Wednesday, November 4, 2009

Uncle Jack


I spoke to my Uncle Jack again this evening.
I needed to pick his brain and find out why he thought that our family was related to Theodosia. He sounded more than positive that we are.
It is really good to talk to him, I really enjoyed it. Its really too bad that we never kept in contact since my mother died.

I have some more leads to follow.

Here is some of what he said.
Most of what he remembers he got from his Grandmother, Carrie Halvorson.
He does not know how much got embellished.
The Bartow family was split by the Civil War.
Some went south some went north.
There was a story about one of the family's that there were 12 son's that half went north and half went south during the war.
The family became wealthy having plantations down the east coast as far as Florida.
There is some sort of museum that the Bartow family funded in Maryland. He thinks Maryland is where the family got divided during the war.
Sylvester is a name that is passed down every generation. If there is a Sylvester in the name, first or last, he will be related. Uncle Jack's middle name is Sylvester so was Grandfather's. Theodosia is the female name passed down.
My daughter Tasha, is having twins a boy and a girl, due in about a month. I am pretty excited about this. She doesn't have names picked out. I am going to call her and suggest Thoedosia and Sylvester.

I am excited to get a fresh start.
Laurie and Lisa have gotten involved and are just as fanatic about this as me.
Uncle Jack said he was delving into it too.

My husband thinks I am a fruit cake. Anytime I get involved in something I go overboard, but I am finding this fascinating. I can't wait to get into Mimi's (grandmother) history.

Uncle Jack sent off a letter about some of the history he remembers that he was told while he was growning up, and a copy of whatever it is he has hanging on his wall about the Pellham Museum.
I am excited to get it.

I have been going in circles yesterday and today. Not really getting anywhere, jumping from one thing to the next. I find something I think I am going to trace, find something else and going in a different direction, never getting anywhere. It is pretty frustrating finding information, not being able to verify it then finding it somewhere else and its a completely different story. I think part of my problem is not knowing where or how to find out the information. I need to edit some of my previous posts, things I thought were true that aren't. For instance Clarisa (TJ's daughter) was born in Ohio not New York. I spent many hours trying to find where 3 of TJ's children were born in Ohio. Nothing.
Laurie thinks TJ changed his name. Funny thing was the thought crossed my mind too.
We can follow the census' and see where he lived. We see his children and their spouses. Even the childrens' spouses' family. Just can't find TJ's parents.
I am glad to have some more information to follow. Laurie and Lisa were in the same pattern that I was, jumping around getting no where.
I just found "My Theodosia" on Amazon. I ordered it. I was going to do it last week but never did. Uncle Jack says I would really enjoy it.

I need to see if I can get in contact with some of Grandfather's siblings family. There are some in the Denver area I think. I saw that Earl Bartow had made a post on one of the forums. Maybe some of the other Bartows know something.

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