Category: Starr
This is a main branch in my family tree, Kenneth and Clema Starr being my grandparents. All ancestors of Kenneth and Clema are included in this main category.
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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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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
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197th Anniversary of William Starr’s Birth

Today is the 197th Anniversary of the birth of my 3x great grandfather, William Almaron Starr. He was born on 20 May 1828 in Lee Center New York, Oneida County. He was the oldest of Marilla Amelia Warner and Asa Starr’s four children. Asa had inherited his father (Thomas Starr)’s farm and homestead and William… Read more
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Henry “Lace” Hoots

Henry Hoots, my 5x great grandfather, was born about 1827 in McMinn County, Tennessee. McMinn County is northeast of Chattanooga southwest of Knoxville. He was the third son of David and Hannah (Welch) Hoots’ 14 children. David was a farmer, born in Deep Creek, Surry County, North Carolina in 1804, raised mostly in Cumberland county… Read more
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Samuel David Hatton

Samuel David Hatton was born in 1749. He was my 6th great-grandfather. Samuel was born in Stony Stafford, Buckinghamshire, England to Thomas Hatton/ Heighton (B 1729 D 1797) and Hester Hall (B 1729- D 1759) my 7x great grandparents. In 1754 they lived in London, England. Hester died when he was just 9 and at… Read more