Trivia

Trivia on the Day side of the Family

War Service

Is it possible that a father could serve in the Revolutionary War and his son could serve in the Civil War?

Yes!

Even though the wars are 85 years apart.  Frederick Sprague was 16 when he served in 1779 and his son, Sidney was the 14th child of 16, and was 55 when he served in 1861. Pretty cool!

Ivy League University

Do we have any connections to the founding of any of the Ivy League Universities?

Yes!

Chad Brown was a co-founder of  Providence, Rhode Island.  His farm is now the location of Brown University's University Hall.

Thomas Skidmore's home in Cambridge stood on a triangular plot. Today it faces Harvard Square and is a block of shops serving Harvard University.

Our First Immigrant Ancestor

So, who got here first, and where did they come from?

1628

William Sprague and his two brothers left Upway, England and arrived in 1628, just 8 years after the pilgrims.  He co-founded the town of Charlestown, Massachusetts.

Civil War Discharge

Who has the most unusual reason for being discharged?

Russell Gordon Day

was discharged after being stepped on by a mule.

Barnum and Bailey Circus

Could we be related to P T Barnum?

Yes!

But distantly...Delbert would have been his 4th cousin, 4 times removed.

Famous Relations

Could we be distantly related to a TV star?

Yes!

The actress, Lucille Ball shares the Sprague Ancestry.  We would be 10th cousins.

Trivia on the McAninch side of the Family

The Domesday Book

Who can we trace back the farthest?

1628

William the Conqueror took a census of everyone living in England. Our branch of the Scudamores can be traced back to a family that had been living in a town named for them: Upton (higher farm) Scudamore in Wiltshire named in the Domesday Book in 1086.

Slavery

Did any of our ancestors own slaves?

Sadly, yes.

Joseph Skidmore, Jr  who lived in Ruddle, (West) Virginia in the mid 1700s.

Patriots

How many of our ancestor's war stories can we document?

11

Six of our ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War, all on the American side.

Five of our ancestors fought in the Civil War, all for the Union Army.

Trivia on the North side of the Family

The First Immigrant Ancestor

So, who got here first, and where did they come from?

1683

George Maris left Bromsgrove, England on the ship named the Bristol Comfort and arrived in Pennsylvania.

Quakers in our tree

Could we have any Quaker ancestry?

Yes!

As early as 1685, the Mendenhalls had arrived in Pennsylvania and they are listed in the Quaker Meeting Records.

Saloon

Did any of our ancestors own a saloon?

Yes!

In 1908, this appeared in the newspaper: The Saloon of James Hroch (Helen's grandfather) of Wymore was entered by burglars, who secured about $100 from the till. They took the loot and boarded a southbound train for Kansas City. 

Dead-Ends

Are there any research brick walls that we have encountered?

Yes!

On the North Side... Helen's great grandparents are dead-ends at James Cooper, Ann Wilson and Harriet (Last Name Unknown).  

And on the Bohemian side of Helen's ancestry, we end with her great grandparents the Hrochs and Melichars.