Category: Genealogy

I’m home tonight after a two day trip to Chicago to attend my grandfather’s funeral. It was really great to be there, to remember him, and to share memories with his large extended family, many of whom I was meeting for the first time. At the luncheon that preceded his funeral, a large battered black suitcase was on the table, and it’s contents were a time capsule of memories for all of us that were there. The suitcase was stuffed with photos dating back 100 years, newspaper clippings, letters, yearbooks, and more.

We spent hours pouring over its contents, repeatedly turning to my grandfather John’s 90-year old sister Margaret to ask, ‘Who’s this?’. And like an unfallible oracle of family history, Margaret could not be stumped.

Some fast sorting went on, with pictures that had the most meaning to each of John’s families ending up in the right hands. But the bulk of the photos, and the case itself, were entrusted to me, with my promise that I would digitize the collection and share it online with all. And Margaret’s children have promised me that they’ll get her in front of a computer as needed, to continue the task of sharing and preserving the memories that come out of this black suitcase.

Over the last two years I’ve often wondered what it was the triggered my sudden fascination with genealogy, and my obsessive hunt to learn more about my family. Opening this suitcase gave me one answer. For two years I’ve been doing my homework, learning about the people in my family, trying to understand what their lives were like. Without that initial effort, much in this suitcase would mean nothing to me. But thanks to it, I am well prepared to dive into this suitcase. I know the people in these pictures, and I’m ready to learn still more.

Stay tuned for a continuous stream of contents from this family time capsule to be posted here in the Casey blog. As I get items scanned, I’ll be adding them to album titled Casey Memory Suitcase that you can find among my online photo albums.

Adam Geldmacher

Name: Adam GELDMACHER

Birth: 24 Nov 1839 Schwarzbach Kur Hessen, Germany 1
Death: 14 Dec 1912 Farmdale, Tazewell Co, IL
Burial: Farmdale Cemetery, Tazewell Co, IL 2
Occupation: Farmer 3
Father: GELDMACHER
Mother: UNNAMED

Spouses

1: Louise LUDWIG
Birth: 18 Nov 1848 Niederaula, Germany 1,4
Death: 25 Aug 1905 Peoria, IL 5
Burial: Farmdale Cemetery, Tazewell Co, IL 2
Father: Henry LUDWIG
Mother: Christine
Marriage: 9 Nov 1872 6
Children:
Henry (1872-1950)
Catherine (1873-1948)
Elizabeth ‘Lizzie’ (1875-1955)
Dorathe ‘Dora’ (1878-1925)
Anna (1880-1943)
John Adam (1882-1950)
William (1884-1963)
Mollie B. (1886-1983)
Lena (1888-1956)
George C. (1891-1962)

For almost two years now I have been bitten with the Genealogy bug in a very big way. It started innocently enough, when after dinner on a Sunday night my son Will announced he had homework yet to do before bed. “I need to create a family tree”, he told us, “and it has to include everything we know”. Yikes. I knew a little bit, had some collected papers and a few generations of info in an old Hypercard stack. But it was far from ‘everything’. We cobbled together what we could, and Will’s homework was complete. But for some reason, it was not enough for me. An obsession began, to learn all that was knowable about my own family history.

Fortunately, my obsession was well-timed. Facilitated by the explosion of the family tree information available on the Internet, it is easier than ever for a research to quickly find success in the ancestor hunt. In my efforts, I have found there are three basic levels of family tree information that you will encounter, and I share them here because… well, just because.

First, there is the first person account, the first step in any family search. The most important info you can find on your family is in the memory of living family members. Start with the living before you go chasing the dead, you’ll find a great deal of information this way. Also, you’re likely to find that you’re not the first to pursue at least some research on your family. So locate the other family historians and get their latest info. My hunt started with a couple of printed histories, copies of which had found their way to me. In each case I contacted the authors (usually some distant cousin), and begun a correspondence on their previous efforts and latest findings.

Second, there is the tangible type of information, in which you track down actual records from the paper trail your ancestors have left behind, hoping to discover additional information and new leads. In the last six weeks I have searched Census records online an at the National Archives. I’ve ordered copies of birth, marriage, and death certificates from County Clerks Offices, a copy of a Social Security Application from the SSA, and burial records from the cemeteries where my relatives are buried. This type of search can be slow and painstaking. Documents might provide no new information, but often provide helpful clues. For example, finding my Great-Great Grandfather, Chris Ross listed as a widower living with his daugher’s family in the 1920 Census, helped to narrow down the possible death date on his wife Josephine. This will likely lead to her death certificate (she was still there in the 1910 Census), and that in turn might lead to her parents names.

And third is the undocumented connection of your tree to the work of others. The Internet is awash with family trees. Self-published histories, and the wealth of data on the great Mormon web site (familysearch.org – check it out, you WILL find your family here). Take the name of your oldest known relative and try a search on Google or FamilySearch.org. As you click through the results, you’re likely to find that someone else has researched your family and posted information online. Be skeptical, and look for clues that provide real evidence of a match such as dates, locations, and children’s names that match. In many cases you’ll find discover a tree that pushes back for many generations further than your information. But can you trust this info? Without any source documentation, or direct knowledge of the researcher, you must take a leap of faith in the quality and accuracy of this information. This type of search can be fast and exciting, pushing you back hundreds of years in a single leap. So what if you can’t be certain about the details. I’d rather have a family tree full of long plausible theories than just short documented branches, wouldn’t you?

The key to quality genealogy is sound sources. Obviously, the farther back you reach, the more difficult reliable source information will be to find. The paradox of genealogy is that the greater your success in discovering past generations, the larger the problem becomes. In the end, all genealogists are doomed to fail. The fun lies in pushing as far back as possible along your tree until you hit that ‘brick wall’, and getting to know your own family along the way.

Martin Slovacek

Name: Martin Leopold SLOVACEK Sr.

Birth: Feb 1882 Polesovice, Moravia
Death: Dec 1953 Berwyn, IL
Burial: 7 Dec 1953 Bohemian National Cemetary, Chicago, IL 1
Occupation: Carpenter
Father: John SLOVACEK
Mother: Marie MELICHARKOVY

Spouse

1: Hedvika IVACHULA
Birth: 15 Oct 1881 Polesovice, Moravia
Death: Jul 1968 LaGrange, IL 1
Burial: 11 Jul 1968 Bohemian National Cemetary, Chicago, IL 1
Father: Unknown IVACHULA
Marriage: 1906 Polesovice, Moravia
Children: Lydia (1908-1979)
Alois (1909-1994)
Jerry Martin (1910-1986)
Hattie (1913-1929)
Martin Leopold (1915-1976)

Notes for Martin Leopold SLOVACEK Sr.
He built a home for his family at 1521 S. Kenilworth Ave. in Berwyn and lived there until he retired. He was a carpenter and became a general contractor who built homes in the Chicago area. After he retired in 1946 or 1947, he and Hedvika moved to a small home in Lake Geneva, Wisconsin. When he became ill with heart disease in 1953, they moved back to Berwyn. He died in early December 1953. 2

Sources

Care to dig deeper? Explore the Casey/Geltmaker family tree online.

If you have any information about Martin Slovacek or believe that you may be connected to my tree in any way, I would be very glad to hear from you! Please send me an email to: chris@casey.com

Michael CASEY

Birth: 1850 Annagh, Parish Murroe, Co. Limerick, Ire
Death: 19 Jun 1898 Chicago, IL
Burial: 21 Jun 1898 Calvary Cemetery, Evanston, IL
Occupation: Porter, Teamster
Father: Michael CASEY (ca1816-1882)
Mother: Margaret RYAN

Michael was one of ten Children of Michael Casey, Sr. and his two marriages (Margaret Ryan & Catherine “Kate” Ryan). From his funeral notice in the Chicago Daily News, I found the names of each of his nine siblings:

Casey , Michael, June 19, 1898, aged 44 yrs., at resid., 244 1/2 S. Sangamon, husband of Mary, nee McGinney, brother of Patrick, William, John, Edward, Thomas, Hanna, Maggie, Kate and the late Timothy Casey , native of Anna, Parish Murroe, Co. Limerick. Funeral from St. Patrick’s Church to Calvary

Spouses

1: Mary GEARY/GUIRY
Birth: 1856 Feenagh Parish, Limerick, Ire
Death: 11 Mar 1885 Chicago, IL
Burial: 20 Mar 1885 Calvary Cemetery, Evanston, IL
Father: GEARY
Marriage: bef 1881
Children: UNNAMED (<1881-1881)
John A. (1882-1953)
Mamie (1883-1884)
Michael (1884-1884)

2: Mary MCGIFFNEY
Birth: 1861 Jackson County, IA
Death: 9 Mar 1939 Dubuque, IA
Burial: Mount Olivet Cemetery, Dubuque, IA
Father: W. M. MCGIFFNEY (1824-)
Mother: Ellen (1825-)
Marriage: 14 Nov 1889 Chicago, IL
Children: Margaret (1892-2009)
William Joseph (1894-1966)
Patrick M. (1897-1952)

Sources
1. 1910 Census.
2. John F. Casey – Phone Call, 4/11/03, Chris Casey, added the Limerick detail.
3. Casey, John – Birth Certificate..
4. Casey, Michael – Chicago Daily News Funeral Notice, 6/19/1898, Ancestry.com.
5. Limerick Archives & Limerick Ancestry, 7/8/2003.
6. Calvary Catholic Cemetery – Michael Casey Plot, Photocopy of two plot cards, Calvary Catholic Cemetery, Evanston, IL, Lot 21, Block 14, Section N.
7. Casey, Michael – Cook County Death Certificate, 3168.
8. FamilySearch International Genealogical Index v5.0, http://familysearch.org, John Casey record – Source to Chicago Birth Certificates 1878-1922.
9. Casey, Mary – Funeral Notices, Chicago Daily News, Chicago, March 1885, copy of text from Ancestry.com.
10. Casey, Mary – Death Certificate, 3/11/1885, Cook County, IL, 58793, photocopy.
11. John F. Casey – Phone Call, 4/11/03, Chris Casey.
12. Sheehan, Margaret – Telephone Interview, 12/31/2003, Chris Casey.
13. Obituary – Mrs. Mary Casey Paul, Dubuque, IA, 3/9/1939, Photocopy.
14. Marriage License – Michael Casey & Mary McGinney, 11/14/1889, Chicago, Cook County, IL, 146194, Photocopy from Microfilm.

Care to dig deeper? Explore the Casey/Geltmaker family tree online.

If you have any information about Michael Casey or believe that you may be connected to my tree in any way, I would be very glad to hear from you! Please send me an email to: chris@casey.com

OK, so here’s my thought. I’m going to dedicate a category in my blog to my family tree. With individual entries for different members of my family, I’ll use my blog both as a means to keep online notes for those individuals, and hopefully increase the chance that others might find them in their own online searches and add information. Sound like a plan? OK then, we’re off. I’ll start with my Great Grandfather, Michael Casey. Stay tuned…