Author: Connie Kelly
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The Krämer and Löscher Ancestors of the Starr Line
One hundred and forty five years ago on July 11, 1880 my 3x great grandmother, Deborah Cramer Holden died. She was the mother of William Holden who was the father of my great grandmother Ina Holden Starr. The anniversary sparked a deep dive into the history of her family. The first Cramer to come to…… Read more
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They Shared Birthdays but Not Much Else
July 9th is the birthday of two of my great grandmothers. On my father’s side, Margaret Evelyn Thompson Myers Hounihan, mother of Dad’s mom, was born 9 July 1903 in Roodhouse, Illinois and on my mother’s side, the mother of my maternal grandmother, Bessie Hendricks Radcliff, was also born on July 9th but seven years…… Read more
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Oak Grove
The house my grandparents bought in 1961, the same house my father lives in today, was once part of a small town called Oak Grove. Built on the highest point in McLean County, a ridge overlooking current day Carlock, Oak Grove became a bustling center of commerce at a time when transportation was literally bogged…… Read more
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Murdering Cousins
In 1797, Thomas Starr was hanged in Haddam Connecticut for the murder of his nephew, Samuel Cornwell. That was a surprising sentence I found today in, of all things, a research paper titled “THE STARR FAMILY OF MIDDLETOWN, CONNECTICUT; A STUDY IN SOCIAL MOBILITY AND SOCIAL EXPERIENCE” by John Barry. It’s an interesting read, talking…… Read more
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Riverside Cemetery, Middletown, Connecticut
Hidden away atop a hill surrounded by the bustling of trains and automobile traffic sits Riverside Cemetery in Middletown, Connecticut. And in this hidden 17th century burial ground lies many of the town’s first settlers, including many related directly or indirectly to me. There’s no sidewalk or parking lot for the cemetery and it’s surrounded…… Read more
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The Taylor Family Line
The mother of my maternal grandfather was Ruth Taylor. Ruth was born on the 4th of July 1897 to Anna Moeri and James Peter “JP” Taylor. Anna and JP were married in Peoria Illinois in 1895. JP worked as a barber and they lived at 506 Greenleaf Street, which today is a parking structure for…… Read more
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Ray “Cotton” Radcliff lost in WW2
Memorial Day seems an apt day to write about my Grandma Carroll’s brother Cotton who was killed during WW2. Raymond Radcilff was born on the 13th of December 1920 in Mackinaw, Illinois. The fourth of Elmer and Bessie Radcliff’s 12 children, he had bright white/blond hair and was thus dubbed “Cotton” for the rest of…… Read more
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Buster Perry lost at Pearl Harbor
On this Memoria Day I thought it only fitting I post about my husband’s Great Uncle Buster. Buster was the youngest brother of Chris’ grandfather, Clifford Perry. His portrait hangs in the living room of Chris’ mother to this day. This story is from the fold3.com: Forrest Hubert “Buster” Perry was born May 27, 1919…… Read more
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Rabble Rousing Quakers
While researching my 4x great grandfather, Elias Mott I found his middle name, Hicks. Elias Hicks Mott. It seemed like a strange middle name so I did what I always do, I googled it. Turns out Elias Hicks was a rather famous Quaker who some say caused a schism in the church. Elias Hicks, like…… Read more
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Richard Starr – Colombian Hostage held captive 1093 days
I’ve been building out the branches of the Starr family tree in preparation for a trip east this summer. This led me to find the fascinating tale of Charles Richard STARR 1947-1983 my 7th cousin 2x removed. We’re related through my 8x great grandfather, Joseph Starr, a tailor that was later a tax collector in 1705,…… Read more