So Far Away

In 1868, when Sylvanus J. Macy published the authoritative genealogy of the Macy family, he not only recorded 2,108 known descendant but also included some summary statistics.

The progenitors of this big clan were Thomas and Sarah (Hopcott) Macy, who are venerated as pioneer settlers of Nantucket.  In fact, the great John Greenleaf Whittier even composed an epic poem describing their escape from Puritan authorities on the mainland to refuge on that island.

One of Mr. Macy's data tables includes a detailed accounting of the birthplaces of each of the descendants enumerated in his genealogy:

703 in Massachusetts

359 in Indiana

340 in New York

276 in North Carolina

196 in Ohio

96 unknown (including some presumed to be on the "Sandwich Islands," better known as Hawai'i)

29 in Illinois

24 in Iowa

22 in Tennessee

10 in Alabama

9 at Halifax in Nova Scotia, Canada

6 each in California and Maine

5 in Rhode Island

4 each in South Carolina and Wisconsin

3 each in France, Kansas, and New Jersey

2 each in England, Pennsylvania, and Virginia

1 each in Maryland, Michigan, New Hampshire, and Vermont

This diaspora started with one couple who lived on a small island off the New England coast and spanned two centuries.  It really is interesting to ponder how so many of their descendants ended-up so far away from their roots.

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Close to Home

When I moved into my current home in the College Park section of Orlando back in 2008, I knew it had been the last residence of my great aunt Agnes (Morgan) Newell.  

In the years since, I have discovered several other relatives lived in other homes that are within easy walking distance.

My great uncle Frank Cox and his wife Jane lived in this house on Westmoreland Drive.  He was a veteran of the First World War, and worked as an Orlando city fireman.

My great great grandmother Lola (Blakesley) Morgan rented this bungalow at 811 West Harvard Street in the 1930s.

During the Second World War, she lived in this little house at 610 West Princeton Street.  Currently, it is in the shadow of the Wellesley condo tower, and likely will not be around much longer as development encroaches.

My great aunt Lola (Morgan) Newell lived in this cottage at 529 Clayton Street in the 1920s.  Her husband Harold worked as a mechanc for Doctor Phillips, the biggest citrus grower in Central Florida.

My great aunt Agnes Morgan married Arthur Newell in this newly-constructed home at 1 East Princeton Street in 1925.  (They met while working downtown as tellers in the same bank!)  Arthur went on to serve as Clerk of the Circuit Court for many years, so you can find his name on almost all of the old official records from the 1930s until the 1960s.

I have also discovered my great grandparents William and Sarah (Cox) Morgan had plans to build a home in College Park, but ultimately sold the lot here to build one in Muriel Terrace (now known as "SoDo") because it was closer to his job at the branch post office.  I have the deed records for the College Park lot, but cannot pinpoint its exact location because that section was demolished during construction of Interstate 4 . . .

Anyway, it's nice to spot pieces of my family history every day as I drive around this little corner of Orlando.

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Long Line

Did you know the Florida State Genealogical Society will issue you a "Pioneer Descendant" certificate if you can document an ancestor who lived in the territory before statehood was achieved in 1845?

Details are at this link: FSGS Pioneer Descendant program information

I qualified for a certificate several years ago, based on my descent from Sarah Matilda (Ivey) Patrick.  She was born in Hamilton County in 1844, a year before statehood, and came to Orange County with her parents in the 1850s.  Sarah married Dink Patrick (more on him later) and settled in the small town of Pine Castle south of Orlando.  The third of their many children was my great great grandmother Alice Caroline (Patrick) Macy, one of the organizers of Pine Castle's venerable "Union Church" in 1900.  Her eldest son Bernie Macy was the town constable in the 1920s.  He had five daughters, the eldest of whom is my grandmother Alice (Macy) Morgan.  If you count Sarah's parents as well as my grandmother's great great grandchildren, you come up with a LONG LINE of nine generations of Central Florida residents.

Since receiving my certificate, I discovered Dink Patrick's great grandmother Martha (Deas) Jernigan was living in Orange County as early as 1850.  Her daughter Ellender Jernigan married Wright Patrick, our area's first official postmaster.  Their son John Patrick was a veteran of the Seminole Wars and served as a guide to the earliest federal survey crews on the Florida frontier.  He was Dink's father.  So, that makes for an even LONGER LINE of eleven generations.

Either way, a lot of Florida history flows thru these veins . . .

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Favorite Photo

My Grandpa Gleeson was a photographer, so we are blessed with an abundance of old black and white photos from the 1930s thru the 1960s.

It was hard to pick just one in response to this week's blogging prompt.

Ultimately, I decided on this snapshot of Grandpa G enjoying a Coke and a smile with some of his comrades in arms during World War II.  It was taken at Dubsdread Country Club in Orlando, Florida.  I wish I knew the names of the other folks in the picture . . . Anyway, I've always liked it for its patriotic vibe.  After all, what's more American than Coca Cola being enjoyed by "The Greatest Generation" in uniform?!

Runners up from the Gleeson collection include a family group shot in front of King Arthur's tomb, and a somewhat embarrassing portrait of my Aunt Roberta crossing the English Channel on a windy day.  Perhaps one or both of these will appear in a future post . . . stay tuned!

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Fresh Start

One of my New Year resolutions for 2020 is to get back into blogging.  It was once a daily habit.  But, sadly, it fell by the wayside several years ago.

The inspiration was Amy Johnson Crow's "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" challenge.  Follow the hyperlink to see the list of weekly blogging prompts she has slated thru the end of 2020.  And, watch this space for my responses!

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