Ancestor Anniversaries, February 1 - 14

Because of Valentines' Day, people think of February as a romantic time of year. We have several family weddings to celebrate, including John & Cinderella getting married on February 14th. 

Look for your surnames and see if you connect with any of these couples. 

1 February 1946. Mississippi. Thurman Fortenberry (1917 - 1992) married Bessie Pearl Edwards. Thurman was the son of Lucius Wilburn Fortenberry & Mary Rosa Schilling. 

2 February 1898. Isaac Omer Cutrer  (1871–1941) married Fannie Rebecca Smith (1881–1923). Isaac was  the son of Hiram Cutrer and Sarah Jane Fortenberry.  Fannie was the daughter of Wyatt Rankin Smith and Irene Bankston. The couple had six children. Both Isaac and Fannie were my second cousins, three times removed. They were married 25 years. 

2 February 1914. New Jersey.   Thomas Joseph Brady married Catherine Lynch. He was the son of Patrick Brady and Ellen Reilly. The couple had four children together. They were married 59 years. 

2 February 1936: Herbert Phillip Mullen, Jr. married Margaret Delores Engle.

Herbert was the son of Herbert Phillip Mullen, Sr. and Ruth Geneva Jolliff.  They had two children.

8 February 1964. Ohio. Robert M. Beriswell (1932–1986) married Francis Edith Brophy, daughter of Glen Ralph and Eileen Mae (Reis) Brophy. The couple had four children.

9 February 1905: Walter Lee Blades (1883–1959) married Addie Angeline Cutrer

Walter was the son of William Ephraim Blades and Morgana J. McDaniel. They had two children. They were married 54 years.

11 February 1870. Ireland.  Patrick Coyle (1841–1925) married Margaret Brady (circa 1855–1934) Patrick was the son of Michael Coyle and Mary Cunningham. Margaret was the daughter of Thomas Brady and Catherine Gibney, in County Cavan, Ireland. They had eleven children. Patrick and Margaret were my second great-grandparents. They were married 64 years.

12 February 1901. Michigan.  Arthur Spice married Emaline Floy Moore  (1883–1942). Arthur was the son of Robert Anson Spice and Emma Catherine Gordon. Emaline was the daughter of Peter Jonathan Moore and Caroline Louise Gruissy. The couple had five children. 

13 February 1825. Pennsylvania.  Frederick Wolf   (1804–1891) married Louisa C. Goetz. Frederick was the son of John Frederick Wolf and Esther Barbara Schaffer.   Louisa C. Goetz was daughter of John Goetz. They had with eight children. Frederick Wolf was my third great uncle. They were married 36 years.

14 February 1839: John Wilson Brumfield (1811 -  1889) married Cinderella Lanier (Circa 1817 LA - 30 Dec 1884).  John was the son of John Brumfield & Margaret Kelly.  They had 11 children and were married for 45 years. 

14 February 1942. Mississippi.  Jessie Miles Hall (1921–1983) married Sylvia Rayleen Brown (1924–2006).  Sylvia Rayleen was the daughter of Roy Jessie Brown and Mary Thelma Ellzey. They had five children and were married 41 years.

14 February 1953: William Thomas Zengler married Kathryn Isabel Waidman

William Thomas Zengler was the son of Urban Robert and Mildred Mae (Wolf) Zengler.

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

 

Anniversary: Mark & Gruissy, 1903 Ohio

 This wonderful photo was taken at the 50th Anniversary of my great grandparents. They were married 28 January 1903 in Medina, Ohio.

 

Thomas Kenneth Mark & 

Nancy Regina Victoria (Gruissy) Mark

 

This photograph shows Thomas & Regina with six of their seven children. They were a close family with most of their homes in Ohio. They were also a long lived family, as you can read below. 

Left to right:

1.              Viola Cathern (Mark) Nothstein, 1913 OH - 2004 FL, 91 years

2.             Thomas Kenneth Mark, 1879 OH - 1975 OH, 95 years

3.             Owen Andrew Mark, 1915 OH - 1993 OH, 78 years

4.             Nancy Regina Victoria (Gruissy) Mark, 1879 OH - 1959 OH, 80 years

5.             Ivy Regina (Mark) Brown, 1908 OH - 2003 NY, 95 years [my paternal grandmother]

6.             Clarence William Mark, 1917 OH - 2006 OH, 89 years

7.              Wava Alice (Mark) Braun, 1919 OH - 2011 OH, 92 years

8.             Isabell Esther (Mark) Nee, 1903 OH - 1984 OH, 80 years

Not in Photo:

1.              Vera Victoria (Mark) Ballard, 1905 OH - 1995 FL, 89 years

Related Posts:

·                Thomas K. Mark, carpenter

·                An Ohio Christmas with the Thomas K Mark family

·                N. Regina Gruissy Mark

Anniversary: Fortenberry & Dunn, 1945 MS

 Weldon Willis Fortenberry

b 21 June 1920 Osyka, MS

Son of Willis Franklin Fortenberry & Ivy May Smith 

 

Married 27 January 1945

Malissia Dunn Bride of Sergeant Weldon Fortenberry

 

 

Progress, Feb. 2 – A wedding of much interest in Progress and surrounding communities was that of Miss Malissia Dunn, of Bode, Miss., to Sgt. Weldon W. Fortenberry.

 

The double ring ceremony was said briefly and impressively at the First Baptist parsonage Saturday, January 27 at 6:30 o’clock in the evening, with the Rev. Wyatt R. Hunter officiating.

 

Attendants were Mrs. M. H. Blackwell of McComb, sister of the bride, and Miss Pansy Fortenberry of Jackson, Miss., sister of the bridegroom.

 

The bride was lovely in a becoming white wool crepe frock with which she wore black accessories.

 

Mrs. Fortenberry is a daughter of Mr. and Mrs. R. L. Dunn of Bode, Miss., and has been employed at the Gulf States Utilities in Baton Rouge during the past eighteen months.

 

Sgt. Fortenberry is the son of Mr. and Mrs. W. F. Fortenberry of Progress, is now enjoying a furlough home after serving for three years in the South Pacific.

 

After his furlough the couple will go to Miami, Florida, where Sgt. Fortenberry will be given a new assignment.

 

Source: Malissia Dunn Bride of Sergeant Weldon Fortenberry. (McComb, MS: Enterprise – Journal, 2 Feb 1945) 6; digital image, Newsspapers.com: accessed March 2021.

Vintage Photograph: Browns, 1944 NY

This is a rare photograph which shows my paternal grandparents with all their seven children. 

Vintage photographs are like little windows looking back in time.

A Window into the Past

From left to right:

Jeanette Rose Brown, 23 Nov 1934 OH - 13 Jul 1986 NY

Genevieve Audry Brown, 3 Oct 1932 OH - 18 Jan 2015 NY

Larry Lee Brown, 16 Feb 1937 OH - 29 Apr 2004 NY

Delbert Keith Brown, 27 July 1928 OH - 24 Oct 2000 NY

Leo Dwight Brown, 20 Sep 1930 OH - 26 Oct 2017 NY

Robert Allen Brown (little boy in front), 17 Apr 1939 OH - 2 Jul 2017 NY

Roy Jessie Brown, 8 Mar 1902 MS - 12 May 1956 MS

Ivy Regina Mark, 8 Jun 1908 OH - 18 Sep 2003 NY

William Lane Brown (baby) 

A few other Vintage Photographs:

• Alberta Joy Gardner Brown
• Elma Patrick
• Helen Coyle Gardner
• The Mark Family, 1930 OH
• Augustus Ceaser Gruissy
• Bruce Alford
• Hubert & Mavis Brown

Anniversary: Van Valkenberg & Jacobs, 1642, Netherlands

 

Lambert Jochemse Van Valkenberg

1616 Netherlands – c 1685 Albany, NY

Son of Lambert Dryskens Van Valkenberg

&

Annetjen Jacobs

1622 Netherlands – 17 September 1704 Albany, NY

Daughter of Arnold & Elizabeth Jacobs

My 9th Great Grandparents 

Married 19 January 1642, Netherlands
384 Years Ago

He was 26 and she was 20 when they married.

Netherlands, Select Marriages, 1565 - 1892 digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed July 2019) Lambert Van Valkenborch.
U. S. and International Marriage Records, 1560 – 1900; digital image, Ancestry (ancestry.com: accessed July 2019) Van Valkenburg & Jacobs.

Parents of:

Hendrick Jacobs Falkenberg

Anna Lambertse Van Valkenberg Sickles

Rachel Lambertse Van Valkenberg Redcliff

Lambert & Annetjen were the first of their families to cross the Atlantic to come to New Netherlands. He worked for the Dutch West India Company, at first in New Amsterdam [New York City] and later in Fort Orange [Albany]. Lambert was a sergeant, a law enforcement officer who kept the peace in Fort Orange and surrounding Beveryck. He also did odd jobs for the Dutch Reformed Church. Despite these two jobs his family was often the recipients of charity from the church to keep them fed and clothed. 

As the generations passed this surname became Faulkenberry/Fortenberry. 

I have learned many details of the life of Lambert since I uncovered my connection to him. It has been wonderful to research someone who actually lived in my area. Usually my research is done long distance.

"Our Brown Roots'  details this family & provides sources for the information. To order a copy of my book visit Troy Book Makers.

Other January Anniversaries:

January 9, 1797.   Jacob Ott III & Margaret Jackson   
10 January 1920 MS   Hubert A. & Freddie Smith Brown  
January 11, 1941  OH     Alvin Braun & Wava Mark   
 January 27, 1907 NY    Frank Samuel Weissberg & Florence Gardner 
January 31, 1827      Isaac Brumfield & Elizabeth Holmes  

Anniversary: Brown & Smith, 1920 MS

 Hubert Allen Brown

1 October 1894 MS – 25 November 1971 MS

Son of Jasper Pascal Brown & Rose Ella Brumfield

Freddie Beatrice Smith

19 November 1899 – 21 April 1988 MS

Daughter of Elvin Dennie Smith & Nancy C. Smith

My Great Aunt & Uncle
Hubert & my grandfather, Roy Jessie Brown, were brothers.

Married

10 January 1920 Pike, MS

 Index to Marriage Record, White,Vol I; 1882-1942; Pike County Court House, Mississippi; ; Family History Center Microfilm #0907286; Page 34.  Freddie Smith married 10 January 1920 to Hubert A. Brown.  Book V. Page 129.

Marriage Record; 1920; State of Mississippi, Pike CountyVolume V ; Page 129;  NOTES: Hubert A. Brown and Freddie Smith, Married 10 Jan 1920.

Parents of:

Borden Hamilton Brown

Fred Allen Brown

Thiry Yvonne Brown Fegan

Lynn Holly Brown

Hugh Frances Brown

Peggy L. Brown Alford



Other January Anniversaries:

January 9, 1797.   Jacob Ott III & Margaret Jackson   
January 11, 1941  OH     Alvin Braun & Wava Mark   
19 January, 1642 Netherlands   Lambert & Annetjen Jacobs VanValkenberg 
 January 27, 1907 NY    Frank Samuel Weissberg & Florence Gardner 
January 31, 1827      Isaac Brumfield & Elizabeth Holmes   

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 1^st 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.