‘Daughter-out’ lists help track women ancestors

It’s easy to get fixated on our surname line – the male ancestors linked to the last name we grew up with. But let’s not overlook the ladies.

The late Marjorie Marsh Quigg of Bangor was a genealogist who really appreciated her female ancestors and wanted to know more about them, to the point that she kept lists of her “daughter-out” lines.

For instance, my Leighton line of several generations “daughters out” with Lavinia Leighton, who changed her name when she married Jotham Moore in 1823.

Here are a few examples from one of Marjorie’s daughter-out lists, to show you how useful it can be to keep the info collected:

COOKE, Rebecca 2 (m. John Drew as his 2nd w.) John 1.

EDSON, Elizabeth 3 (m. Samuel Packard) Samuel 2, Samuel 1.

EMERY, Ebenezer 2 (yes! A girl!) (m. John Hoag) John 1.

Her entry about a female ancestor named Ebenezer certainly tickles my funny bone.

Notice how Marjorie listed what generation from the immigrant ancestor each woman is, and the ancestral line of the surname. Sometimes she would add, “line needs work” or “HELP!” She also noted which part of her family the line was from.

Here’s another great idea Marjorie shared with me. She always made photocopies of her ancestors’ signatures when she could find them, then added the signatures to whatever chart or other item she was working on.

You don’t necessarily have to be a genealogist to be fascinated by tombstones and cemeteries.

Come hear John Wedin speak on “If Stones Could Talk” during the next meeting of the Penobscot County Genealogical Society at 6 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 18, in the Lecture Hall at Bangor Public Library, 145 Harlow St.

As society president Phil Getchell has said, it’s hard to believe this group is completing four years this month. There are more than 100 members around the country, and a goodly number attend the monthly meetings. Dues are $10 a year, including newsletter, and may be sent to PVGS in care of the library.

PVGS will have representatives on hand at the Bangor Mall 9 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, so do drop by.

Ever been to Charlotte, which is a little bit south of Calais? You may be interested in the genealogical holdings of the Charlotte Historical Society, which will be Arthur Carter’s topic at the next meeting of the Washington County Genealogical Society.

Join the group for the program at 1 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, at the Charlotte Town Hall.

WCGS, which has been meeting since 1992, is open to anyone interested in learning about their family history, especially in Washington County and neighboring Charlotte County in New Brunswick.

Dues are $10 a year, including the quarterly publication “Weirs and Woods.” The society meets March through November, except for July and August. For information, contact Frances Raye, 853-6630, or Valdine Atwood, 255-4432.

Walter Macdougall, professor emeritus at the University of Maine, has delivered an intriguing slice of late 18th and early 19th century Maine history to the public in his new book “Settling the Maine Wilderness: Moses Greenleaf,

His Maps and His Household of Faith, 1777-1834.”

Published by the University of Southern Maine and the Osher Map Library, Macdougall’s book is a recognition of Moses Greenleaf’s great achievements in mapping the Maine wilderness at the very outset of its statehood in 1820.

Macdougall places Greenleaf’s life into the context of his town, Williamsburg, and his society, at the time of Maine’s early statehood. The book considers Greenleaf’s life as a teacher, a steward of Maine’s natural resources and a judge.

Macdougall will talk about the book at 6:30 p.m. Monday, Oct. 23, at the Bangor Public Library. His book will be available for purchase and signing.

3379. HART-GRANT. Tracing Henry Hart, born 1835, married to Sarah Grant. Last known address is Hull’s Cove, Bar Harbor. One of their children, Sarah Elizabeth Hart, born 1862, Eden (now Bar Harbor), is my grandmother. Linda Elizabeth Tozier, 5 Oak Ridge Drive, Guilford, ME 04443; letozier@verizon.net.

3380. HEWITT. Seeking ancestry of Raymond, Clinton, Walter, Luther Hewitt of Aroostook County, including burial place for Raymond. 1900 census for Fort Fairfield lists Frank Hewitt, 40; wife Eva, 38; and children Walter, 12; Clinton, 11; Earl, 9; Myrtle, 7; Luther, 5; twins Bertrand and Bertha, 3; and Laura, 1. 1910 census for Caribou lists widow Eva Hewitt, 48; Walter, 22; Clinton, 21; Earl, 18, Myrtle, 16; Luther, 14; twins Bert and Bertha, 13; Laura, 11; and Reymond, 9. Judy A. Hardy, P.O. Box 746, Spanaway, WA 98387; bobbyandjudyhardy@msn.com.

Send genealogy queries to Family Ties, Bangor Daily News, P.O. Box 1329, Bangor, ME 04402; or familyti@bangor

dailynews.net.