It has been quite some time between entries...over a year and a half! I have been busy moving, buying a home and getting re-settled in the SF Bay Area. I also have continued to work on genealogy when possible, but have not done a lot. Last record I discussed finding CB Keller as a child in the 1860 Census in Baltimore, MD. That was exciting! I since have located his mother's (Juliet) request for a widow's pension for William, her husband, from the Civil War pension funds! That was a very cool find! Apparently, though, her request was rejected as William was not a soldier, but a civil worker in a general's office, albeit on the front lines, defending the city with musket in hand. All very exciting, and all very sad that Juliet was an ill and frail old woman, with no apparent income, and was denied this money in her last years. She died before the judgement had been declared final.

But still - that piece of information indeed helps me focus on the Baltimore area, and into Pennsylvania, as it seems that is where William is from. I also have Juliet's maiden name, Hawk, from CB and Nora's marriage license, and indeed Lucy A. Hawk appears on the census record, living with the family in 1860, listed as mother-in-law. So again - there is a new piece of information. I also think that there is more information to be found sorting through the many pages of the widow's pension application.

I am still struggling with the Schwinn and Winter(s) men, though. I cannot get a clue to follow to find Henry Schwinn back any further than the 1880 census, except for his marriage record in 1860 to Mary Mueller. I believe that they lived in Germantown all that time, so something has to eventually be discovered. I just have to keep looking. Actually, just this morning I found a clue to something that has bothered me for a few years. In their older years, three Schwinn brothers - Louis, John and William - were on the census rolls as living together on the family farm, along with a "Mary Kraker, Mary Cracker, Mary Crocker" depending on the year. She was listed as a hired girl, domestic and "cojen". Someplace - I cannot now remember - I saw her listed as a cousin, and indeed her grave stone is right next to the brothers' in the Springdale Cemetery, Peoria IL. Well today, on FamilySearch.Org, I was again looking at records for Henry Schwinn, and there was one that listed him as father to Anna A. Crocker on her death record. One of Henry and Mary's daughters is Anna A., and the birthdate is the same, so lo and behold - the Crocker connection! So - it looks like Marie very well may be cousin to John, Willie and Louis, and lived with them on the farm all those years. I will do some more delving into these records, and see what I can find.

With some of these new findings, I have the itchy fingers and feet to travel again. I am planning on making another genealogy trip in April of next year. It will have a little bit of fun involved, as well. I decided to take the train, rather than drive, as the trip will include the greater Baltimore area as well as the Boston/Salem area for some research on my mother's side. So, when I looked at the train schedule, I discovered that the train stops in New Orleans, and I've never been there...so I will hop off the train for a few days and see the sights of "The Big Easy"! When I started discussing this with my friend Deb, she thought it was a great idea, so she is doing the N'awlins part of the trip with me, on the train, and her husband will fly in to meet us, and we'll tour the city together. What a great idea! She and I had a lot of fun in Charleston a few years ago, and I know we will have a blast. After about 5 days, they will head home and I will get back on the train and continue to Baltimore. I will hang out there for 7-10 days, researching. Having never been there before, or to Washington DC, I will make a couple of side trips there, and also to the Philadelphia area, as I haven't been there either. I want to see the Liberty Bell, Gettysburg and the Amish quilts! I will rent a car there, and after 10 days or so I will head north to the Salem, MA area for more research. I have ancestors in Essex County back to the 1620's through the mid-late 1700's. Anyone who lived there during that time more than likely had some experience with the Salem Witch Trials, so I am interested to see what I can find on my JACOB and KELLOGG lines there. I plan on being there about a week, then will turn the car in at the Boston train station, and travel home via the northern route, going to Chicago, then through Michigan, Wisconsin, North Dakota, Montana, Iowa, Washington, Oregon then home! What a trip! I'll be gone about a month total, which is a long time. I am so looking forward to this!! We actually have reservations in N'awlins already, so it is really real! I will, of course, blog daily on the trip.

So, that is what is new in the Keller Genealogy area. I am also still enrolled in my certificate program, although it got slowed down with the move, as a lot of things are still in storage. But I am confident that by the end of next year I will be done, and certifiably (in more ways than one!) a genealogist.