Ships Log Book–On This Day

Some time ago, actually 24 October 2018, I wrote a Blog on this topic

Ships Log Book – Online

I was reminded that on this day, 29 July 1967 the Navy had a very serious event on the USS Forrestal (CV-59) had a disaster, her flight deck had a fire that killed 134 sailors and 161 were injured.

There is a YouTube video about that event. As I watched it, it reminded me of the “other side of the story”.  Trial by Fire: A Carrier Fights For Life (1973)

Because I know that the USCGC Halfmoon’s log book was online, I went back to look to see if July 1967 was there yet. Sorry to say, it was not. BUT a number of other Month’s of Log Books are. I’ll go back later to read them.

https://catalog.archives.gov/id/83869328

I remember this day, and was hoping to confirm or disprove my memory, with the log book but, maybe later.

Underway Replenishment at Sea (UNREP) was “normal” operation, where the Halfmoon would pull along side some very large Navy Ship and take on “stores”, food, fuel, ammunition, Movies and Mail, and some times people. Then we would move in, closer to shore, and to an UNREP with smaller Navy and Coast Guard vessels and give them what they needed.

On the night of 29 July 1967, we were involved with an UNREP but by helicopter. They would drop “stores” on our deck and move back and return with another load of “stores”. BUT, they stopped. We would learn that these helicopters would be needed to the North of us (as I recall), then we would learn of this accident.

This picture is the Halfmoon (with our Commanding Officer, Commander E.G. McCarthy on the left) as we wait our turn to pull along side of the ship with the goodies.

Taking on Stores

And we replenish the USCGC Point Cypress in this photo..

The things you remember, based on other events. That YouTube video was from a Coast Guard Email List.

LESSON LEARNED: Go Back and look at those Sources you already have in your Database. There are 5 or 6 new Ship Log Books that were not on line earlier

Finally figured “it” out

The “it” is, where did I get the “passion” to do Family Research.

Here is an Example:

It’s the inside of a medal “banker’s box”. I have a couple of them. Was looking for a couple of things that I am looking for, so I looked into this one. Haven’t looked inside this one for years, if at all. It was one of those things that I took when my parents house was downsized and my mother had put it aside for me. (yes, I had already started my research, and maybe I know why my mother helped correct data that I had).

What a treasure trove of “stuff”. The “Rae Strode” was my grandmother, Rachel Johnston, and that is a lock of her hair, with that pin. Now the pin is interesting, in and of itself (but not for this story).

You will see another box, and Bible, an envelop (yet another story), and “address book”, and a pair of old glasses.

BUT, to the right of the bible, under the box, is some paper. That paper described what was in the box.

This 2nd picture is that documentation of the contents of the box. And at the top were her initials.

No wonder the 150 Photo Albums have most of the photo’s very nicely marked.

My mother was Citing her Sources.

Oh, and I have submitted some photographs of the Jet Plane Crash to a Historical Society for a future publication they are working on. One of the Photographs had the date and time of the crash, marked on the back, which confirmed when that crash occurred. Of course, I sent them Both Sides, and Transcribed in the Filename, what was written on the back. (even the blank back side, which were few).

Guess I caught this from Louise Strode (1916 – 2010). Thank Mom.

What’s left of a Jet Plane

On 18 May 1950, a Jet Plane crashed in my back yard. Here is a photo of what that looked like, as they hauled the pieces away.

Now, why am I telling you about this.

In our research, we tend to look locally, to Historical Societies, Genealogy Societies, Archives (think ArchiveGrid), and other repositories.

As we research Family, we remember the FAN Club (Family, Friends, Acquaintances, and Neighbors). I just learned that I need to use the FAN principle for places as well.

And, the rest of the story.

I had a email from my brother, who forwarded an article from a small town in Chester County, Pennsylvania which was not too far from where I grew up. My bother’s wife has a friend that lives there, both were teachers, so I received the article. It has been posted on a website:

https://www.downingtownhistory.org/

The June 27th article was about this Jet Plane that crashed “in a Lionville Orchard“. Oh did that take me back a very long time. The article is full of details, most of which I remember from growing up (and living through it), but some back story about the details of the “training mission”. Please read it.

The author of the article responded immediately (late in the evening) when I told the website / webmaster that I was there, and thanked them for that article. I looked at the photo album I have been working on, and there were 8 or 10 photos of that crash, of course I shared them with “Jim” (I believe he is the Vice President of the Historical Society) The article mentioned and our email back and forth, that the exact location wasn’t know. I can solve that problem (red circle)

I can see the house my Dad built, our garden across the street, and remembered where the Jet came down. That photo was taken in 1957 according to the caption. I was living in that house in early 1957, when we moved to New Jersey. I would guess, that where I have located that crash site it pretty close.

The kids on the farm, my cousins, mostly were barefooted, unless we were working, which was most of the time. But, for a couple of years, we could not, as there was small pieces of metal all over the orchard. If my memory is correct, it was about 55 acres.

So, the crash site and the house were close. Yes, there was mud on the house and the 3 car garage that my dad built, but we were not home. My folks had gone out for the evening. Don’t remember where they went, be we were across the orchard to my grandparents house.

I don’t remember the rain, that the article mentioned, but that would explain the mud on the house. I also remember a few of the details about what happened to the two pilot’s. Glad to have that story.

One more thing, DearMYRLE, last Wednesday, and I had a Webinar with The Archive Lady, and our discussion was about surprises that we run into. This article is one of those surprises.

The Archive Lady: Surprising findings

I spend most of last night, and this morning looking at their website. What a Gem. There was a photo of a group of young men, at the High School, where I attended and the teacher in the photo was probably my teacher when I was there.

The Website has a link to what Family Files that have AND what Business Files they  have. Needless to say, I am asking for them. And, may in fact to pay them a visit.

LESSON Learned:

Don’t forget the FAN Club for Locations. Maybe that small, or not so small, neighboring Genealogy or Historical Society has the record you need, want, or never thought you would find.

This is the cockpit of that Jet that had been moved to the side of the road for pick up later

The Wreckage being picked up

Our Driveway where the big truck was for the wreckage.

NOTE: the field across the road, was a newly planted set of trees, peach, I think. I also think you can see the Farm House above the tree line near the top of the picture.

Why Kansas–Wrong Timeline

In an earlier Blog Post MyHeritage Record Hint–Newspaper Article I was talking about the marriage of Samuel Worthington and Sarah Catherine Reeve, 23 February 1872.

For a long time, I have asked myself, Why would this Quaker Family from Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, move to Kansas in the mid-1800s? That question was raise again from my brother who wrote:

Saw your blog abt our GGF Samuel. Thought this plaque could provide some clue as to why he left Philadelphia.. perhaps in search of land (160 acres) that the government may have offered for homesteading. As noted on the plaque, maybe the local historical society could shed more light on the movement West by Quakers . His homestead was not too far from the Springdale Friends Meeting house.

I had to respond, as I have had this why Pennsylvania to Kansas move.

Great theory, but not sure that it works, based on the information that I have, and don’t have.

I do think that move to Kansas was as you suggested, the land, but I have not found any records to back that up. As I mentioned, other family members, specifically several of the children, did have Land Grants. I have those records.

Samuel was in Philadelphia for the 1850 Federal Census, but was in Kansas for the Kansas 1855 Census. That Quaker movement was the year before. So, yes, he may have been part of that.

He as in the 1860 Federal Census, also in Kansas, but on 27 August 1862 he enlisted in Company A, Kansas 11th Cavalry Regiment and served until 21 Jun 1865. His mother was not a happy camper about that.

More information on why I haven’t found Land records, is because after he married Sarah Catherine Reeve, 15 Feb 1872, they returned to Philadelphia going via Adrain Michigan.

After Ulysses Grant Worthington died, October 1880, at the age of 5 months, they all, Willits Reeve, Samuel Whitall, Mark Reeve Worthington, and Sarah Catherine moved to Michigan. They also had lost Henry Wilson Worthington in 1875 at the age of 1.

They would return to Kansas about 1885, as they were in the Kansas Census that year.

I do have a note about the move for Samuel

October 1857
Age 14

Family moved to Levenworth County, Kansas and all lived in a one room cabin. That would have been Henry Wilson Worthington and Elizabeth Willits Worthington and 4 children. Henry Wilson Worthington had left Philadelphia, wife and children staying, to “go to Kansas to prepare for their move west “to be out of the way of the war zone, in anticipation of the Civil War”. He found a farm with a cabin about 12 miles west of Leavenworth.. They weren’t good farmers, apparently.

Having done research on the Bureau of Land Management website and have pulled some BLM Records from the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) in Washington, D.C., I had not seen any records for Samuel Worthington (the GGF). I have records for his mother, and a number of his (and Sarah Catherine) children.

That commented made me go back to the BLM website to search again.

What I did find, was the “homesteading” act that he referred to, to make sure I had been looking at the right place.

Kansaspedia, the Kansas Historical Society website has an article on the Kansas-Nebraska Act which was established 30 May 1854.

The key word in that article was Slavery. Having another ancestor, move from East Jersey to the Shenandoah Valley, possibly due to Slavery, and that family also being Quaker, I followed that hint to see what might be going on in Kansas.

There was also an article English Quakers Tour Kansas in 1858.

Quaker, Slavery, and the pending Civil War seem to be in common. So, I see the “Push” factor, the reason to leave Pennsylvania, but was there a pull factor.

I reviewed the TIMELINE for my Great Grandfather to see what I might have been missing. Samuel’s timeline was what I was looking at in my response to my brother. So, I added the Family Events to his timeline, still everything was in order, no surprises. In the time line, that I looked at, it shows his AGE with the event.

I was looking at the WRONG TIMELINE, he was only 14 when the move would have been Westward. That is when I found the notes about his Father, Henry Wilson Worthington. He is the one who moved to Kansas, to prepare for the family move to Kansas.

From the notes that I have and research to date, I do not know if one or both the Kansas-Nebraska Act, nor the Quaker movement in Kansas was part of the reason, but the pending Civil War was a factor, which to me was the Quaker stance on Slavery.

I mentioned in my notes about a One Room Log Cabin, That is not documented in the article about the English Quaker Tour Kansas link.

Dined at Benajah Hyatt’s [Hiatt] whose wife is Sarah Coffin’s sister. In the evening rode a few miles to the habitation of Henry Worthington, a log cabin of one room 12 feet square. This friend who has a wife & 5 children came here from Philadelphia about 6 Mo. ago. They had been used to the comforts & refinements of good society; but being unfortunate in business, they had taken land come out here. We were much interested in seeing them all trying to do what they could in their humble cot; a little corner was shielded off where we slept, the rest of the family sleeping in beds in the same room.

This information is very consistent with my database. Samuel was the oldest of the 5 children.

Henry Wilson Worthington’s wife, Elizabeth Willits was mentioned in a number of the Land Records for Samuel and Sarah Catherine’s children. But that is another story.

As an aside, the mention of Adrian, Michigan in my response to my brother, because of a Quaker School that was there, as well as other family members. including where Elizabeth Willits Worthington would marry after Henry Wilson Worthington died in 1866. Another story for another time.

Elizabeth Willits Timeline

MyHeritage Record Hint–Newspaper Article

This morning I was greeted with a Record Hint from  the MyHeritage website. As usual, I reviewed the hint, and many times, not always, moved on. This one caught my eye.

In Chronicling America: Historic American Newspapers, 1836-1922

Publication: Emporia, Lyon, Kansas, USA

Date: Feb 23 1872

Text:
“…interest that presents itself to relate, is the manage of Samuel Worthington, of Leavenworth county, and Catharine Reeve, of Lyon county. This marriage was performed after the order of the society of Friends…”

They are my paternal great grandparents. I have blogged about this event before.

And my “Current Thinking Is …”

That blog post was about this photograph, properly protected with the writing on the archival sheet protecting the picture.

The important point, my “current thinking” was about the description of that photo.

There was a comment on that blog post from a follower who had her son married in that same church 30 August 1997.

Inside

Oh, the Newspaper Article:

The Emporia News
Emporia, Kansas
Friday, February 23, 1872
Volume 15, Number 8
Page 3, Column 5

PLYMOUTH

The first item of interest that presents itself to relate, is the mar[r]iage of Samuel Worthington, of Leavenworth county, and Catherine Reeve, of Lyon county. This marriage was performed after the order of the society of Friends, which of course, attracted a great many people to see what is termed a “Quaker wedding.” That day was beautiful, the marriage performed nicely, and nothing unusual occurring to those accustomed to attending gatherings of this kind, except the young man that became too warm and arose to his feet to draw his overcoat, and in an unthoughtful manner gathered too deep, and left himself standing in his shirt sleeves in the midst of the assembly.

The people of Plymouth and vicinity feel truly thankful to J.J. Buck and his friend Mr. Davies, of Emporia, for their presence and assistance at the temperance meeting held in our village on last Saturday afternoon. Mr. Buck, notwithstanding quite unwell, gave a very instruct lecture. We also had Dr. Hunt, from the Kaw agency, and others from a distance, all of whom seemed alive to the subject of temperance. The meeting then adjourned till 7 o’clock p.m., when the house came to order and was well entertained by a lecture from our citizen, S.B. Dillon. After considerable discussion and exchange of sentiment they appointed another meeting for next Saturday week, afternoon.

We hope that none will infer from the above that the people of Plymouth get drunk. No! Far from it, but only wish to take steps in time to guard against evil, like the Quaker what whipped his son, “Son, come here, I must whip thee.” Why father, what have I done” “Nothing, but thee will; thee will be disobedient to they mother, and I must whip thee now.”

So, where is this place ?

Cottonwood Friends Church

Of interest, is the inside photo, on the web page, looks very much like the picture that was sent to me from my earlier blog post. I suspect it wasn’t that “fancy” when Samuel and Sarah Catherine were married in 1872.