Institution

 Who is And Where is Lillian Davis? 

Photo courtesy: Asylum Projects:
KPPC Aerial 2009 03.jpg-Asylum Projects
Asylum Project

What is known about Lillian "Lillie" Davis is that she was born about 1874 or 75 in Greenport, Suffolk, New York.  She is documented on the Census of 1880 as living with her mother Louisa Davis, her grandparents Sam'l R and Phoebe Jackson, her 1/2 sisters Hattie and Mary J. Warner and her brother Sam'l Davis.  Lillie is 6 years old. 

The family is seen in Connecticut in 1893 Connecticut Directory 1893.  Her mother, brother, sister and grandmother along with various grandchildren of Louisa (her mother) and various nieces and nephews are all seen together.  But where is Lillian?  

While searching for her it is surprising to learn that she is not found.  However there is a Lillian Davis on the census of  Smithtown, Suffolk New York in Kings Park State Hospital. Kings Park State Hospital, operational from 1885 to 1996, was a significant psychiatric facility in New York. After its closure, many records were transferred to the New York State Archives and the Office of Mental Health (OMH).

After researching census, birth, death and marriage records via Ancestry's card catalog and Family Search's wiki as well as various genealogy society sites and town vital records the only Lillian Davis that is consistent lives at Kings Park State Hospital from the time she is 11 years old until she dies at 70.  Research is a precarious thing really.  Does her age and place match because I want it too? There is one precarious thing and that is that the census sheets from 1920 and 1930 indicate she is married...What!  if she is married this probably is not her even though I want it to be.  I am reaching out to vital records for her death certificate and using  Chatgpt as next steps in research. I will continue research to verify if she IS or IS NOT my Lillie.  

As a side note: it is interesting that her family line does have a history of mental heath issues.  Her uncle, Louisa's brother, is seen on census sheets as "idiotic".  There are other known mental health issues in the more recent family which won't be mentioned here based on family members privacy. In any event there are at least 2 family members known to me to have mental health issues in her descendant line.  

Potters Field Cemetery, Also known as Kings Park Psychiatric Center Cementey, Kings Park State Hospital Cemetery, courtesy of Find A Grave.com

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Next steps plan with the assistance of Chatgpt

Kings Park State Hospital, operational from 1885 to 1996, was a significant psychiatric facility in New York. After its closure, many records were transferred to the New York State Archives and the Office of Mental Health (OMH). 

• New York State Archives: They house the Office of Mental Health patient admission, discharge, and parole registers (Series 20279), which include records from Kings Park State Hospital. These registers typically contain patient names, admission and discharge dates, nativity, date of birth, race, religion, and occasionally details like occupation and relatives' names.

• Access Restrictions: Due to New York State Mental Hygiene Law Section 33.13, access to individual patient records is restricted to protect confidentiality. However, if you are a direct descendant, you can request access by providing proof of relationship and the patient's death certificate. It's advisable to contact the New York State Archives directly to inquire about the specific procedures and requirements

Patients who died at Kings Park State Hospital were often buried in the hospital's cemeteries, notably the Potters Field Cemetery and the Indian Head Road Cemetery 

• Find a Grave: The Potters Field Cemetery is listed on Find a Grave, where volunteers have documented some burials. While not comprehensive, it's a useful starting point.

• Pilgrim Psychiatric Center: After Kings Park's closure, Pilgrim Psychiatric Center became the custodian of its records. By contacting their Health Information Management Unit and providing proof of your relationship, they may assist in locating burial records or grave sites

A death certificate can provide crucial information, including the cause of death and burial location.

• New York State Department of Health: They maintain death records from 1881 onwards (excluding New York City). You can request a death certificate by proving your relationship to the deceased. More information is available on their official site.

• Town of Smithtown Clerk's Office: Since Kings Park is within Smithtown, the town clerk may have death records for individuals who died at the hospital. Some researchers have successfully obtained records through this office.

• Census Records: The 1920, 1930, and 1940 U.S. Federal Censuses may list patients at Kings Park State Hospital.These records can be accessed for free at Family Search or through subscription services like Ancestry.com.

• New York State Genealogical Research Death Index: This index provides death information from 1957 to 1969 and can be a helpful resource.

• New York State Archives:

  • Website: https://www.archives.nysed.gov

  • Email: archinfo@nysed.gov

• Pilgrim Psychiatric Center:

  • Health Information Management Unit

  • Address: 998 Crooked Hill Road, West Brentwood, NY 11717-1087

  • Phone: (631) 761-3500

• Town of Smithtown Clerk's Office: (Death Certificate ordered 5/1/2025)

  • Website: https://www.smithtownny.gov/311/Death-Certificates

  • Phone: (631) 360-7620

Oldest Story

Well I thought my goal this week was to simply write about William "Blinky" Smith marrying his step mother's sister aka his father's wife's sister.  I can't make this stuff up.  The chart below is the summary of the rabbit trail I went down.  As I as building the chart the Lucinda's began to emerge as winners! I put this chart into Chatgpt to help me tell the story and do a few images. 

Can you imagine for just a minute that your loved one's headstone epithet looks anything like this imagined one?  

Let's take a peek at what story our family left for us to untangle. 

Chart of Robert Smith's tangled family.  He eventually had 16 children.  He had 6 with Nancy Sloan and 10 with Millicent Rednour.  

*as a side note, I had to come to the east coast to find relatives buried where my hubby and I will be buried on the west coast!

 So the tale begins:

 A Smith-Rednour-Fueston-Pilgrim Family Tangle

Let’s begin with a fair warning: this family tree is less of a “tree” and more of a topiary hedge sculpted during a windstorm. What started as a simple tracing of 3x Grandpa Robert Smith’s line turned into something between a Shakespearian love triangle and a 19th-century matchmaking game show. Except… everyone’s a cousin. Or a sibling. Or both?

     It Started with Two Brothers and a Woman Named Nancy

Robert Smith (1812–1882) and his brother Gregory (1808–1882) were just a couple of regular frontier guys who happened to marry and raise families. Gregory married Sarah Dobbs, and Robert married Nancy Sloan. Seems tame enough.

Until Robert’s wife Nancy passed away. That’s when things took a twist sharper than Aunt Thelma’s meringue pie knife.

Robert remarried in 1862… to Millicent Rednour, who of course had a sister named Lucinda. Robert’s son, William “Blinky” Smith (yes, really), decided to keep things in the family  — by marrying Lucinda Rednour, Millicent’s sister, in 1864. So if you’re keeping track:

• Blinky married his step-aunt (who was also his step mother's sister).
• His father is now also his brother-in-law.
• Lucinda Rednour is both his wife and his step-aunt. 
• They have 2 sons, they marry a set of Daniels Sisters! -brothers marry sisters.

Don't think about it too hard, it'll make your brain cramp.

   Lucinda of Another Generation

The next generation decides  “Let’s keep the family name of Smith going, how about it Lucinda?!” and Harrison Smith and Lucinda Ellen Smith (yes, yet ANOTHER Lucinda) — cousins — married in 1879
 and had six kids.    

The Double Wedding Bonus Round

Now let’s swing over to the Fueston family, who brought their own flair to the drama. In 1905, Henry Fueston married Lucinda Pilgrim (yes, another Lucinda), and just a few months later his sister Malinda Fueston married Lucinda’s brother James Pilgrim.

So we’ve got:

• Brother and sister marrying…
• Sister and brother.

That’s a lot of Fuestons at Thanksgiving.

Let’s pause here to ask the burning question:

       “What’s Up With All the Lucindas?”

Honestly, we don’t know. Was Lucinda the Jennifer of the 1800s? Did the midwife have a naming chart with only one name on it? Or did the Rednour-Smith-Fueston-Pilgrim clan just have a Lucinda quota to fill?

By the third Lucinda, we stopped trying to track who was who and just started assigning nicknames:

• Lucinda the Step-Aunt-Wife,
• Lucinda the Pilgrim-Wife-Sister,
• and Lucinda the Cousin-Bride.

                                    Final Thought: It's All Relative (Literally)

At some point, this family gave up on branches and just started braiding the tree. And while we might never fully unravel who married whom without a color-coded spreadsheet, one thing is clear:

These folks didn’t just marry into the family — they doubled down.

So next time your family reunion feels a little crowded, just remember — at least your brother isn’t also your uncle, and your stepmom didn’t introduce you to your wife....Probably.

Our Lucinda's mystery deserve a monument!

I can't help but think of and hear in my head this song by Ray Stevens 

I Am My Own Grandpa

And That is a Wrap....

The threads of another story told, keeping our family story alive.

Barbara 

Next week: #17  DNA

Big Mistake

 Meet George McClure Fueston (1878-1959) and his bride Edith Trent (1884-1966)

"America's most committed co-defendants:
George and Edith Fueston, partners in love, crime
and questionable sleeping arrangements."

What a handsome couple right? They were married in 1900, he was over 21 and she was over 18 indicating both were of age when married.  Let's peek into their lives and see if marring each other was a big mistake or if getting caught for misbehavior was the mistake. 

Big Mistake

A Weekly Family Story

Some people make a mistake and learn from it. Others marry the mistake, have a child with it, get arrested twice (maybe three times), and then have the good fortune to live out their golden years in peace. Such is the rollercoaster romance of George McClure Fueston and Edith Trent, a couple who redefined the phrase “it’s complicated.”

Meet the Fuestons

In 1900, George, a 22-year-old with a talent for making regrettable decisions, married 18-year-old Edith Trent.¹ 

By 1901, they had a child—an auspicious beginning for what would become a uniquely scandal-filled partnership.

Over the next few decades, their names would pop up in the most delightful corners of police records and local gossip columns. Arrests, scandal, mystery men—it's like they were trying to get a Netflix miniseries deal a century before it was possible.

The 1911 Oops

Their first known brush with the law came in 1911, when they were arrested for unlawful cohabitation and vagrancy.² 

It’s unclear whether the law was punishing them for being married but not behaving like it—or for behaving like they were brother and sister and not married when they were. 

At the time, family researchers suspected a fellow named Charles Francis might’ve been involved. But as it turns out, the true third wheel may have changed, more than once, over time.  

The 1916 Spectacle: Enter H. Courtney

In 1916, the Fuestons were arrested again—this time for gross lewdness, and this time, it wasn’t just the two of them. They brought along a third party: H. Courtney, a returned trooper and landscape gardener who found himself in the middle of a love triangle… that he didn’t realize was a triangle.³

Courtney testified that he’d been sweet on “Miss Edith Brown” (a.k.a. Edith Trent Fueston) for over a year. He genuinely thought he was going to marry her. In fact, he even slept in the same bed as her—and, oh yes, her “brother,” George Fueston.³

Imagine his surprise when he learned, just days before the arrest, that George wasn’t her brother at all, but her husband.

Poor guy. He brought love letters to court as evidence of his feelings. She had met him at the train station, thrown her arms around him, kissed him, and whisked him back to the house. George was there. Everyone was there. It was like a very awkward episode of Three’s Company, except everyone got arrested.

Let’s just say H. Courtney left the house with fewer illusions and probably fewer clean socks.

"Although the three slept in the same bed, [Courtney] was under the impression that George Fueston was her brother, and did not learn that Fueston and the woman were married until Monday, when the trouble arose..."
— The Spokesman-Review, 19 Oct 1916⁴

It’s the Victorian equivalent of a Maury Povich reveal. (“George… is the husband!”)

The Mysterious 1930 Arrest

Just when you thought they might’ve learned their lesson, the Fuestons pop up again in 1930. Arrested once more—but this time the charges are lost to history. Gambling? Moonshine? Public indecency? All of the above?

Whatever the reason, it was their final known run-in with the law. After that? Silence. Not a peep in the police blotter. Not a whisper in the local paper. Either they finally settled down, or they got really good at not getting caught.

Side by Side in the End

Despite the drama, the arrests, and the whole "surprise you're not my brother" incident, George and Edith stuck together. When they died—George in 1959, Edith in 1966—they were buried side by side. A permanent reminder that sometimes, the biggest mistakes are the ones you never walk away from.

Photo personal collection Barbara Fueston Grandon

What Can We Learn?

• Never assume the guy in your bed is anyone’s brother.
• If you’re writing love letters, make sure your “fiancée” isn’t already married (and sleeping in that same bed).
• And if you’re George and Edith… well, I guess the lesson is: go big, go bold, and go to court—together.

Sources Cited

¹ St. Louis, Missouri, Marriage License Book, 1900; Missouri State Archives, Jefferson City.
² Family knowledge based on police blotter entries, 1911, location presumed St. Louis, Missouri.
³ The Spokesman-Review (Spokane, WA), 19 Oct. 1916, p. 6, “Denies Charge of Lewdness.” Newspapers.com, clipped by barbgrandon, 9 Sept. 2022.
⁴ Ibid.

And that's a wrap!

Next week #15

Oldest Story

Keeping Family Story Alive

Barbara 

Lauguage

The Love Language of Barn Doors and Backhanded Wisdom

Week #13

When people talk about "love languages," they usually mean things like words of affirmation, quality time, acts of service. You know, the stuff greeting cards are made of. But in my family, we spoke a different kind of love language—one that sounded a lot more like a raised voice from the kitchen and a heavy sigh from the hallway.

We were an English-only household, which meant no language barriers—at least not in the traditional sense. But that doesn’t mean communication was always crystal clear. In fact, the way my family expressed love was more like a series of shouted riddles, mild insults, and unintentional pearls of wisdom. Looking back, I now see it for what it was: a deeply odd, uniquely effective, and very funny dialect of family love.

Take, for instance, this gem yelled regularly through a screen door:

“Were you born in a barn?!”

It wasn’t a genuine question. No one in our family was ever born in a barn, though I imagine it would’ve made for a great family legend if we had. This was code for, “Please shut the door before the entire air conditioning budget escapes into the wild.” It was a love language of climate control, concern for utility bills, and mild exasperation.

Then there was my father’s signature phrase:

“What are you, stupid?”

Harsh, right? But hear me out. It wasn’t really an insult. It was more of a punctuation mark. A way to express disbelief, disappointment, and oddly enough—investment. My father cared that we were making good choices. He just didn’t always wrap it in a fuzzy blanket of affirmations. His tone said, “I expect better from you,” and also maybe, “I know you’re smarter than that because you inherited my genes, after all.”

It took me a few decades to understand that “What are you, stupid?” was, in its own gruff way, a verbal pat on the back. The love was in the expectation that we could do better. That we would do better. And that he’d still be there, sighing in the background, even when we didn’t.

And of course, the classic:

“If you don’t have anything nice to say, keep your mouth shut.”

Part moral code, part self-preservation strategy. This was the family version of Geneva Convention rules for siblings. My mother wielded this phrase like a verbal fly swatter, designed to keep peace, prevent tattling, and maybe—just maybe—encourage a little empathy. Or silence. Either one would do.

I didn’t grow up speaking a second language, but I did grow up interpreting one. One where sarcasm meant concern. Where yelling meant someone left the door open again. Where criticism came with a side of casserole. And where love was measured not in hugs or poetry, but in daily check-ins disguised as judgmental observations.

So no, I wasn’t born in a barn. But I was raised in a household where the language of love was loud, a little rough around the edges, and spoken fluently by everyone who ever told me to keep my mouth shut out of love.

And honestly? I wouldn't trade that translation guide for anything.

Does your family have any of these types of 'language' comments that have stuck with you over the years?

And That's a Wrap

Barbara 

Keeping Family Story Alive

Next weeks prompt Week 14:  Big Mistake  hum, which one will I write about?

Home Sweet Home

Home means different things to each of us.  Memories of a home with traditions for generations is one meaning and living with your family in various homes is another. Traditions are build either way and for my great-grandmother the latter is true.  She was born 11 of Sept, 1869 in Greenport, L.I., NY,   to William H Warner (1840-1889) and Louisa W Jackson (1846-1924).

Several Places Mary Called Home

 Home in 1910- 78 Blackhall St, New London, CT

 1920, New London, CT

She married Frank J McCail at a young age and had a son with him in NY, Nathan McCain born in 1887.  She is first  found in New London, Connecticut where she lived until her death in 1932.  This city will remain her "Home Sweet Home", a place where memories are gathered, family bonds are close and most times 3 generations living together.  

Home Sweet Home: Mary Jane Warner’s Life in New London, Connecticut

In the early 1900s, the waterfront town of New London, Connecticut, was a lively place to call home. The salty air carried the echoes of foghorns, ship bells, and the constant hum of industry. Nestled among the narrow streets and ever-changing addresses was Mary Jane Warner who became a McCail, a Lawrence, and finally a Squires—She was a woman who made a home wherever she landed, often with a full house of children, extended family, and the occasional mystery to solve.

First Known New London, CT Home Location
Photo Courtesy Barbara Fueston Grandon, 2022

Mary’s story reads like a whirlwind tour of marriage, motherhood, and movement. Her first marriage to Frank McCail in New York, resulted in her son Nathan. Mary had relocated to New London, CT in 1893.  Her move came after she was widowed from McCail and had married to become Mrs.Lewis Lawrence.  After their first daughter, Constance L Lawrence (1892-1960) arrives, they move to New London, CT.  They are first documented on Willits which was an empty lot in 2022 when we visited the property.Very different then a 3 generation home back in 1893 when they lived there.  Louisa Davis, Mary's mother is living with them.

By 1910, Mary had nicely grounded and settled in New London, Connecticut, with her mother Louisa, who, like her daughter, was also widowed. Together, they navigated life along the wharf, a place filled with dockworkers, fishermen, and the steady hustle of a maritime economy. If there was one thing Mary knew how to do, it was adapt. The 1910s and 1920s saw her moving from house to house, but always within the heart of the city, close to her support network of family and friends. According to her obituary, she was active in the local Episcopal church, where she must have found both solace and a little comic relief—because, let’s be honest, a woman raising the eight children she would eventually have, while constantly relocating probably had a few stories to tell.

Mary’s third and final marriage was to John F Squires (1874-1907) resulted in four more children, bringing her total to eight. Combine that with her brother Samuel David Davis's children, and it’s safe to say there was never a dull moment in the Davis,Squires combined household. One can only imagine the noise level—children running underfoot, pots clanging in the kitchen, and the occasional "where are my shoes" floating through the air.  

Despite the financial challenges of single motherhood and the uncertainties of life along the wharf, Mary created a sense of Home Sweet Home where ever they landed and presumably filled it with love, resilience, and community. Whether she was baking bread for a full table, gathering with neighbors at church, or simply making sure all her children had matching shoes (or at least a left and a right), she embodied the true spirit of home.

Research Plan: Filling in the Missing Pieces

Mary’s story is compelling, but some details remain elusive. Here’s a plan to uncover more about her first two husbands and how she supported her family:

1. Frank McCail (First Husband)
• Search marriage records in New York for their union.
• Look for birth records of Nathan McCail to pinpoint father’s details.
• Investigate New York City directories and census records to track Frank and Mary's whereabouts.
2. Lawrence Oscanyon-Lawrence (Second Husband)
• Determine if “Oscanyon” was a middle name or a surname.
• Search marriage records for Mary and Lawrence in  New York.
• Order Birth Certificate for their daughter Constance L Lawrence to verify parents
• Check military or immigration records in case he was transient or foreign-born.
• Follow up on indication she was awarded a Pension in 1899 per The Day newspaper.
3. How Mary Earned a Living
• Review city directories for employment listings.
• Check census occupations for Mary and Louisa

And That's a Wrap

Keeping Family Story Alive

Next weeks prompt: Week #13 Language

Barbara

Historical Event

Historical Event I chose to write about took place in 2024 while we were researching historical events at the Library of Congress and National Archives. 

Library of Congress 2024

It was the trip of a lifetime—a pilgrimage, really. Not to some distant land, but to the Library of Congress and the National Archives, where my sweet hubby and I would lay our hands on actual historical documents. Civil War pension files, crumbling with age and authority, waiting for us to whisper over them in awe. If history had a scent, I imagined it smelled like a mix of old leather, parchment, and a faint whiff of bureaucracy.

Of course, before we could bask in the glory of primary sources, we had to get there. And that, dear reader, was its own battle. Washington, D.C., in all its historical majesty, is also a labyrinth of traffic, unexpected detours, and sidewalks that seem determined to test one’s commitment to research. We set out from our hotel armed with enthusiasm, Google Maps, and the kind of naïve optimism that only tourists possess. We walked—because surely, it couldn’t be that far, right? Oh, how wrong we were, but we made it.

The journey to the Library of Congress became an unintentional history tour, complete with wrong turns, awe-inspiring architecture, and a growing appreciation for just how much walking our ancestors must have done. By the time we arrived, slightly winded but triumphant, the very air felt weighty with wisdom. My husband and I exchanged giddy glances. We were here. We had made it. We were touching history! And then we were immediately reminded of the rules. No pens, no bags unless the absolute right size (and they measured my bag to be sure I didn't exceed the requirements), no liquids, and for heaven’s sake, do not sneeze on the documents. Noted.

Library of Congress 2024

Hours passed in what felt like mere minutes. We were knee-deep in research, completely immersed, until a grumbling stomach reminded us that even dedicated historians need lunch. Emerging from the Archives, blinking into the daylight, we realized we had just spent the better part of a day on a journey through history. It had been thrilling, overwhelming, and slightly chaotic, but absolutely perfect.

Library of Congress 2024

Excited to finally reach the research area 

Our Library Cards to access Library of Congress

At the National Archives, the experience took on a reverent tone. Holding a Civil War pension file that had once passed through the hands of clerks, widows, and weary veterans felt like a privilege. My heart skipped a beat as I traced my ancestor’s name, written in a long-ago hand. It was a connection across time, a thread binding us to the past.  To touch these records and see the stains and smell the ink is an event we'll not soon forget. 

National Archives Records

                                                                          National Archive Records

And then we did it all over again the next day. Because one day of historical deep-diving wasn’t enough, and we needed to reimburse ourselves for any details we may have missed. Another day of walking, another day of awe, and another day of standing in silent reverence as we connected with our past. Our trip to D.C. wasn’t just a research mission—it was an adventure. One filled with historical wonders, aching feet, and the deep joy of touching our own family’s past. And if anyone needs advice on the best places to stop for coffee between the Library of Congress and NARA, I now consider myself a novice.  

AND we will go back again in 2025 God willing.  

That's a wrap for this weeks prompt: Historical Event

Next week #13: Home Sweet Home

Keeping family stories alive

Barbara 

Brick Wall

Who was Dora before marrying Robert C Fueston in 1898

 Dora M Haskins (1881-1936)

Breaking Down the Brick Wall: The Mystery of Dora M. Haskins

Every family historian has faced it—that seemingly impenetrable brick wall that halts progress and leaves questions unanswered. For me, that wall stands firm in the form of Dora M. Haskins, born in 1881 in Holden, Missouri. Despite tracing her life through three marriages, four sons, and a final resting place in San Francisco, the identities of her parents remain a stubborn mystery.

Determined to uncover Dora’s origins, I’ve crafted a research plan to chip away at this wall, brick by brick. From birth records and census data to probate files and DNA matches, this checklist is my map for navigating the gaps and shadows in Dora’s story. With each clue, I hope to turn this brick wall into a doorway, leading back to the generations before her.

The following checklist outlines the steps I’ll be taking to reveal the roots of Dora M. Haskins—because every wall, no matter how solid, has a weak spot waiting to be found and thread to be attached to the quilt of the family story. 

Research Plan for Brick Wall Dora Haskins

1. Re-examine Key Records for Clues

Goal: Identify overlooked details or errors in existing records.

• Birth Records:
• Search Missouri Birth and Christening Records for Holden, Johnson County, around 1881.
• Check for variations of the surname (Haskins, Hoskins, Haskin, Haskens) and given name (Dora, Dorothy, Dorie).
• Marriage Records:
• Revisit the 1898 marriage record to Robert Clemens Fueston for information about Dora’s parents, witnesses, or any clues about her maiden name.
• Investigate Missouri's marriage applications, which might list her parents’ names or places of origin.
• Death Records:
• Obtain a full copy of Dora’s California death certificate for parental information  sadly, no parents named other than father "Haskins"
• Search funeral home records to find details of who purchased plot and to see if parents names listed at all. 
• Search obituaries in San Francisco newspapers around March 11, 1936, for potential family names or locations.

---

2. Investigate the Haskins (or Variant) Families in Johnson County, Missouri

Goal: Identify possible parents or relatives.

• Census Records:
• Search the 1880 and 1900 federal censuses for Haskins families in Johnson and surrounding counties (Lafayette, Henry, Pettis).
• Look for households with a female child matching Dora's age or a possible widow with children in 1900.
• Land and Tax Records:
• Check land ownership or tax records for Haskins in Johnson County between 1860–1900.
• Local Histories and Directories:
• Explore county histories or directories for mentions of the Haskins family.
• Investigate church or cemetery records in Holden for potential family burials.
• Family Search:
• Do full Text Search for Haskins, Hoskins, in Johnson and surround counties. 

---

3. DNA Testing and Analysis

Goal: Use genetic connections to identify Dora’s parents.

• Test Recommendations:
•  AncestryDNA or 23andMe for a broad match pool recheck and search.
• Analysis Strategy: Learn how to isolate and cluster. 
• Focus on shared matches with known Fueston descendants to isolate Haskins-specific matches.
• Create a DNA cluster to identify groups of matches potentially linked to Dora’s parents.

---

4. Newspaper Research for Clues and Context

Goal: Find mentions of Dora or Haskins family in local news.

• Newspapers.com and Chronicling America:
• Search for birth announcements, marriage notices, obituaries, and social columns mentioning Haskins in Holden or nearby towns.
• Investigate articles from Spokane during her time there, particularly around 1916.
• Key Search Terms:
• “Dora Haskins,” “D. Haskins,” “Haskins Holden Missouri,” “Haskins Johnson County.”

---

5. Church and Cemetery Records

Goal: Identify religious affiliations and burial sites for clues about family ties.

• Local Churches in Holden:
• Methodist, Baptist, or Presbyterian records (baptism, marriage, membership lists).
• Contact local historical societies for archived church books.
• Cemetery Records:
• Examine Find a Grave,  local cemetery databases for Haskins funeral home records
• Check for family plots that might include her parents, probably not San Francisco where she is buried

---

6. Explore Alternative Surname Theories

Goal: Address the “Smith” and “Makins” surname confusion.

• Birth Certificate Insight:
• Investigate why Glen Millard Fueston's birth certificate suggests “Makins.”
• Search for Missouri families with similar surnames (Makins, Mackins, Hoskins) in census and land records.
• Smith Surname:
• Review census and probate records for Smiths in Johnson County to rule in/out a connection.
• reach out to cousin Lehman to see why /where she found Smith Connection

---

7. Collaborative Research and Message Boards

Goal: Leverage other researchers' knowledge.

• Genealogy Forums:
• Post inquiries on Ancestry.com, RootsWeb, and Reddit’s r/Genealogy about Haskins in Johnson County.
• Facebook Groups:
• Join Missouri-specific genealogy groups to connect with local researchers.
• Local Historical Societies:
• Contact the Johnson County Historical Society for unpublished resources or knowledgeable volunteers.

---

8. Document and Reassess Regularly

Goal: Organize findings systematically to spot new patterns.

• Research Log:
• Create a log detailing sources checked, findings, and next steps.
• Reevaluate Annually:
• Revisit brick wall strategies every year as new databases and DNA matches become available.

"And That's a Wrap

Keeping our family story alive one 

thread at a time."

Barbara 

next week #12 prompt: Historic Event