Thursday, January 1, 2026

Ancestor Anniversaries in January

Happy New Year! Time for celebrations, old & new!

Here are some anniversary celebrations. 

Anniversaries are filled with memories of wedding celebrations, large or small; religious or civil; recent or many decades ago. We can imagine the weddings and the marriages of our family members on their anniversaries. 

When compiling this list I found two brothers who married on the same day. I had never noticed that before. 

Click on the links to read more about these people and, possibly, see a photo. 




3 Jan. 1716, Middlesex, Virginia. John NICHOLS (b 1680 NC) married Elizabeth OSBORNE. John was 36 when they were married. My 8x great grandparents. John was born in 1680 in Chowan, North Carolina

 

4 Jan. 1897, Pike County, Mississippi. Jesse Newton BALL married Lovie Elizabeth BRUMFIELD. Jesse was born 22 Dec 1864 MS. Love was born 9 Jul 1875 MS. They were married 19 years. 

 

6 Jan. 1835. Edward Stewart BROWN (1806 - 1856) married Mary Polly SPURLOCK (1800 - 1888). Edward was the son of Moses Brown. Mary was born 1 Jan 1800 in Georgia, the daughter of Allen Spurlock & Frances Traylor. My 3x great grandparents. They had 5 children and were married 21 years. 

 

6 Jan. 1939, West Virginia. Karl Leavenworth ROWLEE (1917 - 1976) & Genevieve Stanley COMBS (1921 - 2005). Karl was the son of Karl Clayton Rowlee & Florence Vera Morrison. They had 2 sons and were married 37 years. 

 

7 Jan. 1869. Needham Edwin ALFORD (1845 - 1937) married Mary Luzina STAFFORD (1850 - 1902). Needham was the son of Warren Jackson Alford. Mary was the daughter of Abraham Stafford. They had 12 children and were married 33 years. 


7 January 1957. William Sherrill WHITAKER married Carol Ann GOOD, daughter of Harold Edward Good and Velma Ellen Hale. They had 3 children. 

 

9 Jan. 1797. Jacob OTT III (1774 - 1836) married Margaret JACKSON (1777 - 1854). My 4x great grandparents. Jacob was born 1774 Orangeburg, South Carolina. Margaret was born 1777 in Orangeburg, South Carolina. They had 8 children and were married 39 years. 

 

9 Jan. 1943. Alexandria, Virginia. Robert James COYLE (1916 - 2012) married Ruth H. POTTLE. Robert was born 27 Apr 1916, CT and was my 1st cousin, 2x removed. We shared genealogy information about our Coyle family. Ruth was born 14 Sept, MA.  They had 4 children.

 

10 Jan. 1920. Pike County, MS. Hubert Allen BROWN (1894 - 1971) married  Freddie Beatrice SMITH (1899 - 1988).  Hubert was the son of Jasper Pascal Brown & Rose Ella Brumfield. Hubert was my great uncle. Freddie was the daughter of Elvin Dennie Smith & Nancy Cordelia Smith They had 6 children and were married 51 years

 

11 Jan. 1774. PA. Brothers married the same day:

Martin RITTER (c1718 - 1789) & Anna Margaret STEININGER. Martin was my 6x great uncle. Martin was born 10 Nov 1749, PA. Anna was born 11 Jan 1752. They had 7 children and were married 53 years

 

Casper RITTER (c1720 - 1792) & Hanna Ottilia HERTZ. Casper was my 6x great uncle. Casper was born 1749, PA. They had 8 children. 


11 Jan. 1942. Ohio. Alvin Henry BRAUN (1915 - 2000) married Wava Alice MARK (1919 - 2011). Wava was the daughter of Thomas Kenneth Mark and my great aunt.  They had 2 daughters and were married 59 years. They lived on a farm and always welcomed family members to their home. 

 

12 Jan. 1818. PA. Philip HEFFELFINGER (1787 - 1877) married Elizabeth MOWREY (1799 - 1871). My 4x great grandparents. They were married 53 years.

 

13 Jan. 1850. PA. Samuel WOLF  (1827 - 1894) married Susanne METZGER. Samuel was the son of Frederick Wolf & Louisa C Goetz. They had 8 children. 


13 January 1880. Louisiana. Charles Felder McDANIEL (1860 – 1935) married Letitia Susan BLADES (1863 – 1888), daughter of Benjamin Blades & Hollander Elizabeth Morris] They had  3 children.

 

14 Jan. 1884. MS. Webster FORTENBERRY (1860 - 1938) married Nannie ELLZEY. Webster was the son of William John Fortenberry & Elizabeth Martha Ann Cutrer. Nannie was born Circa 1866, MS. She was 18 when she married. 


14 January 1904. Michigan. Franks Peters (1833 - 1967) married Emily Augusta Morrison (1888 - 1950). She was the daughter of Seth Benner Morrison & Margaret Jane Gruissy.  They had 2 children.


15 Jan. 1845. MS. Elisha BRUMFIELD (1822 - 1859) married Salena Arvozena Jane WARNER (1829 - 1911). They had 2 daughters. 

 

15 Jan. 1897. Pike County, MS. John Benjamin BRUMFIELD (1868 - 1952) married Mary Ellen GENT. John was born 18 May 1868, MS. They had 3 daughters and a son. 


16 Jan. 1895. NJ. John BRADY  (1864 - 1957) married Mary MC CARTIN (1868 - 1958). John was my 3x great uncle. John was born in County Cavan, Ireland, son of Thomas Brady & Catherine Gibney.  They had 3 sons and were married 62 years.

 

19 Jan. 1642. Netherlands. Lambert Jochemse VAN VALKENBERG (1616 - 1685) married  Annetjen JACOBS (1622 - 1704) My 6x great grandparents.  They moved to New Netherlands (Albany, NY). 

 

19 Jan. 1894. Ohio. William Henry MESSMORE married Susan Isabel RITTER. (1874 - 1918). Susan was the daughter of John William Ritter & Ruth Anna Scott. William was born 19 Mar 1861. They had 6 children.


20 January 1885. Wyatt E. FORTENBERRY (1858 – 1940) married Laura SCHILLING (1866 - 1901). Wyatt was son of William J. Fortenberry & Elizabeth Martha Ann Cutrer. 

 

25 Jan. 1818. LA. Willis BRUMFIELD (1794 - 1833) married Nancy Virginia HOLMES (1797 - 1833). Willis was my 4x great uncle. He was the son of John Brumfield & Margaret Kelly. Nancy was the daughter of Elisha Warren Holmes Sr. They had 10 children and were married 12 years. 

 

27 Jan. 1907. Manhattan, NY. Frank Samuel WEISSBERG (1878 - 1940) married Florence GARTNER (1879 - 1954). Florence was my great aunt. She was the daughter of Leopold & Fannie. Frank was the son of Morris & Rose. (His name is sometimes seen as Samuel Frank). They had 2 sons and were married 33 years. They lived in Buffalo, NY for many years. 

 

27 Jan. 1945. MS. Weldon Willis FORTENBERRY (1920 - 2015) married Malissia DUNN. Weldon was the  son of Willis F. Fortenberry & Ivy May Smith.  They had 2 children. 

 

28 Jan. 1903. OH. Thomas Kenneth MARK (1879 - 1975) married Nancy Regina Victoria GRUISSY (1879 - 1959). Thomas was the son of William Mark & Elidia Ritter. Regina was the daughter of Augustus & Esther. They were my great grandparents. I remember visiting them in OH. They had 7 children and were married 56 years

 

28 January 1864.  George Washington WOLF (1842 - 1920) married Margaret Ann CULP. George was the son of Frederick Wolf & Louisa Goetz. 


29 January 1902. Richard Silman BRUMFIELD (1867 – 1949) married Nora Fitzpatrick. Richard was the son of Isaac Nelson Bbrumfield & Sarah J. Smith.

 

29 January 1977. Ohio. William REAM (1909 - 2001) married Isabell Esther MARK NEE (1903 - 1984). Isabell was the daughter of Thomas K. Mark & N. Regina Gruissy Mark. She was my great aunt.

 

31 Jan 1827. Isaac BRUMFIELD (1801 - 1862) married Elizabeth HOLMES (1808 - 1890). Isaac was the son of John Brumfield & Margaret Kelly. Elizabeth was the daughter of Elisha & Sarah. The couple had 8 children. 



Learn more about my family's branches by reading my books.  

 

 

 

Saturday, December 20, 2025

Merry Christmas

  




I hope your ornaments sparkle
and your jingle bells rock!


Merry Christmas, Colleen







Sunday, December 14, 2025

December Family Birthdays, December 16 - 31

 Is your birthday in December? Happy Birthday!

Maybe you share your special day with someone in our family who came before. Look below and see. I posted this series back in 2011. This version has been updated with more information. I hope you find it as much fun as I do.

Even if it is not your birthday, look at the highlighted SURNAMES. Maybe you will see a name from your family & learn a little more about them.

Click on the links to learn more about the people & places.




16 December     
1872       David J. MCMILLAN
1877       William Calvin FORTENBERRY, son of William Franklin Fortenberry                            Mariah B. Hall, husband of Hettie Alice Alford
1879       Mary POLLACK was born in South America, daughter of David Pollack & Mary English. She grew up in Ireland and came to the USA in 1885 with her cousin, Mary Josephine (Mullane) Coyle.

 17 December    
1898       Elma M. BLADES
1912       Ross POWELL
1933       Hugh Frances BROWN, son of Hubert Allen Brown & Freddie Smith. He married Frances Birch and had two sons.

18 December     
1918       Arnell Wessie WILSON was the daughter of Thomas Clarence & Euna Clarabelle (Fortenberry) Wilson. She married Eugene C. Pigott.

19 December     
1850       John William RITTER, b OH, son of Isaac Ritter Isabell Fisher. Husband                     of  Ruth Anna Scott. He has the same birthday as his brother, Amos. 
 1858       Amos RITTER, son of Isaac RitterIsabell Fisher, husband of Emma                             Levina Smith. Amos lived 94 years
1937       Kenneth Leroy MARK, b in OH, one of 11 children  of James Everett Mark & Effie Margaret Carter.

20 December     
1840       Margaret Ellen SWANK
1869       Joseph Davis BRUMFIELD, b in Mississippi, son of Isaac Nelson Brumfield                     & Sarah J. Smith. He married Annie Quinn.
 1877       Alfred M. SCHILLING

21 December    
 1806       Jacob WOLF, son of John Frederick Wolf 
1888       Bridget COYLE was born in Connecticut, daughter of Patrick Coyle & Margaret Brady. She married Bernard William Kelly. They had no children.

22 December     
1856       Olevia Luminda FORTENBERRY married Jeptha Josephus Alford on 18 February 1874. He was the son of Ira Payne Alford & Elizabeth Hope. Olevia and Jeptha’s son was George Howard Alford (1875 – 1958).
 1897       Edna J. FORTENBERRY, daughter of Thomas Benton Fortenberry & Gabriella Sanders
 1902       Elma Grace Pletcher JOLLIFF

23 December     
1773       Jeremiah SMITH,  b in South Carolina, son of Jeremiah Smith & Jemimah Hollis. He married Joanna Dillon on 16 December 1798. They had 13 children. Jeremiah died in 1843 in Mississippi.  He was my fourth great grandfather.
 1840       Rachel Ellzey Smith SCHILLING
 1860       Frederick Jacob WOLF, son of William Wolf & Sarah Jane Wilson; He lived 90 years.
1873       Catherine COYLE, born in Irelanddaughter of Patrick CoyleMargaret Brady
1882       Celia Euseba SMITH, daughter of Walter Lorraine Smith & Emma J. Warren

24 December     
1835       Warren M. HUFFMAN
1854       James Monroe BRUMFIELD, son of Isaac Nelson Brumfield & Sarah J Smith
1884       Annie Myrtis ELLZEY
1886       Blake H. WALDO
1900       Lyda Mearl Brown PIERCE
1901       Marguerite Christina COYLE was born in New York City, daughter of Michael Coyle & Mary Josephine Mullane.  On 29 December 1933 she married Wilfred Stewart Marshall. She died 13 march 1980 in Arizona.

25 December     Christmas!
1860       Elizabeth RITTER was born in Ohio, daughter of Isaac Ritter & Isabell Fisher. She married William Hawk on 22 February 1880. They had six children, all born in Ohio: Gertrude, Forest, Lulu, William, John and Ruth. She died 1 January 1950.
 1862       Mary Fortenberry ELLZEY
 1870       Thomas MULLANE, son of Daniel MullaneBrigid English
1881       Mary Louise FORTENBERRY
1901       Luther Vernon  FORTENBERRY
1902       Willie Webb MORRIS

26 December     
1861       Margaret Jane GRUISSY was born in Ohio, daughter of Augustus Ceaser Gruissy & Mary Ann Everett. She married Seth Benner Morrison on 24 October 1880. They had eight children. Margaret died 8 March 1946.
 1937       Mildred Fay TURNAGE
 1942       Jimmie Joe MORRIS

27 December     
1739       Johann Jonas WOLF, born in PAson of Johan Jacob Wolf & Anna Barbara Orth; He was my 5x great grandfather. 
1764       John RITTER, born in PAson of Casper Ritter 
1857       Mary Jane ELLZEY
1863       Letitia Susan BLADES
 1907       Milton Sydney WEISSBERG was born in Buffalo, New York, son of Frank Samuel & Florence (Gartner) Weissberg.  On 26 December 1937 he married Anne Bloom. They had a son and a daughter. Milton was a lawyer. He was my first cousin, once removed.
  1917       Claudia Martha BRUMFIELD, daughter of John Edward Brumfield & Ada Beatrice Fortenberry; wife of Elmo Fortenberry

28 December     
1799       William M. FORTENBERRY, born in SCson of Isaac Fortenberry; husband of Christian Brown 
1839       Frederick Calvin WOLF was the son of Frederick Wolf & Louisa C. Goetz. He married Eleanor Getz.  Frederick died in 1907.
 1879       Patrick Joseph COYLE, born in Ireland; son of Patrick CoyleMargaret Brady; husband of Nancy Guilette
 1914       James Albert BRUMFIELD, son of John Edward Brumfield & Ada Beatrice Fortenberry

29 December     
1777       Esther Barbara SHAFFER, wife of John Frederick Wolf. She was my 4x great grandmother.
1874       Susan Isabel RITTER
1886       Martha BRACEY
1890       Ina Lucille BROWN,  born in Mississippi, daughter of Jasper Pascal Brown & Rose Ella Brumfield. She married Dewitt William Alford. They had seven children: Devoe, Doris, Bruce, Zelda, Mary, Louise and Lindy. Ina died in 1972. 

30 December     
1842       George Washington FORTENBERRY,  born in South Carolina, son of Calvin Kennington & Narcissa (Simmons) Fortenberry. He married Emily Pittman. 

31 December     
1763       Appollonia WOLF, born in Pennsylvania, daughter of Johann Jonas Wolf &                     Appollonia Dick
1787       Willis D. DILLON, son of Richard Dillon & Anne Lawrence; husband of Mary Jane Smith
1886       Clark Rudy WOLF






Wednesday, December 10, 2025

Forget Me Not: Reuben B. Ritter, 1895 PA

The research I have done on the Ritter family shows generally large families. Here is an example to show the size of the large farming families. Rueben was one of 12 children. 

 

Reuben B. Ritter

d 17 October 1895 PA

Son of Martin Ritter & Anna Margaret Bogert

Husband of Mary Marcks



One of a Family of 12

Reuben B. Ritter, who died yesterday, aged 85 years, was a son of the late Martin Ritter and was one of 12 children. Mr. Ritter was a farmer but retired about 20 years ago. He is survived by these brothers and sisters: Solomon, Charles, Jacob and Elizabeth Ritter. 



Source:

Newspapers.com

The Allentown Leader, Allentown PA

17 October 1895 PA, page 1





 

 

Monday, December 1, 2025

December Birthdays, December 1 - 15

  Is your birthday coming soon? Happy Birthday!

Maybe you share your special day with someone in our family who came before. Look below and see. I posted this series back in 2011. This version has been updated with more information. I hope you find it as much fun as I do.

Even if it is not your birthday, look at the highlighted SURNAMES. Maybe you will see a name from your family & learn a little more about them.

Click on the links to learn more about the people & places. 



1 December       
1817       Daniel RITTER, son of Henry Ritter & Lydia Knappenberger
1886       James Monroe OTT, son of William W. Ott & Sarah Euseba Elizabeth Ellzey
1888       William Clarence BROPHY

2 December      
     1890       Eslie Guy MARK,  b Ohio, son of William Mark & Elidia Rebecca Ritter. He served in World War I. He was a painter. In 1922 he married Golda Mae Warner. They were married for more than 50 years. They had three children: Guy, Glenn & Dana.

3 December       
 1809       Euseba FORTENBERRY was born in South Carolina, daughter of William Jasper Fortenberry & Violette Kennington. Euseba married Wyatt Smith. They were my third great grandparents. They had nine children.
 1810       Barbary RITTER, daughter of Johannes Ritter Jr. & Anna Mariah Ritter
 1872       Corine McDANIEL

4 December
  1777       Johann Heinrich RITTER, son of Johannes Ritter Sr. & Maria Elisabeth                                 Keck, husband of Magdalena Brouse
 1842       William George SMITH
 1883       Dixie B. SCHILLING
 1884       Lillian Vera MOORE was born in Ohio, daughter of Peter Jonathan Moore &                             Caroline Louise Gruissy. She married Ernest Elliott Lowe on 22                                 September 1966. He was a farmer. Their daughter was Jessie Mary Lowe 
  1897       Elam MILLER

5 December
 1810       Adam WOLF, son of Adam Wolf
1828       Louisa Margany JAMES married Hollis Horton Fortenberry. Their son was                     H. K. Fortenberry. 
 1853       William Jackson FORTENBERRY, son of Burrell Taylor Fortenberry

6 December
1899       TWINS: Paul & Pauline MORRISON, born in Ohio, children of Seth Benner Morrison & Margaret Jane Gruissy. Paul married Elnore Marguerite Castor and had one daughter. Pauline married Elmer Maurer and had five children. Paul died in 1960 at the age of 60. Pauline died in 1979 at the age of 79.
 1921       Fay Seward SMITH, son of Denny Herbert SmithMavis Marie Brown,                         husband of Patricia Ann Brock. He was a kind and gentle man who helped                     me with my genealogy research.

7 December
 1866       Morgana Dean THOMPSON 
1912       Glen Ralph BROPHY
1925       Ellen Pearl ELLZEY was the daughter of Grady Henry Ellzey & Bertha Fortenberry. She married James Conrad McDaniel. They had two children.

8 December
 1785       Jacob RITTER, son of Johannes Ritter Sr. 
1854       Jeptha Josephus ALFORD,  b in Mississippi, son of Ira Payne Alford &                         Elizabeth Hope. He married Olevia Luminda Fortenberry. Their son was                         George Howard Alford.
 1871       Samuel Martin JOLLLIFF

9 December
 1814       William John FORTENBERRY, son of William Jasper Fortenberry 
1843       Isaac Ezra WOLF,  b in Pennsylvania, son of John Jonas Wolf & Sarah                         Ann Chronister. He married Mary Cathrina Wireman in 1866. Their son was                     Clarence Lee Guy Wolf (1875 – 1945).

10 December
     1898       Nonie Dola VARADO married Napoleon Blades, son of William Ephraim   Blades & Morgana Josephine McDaniel.

11 December
     1820       Cynthia Ann ALFORD, daughter of Edwin Barksdale Alford
     1878       Hope RITTER
     1888       Albert GARTNER was my grand uncle, brother of my maternal grandfather, Nathaniel Gardner. My mother, Alberta Joy (Gardner) Brown was named for Albert. Albert was a nurse who died c 1920 from complications of Diabetes.

12 December
     1777       Anna Mariah RITTER
1921       Helen Virginia SAMPSEL married Ernest Miles Mark, son of Amos Martin &                     Lillian Myrtle (Hoverstock) Mark. They were married on 22 February 1946 in                 Ohio. They had four children.

13 December
     1895       Ottilia LOBAUGH was the daughter of John Adam & Christine (Wolf) Lobaugh.

14 December
     1891       Grady Henry ELLZEY was the son of William Franklin & Mary Elizabeth (Gatlin) Ellzey. He married Bertha Fortenberry. Children: Wesley P. Ellzey, Odean Ellzey, Carell James Ellzey and Ellen Pearl Ellzey. Grady was my second cousin, twice removed.
      1914       LaVerne ELLZEY
      1916       Anna Belle HEIGLE

15 December
     1836       Twins: Martha M. and Mary Magdalene BROWN, born in Mississippi,                 daughters of Edward S. Brown & Mary Polly Spurlock.
     1857       Susan A. Ryals FORTENBERRY
     1885       Edgar John ELLZEY