Robert Rankin at Valley Forge

A Rankin researcher and blogger recently stated, "If you want to continue believing that Lt. Robert was at Valley Forge, you might want to skip" a future blog post that the researcher has yet to publish.  The researcher, who is a Rankin but is not from the Lt. Robert Rankin part of the tree, is implying that she can prove Robert was not at Valley Forge.  I heartily disagree and doubt his presence can be disproved.

To reassure Robert's descendants, I have painstakingly retraced my previous research to again convince myself that Robert was indeed at Valley Forge, and I have learned a bit more than I already knew, especially about Robert's enlistment.  The PDF linked below is the conclusion of that process.

http://freepages.rootsweb.com/~nivek/genealogy/charts-reports/Thompson/narratives/Robert-Rankin-Valley-Forge.pdf

Unless some miraculously unexpected piece of new evidence appears, I am confident that Robert Rankin was indeed at Valley Forge and that the researcher's claim is mistaken.  Only time will tell, but I am certainly comfortable with the current analysis and conclusion.

As a final note, Robert Rankin is a well-known and accepted ancestor for the Society of the Descendants of Washington's Army at Valley Forge.  Given the focus of the Society, they probably know more than just about anyone about Valley Forge and the soldiers that wintered there with George Washington.  This is all the more reason to suspect that the Rankin researcher's claim is unlikely to be true.

The Mystery of Emily Morse (Moss) Pegoda

(This is an old post I had started on 23 Sep 2012 but failed to post for some reason. The information is a bit dated now, but I felt it worthwhile to post.)

Part of my ancestry contains a curiously unique surname: Pegoda. If you know a Pegoda (spelled exactly like that), especially one that lives in Texas, there is a 99.99% chance I am related to them. So, recently, I decided to focus my research on the Pegoda family. Such a unique name sure makes weeding out non-relatives easy - they are all related to me!

While researching the Pegoda lines, I have luckily solved one of the long standing mysteries in my family. It was a minor mystery about the first wife of my 3rd great-grandfather John Pegoda, but nonetheless it was a mystery. And, it was a mystery to my part of the family, but apparently not to at least a few others in the distant family.

After John Pegoda immigrated to the United States in 1851 and settled in Walker County, Texas, he married a woman named Emily Morse on 17 Oct 1852 in Walker County. But, we should first note that her surname might not be Morse. When we first see John and Emily together in the 1860 United States census with their 3 children (Nancy, Mary Frances, and John), there is a curious older woman living with them by the name of Nancy Moss who the record states was born in Indiana. Since the record states that Emily was born in Illinois, I have assumed that Nancy is Emily's mother. No guarantees, but a relatively safe assumption given their relative ages and almost identical surnames - Morse and Moss. I have not been able to trace Nancy and Emily back to the 1850 census with any surname: Moss, Morse, Morris, etc. So, there is another remaining mystery (they never really end do they?). As we will see, some of the new evidence I have found also points to the Moss surname. [NOTE: Since Sep 2012 I have learned of new evidence that points to Emily being of the Mass family - see my book "The Pegoda Family in America" for more information.]

Now, by the 1870 census, Emily has vanished along with the 3 children she had with John, and John has remarried to another woman named Nancy McGraw (my 3rd great-grandmother) and had new children. And, this is the mystery I have solved. (Since solving it, I have finally come across at least two other people who had put these pieces together. It was just not readily available on the internet - only in ancestry.com family trees.)

I have always believed that Emily died, and probably also the three children. This belief was rooted in a note in a Walker County, Texas history book stating that John and "his wives" were buried in unmarked graves in Bath (Possum Walk) Cemetery in Walker County. Although I have not found Emily Morse's grave yet, I do not believe this is true, especially not how I thought - with Emily dying in the 1860s. John is likely buried there with his second wife Nancy, but probably not his first wife. Why? Emily did not die in the 1860s.

In the 1870 census there is an Emilie Pegodie (yes, that spelling would throw a wrench in searching by an index) in Trinity County, Texas. (Searching with soundex is beautiful, isn't it?) Her age and place of birth are a little off from the 1860 census, but there are two children with her: Nannie and Fannie, nicknames for Nancy and Frances. And, their ages and birth places are perfect. Little John is missing, but it is very possible to lose a child in 10 years during that time period.

Emily lives on until after the 1900 census often living with her daughter Frances. I believe she is buried somewhere in Robertson County, Texas as this was her last known place of residence. I find it very unlikely that after almost 40 years of separation in different locales that Emily would be buried back in Possum Walk Cemetery with her ex-husband and his second wife.

Apparently John and Emily divorced, although unfortunately the census records never confirm this. I have not checked for a divorce record in Walker County, but it seems someone would have mentioned it before now. Perhaps the record does not exist or is archived (as some are in Walker County).

So, what started all of this? The death certificate for John and Emily's daughter Mary Frances from 1949. Old death certificates are powerful genealogy tools! It states her parents as "Mr. Pegoda" and "Emma Moss." We always knew from the 1860 census that John and Emily had children. I thought they vanished off the face of the earth. But, when I found Frances' death certificate, I knew that was not true. So, she had to be somewhere in 1870. And I found her. With her mother. In Trinity County, Texas.

Mystery solved!

And, through all of this, I have finally been able to locate the immigration record for John Pegoda. I knew it existed, but I had never located it. One of the two people who had already put these parts of the Pegoda family together had a link to it.

New Books - Pegoda, Thompson

I have mostly finished two new genealogy books.

The first is a book called "The Pegoda Family in America" and it documents the first three generations of descendants of John Pegoda, Sr. who immigrated from Ruda, Prussia to Walker County, Texas.  The book is largely complete and is awaiting input, corrections, and additions from other Pegoda researchers I have reached out to.

The second is a book called "The Descendants of Paul Thompson" and it documents the first three generations of descendants of Paul Thompson (an immigrant from Sweden) of Muskegon, Michigan.  It also is largely complete and is awaiting input, corrections, and additions from a few Thompson researchers I have reached out to.

The books are being published electronically and can be downloaded as PDF files from the front page of my genealogy website:

http://freepages.genealogy.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~nivek/

If you are a descendant of either of these immigrants, please have a look at the books and provide corrections and additions. It is my hope that these will be the most complete and accurate genealogies of descendants possible.

- Kevin

Old Pegoda Homestead

The picture below is a pencil drawing of the old Pegoda homestead in Walker County, Texas. It is believed to have been drawn by my great-grandmother Georgia Effie Florene (Pegoda) Anders, undated.

Old Pegoda Homestead
by Georgia Anders (undated)
(click image to enlarge)

Pegoda Ancestry Notes

I have previously posted briefly on our Pegoda family ancestry. While no new primary evidence has surfaced, I have had contact with others in the family in the United States and some potential relatives overseas. The general consensus seems to be that John Pegoda, Sr. (born circa 1822, died after 1900) was likely part of the Pogade family that originated in the mid-1700s from the area known today as Ruda, Poland. The family tree below was put together by Wolfgang Pogade who lives in Berlin, Germany. The best guess would be that John is a long lost son or nephew of Johann Gottlieb August Pogade, born 25 May 1794. Again, nothing is certain as the children of August cannot be traced in their entirety in Poland or Germany. This is general speculation based on family histories and geographical and temporal proximity. (Many thanks to Wolfgang for sharing and helping out!)

Pegoda Siamese (Conjoined) Twins

Siamese (conjoined) twins are rare: about 1 out of every 50,000 to 100,000 births. But, while doing research on the descendants of my 3rd great-grandfather John Pegoda, I discovered the birth of Siamese twins in my extended family.

On 23 Aug 1952, Vaudine Colburn Pegoda, wife of Casey W. Pegoda (my first cousin thrice removed), gave birth to a set of conjoined twins. The death certificate indicates they only lived for 13 hours. The twins are buried in Ebenezer Cemetery outside Huntsville, Texas. When I am in Texas again, I plan to visit the Huntsville Library and see if I can track down a newspaper article about the twins. I am sure there was one in the Huntsville Item as this is quite a rare event.

Adda Wanda Anders Wedding Photographs

These photos are of my grandmother Adda Wanda Anders on or near her wedding day, Jan 1945.

Adda Wanda Anders Photograph

This is a colorized photograph of my grandmother Adda Wanda Anders taken on 25 Jun 1927 when she was almost 3 years old.

Adda Wanda Anders, 25 Jun 1927

Roy Anders Children Photograph

This is a photograph of my grandmother Adda Wanda Anders and her siblings Joyce Mae and Roy Jacob, Jr. It is not dated but is probably from circa 1930 as Roy looks to be somewhere around 2 years old.

Roy Jacob, Jr.; Joyce Mae; and Adda Wanda Anders
Circa 1930

The Roy Jacob Anders, Sr. Bible

This Bible was owned by my great-grandfather Roy Jacob Anders, Sr. Images of the pages with relevant genealogy information are shown below along with a transcription following.

Front cover

Page before Family Register page

Family Register page

Children's Names page

Marriages page

Deaths page

A transcription of each page is given below. All information in brackets [ ] has been added for clarification.

Family Register Page

- Husband, Roy Anders - born October 6, 1898 [Roy Jacob Anders, Sr.]

- Wife, Georgia Pegoda Anders - born July 25, 1903 [Georgia Effie Florene Pegoda] (Walker County, out from Riverside)

- Married, December 31, 1923

- Roy died Dec. 22, 1957

Page before the Family Register Page

- Robert Lee Anders born June 8, 1863 [father of Roy Jacob Anders, Sr.]

- Jimmie Addie Anders born December 13, 1874 [Anders is maiden name; mother of Roy Jacob Anders, Sr; this date is correct - her grave marker is incorrect]

- married January 10, 1893 [Robert Lee and Jimmie Adda marriage]

(children born to them)

- Lilly Ethel Anders born Jan. … [brother of Roy Jacob Anders, Sr.]

- Roy Anders born Oct. 6, 1898 [Roy Jacob Anders, Sr.]

- Lilly married J. M. Johnson

- Born to her James Melvin Johnson, born Aug. 2 …

Children's Names Page

- Adda Wanda Anders born October 11, 1924

- Joyce Mae Anders born August 27, 1926

- Roy Jr. Anders born March 18, 1928 [Roy Jacob Anders, Jr.]

Grandchildren (all born in Huntsville Memorial Hospital)

(omitted - all still living)

Marriages Page

- Roy and Georgia Anders - December 31, 1923, married 34 years when Roy died December 22, 1957

- Robert Lee and Jimmie Adda Anders - January 10, 1893

- Adda Wanda Anders married George Baldwin Jan. 20th, 1945 - 8 P.M. First Baptist Church, Huntsville, Tex

- Joyce Anders married James J. Dougherty Nov. 27, 1946 - 8 P.M. at Home

- Roy Anders, Jr. married Amy Jean Wilson on April 16, (Sat) 1949 in Santa Ana, Calif, First Baptist Church (military wedding)

Deaths Page

- Robert Lee Anders died June 1, 1928

- Jimmy Adda Anders died April 19, 1952 [this date is correct; her grave marker is incorrect]

- Roy Anders husband of Georgia died Dec. 22, 1957 at about 2:00 P.M.  Buried Dec. 24, at 10 A.M. from First Baptist Church, Rev. W. Y. Pond, Jr. and Rev. Garrett officiated.

- Georgia F. Anders, wife of Roy, died August 19, 1970, buried August 21, 1970 at 2 P.M., First Baptist Church, W. Y. Pond officiated.  Buried by Roy in Addicks Addition of Oakwood Cemetery.

Loretta Jones - 1940 US Census

Again, going page by page in the 1940 United States, I found my 3rd great-grandmother Loretta Josephine Jones. She is on line 63 of the image below (Walker County, Texas enumeration district 236-11, page 19B). She is living with the wife (Mary Rebecca Jones) of her deceased brother Edmon Foster Jones and her daughter Mary Myrtle.

1940 United States Census
Walker County, Texas, ED 236-11, page 19B

Roy Anders Family - 1940 US Census

Going page by page right after the 1940 United States census was released, I found my great-grandfather Roy Jacob Anders, Sr. and his family. They are in lines 74 through 79 of the image below (Walker County, Texas enumeration district 236-1, page 7B), my grandmother being the oldest child in the family. My 2nd great-grandmother, James "Jimmie" Adda Anders, is also present.

1940 United States Census
Walker County, Texas, ED 236-1, page 7B

Another Huntsville Reunion Photo

This is another photo taken at a class reunion for the 1942 class of Huntsville High School (in Huntsville, Texas). The year of the reunion is not known. My grandparents, George Avner Baldwin and Adda Wanda Anders, are sitting in the front row, 3rd and 4th from the right.

Huntsville High School Class of 1942
(undated photograph)

Huntsville High 1942 Class Reunion

This is a photo taken at a class reunion for the 1942 class of Huntsville High School (in Huntsville, Texas). The date for the photo is 11 Jun 1955. My grandmother, Adda Wanda Anders, is sitting in the exact middle of the front row, 8th from the left and right.

Huntsville High School Class of 1942
11 Jun 1955

Pegoda Immigration and Mysteries

My 3rd great-grandfather John Pegoda was born in Prussia about 1812. He left Ruda, Germany on 15 Apr 1851 on the ship Magnet and arrived in Galveston, Texas on 25 Jun 1851. There is reportedly a ship manifest with this documented in the Galveston County courthouse. I have never had the chance to track down this primary documentation myself. By 1858, John had become an American citizen.

John's life is definitely shrouded in some mystery. The book "Walker County, Texas: A History" provides the most information I have found about John, but none of it is sourced. The name Pegoda was reportedly adopted in America, as implied by the article. But, to me, John's original name is not clear. Various records show it as Purgudy, Purugdy, and even Peagody. The article states it as Purugdy. (Is that German even?) This book also reports that John died on 01 Dec 1881, a date I have seen reported nowhere else. It is also ironic that the article reports twins Anna and Felix also died on that same day. I wonder if one of them is a typo?

Finally, John and Nancy's final resting place is not marked. They, and other Pegodas, are reportedly buried in Bath (Possum Walk) Cemetery in Walker County, Texas. I can only rely on family history that says they are buried there. Nancy's date of death is not even known.

If you have primary or secondary documentation for John or Nancy that I have not found yet, please contact me or leave a comment.

William Henry Anders Family

Below is a photograph of the William Henry Anders family from 1902. William was the brother of my 2nd great-grandfather Robert Lee Anders. His wife, Susan Catherine Anders, is related to me through a different branch of the family tree. Catherine was the sister of my 3rd great-grandfather James W. Anders. William and Susan were first cousins.

The William Henry Anders Family, 1902
Nannie, William Henry, Ludelia Viola, James Short,
and Susan Catherine Anders

Mary Ann Anders Photograph

Below is a photograph of Mary Ann Anders (17 May 1835 - 25 Jun 1921). It was given to me by Gladys Weatherford Chatham. Mary is my 3rd and 4th great-grandaunt - she was the sister of my 3rd great-grandfather James A. Anders, Jr. and my 4th great-grandfather John Demostinie Anders. She was a citizen of the Republic of Texas.

Mary Ann Anders
from the collection of Gladys Weatherford Chatham

Georgia E. F. Pegoda Photo - Young

Today's photograph is of my great-grandmother Georgia Effie Florene Pegoda in her youth. It is undated but may be from the 1920s or so.

Pegoda Brothers Photograph

Today's photograph is courtesy of my great-grandaunt Fannie Alma Birdette Pegoda Alexander. It is a picture of my 2nd great-grandfather Frank P. Pegoda (Anders line) with his four brothers. These are all of the sons of John Pegoda and Nancy McGraw. The picture is from 1949. Frank was dying from cancer at the time, and he appears thin in the picture.

Back row: Henry and Marion B. Pegoda
Front row: William, George, and Frank P. Pegoda
1949

Rev. Francis Doughty, Jr.

My 10th great-grandfather Rev. Francis Doughty, Jr. (Anders line) is not only the most distant ancestor certainly known in my family (ok, so technically his father is actually), but he is also the first person in our family known to be in America. The birth of his son Enoch in 1639 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts began a well-documented line of 13 consecutive generations born in America, extending at the time of this writing to my children. This line is also deeply rooted in Texas history as a continuous 7 generation line beginning with the birth of Sarah A. Rankin in the Republic of Texas on 10 Jan 1842, containing 3 citizens of the Republic of Texas, and extending to two of my children at the time of this writing.  The full line is (with proof of parentage citations in the earliest generations)

Francis Doughty, Jr. m. Bridget ________

 └ Enoch Doughty [4, 7]

   └ Margaret Doughty [1, 4, 6]

     └ Joseph Berry, Jr. [1, 2, 4, 5]

       └ Thomas Berry, Sr. [1, 3]

         └ Margaret Berry

           └ William Marshall Rankin, Sr.

             └ Sarah A. Rankin

               └ Robert Lee Anders

                 └ Roy Jacob Anders, Sr.

                   └ Adda Wanda Anders

                     └ (my mother)

                       └ (me)

Francis, Jr. was reportedly born on 04 Nov 1605 in Hempstead, Gloucestershire, England and died on 02 Mar 1682/3 in New York, New York, New York. Unfortunately, I am not sure where these dates come from. He first married a woman named Bridget, who was my 10th great-grandmother. What are well documented are his movements and activities as a pastor in colonial New England [7, 8].

After losing his Anglican pulpit in England to his Protestant leanings, Francis came to America in the early to mid-1630s. He is first seen in the Boston area and became pastor of a new church in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts for a short time around 1639. It is here where his son Enoch is born.

Francis then went to Rhode Island and participated in a colonizing project to place an English-speaking settlement on Long Island which led him to a pastorate there in New York for the years 1643 to 1646. A new English settlement in nearby Flushing, New York lured Francis to a pastorate that lasted from 1647 to 1654. Upon leaving during a dispute with his church in Flushing, Francis is next seen in Hungars Parish on the Accomac peninsula of Virginia from about 1655 to 1658/9. In Jun 1657, he married Ann Eaton (widowed sister of William Stone, ex-governor of Maryland) indicating that Bridget had passed away.

Francis is next seen in Charles County, Maryland from about 1659 to about 1662. Leaving amidst yet more controversy, he is next seen in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia from 1662 to 1669. At some point, Francis returned to New England where he died in New York.

Children of Francis Doughty, Jr. and Bridget

1) Mary Doughty [7] married 1st Adrian Vanderdonck and 2nd Hugh O'Neal.

2) Francis Doughty, III [7]

3) Elias Doughty [7]

4) Enoch Doughty [4, 7] was born in 1639 in Taunton, Bristol, Massachusetts [7]. He died before 09 May 1677 in Old Rappahannock County, Virginia [9].

References

[1] King, George Harrison Sanford, King George County, Virginia Will Book A-1, 1721-1752, Fredericksburg, VA, 1978. Pages 176, 177, and 178.

[2] Ibid. Pages 1, 2, and 3.

[3] The Virginia Genealogist, Volume 1, Number 1. Page 13.

[4] Ibid. Page 8.

[5] Ibid. Page 9.

[6] Essex County, Virginia Deed Records. Deed Book 14, Page 107.

[7] William and Mary Quarterly, Series 2, Volume 19, William and Mary College, Williamsburg, Virginia. Pages 38 and 39.

[8] Maryland Historical Magazine, Volume 23, The Maryland Historical Society, Baltimore, 1928. Pages 155, 156, 157, 158, 159, 160, 161, and 162.

[9] Sweeny, William Montgomery, Wills of Rappahannock County, Virginia 1656-1692, Southern Historical Press, Inc. Page 62.