McCarroll-McKibben

Someone (LM) on Ancestry.com contacted me with information on Margaret McCarroll, my g-g-g-g grandmother. We had thought for many years that her maiden name was Carroll, but another cousin(LL) had information it was really McCarroll or McCarrell. Here is what LM wrote me:

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Jaclyn: I began to research my McCarroll ancestry back in the seventies, knowing only that my GGGrandfather John McCarroll came to Louisiana in the early 1800s from Tennessee and in my search I exchange letters with one Margaret McCarroll-McCarrell of McCarrell Lane Rt. 3, Knoxville Tennessee. She wrote the following:

Cousins in our Neighborhood

We live in a St. Louis suburb where people don't go to school with cousins. My daughter Rachel on the left (pink) was in class with her 3rd cousin once removed Heather (with glasses). Even the teacher couldn't believe that we KNEW that they were 3rd cousins once removed. Heather's grandmother (Fay Long Buxton) was the first cousin of Rachel's great-grandfather (Roy Long). Family historians just know these things.

Catana, Leah, Glenice

So, I was at a baby shower with Leah's friend since Kindergarten, Catana. I knew her mother was from DeSoto where my Dad's family is from and I'd asked her about her family from time to time, but couldn't find a connection. . .in 25 years. . .

Glenice, Lois, Jean

So, in 5 minutes after meeting Glenice's sister, Jean (a family historian), I found the connection. Glenice, Jean and I have the same great-great-great grandparents Jacob Tyrey and Celicia Kilpatrick. Lois was my father's 3rd cousin; Glenice and Jean are my 4th cousins; Leah and Catana are 5th cousins.
My grandfather Roy Long was 2nd cousin with Lawson Valle (Glenice and Jean's grandfather); my great-grandmother Mary Reiter Long was first cousins with Julius Valle; my great-great grandmother (below) Eliza Tyrey Reiter was the sister of their ancestor Caroline Tyrey Valle.


So these two munchkins (below), who have been all through school together (Kindergarten through college) are 5th cousins. If the teachers at Henry School couldn't believe I knew that Heather and Rachel were 3rd cousins once removed, what would they have thought about 5th cousins?

Finding John Graham's Land 1797

One of my goals this week was to find where John Graham's Spanish Land Grant was. I found the map above at the Genealogical Society with the key below. (Double click to enlarge) His is that block in green across from the island. The other two which I've highlighted belong to the Quicks and Carricos who were friends who witnessed his son's probate. The Missouri River is at the top and the Mississippi to the side.
I was initially surprised that it was on the Mississippi River because I knew from other documents that he lived in the Cold Water/ Spanish Lake area which I associate with the Missouri River. I looked at that island in the water trying to find it on a map, but realized there had been a lot of floods and a major earthquake since John Graham's land grant.

Map shows Lewis and Clark's route going west and coming home. The blue river is today's river bed compared to what they witnessed in white.

If you'll look directly across from Spanish Lake, you'll see that island in the OLD riverbed (white) so that told me the island did not exist today.

Photos and Calling Cards

David M. came by last week to show me some photos and calling cards from his wife's family. The photo above is of Kingsley Olds who was Lydia Graham's father-in-law. The frame was a flexible metal like aluminum, but it was probably more like copper.
He also had some beautiful calling cards from various family members (double click to enlarge).

The hand bends to also reveal the name Ann G. Graham or Anna Gilmore Graham Usher who was the granddaughter of Thomas Jefferson Graham.

Grahams in early St. Louis

Burr-Hamilton Duel

So, how many John Grahams could have lived in St. Louis during the late 1700's and early 1800's? Apparently more than I expected. There were 925 inhabitants in St. Louis in 1798----most of them were French. I'd estimate only about 150 were Americans or "Bostons" as they were called. To see how the communities of Carondelet and Florissant compared, click here. Remember most of these people were French.

And, yet, there seemed to be more Grahams in St. Louis than probably any other Anglo name and a lot of them were associated with duels.

There was James A. Graham---a bright lawyer from Pennsylvania who died in 1811. According to Fred O Wyant in his article "Dueling Masons":