Leeland Golightley, Rozella Lamb & Hutch

 

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 3 (Jan 15-21)
Prompt: Favorite Photo
#52ancestors

 

Leeland, his cousin Rosella Lamb, and a friend named Hutch. Rosella was also serving in Germany in the Women’s Army Corps (WAC)

This is a photo that has always intrigued me. My Dad while in Germany met up with his cousin, Rozella, and friend, Hutch.  By the time he shared the picture with me, he didn't remember Hutch's last name. I didn't think to ask if they met in Germany or were friends before they joined the army.

On October 20, 1950, my father, Leeland Johnston Golightley, went to the local recruiting office with a group of friends to join the army. The local selective service board was listed as Duncan, Stephens County, Oklahoma, but his permanent address was listed as Ponca City, Kay Co., Oklahoma. Ponca City is probably where his parents were living at that time.

 After boot camp, Leeland deployed to Germany where he served as an automobile mechanic. He related that he worked mostly on jeeps that were coming from Korea. When he had them running again, the jeeps were shipped back to the war in Korea.

 His duty assignment was Med Co. 8^th Inf Regt. While in the army he completed the Eucom Ord school Auto OM course and was awarded the Army Occupation Medal (Germany).

 Rozella Lamb was Dad’s cousin on his Mother’s side of the family.  I would love to know more about Hutch. Was he one of the friends who enlisted at the same time Dad enlisted? Did they meet in Germany or was he Rozella's friend?

McCarley Origins

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 2 (Jan 8-14)
Prompt: Origins
#52ancestors

I wrote the following article many years ago while searching for the origins of the McCarley family.  I've recently found part of it word for word on another website. It is something that was on my website on aol before aol discontinued that service, but I'm publishing it again here.

Mc is an abbreviation of the prefix Mac, which means ‘son of’.  According to the “The Surnames of Scotland” by George F. Black, PhD., McCarley is an anglicized form of MacCarlich. It means ‘son of Charles’. It is no wonder that the McCarleys have spelled their name so many ways in America. They were just following a pattern that began in Scotland where it has been documented as MacThearlaich, MaKarlich, McKearly, McCarlie, McCarlyct, McCarliche, McKerlich, and McTarlichare as well as other spellings.

 McKerley, MacKerlie, and Macerlich were common surnames in Breadalbane around 2 to 3 hundred years ago.

 There are indications that McCarlich’s were of the Campbell Clan. “Archibald M’Kerlich in Finlarg was a vassal of Campbell of Glenurquhay in 1638”. “M’Cairlich and Charlieson…appear to have been Campbells originally, and in Argyllshire they appear under the name of M’Kerliche.”  At a Scottish festival in Texas, a Stewart clan table had paperwork claiming the McCarlys. It is hard decide if they belonged to one clan or the other or if perhaps different “McCarleys” owed allegiance to different clans.   Some “McCarley’s” mentioned in “The Surnames of Scotland" are:

 Alexander Terleti – rector of the parish church of Kilchoman, 1455 (p.465)

 Donald McCarlycht – a ‘fugitive fra the law’ in 1838 (p.465)

 Hector McCarliche in Innerbruoche & Auchinroy McCarliche in Lyne were fined for reset of members of clan Gregor in 1613 (p.465)

 John McKerlich in Finlarg was fined for reset of clan Gregor in 1613, (p.526)

 Neil M’Ewin M’Kerlich, an accomplice of Donald Gorme of State, had remission for his share in laying waste Trouterness in Skye, in 1541” (p.526)

 Duncan McTerlach was a charter witness at Carnasserie in 1436, (p.566)

 Allaster McArliche was hanged for treason in 1615 (p.454)

 

A related post:  McCarley: Is there a right way to spell it?

 

Leprechaun

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 1 (Jan 1-7)
Prompt: Family Lore
#52ancestors

 Sidney E. McCarley didn’t look like his father or his sons. He supposedly took after his mother’s side of the family. He was short, stout, and dark complected, unlike his sons who were tall, redheaded, and light complected. However, he did inherit the “powers” of his Scots/Irish heritage.

 One of his grandnephews shared this story with me. This was a time when you didn’t go to the doctor unless you were bleeding and/or on the point of death. The grandson was afflicted with warts that covered his hands. His mother had tried many folk remedies that didn’t work. At her wits end, she took him to see her uncle (my great grandfather).  Sidney took the boy’s hands in his own and began to rub them with some slight pressure.  The boy’s hands began to grow warmer and warmer.  After some minutes had passed, Sidney stopped rubbing the boy’s hands. He dropped the boy’s hands and told him to go home.  He told the boy that his warts would be gone in 3 days.

 All of the warts were gone in 3 days.

 Although no one in my branch of the family admitted to hearing this, another branch said Sidney’s nickname was Leprechaun. But that is just family lore. 

  

Genealogy Goals

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 52 (Dec 24-31)
Prompt: Me, Myself, and I
#52ancestors

  This past year I only had one post. I was concentrating on other things and made some progress in those areas. This final prompt for this year is Me, Myself, and I.  Taking that prompt in a different direction, I am starting this year with genealogy goals.  I thought I would share with you those goals. Some are carry over goals from last year and others are new.

 1.      Complete 52 Ancestors in 52 weeks.  That doesn’t mean that I will complete every prompt. I found at the beginning of last year that the prompts didn’t inspire me.  Probably because I couldn’t think of anything new to write about for those prompts. I just didn’t have the time or energy for creative thought. This year, when a prompt doesn’t bring anything to mind, I will write something else and/or do some very specific research that I can share.

 2.      Work on the McCarley Genealogy Book.  I have a basic layout for it and will work on a chapter specifically when I can think of nothing for the 52 Ancestors prompt. Maybe even share that chapter on the blog. 

 3.      Complete another DAR supplement.  I have one that was submitted in August 2022 that hasn’t been reviewed yet. I’m hoping to hear about it soon since DAR has instituted new processes that they are hoping will speed things along.

 4.      Finish putting together a new program for genealogy societies.  I can’t wait to share this one as it is new and unique. However, I still need just a little more research for it to be truly helpful for genealogists.

  Creating goals helps me focus and accomplish more.  Have you set your genealogy goals for this year?

DNA

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week   (April 23-29)

Prompt: DNA

#52ancestors

During the COVID shutdown, I decided to see if DNA could help me get past the "brick wall" in my husband's family history.  He used FTdna (FamilyTree) as it is the only genealogical DNA company that tests the Ydna.   Unfortunately, it hasn't helped so far.  It does seem to indicate that he is related to an Evans line in America but the documentation research is fairly iffy.  I suspect the connection is further back than what is listed in the ancestry trees.

 Even more disappointing is that when I tested, there is no Native American ethnicity in my DNA. I have documented Chickasaw ancestry, well sort of. My Uncle and Aunt have been tested now and no Native American ancestry for them either.  As you can read in one of my previous posts, the "sort of documentation" indicates my Native American ancestor would be either my 4th or 5th great grandmother. The court records are a little fuzzy and it is possible that one generation was left out in the case trying to prove Chickasaw ancestry.  If Nancy Frasier was my 4th Great Grandmother, I should be 1/32th Chickasaw. If she was my 5th Great Grandmother, I would be 1/64th Chickasaw.  Since DNA is not handed down 50/50, then it is possible that I didn't receive any of the dna from so far back.  Plus, my understanding is that ancestry.com nor any other dna company tests your complete dna. They only test parts of your dna.  It could still be hidden in me somewhere.

 I've seen a new company that is advertising that they can do a more complete dna analysis than 23andMe, ancestry.com, and FTdna.  However, I haven't seen any reviews or other information about their reliability.  More research is needed into this new company. Meanwhile, I still have hope, fading but still hope.

 

Tombstones

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 46  (Nov 15-21)
Prompt: Tombstones
#52ancestors

Time takes its toll on tombstones.  About thirty years ago, I was researching Charles M. McCurley and his family in Smith County, Texas. A visit to the local library led me to Dean Baptist Cemetery where Charles and his wife, Ann Matilda Hines were buried.

 This was before GPS, but I was lucky enough to find a librarian who knew where the cemetery was located.  She gave me detailed instructions. Even with the instructions, I felt lost before we finally arrived at the small country church with the cemetery. It was on a Saturday so there was no one at the church. We carefully opened the gate and begin to look for their tombstones.  As we went down each row, occasionally a car would slow down and check to see what we were doing. I’m sure the locals were looking out for vandals.

 In the very last row, near the back fence we found their tombstones. They were made from what looked like sandstone or some other soft rock. The names were hand chiseled and were very sparing of letters. There were no dates.  Just C McCurley on one stone, and A McCurley on the other stone.  They both had footstones that had no legible information if there was any at one time. The next grave over was J M which I assume was James McCarley their son. 

Photo on the right taken by David Cook.

I haven’t been back to the cemetery in a long time, but a more recent picture taken by David Cook has been posted on FindAGrave.  The picture below shows that time has eroded the stone even more. The stone is laying on the ground either due to vandalism or weather.

Ghost Story

 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks: Week 45  (Nov 8-14 )
Prompt: Ghost Story
#52ancestors

 My paternal great great grandparents were John Golightley and Elizabeth Caroline Johnston. John immigrated from Sedgefield, County Durham, England and Elizabeth came from Canada.  They had two sons, worked hard, and became successful in Wellington, Kansas. They raised my grandfather, Johnnie.

 It is well known in my family that Johnnie was afraid of ghosts his entire life. I don’t know why or how that started but it played a part in his life’s story. 

 John and Elizabeth owned two houses in Wellington and the farm with the farmhouse between Wellington and Belle Plaine at the end of their lives. One of the houses was a two-story brick home with a basement in a nice part of town. The other house was a small wood frame house at the edge of town which included a gravel pit behind it.

 After his Grandfather’s death, Johnnie was in the basement of the brick home working on the furnace.He heard his grandfather call his name.He tried to ignore it but being skittish about ghosts to begin with he became more frightened as his Grandfather continued to call his name.He bolted from the basement and refused to ever go in the basement again.

After his Grandmother’s death, Johnnie was given a choice of the two houses in Wellington as well as inheriting a part of the farm.   Since he was sure that the brick home was haunted, he chose the smaller less affluent house on the edge of town.

 There is a rumor in the family that John had some oil and/or silver certificates hidden away. Speculation is that they were hidden in the basement of the brick house and that he was trying to tell Johnnie where they were located.