I’m a genealogist and historian. One can spend hours reading very interesting information about these families. Again I suggest: Do a Google search.
Here is an excerpt from an article regarding the Haun’s Mill Massacre; this is the son of Amanda and Warren Smith. Members of the militia entered the shop and found ten-year-old Sardius Smith hiding under the blacksmith’s bellows. William Reynolds put his musket against the boy’s skull and blew off the top of his head. Reynolds later explained, “Nits will make lice, and if he had lived he would have become a Mormon.”
“The family that prays together, stays together.” Have you heard that saying? The families worshipping in the Old German Baptist Brethren Church, Old Order Brethren, and Church of the Brethren “prayed together” and definitely “stayed together.” They intermarried and there are times it takes me days to accurately document the individuals. Due to “same name” individuals, it is difficult to identify who belongs to whom. I compare these challenges to a Rubik’s Cube. ~~ I wonder what the DNA looks like for these closely related individuals. ~~ The first chart shows the ancestry of this lady’s parents. The second chart shows her ancestry with the addition of another branch of the same tree.
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Changing the subject: While preparing this message, my desktop computer stopped functioning. I’m completing this message on my laptop. I confess the only way to get me off the computer is a dead desktop computer. A signal that I must work on downsizing now that we have pleasant cool weather. (Because of failing eyesight, I seldom use my laptops. I love the large monitor with the desktop computer.)
Praise be to God for cousins who share!! Yesterday, I received an email regarding the death of an extended family member. I documented… and shared the information with another cousin. The second cousin saw an error and kindly brought it to my attention. I’ve been whipping myself for several hours. “How could this happen? I’m always so careful about names and sources.”
Yesterday, I confess I “sit a lot.” (Grammatically incorrect? I wanted it to off-set “Sit a bit.”) My weed-pulling wore me out!! This is my journal and I gotta be honest. I can’t just sit in my easy chair watching TV; I have to “keep busy” while sitting. Yup, I was at the computer doing genealogy. I received an email message telling me a cousin died earlier in the day in an auto accident. I began documenting Ralph Garber. Now, more information than you want to know(?): In my large database, I did not have Ralph or his father and mother (but I “knew” the surnames). An Ancestry.com “start from scratch” search provided the desired information. From there… I had all the ancestors. See the green leaf? Now I need to go back and document the additional information. Furthermore, I document the details for the people you do not see: Spouse, children, and siblings. (More than you want to know?!)
