The Kirtons of Hampshire

 It’s been a long time since I wrote about my Kirton ancestry.  I have discovered a few things over the years, and continue to pick away at it, seeking to push back the line ever more.  Here is some information I’ve discovered since I wrote my Kirtons of Kentucky blog entry, 10 years ago.

The earliest ancestor I’ve identified thus far is William Kirton, born circa 1762.  He and his wife Elizabeth (maiden name currently unknown) lived in Hampshire county, England.  There they had a son, Richard Shaw Kirton, born 13 November 1794.  Richard was a shoemaker, so it’s possible that his father was, as well.

Richard Shaw Kirton married Elizabeth Carpenter on 26 April 1818 in Maryleborne, Middlesex, England. They had 4 daughters and a son that I’ve been able to uncover.

Elizabeth Kirton (born 21 July 1820, died 5 December 1822)

Sarah Kirton (born 19 January 1822)

Ann Kirton (born 5 July 1824)

Richard Thomas Kirton (my 4x great grandfather, born 4 July 1830, died 22 February 1910)

Louisa Kirton (born 1835)

I am not sure when the Kirtons moved from England to the United States, but I suspect it was around 1850. Richard Thomas Kirton married Ellen Hyler in 1854, and he and his father appear separately on the 1860 census.  Richard Shaw Kirton lived in Cincinnati, while his son settled in Covington, Kentucky, just across the state border.

By 1870, Richard Shaw Kirton was living with his daughter Louisa “Lucy” and her husband, Elttin Edgely, in Cincinnati, Ohio.  He was also living with them in 1880 according to the census.

Louisa and her husband had two known children, Elizabeth “Bessie” Edgely (born 1856) , and George Edgely (born 1858).  Bessie married Charles Roberts and had children, but more research is needed on those lines.

Richard Thomas Kirton and his wife Ellen had two sons, Nelson W. Kirton and Sidney Alfred Kirton, and from there we run into my column from 10 years ago, The Kirtons of Kentucky .

A few added details are that both Nelson and Sidney Kirton also worked as shoemakers.  I’m having a hard time figuring out when Nelson died, as he simply vanishes from records after the 1880’s.  His wife, Sarah Drusilla Wallwork, got remarried on 24 November 1892 to Jerome Boyd, so I suspect Nelson may have died before then.

Nelson’s two sons, Newton Charles and Sidney Alfred, both started working as train porters around 1900.  Newton (my great-great grandfather) worked his way up to Fireman by 1910, while Sidney ended up becoming a house servant before his death in 1932.

Kirton and Nelson Family Photos, 1920's

It has been too long since I last posted about my genealogical research.  It has been sporadic over the last couple of years, as I’ve had other priorities get in the way.  I do still try to find time to uncover new bits and pieces.

A few weeks ago, I was picking through some things and found a few photos my mother received from my grandmother years ago.  I had not seen these before, as my mother often kept these things to herself, since I did not express a keen interest in them when I was younger.  I’m ever grateful that she left these photos for me, as I can now apreciate them.

First off, is a photo of my grandfather, John Julius Kirton.  This photo was taken when he was about 4, which dates it to around 1922.

Second in this batch is a photo of John Kirton and his sister, Mary Alice Kirton, taken in 1927 according to the attribution on the back of the picture.  John is holding baby alligators, it appears.

The third photo was taken at the beach (where is not stated), about 1926. 

This photo has a whole bunch of family in it.  The 3 adults in back are listed as Aula Nelson, Adelaide Nelson, and Elizabeth Urech.  The 3 taller kids in the middle are Ned Nelson, Jr. (Who was killed fighting the Nazis in WWII), Ruth Nelson, and John Kirton.  The two smaller kids in front are Mary Alice Kirton and Richard Nelson.  It looks like Ned is carrying a surf board?

Here’s the family run down:   Ned, Ruth, and Richard are the three older children of Ned Nelson, Sr. (their youngest sister, Aula Joanne Nelson, wasn’t born until 1929).  Aula Steele (Alexander) Nelson is their mother.  Elizabeth Urech is the sister of Ada Belle (Urech) Nelson, Ada being the kids’ grandmother.  John and Mary Kirton were the children of Mary Alice (Nelson) Kirton.

And here’s a small diagram I drew for this very post:

It’s always fascinating to run across old photos like these.  They have survived much, and give us a glimpse into the past.  I hope to share more in the coming years.  If any of you wish to contact me, I can be reached at mtiediting (at) inbox.com.

Zacklies

Well, here we are, on the final day of the A to Z challenge.  This year, we'll wrap things up with a bit of irreverent humor from my late Uncle Stephen.



Stephen Kirton, Circa 1965



Stephen was always good for a joke, and he was the sort of amiable fellow that could get away with just about anything.  He could tell an off-color joke or two no matter what company he was keeping without causing much offense because he just had that certain air about him; a unique charisma and empathy that let him off the hook for saying things that would get other people crucified.

One of the odd jokes he liked to tell was about the "zacklies," and he often varied the story to suit different people.  In the joke, someone would go to some doctor or psychiatrist, complaining about people avoiding them.  The doctor would say, "You've got a case of the zacklies."  The patient would ask what that was, and the punch-line went: "It's where your mouth smells zackley like your ass."  Obviously, this joke could be considered quite offensive on several levels, though it was the kind of humor my uncle excelled at telling (or retelling most likely).

Though, he was far smarter than such childish humor might lead you to believe.  He was an accomplished Chiropractor who always sought to expand his knowledge, even as he struggled with inner demons and various addictions.  I recognize now that much of his flamboyant, extroverted behavior was a cover for the hidden pain that lurked within his soul.  As so many people tend to do, he hid his emotional scars from the world behind a veil of jocularity.

Uncle Stephen was someone who could get along with anybody, and often did.

Lost in Time

Time is an unstoppable force in many ways, something that at present cannot be challenged.  Once something has passed, it is over forever, and there are so many people and events that will never be seen again.

Photographs are the lingering echoes from the lost past, little bits of memorabilia that can give us insights into the imagery that cannot be reclaimed.  People long dead will live on forever in the pictures we have of them, though over time even those can be forgotten.  That is why it's vitally important that we keep them identified.



Mary Alice (Nelson) Kirton,
holding son, John Julius Kirton
1919



Almost everyone who lived during the latter half of the 19th century onwards has had a picture taken of them at some point, though a great deal of those older pictures have been forgotten.  So many unidentified faces may lurk in plain sight, simply because there is nobody left alive who remembers them.  Younger generations often ignore the past, and sometimes fail to care until it is too late.  This is how ancestral lines and family photographs can be lost and forgotten.

It's always fortunate to find a photograph with an inscription on the back.  Those who have the foresight to jot down something as simple as a name help to assure that these faces and places are not forgotten.  Those who know must leave more than the picture itself, but also some key to identify the people and places, lest they become little more than an odd curiosity.

As many unidentified photos as there are, I fear there are many more still that have been destroyed by the ravages of time.  How many family photos have sat in a damp basement, or steamy attic, and become faded beyond recognition?  How many have been burned in house fires, or simply thrown in the trash?  Too many.  With today's technology, it's fairly easy to scan and copy images, so hopefully the worst of the damage has been done, and we will not lose anything further to disaster.  Backup those old family photos, and spread them around to keep them alive!

Those of us today who care about the past must work vigilantly to preserve what is left from bygone eras.  We must take special charge of our family lineage, and make sure to preserve it for future generations, or our children will be left wondering in vain.

Merry Christmas, 1922

I hope you're all having a wonderful day!  As everyone's ripping open presents and getting ready to feast, here's a look back 89 years.  On December 25, 1922, this is what my grandfather, John Julius Kirton, and his sister, Mary Alice Kirton, found when they woke up.  John was almost 5, and Mary was a little over 18 month old at the time.  It's a rare look at Christmas Past.

New Discoveries Forthcoming

On Friday, I won National Novel Writing Month with a little over 50,000 words written in "The Six-Gun Conjurer."  After 25 days of solid writing, it was time I took a little break.  I still have a few scenes to write, and the big finale to complete, and I'll get to that in a few days, but it's sometimes good to sit back and take a breather.  Creativity takes time.

Anyway, yesterday morning I finally got around to activating my subscription to Ancestry.com.  A few months ago, I purchased a copy of their Family Tree Maker 2011 software, and it came with 3 free months of full access to their site.  There are a lot of things they have in their database that you can't find elsewhere, and it is helping me to uncover more bits of information about my various family lines.

Here are just a few highlights of what I've uncovered so far.

New information has already cropped up concerning my Robinson line.  It turns out that William V. Robinson was a Civil War Veteran.  He signed up as a Private with the New Jersey 6^th Infantry Regiment, and ended up as a Sergeant with the 8^th.  I also found his death record, stating he died on 28 July 1910.

Joseph B. Robinson, as it turns out, was a house painter in Camden, New Jersey, until his untimely death on 18 March 1918.  He died of Tuberculosis.  I'd been unaware of this information, as Joseph ran off on his wife and daughter about 20 years earlier.  Joseph's older sister, Mary J. Robinson, also died of TB on 10 December 1904.



John Julius Kirton



I found WWI army enlistment cards for two of my grandmother's uncles, Hugh Wiley Counts and Milton Counts.  I'm sure there are some interesting stories to be had there, though I haven't had the chance to hear too much from my Counts cousins recently.

In addition to these discoveries, I am finding more data that substantiates my earlier findings.  I've also found a few photographs of interest, including my father's parents' yearbook photos from the University of Michigan, and a picture of my mother's father with the Glee Club from his freshman year at East Orange High School in 1933.

There is much more to uncover, so I'll get back to it.  I expect to resume work on my writing projects in a few days, after I've dug up enough family data to satisfy my curiosity and compose a few more posts.

Family History Update: Kirton

I am pleased to announce that I've uncovered a little more on the Kirton line.  The first discovery concerns Robert Nelson Kirton, brother of my great-grand father Julius Kirton.

As I previously stated, Robert was married to Vera Gates in 1919.  Now, thanks to recently uncovered data in the 1930 census, I have been able to confirm that he had at least 2 daughters.  Norma J. Kirton (b. 1921), and June E. Kirton (b. 1923).  Both were born in Ohio, and they were living in Chillicothe, Ohio, at the time of the census.

I've also learned a few more clues about Ellen Hyler, wife of Richard Kirton (my 4x great grandfather).  It turns out she was not from England, as I had previously believed.  According to census data, she was born in Kentucky circa 1824.  Her father was from New Jersey and her mother from Kentucky.  There were a lot of Hylers in Jersey back in the early part of the 1800's, but I have yet to find a link to any of them.  Ellen's parents remain unidentified at this time.  However, we are one step closer to discovering them!

I have also found a death record for Sidney Kirton, brother of my 3x great grandfather Nelson Kirton.  As previously stated, Sidney was born on 2 Feb 1859, and now I know he died in 1924, though the exact date wasn't specified on the report I obtained.  Still, that's one more piece of data we didn't have.

Another Face on the Tree

A couple of weeks ago, I discovered a picture I didn't know I had.  Rather, I made a vital connection that positively identified it.  The photo in question is one of my Great-Great Grandmother, Caroline Elizabeth Horner.

Caroline married Newton Kirton on July 21, 1896 in Hamilton County, Ohio. Their son, Julius Kirton, was my Great-Grandfather.  However, Newton died of a stroke in 1918, and Caroline remarried.  Her second husband was a man named Thomas Jefferson Butcher, something I've known for quite a while, but something I hadn't known when I first came across the following picture:

The back of the photograph says "Mrs. Butcher, Matron of Eastern Star."  I'd say this picture was taken sometime in the 1920s.  It was in amongst a bunch of photos of my mother's father's side of the family (the Kirton/Nelson line), but for a while I wasn't sure who this was, as I hadn't discovered the Butcher connection.  Now we all have the answer.

Mary Alice Nelson

This week, I'm going to share a few photos of my great-grandmother, Mary Alice Nelson.  She was the daughter of Ira Rogers Nelson, Sr., and Ada Belle Urech.  She married Julius Kirton in 1917, and their son, John Julius Kirton, was my mother's father.  I'll be posting more about the Nelson line in later posts, but here's one just for my great-grandmother.

Here's the earliest picture I have of her, taken in July 1894.  She was eighteen months old!

Here we have a picture taken about 3 years later, with her older brother Edward Franklin "Ned" Nelson, Sr., and her younger brother Ira Rogers Nelson, Jr.:

For a picture of Mary Alice Nelson on her wedding day in 1917, check out my Kirtons of Kentucy blog post here.

Jump ahead to circa 1919, and a picture of her holding my grandfather, John Kirton:

And for a nice photo finish, here she is in 1948.  She's holding my Uncle Stephen.  Uncle Clifton is standing beside, and my mother is the grinning little girl in her own little chair.

Meet The Urechs

Here's a little hunk of family on my mother's side; the Urechs of Switzerland.  I haven't been able to trace the line too far back, only into the early 1800's, and this is a common occurrence when dealing with immigrant families.  It seems a lot of European countries either didn't keep the greatest records, or it's difficult to connect relatives who move to the States with those who stayed back in the old country.  Then again, it might be that a lot of the information hasn't been digitized, and I'm not able to go digging into foreign archives.  I've had some luck on certain lines from England and Germany, though.

As I mentioned, the Urechs came from Switzerland.  The earliest relative I've been able to identify is John Rudolf Urech, my 3x great grandfather, and the son of John Urech and Suzanna Karper.  He was born September 14, 1839 in Aargau.  He moved to Ohio sometime before the Civil War, and married Minnie Mary Smith on February 15, 1864 in Cuyahoga County.

John & Minnie Urech had four daughters, the first being Adella Emma (b. August 6, 1864 /Died March 14, 1943)-The proximity of their marriage to the birth of their first child may suggest they had premarital relations.  Their other children were Elizabeth (b. 1867), Ada Belle (my 2x great grandmother, b. December 23, 1870), and Effie (b. 1871 /Died December 16, 1963).

Adella Urech married a man named Malva Morris Daniels (b. June 1863 /Died November 2, 1941), on July 9, 1888.  They had two sons, Roger Urech Daniels (b. November 20, 1891 /Died October 6, 1918 in Miami, Florida), and Edgar Eugene Daniels (b. July 27, 1893 /Died September 1966).

Elizabeth Urech became a school teacher, and from what I've gathered, it seems she never married.  She was still single and living alone in 1930.

Effie Urech married Charles Mills Terrell (b. October 15, 1870 /Died July 1, 1926).  They moved to Miami, Florida, where their daughter Mary was born in 1914.  Last I heard, Mary was still alive, living somewhere in Vermont.  That is an amazing thing to think about, that my great-grandfather's first cousin might still be alive today.

Okay, getting back to my own line:  Ada Belle Urech married Ira Rogers Nelson (b. January 3, 1863 in Toledo, Ohio /Died November 13, 1932) on March 22, 1886.  They had 4 children that I've been able to identify:

Edward F. (b. December 3, 1888 /Died September 1968),

Mary Alice (my great-grandmother, b. January 22, 1893 /Died September 28, 1974),

Ira R. Jr. (b. June 1895)

Adelaide (b. 1908)

It's clear that Ira and Effie Nelson moved around a bit (work related, I'd guess).  Edward was born in Montana, Mary Alice and Ira were born back in Ohio, and Adelaide was born in New Jersey.

Edward F. Nelson married a woman named Aula sometime in the Teens, and they had at least 2 children:  Edward (b. 1917), and Ruth (b. 1919).

Mary Alice Nelson married Julius John Kirton in 1917, as I previously stated in my Kirton blog post here.

I haven't been able to find out anything else about Ira or Adelaide.

So, there's the Urech line, which merged with the Nelson line, which merged with the Kirton line.  In conclusion, I'll leave you with this fine family photograph, of John & Minnie Urech with their daughters.  It was taken sometime in the late 1880's by my estimation, and it is one of the many pictures that spurred me to research my family history.  It's nice to place where a face belongs in your own past.



Top (left to right): Effie, Ada Belle, Elizabeth
Bottom: Della, John R., Minnie Mary



The Maternal Line

It's mother's day, and that means everyone expects me to devote my Family Sunday post to my mother in some way.  I don't really feel like expounding upon memories of her that much, as she passed less than a year ago.  Perhaps someday I'll relate a few tales about her, but for the moment we'll go into a related tangent, my maternal line.



Annie Carney Littlefield
with sister Bridget (left)

Going strictly from mother to mother, my discoveries end with my great-great grandmother Annie Carney.  She was born circa 1853 in Northern Ireland, and immigrated to the United States after the Civil War.  Her parents were John Carney and Anna Nesbetter, and she had an older sister Bridget (who married a man surnamed Monteeth).

Annie married Henry Littlefield II (b. 1853), on February 19, 1873 in Chicago, Illinois.  The marriage license is signed by a Catholic Priest, which isn't surprising, since they were both Irish, and most Irish were faithful Catholics in those days.  Henry was the son of immigrants who had come over from the Emerald Isle sometime in the 1830's.  Henry and Annie had at least five sons: Joseph Henry (b. 1877), Alexander (b. 1884), John (1885), Alfred James (b. June 19, 1888), and Edward (b. April 1894).  They also had two daughters:  Anna Louise Littlefield (my great-grandmother, b. 1880), and Mary (b. Jan 1891).

We'll go over a few of the different Littlefield off-shoots some other time.  Today, we'll focus on the maternal line.



Grandma Nadine as a baby.



Anna Louise Littlefield married William E. Forthman sometime around 1900.  You can read about their numerous offspring in my previous Forthmans blog post here.  Their youngest child was my grandmother, Mary Nadine Forthman.

Nadine married John Julius Kirton in the early 1940's, and their daughter was my mother, Diana Elizabeth Kirton.

That's about it for now.  Everybody have a happy mother's day!

Putrid & Pungent Pork

This is the sort of story I'd like to have saved for a Family Saturday/Sunday post, but since I need a "P" column for the A-Z Challenge on Tuesday, it'll fit here just fine. The tale is a humorous tidbit involving my late-uncle, Stephen K. Alexander.

Back in the summer of 1997, Stephen was living across the street, in a house owned by my grandmother and her infamous lover Ed Lewis. My uncle was never the neatest person in the world, and going into the place was like walking into the bedroom of a rowdy teenager, with clothes and dirty dishes all over the place. The clutter made it easy to lose objects within the building.

The small house was hot and miserable in the summer months, but on top of the heat in '97, there arose a stench. The recognizable smell of rotting meat filled the air whenever you'd enter the building, and at first Stephen assumed there had to be a dead animal somewhere. A raccoon or porcupine had crawled into the walls and died, he presumed. But try as he may, the source of the putrid scent could not be discovered. It got so bad, he had to flee for several days, and slept on our guest bed during his exile.

The answer finally revealed itself to him one day, as he ventured back into the reeking house to pick through his belongings. There, in the corner of his bedroom, was a bag of groceries he'd set down a month ago. Inside was a pack of pork spareribs, all brown and festering in the most grotesque way imaginable. Thus, the mystery of the rotten smell was solved, and after a few days of open doors and windows, the house was once more livable.



Stephen K. Alexander
Circa 1989



In the aftermath of the horrific event, I remember him joking with my parents about what a great tidbit this event would make for a comedy show. He thought it was even worthy of Seinfeld, though I don't think he ever wrote to anyone about it. Just remember, if you ever see a scene in a movie or tv show about a slob leaving meat lying around to rot, my uncle could have been the source!

That was Stephen toward the end; careless and slovenly, though he was a highly-skilled Chiropractor, and remained extremely personable.  He was a charming sort, who could fit in anywhere and make friends with anyone, though the demons of his past haunted him to the end.

The Kirtons of Kentucky

For the foreseeable future, I will be using Sundays to post different stories pertaining to my genealogical research. Some will be interesting vignettes that I've picked up along the way (and continue to accumulate), while others will simply explore the different branches of the tree that I'm uncovering, which may help others find their own ancestors at some point.

To kick off our first "Family Sunday," I'd like to relate what I've discovered about a piece of my mother's heritage, specifically, her paternal line.

The earliest "Kirton" I have been able to trace is Richard Kirton who was apparently born around 1830 in England. He married Ellen Hyler sometime around 1854 and the two of them were living in Kenton County Kentucky before their first child was born. They had two sons, Nelson W. (b. June 4, 1857) and Sidney (b. Feb 2, 1859).

Sidney married Anna Slocumb (b. 1854) on August 1, 1877 in Hamilton County, Ohio. They had two daughters (Roberta & Irene), who may have never left home. As late as the 1920 census, they were both still single and living with mom and dad in Covington, Kentucky. Roberta was about 40 by then, and Irene was around 36. Perhaps they started families late in life? That's one thing I'd like to find out.

Meanwhile, Nelson Kirton married Carrie Drusilla Wallwork (b. 1855) on June 6, 1877 in Covington, Kentucky. They also had at least 2 sons, Newton Charles (b. March 15, 1878) and Sidney (b. Feb 1880).

This younger Sidney Kirton married Edith Estell on July 28, 1900. I have not been able to find out how long they were married, or if they had any children. I do know that Sidney died single in 1932. According to his death certificate, he had been working as a butler in Columbus, Ohio.

Newton, on the other hand, married Caroline Elizabeth Horner on July 21, 1896 in Hamilton County Ohio. They had 3 sons; Julius John (my great-grandfather, b. March 15, 1897) and the twins, Robert Nelson & Alfred Sidney (b. June 6, 1901). Newton died of a stroke on December 2, 1918 in West Virginia. His widow, Caroline, got remarried to Thomas Jefferson Butcher on September 5, 1919, in Newport, Kentucky, and they were still together for the 1930 Census.

Robert Nelson Kirton married Vera Gates on September 5, 1919 in Newport, Kentucky. -Updated- However, by 1935, Robert was apparently married to Oma Eunice Rhodes. I have not learned if Robert had children with either wife. He died on April 16, 1953, in Cleveland, Ohio.

Alfred Sidney Kirton married Virgeline Martin before 1930. I haven't discovered if they had any children, but I found that "Virgeline Kirton" of Kenton, Kentucky lived until March 12, 1988 (info courtesy of the US Social Security Death Index).


Julius Kirton & Mary Nelson
on their wedding day, 1917



Julius John Kirton married Mary Alice Nelson in 1917. They had two children; John Julius (my grandfather, b. February 4, 1918) and Mary Alice (b. May 7, 1920). Julius died on November 23, 1959 in Stamford Connecticut, while his wife lived to a ripe old age of 81 (passing away on September 28, 1974 in Florida).

Mary Alice Kirton married Carl Pennington.

John Julius Kirton married Mary Nadine Forthman (who always went by Nadine). They had three children, Clifton, Diana (my mother), and Stephen. John Julius died in April 1967 of an apparent stroke (though my mother always said it was a heart attack). Sadly, his children have also passed on in recent years.

For those of you who haven't fallen asleep, I hope you have found something of value in this recitation of my discoveries. These findings are by no means comprehensive, and there is still much to uncover, but I'm making progress. There is only so much I can do on my own, so if anyone has any additional information at their disposal I would be pleased to see it.