East India Trading Company

Recently, I came upon this picture on a Facebook group:

Below the picture read: "A 282-year old East India trading company ship returns to London for the first time since 1787- in 2018".

Silly me took the photo and description as real. I'm feeling a bit silly after searching the story on Google. Turns out, it's a replica, made in 2002, of an 18th Century Swedish ship named the Gothenburg that sank on it's way back to Scandinavia. All the crew members lived but the cargo was never salvaged. The cargo and ship were claimed on insurance and it is believed that the cargo was sold in London and deliberately wrecked for the insurance money. You can view the article on BBC News Here.


But this got me thinking still, about the East India Trading Company. 

My 14th Great-Grandfather was John Mildenhall Jr. and he worked for this company during the 16th and 17th centuries. I can't actually living and working on a ship such as the one pictured! How incredible AND hard!!! 

Picture of John Mildenhall & Emporer, Courtesy of Google.com

John Mildenhall was born in 1560 in Little Bedwyn, England. He married Elizabeth Bates (1562-1602) and they had 2 sons: Thomas (b. 1580) and Robert (b. 1582). 

Wikipedia depicts John as a trader to his English King. He apparently was a thief (or pirate if you will) and fled. He was hunted for many years but was on the run. He became ill in 1614 while in Agra, India and died in June 1614. 

John is buried in the Agra Cemetery in Agra, India. His gravestone is the oldest Mendenhall burial site/gravestone and the first Englishman gravestone in India. 

If the inscription is difficult to read, you can read it here: 

HERE LIES JOHN MILDENHALL

ENGLISHMAN WHO LEFT LONDON IN 

1599 AND TRAVEELLING TO INDIA THROUGH

PERSIA, REACHED AGRA IN 1603 AND 

SPOKE WITH THE EMPEROR AKBAR.

ON A SECOND VISIT IN 1614, HE FELL

ILL AT LAHORE DIED AT AJMERE,

AND WAS BURIED HERE THROUGH

THE GOOD OFFICES OF THOMAS

KERRIDGE MERCHANT.

R.I.P.

How I'm related to John:

John Mildenhall Jr. (1560-1614)
Thomas Mildenhall (1580-1639)
Thomas Mildenhall Jr. (1609-1673)
Thomas Mildenhall III (1630-1682)
John Mendenhall (1659-1743)
John Mendenhall Jr. (1688-1765)
Mordecai Mendenhall (1713-1803)
Richard Mendenhall (1737-1773)  (Killed by Indians! Read Here)
Joseph Mendenhall (1770-1883)
Richard Mendenhall (1794-1871)
Aaron Mendenhall (1828-1894)
Richard Mendenhall (1852-1924)
Marion Richard Mendenhall (1873-1948)
Earl Dwight Mendenhall (1894-1972)
Harold Earl Mendenhall (1916-1989)
Bonnie Jean Mendenhall 
Carrie Ann (Me)

52 Ancestors Biography- Rose Horn

Rose Horn- my 2nd Great-Grandmother

Rose was born on 07 May 1872 in Dayton, Ohio. 

She was the fourth and last child of German immigrants- Joseph Horn (1834-1880) and Martha Altmann (1833-1895). Rose had 3 siblings: Emma, Frederick, and Mary. 

On 23 Aug 1899 in Montgomery County, Ohio, Rose married Joseph Herman Jeckering:

Marriage certificate

Rose and Joseph had 7 children (3 died before adulthood):

1. Gerhard C. Jeckering (1900-1967) 
2. Cletus Joseph Jeckering (1902-1996)
3. Martha E. Jeckering (1906-1997)
4. Norbert John Jeckering (1908-1989)
5. Elizabeth Martha Jeckering (1910-1923)
6. Infant (1912-1912)
7. Irene (1913-1914)

(Read more about children 2-7 Here). 


Rose died at the age of 61 of a heart attack on 18 Dec 1933, 2 years after her husband's death. She was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

 

(If you noticed the constant change in her middle initial- I find it odd too. Some sources and evidence shows "A" and others show "M". I, unfortunately, don't know which one is correct). 

My Mayflower Ancestors

I did a Mayflower Passenger list earlier today on my blog- you can read that Here. 

I realized I haven't done a Mayflower ancestor blog post before, so here it goes!

There were 102 passengers on the Mayflower in 1620. Of those 102, 45 people died the first winter. I discovered I'm related to 3 of those passengers- which is pretty amazing! 

~Francis Cooke- my 11th Great-Grandfather

1. Francis Cooke (1583-1663)

2. John Cooke (1606-1694)

3. Richard Cooke (1638-1695)

4. Elizabeth Cooke (1678-1738)

5. Sarah Benjamin (1707-1770)

6. Thomas Park (1745-1819)

7. Daniel Park (1782-1843)

8. Sarah M. Park (1808-1872)

9. John Park Munn (1841-1908)

10. Louella Ida Munn (1872-1958)

11. Earl Dwight Mendenhall (1894-1972)

12. Harold Earl Mendenhall (1916-1989)

13. Bonnie Jean Mendenhall

14. Carrie Ann (me)

~Richard Warren- my 11th Great-Grandfather

1. Richard Warren (1580-1628)

2. Sarah Warren (1614-1686)

3. Richard Cooke (1638-1695)

4. Elizabeth Cooke (1678-1738)

5. Sarah Benjamin (1707-1770)

6. Thomas Park (1745-1819)

7. Daniel Park (1782-1843)

8. Sarah M. Park (1808-1872)

9. John Park Munn (1841-1908)

10. Louella Ida Munn (1872-1958)

11. Earl Dwight Mendenhall (1894-1972)

12. Harold Earl Mendenhall (1916-1989)

13. Bonnie Jean Mendenhall

14. Carrie Ann (me)

~Edward Fuller- my 9th Great-Grandfather

1. Edward Fuller (1575-1621)

2. Samuel Fuller (1611-1683)

3. John Fuller (1655-1726)

4. Joseph Fuller (1699-1775)

5. Lydia Hatch (1763-1776)

6. Lucy Purdy (1805-1890)

7. David Purdy Niles (1833-1914)

8. Joseph Niles (1857-1933)

9. Edna Grace Niles (1894-1933)

10. Harold Earl Mendenhall (1916-1989)

11. Bonnie Jean Mendenhall

12. Carrie Ann (me)

Mayflower Passengers

Hi and Happy Thanksgiving!

Recently, this poster of the Mayflower Passengers and those who made it to the First Thanksgiving in 1621 started showing up all over the internet. I know it was on a Facebook group I belong to and some had trouble reading the names of the families. So, I decided to break it down in a post. 

You can see and/or purchase the poster Here.

This is the poster (I added the numbers on the top portion to go along with the list below)

Mayflower Passengers Pictured above. The highlighted names below didn't make it to the first Thanksgiving in 1621.

1. John Alden

2. Isaac & Mary Allerton 

     -w/ 3 children: Bartholomew, Remember & Mary

     -w/ 2 servants: John Hooke & William Latham

3.John Allerton

4. John & Eleanor Billington 

    -w/ 2 sons: John & Francis

5. William & Dorothy Bradford

6. William & Mary Brewster 

   -w/ 2 children: Love & Wrestling

   -w/ 2 wards: Richard & Mary More

7. Richard Britteridge

8. Peter Browne

9. John & Catherine Carver 

   -w/ 2 wards: Jasper More & Desire Minter

   -w/ 3 servants: John Howland, Roger Wilder, Dorothy (ULN)

10.  James & Mrs. Chilton 

    -w/ daughter Mary

11. Richard Clarke

12. Francis Cooke

     -w/ son: John

13. John Crackston

    -w/ son: John Jr.

14. Francis & Sarah Eaton

    -w/ son: Samuel

15. Mr. Ely

16. Thomas English

17. Moses Fletcher

18. Edward and Mrs. Fuller 

    -w/ son: Samuel

19. Samuel Fuller 

    -w/ Servant: William Butten

20. Richard Gardiner

21. John Goodman

22. Stephen & Elizabeth Hopkins

    -w/ 3 children: Constance, Giles, Damarius 

    -1 child born at sea: Oceanus

    -w/ 2 servants: Edward Doty & Edward Leister

23. Edmond Margesson

24. Christopher & Mary Martin 

    -w/possibly brother: Solomon Prower and Servant: John Langmore

25. William, Alice, Joseph and Priscilla Mullins

    -w/ servant: Robert Carter

26. Digery Priest

27. John & Alice Rigsdale

28. Thomas Rogers

    -w/ son: Joseph

29. Miles & Rose Standish

30. Edward & Ann Tilley

    -w/ 2 wards: Humility Cooper & Henry Sampson 

31. John & Mrs. Tilley 

    -w/ daughter: Elizabeth

32. Thomas & Mrs. Tinker 

    -w/ son

33. William Trevor

34. John Turner 

     -w/ 2 sons

35. Richard Warren

36. William and Susanna White 

    -w/ 2 children: Resolved & Peregrine 

    -w/ 2 servants: William Holbeck & Edward Thompson

37. Thomas Williams

38. Elizabeth & Edward Winslow 

    -w/ ward: Ellen More

    -w/ 2 servants: George Soule & Elias Story

39. Gilbert Winslow 

The Siblings of Josephine Dabuliewicz

Josephine was my great-grandmother. She was the only daughter of Josef Dabuliewicz (1881-1977) and Stephania Ellert (1878-1913). 

Now, you're probably wondering, how can there be a blog post about a siblings of an only child? Josephine's mother died in 1913, very young, when Josephine was only 7 years old. She was abandoned by her father and adopted by John and Mary Alexinas. You can read more about Josephine Here.

On 17 May 1914, Josef married Honorata Cieslak (1891-1977). Together, they had 6 children: 
1. Mary 
2. Helen
3. Walter Alexander
4. Stanley 
5. Joseph John
6. Adele

On 22 Apr 1930, the family was living in Winchendon, Massachusetts on Mill Glen Road. Their home was owned, valued at $2000. Josef was working as a sauder at a chair factory.

1. Mary Dabuliewicz 
Born: 31 Dec 1914 in Concord, Massachusetts

In 1935, Mary was living in Gardner, Massachusetts. She owned a beauty shop at 66 Parker St. 

Photo of Current building at the address of Mary's beauty shop- Photo Credit- Google.com

Mary sadly died at the young age of 26 years old on 20 Apr 1941 in Whitefield, New Hampshire. Cause of death- sub acute baterial endocarditis (infection of the lining of your heart). She never married. 

Mary was buried in the Saint Johns Cemetery in Gardner, Massachusetts. 

2. Helen Dabuliewicz
Born: 1917 in Massachusetts
Died: Before 2012

I couldn't find much information on Helen. In the 1930 U.S. Census, her name was written as Ellen. In her brother Joseph's obituary, it had her name and married name as Helen Lepkowski. It also stated in the obituary that she had already passed and this was 2012. I have not been able to find anything on her or her immediate family. 


3. Walter Alexander Dabuliewicz
Born: 01 Dec 1918 in Bedford, Ohio
Died: 28 Feb 1995 in Massachusetts-- age 76

Walter married Antoinette Leblanc (1929-2001) and they had at least 1 daughter- Michelle. 


4.  Stanley Dabuliewicz
Born: 1921 in Ohio
Died: Before 2012

Stanley is a lot like his sister Helen as in- I couldn't find much information on him. All I know is that he died before his brother Joseph in 2012- per Joseph's obituary.

5. Joseph John Dabuliewicz
Born: 25 Feb 1925 in Winchendon, Massachusetts
Died: 02 Dec 2012 in Greenfield, Massachusetts-- 87 years old

Joseph married Dorothea Haines (1925-2000) and they had 2 children: John Edward and Christian.

6. Adella M. Dabuliewicz
Born: 1930 in Massachusetts
Died: Unknown/Living

As of 2012, when her brother Joseph died, Adella was still living. She was Adella Wierstak. I found her husband was Charles Wierstak.  

52 Ancestors Biography- Ruby Mae Henderson

This is the second biography post for Ruby. The first one is a lot of pictures I had (then) recently found, you can view that blog post Here. 

Ruby Mae Henderson- my Great-Grandmother. 

Born: 28 Aug 1901 in Tipton County, Indiana

Ruby was the daughter of John Henry Henderson (1871-1949) and Anna Jane Thornton (1875-1954). She had 5 half-siblings with her father's first wife Cora and then one brother: Gaylon Eugene Henderson (1914-1985). 

On 10 Sep 1919, Ruby married my great-grandfather, Otto Watson Seaver (1901-1972). You can read more about him Here. 

Ruby and Otto had 2 daughters: 
1. Anita Marie (1922-1957)
2. Helen Ruth (1923-1981)

Ruby (right) and her daughter Helen and her granddaughter Bonnie (my mom)

Ruby and Otto weren't married long. By 1926, Otto was remarried to Grace Dunker. Ruby re-married as well to Myron Andrew French, son of Alonzo French (1869-1933) and Lucretia Alice Ward (1871-1930). Myron was born on 19 Feb 1894 and died on 30 Nov 1964 in Carson City, Nevada. Ruby and Myron didn't have any children. 

Ruby died at the age of 88 in Carson City, Nevada in Mar  1990. She is buried in Lone Mountain Cemetery.

The Siblings of Gerhard C. Jeckering

Gerhard C. Jeckering was my great-grandfather. He was the son of Joseph Herman Jeckering (1870-1931) and Rose A. Horn (1872-1933). 

Gerhard was their eldest child out of 7 children born:
1. Gerhard C. 
2. Cletus Joseph 
3. Martha E. 
4. Norbert John
5. Elizabeth Martha 
6. Infant Daughter 
7. Irene 


1. Gerhard C. Jeckering- I wrote a blog post about Gerhard (read that post here). 

2. Cletus Joseph Jeckering.
Born: 07 Aug 1902 in Dayton, Ohio

In 1940, he was living at 58 Bruce in Dayton, Ohio. His home was owned- valued at $6000. He was working as a purchasing agent for wholesale grocery and living with his wife Ethel and 2 children, Robert and Marilyn. 

58 W. Bruce Ave, Dayton, Ohio. (Image source- Zillow.com).

Built in 1923, has 1,204 sq ft., 3 bedroom, 1 bath.

Cletus married Ethel Beatrice Alcock (1909-1982) and they had 5 children: 
          1. James H. (1930-1936)
         2. Robert Cletus "Bob" (1934-2015)
         3. Marilyn Irene (Living)
         4. Infant Son (1936-1936)
         5. Thomas Edward "Tom" (Living)

Cletus died on 19 Mar 1996 in Fairfield, Ohio at the age of 93. He was buried at Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio- Sec. 29, Lot 243, Space 12.

On 20 Aug 2019, his son Tom and wife Virginia donated funds to Saint Adalbert Catholic School in Cleveland, Ohio for a new 13,000 square-foot addition in honor of his father. The addition added 9 classrooms, a cafeteria and a playground. It was named the Cletus Jeckering Learning Center. 

3. Martha E. Jeckering "Aunt Mart"
Born: 23 May 1906 in Dayton, Ohio
Died: 27 Feb 1997 in Dayton, Ohio

Martha never married. She did work her whole life as a grocery clerk and then in the accounting department at White Villa (grocery chain in Ohio). Martha died at the age of 90 in Dayton, Ohio and was buried in Calvary Cemetery, section 23, lot 1 1/2, space 3.

4. Norbert John Jeckering
Born: 17 Aug 1908 in Dayton, Ohio

In 1930, Norbert was single, living at 3226 Riverside Dr. in Dayton Ohio, Working as a tool maker. I was unable to find the house online- google to zillow, so it makes me think maybe it's not around anymore. 

Norbert married Freda Lucille Shell (1910-1993) and they had 3 daughters (Judith, Patricia and Marcia) before moving to Santa Barbara, California. 

Norbert died at the age of 81 in Santa Barbara County, California. He was cremated.


5. Elizabeth Martha Jeckering
Born: 19 Apr 1910 in Dayton, Ohio
Died: 19 Dec 1923 in Dayton, Ohio, age 13.

6. Infant Daughter Jeckering
Born: 22 Apr 1912 in Dayton, Ohio
Died: 22 Apr 1912 in Dayton, Ohio- only lived 15 minutes.
The baby was buried in Calvary Cemetery in Dayton, Ohio.

7. Irene Jeckering
Born: 27 May 1913 in Dayton, Ohio
Died: 08 Jan 1914 in Dayton, Ohio- about 8 months old