My Paternal Grandparents

Inez Minerva "Sissy" Herrington
b. July 20, 1890, Pensacola, FL, USA
d. January 24, 1986, Pensacola, FL, USA     

My Granny Sissy, as we called her, was the only daughter of Isaac Newton Herrington I (b. 20 Dec 1846 in Laurel, Jones, Mississippi, USA, d. 8 Jan 1913 in Pensacola, Escambia, Florida, USA) and Ezella F. Boykin (b. 26 Aug 1866 in Quincy, Gadsden, Florida, USA, d. 14 Jan 1959 in Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, USA). She had two brothers, Eugene (b. 27 Sep 1886 in Florida, USA, d. 4 Jul 1905 in Brent, Escambia, Florida, USA), and Isaac Newton Herrington II (b. 20 August 1894 in Pensacola, Escambia, Florida USA, d. 20 June 1979 in Mobile, Mobile, Alabama, USA). According to the record of Eugene's death submitted to Ancestry.com by one of my cousins, Eugene's death, which occurred when he was 18, was as a result of drowning in the Perdido River; I do not know the circumstances which led to his drowning, but note that it occurred on Independence Day.

My grandmother was born in Pensacola and lived there her whole life, except for going away for college. During World War I, she served as a Yomanette at the School of Aviation affiliated with the Pensacola Naval Air Station. She was a religious woman and  a charter member of the East Brent Baptist Church. My father has spoken of how she enjoyed inviting visiting preachers to her home for dinner. While in college, she studied education, and subsequent to her graduation she taught for a time in a one-room schoolhouse.

Elmer Bruce Lloyd
b.  May 2, 1886, MI, USA
d. January 19, 1948, Pensacola, FL, USA

My grandfather was the son of Samuel Hughes Lloyd (b. 20 Mar 1849 in Schomberg, Ontario, Canada, d. May 1938 in Saulte Ste Marie, Chippewa, Michigan, USA) and Jane Ellen Higgins (b. 15 Jul 1859 in Canada, d. 1917 in Sault Ste Marie, Ontario, Canada). He grew up in Upper Michigan, in the Saulte Ste Marie area with family on both sides of the border. As a boy, Lloyd, as my grandmother was to eventually refer to him, attended a one-room schoolhouse for a short while, leaving school after either the third or eighth grade, depending upon whose memory is being called upon. However, he was what we now call a life-long learner who enjoyed reading widely, becoming a self-educated man. Lloyd submitted his draft registration card in Chippewa, Michigan in 1917 and joined the navy in January of 1918. According to my dad:

At the end of his first year he was promoted to Chief Petty Officer. After his initial enlistment in Michigan he was transferred to Pensacola and it was my mother who was a secretary on the naval base at the time that handled the paperwork. That was how they met. I know that he served on the Idaho, a battleship that carried three planes on the aft deck and got them in the air with a catapult. Then later he was on the Ranger, an aircraft carrier. When, at the start of WWII, he heard the other old timers complain about the "90 day wonders" it amused him that he had once been in that category himself.

Lloyd's strength, humor, and mechanical know-how were the subject of many of the stories my dad told about his father, and I hope to share some of these in future posts.

Surname Saturday: Herrington

Over on Geni.com, I've added surname information for my mother's surname, Rote, and my father's surname, Lloyd. There's no surname information for either of my parents' mothers' surnames, Herrington and  Craun. It doesn't surprise me at all to find a dearth of information about Craun, but I had expected to find something for Herrington. Researching the meaning, origins, or history of a surname can be serious scholastic work, but as I'm no expert in this field of research and I'll only be looking for enough information to provide a brief overview, which means I can base the information on web-based sources.

Whenever I'm searching for information on a name or surname, my first stop is always Behind the Name; for surnames, that means I head for their surname subdomain, Behind the Name: the Etymology and History of Surnames. Today, I'm looking for information about my father's mother's surname, Herrington, mostly because I know it will be more difficult to find information about the Craun surname. According to Behind the Name,  Oops! Surprisingly, there's no entry for either Herrington or Harrington in their database. Before I move on to other sites, I'll just head over to the Submit a Surname form.

This looks pretty simple; let me just enter the name. Okay, that's done, so I'll click the Continue button.

I should have realized this was too easy! Behind the Name wants me to share information about the surname with them. I'll just leave this window open while I continue my research.

It's time to turn to a search engine. I enter the following search terms: "herrington surname meaning origin history." Note that most search engines, including Google (which is the search engine I normally use), ignore capitalization, so there's no need to bother with it for searches.

The first thing I notice is that Google gives me the results for "harrington surname meaning origin history." While not an absolute, this suggests that Harrington may be a more common variant of the name. Since there's only a slight spelling difference, I'm tempted to just accept the search results, but it only takes a second to switch back to my intended search and I'm sure the results will be at least a bit more closely related to my family's branch.

The first link in the search takes me to Herrington Surname History on HouseofNames.com. Here, I learn that the Herrington name most likely originated in the Scottish/English borderlands, and was used to refer to people from the town of Harrington. There's more, but House of Names is a commercial site and, while in my experience the information offered by these sites is usually fairly close to the mark, I'd still like to find more from a more authoritative, less commerical, site, so I'll take note of the information and continue my search.

At this point, I realize that I've missed the most obvious places to get surname information, Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org. I'm also realizing that what was supposed to be a quick post has turned into a lengthy one. I'm going to do the smart thing (in terms of actually sticking to my to-do list), and make a quick getaway.

Well, sort of. Before I head off, I just want to mention two sites I noticed in my search listings. The first is from the Harrington results: The Internet Surname Database, which has an entry for Harrington. The Surname Database is, according to its About Us page, a "family run web site, that has built up a database of surname origins over the last 20 years." So, it's still a commercial site, but the more personal tone and the portrait given of how the business was built from a one-man researcher's work, make me feel more positive about the information provided.

The other site is a new discovery for me, AncientFaces.com, which is an online community combining genealogy and vintage photos; their appeal to potential members states, "AncientFaces is a free family history community for sharing vintage photos and family history. Here you can perform a free genealogy search and discover your past." Their Herrington Family History and Genealogy page provides three photographs uploaded by members, in addition to a little bit of information about the surname and its origins. I don't have the time, right now, to explore further, but this could be a fun site for genealogists, whether you've got loads of family photos to share, or are hoping to find a picture of your great-aunt Nelly's husband's mother's brother.

Matrilineal Lineage

Over on Geneamusings.com, Randy Seaver has suggested that folks post their matrilineal lines. It's taken me several hours, including interruptions, to get this post done, in large part because I wound up discovering new information about my father's mother's line. Or, at least, new for me.

My matrilineal line is:

• me -> Pamela D. Lloyd: b. Chicago, Illinois
• my mother -> Luella Jean Rote: b. July 2, 1921 in Sandusky Ohio, d. January 17, 1999 in El Paso, Texas; m. Winston D. Lloyd in November 1957 in international waters between the US and Canada, a second ceremony was performed in January 1958 in Ann Arbor, Michigan
• her mother -> Lulu Craun: b. July 26, 1889 in Indiana, d. February 21, 1966 in El Paso, TX; m. Galen Weiker Rote
• her mother -> Maryann Beck: b. September 1855 in Ohio, d. aft. 1920; m. John Craun in 1885 in Butler, Indiana

I have not had my mitochondrial DNA tested.

Please note, I have been able to discover very little about my mother's family, so if you think you may have information about any of the people mentioned here, I'd be delighted to learn about it.

On the Lloyd side, the matrilineal line of my father is:

• my father -> Winston Dale Lloyd: b. Pensacola, Florida
• his mother -> Inez (Sissy) Minerva Herrington: b. in Pensacola, Florida, d. January 24, 1986 in Pensacola, Floria
  m. Elmer Bruce Lloyd on July 7, 1922 in Pensacola, Florida
• her mother -> Ezella F. Boykin: b. August 26, 1866 in Quincy, Florida, d. January 14, 1959 in Mobile, Alabama
  m. Isaac Newton Herrington on December 29, 1885 in Jackson County, Florida
• her mother -> Jane Carolina McKeown: b. October 1845 in South Carolina, d. aft. 1900; m. James Cornelius Boykin in 1881
• her mother -> Sidnah Flemon Clark: b. December 2, 1820 in Chester South Carolina, d. July 13, 1902 in Gadsden, Florida
  m. Rev. Oliver Evans McKeown in South Carolina
• her mother -> Jane McClintock: b. Noevember 13, 1798 in Chester, South Carolina, d. August 1872) m. Alexander Clark in 1817 in South Carolina
• her mother -> Sidnah Flemming: b. 1776 in Virginia, d. January 20, 1839 in South Carolina
  m. Matthew McClintock
• her mother -> Sidneh Rosine: b. 1735 in Sweden, d. 1810 in Winsboro (Winsborough), South Carolina
  m1. Brown (widowed, circa 1759, while pregnant and living in Pennsylvania when, according to an unconfirmed story, her husband and first son were killed by "Indians" and she was taken captive; her second son was born in captivity and later went on to become an "Indian hunter.")
  m2. George Fleming in 1762, in Virginia

Although variants of Sidneh's story can be found in a number of places, the original version appears to be told in "A Brief Sketch of the Coulter Family in America."

Resources for Genealogists and Family Historians

Over on Genea-Musings, Randy Seaver has posted Comments on the 1940 U.S. Census RFQ and SOW.* What this means is that the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) is looking for bids on the work of indexing the 1940 U.S. Census.

Near the bottom of the post, Randy Seaver offers his opinion regarding free access to these records, and the agreements between the NARA and various commercial sites. In this context, he stated, 

I think that NARA will eventually host the census on its own site, with one of the name indexes available from some provider for use in a NARA facility.  That's the type of agreement they made with Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, FamilySearch.org, etc. to permit indexing of other NARA databases they are free to access in a NARA facility.

It was this mention that made me realize that I may not be taking full advantage of the NARA's free resources. A quick check of the NARA's site turned up Resources for Genealogists and Family Historians, which provides a wealth of online resources.

While on the NARA site, I also learned that my belief that I'd have to go to Washington, DC to access these records may have been incorrect, since they have a number of regional sites around the country; not all of these sites offer the same resources, so if you are planning a visit to one of the regional centers, make sure the records you need are available there.

I live in Tucson, so the nearest NARA site for me is the National Archives at Riverside, CA (Pacific Region), approximately 440 miles from my home. The NARA reports:

We hold historically valuable materials created and collected by Federal agencies and courts in Arizona, southern California, and Clark County, Nevada. These records constitute a major resource for the study of Native American history, Naval history, westward migration, Asian immigration, civil rights, and other subjects.

Since most of my recent ancestors are from the eastern half of the US (my dad was born in Florida, and my mom in Ohio), this doesn't help me much. However, my husband does have some ancestors who lived in these areas. So, if I plan a trip to this location, I'll be focusing on my husband's family.

Like my parents, my dad's parents are from distinctly different regions. For my dad's mother's line (Herrington), the National Archives at Atlanta will be most useful, as most of her close ancestors were from the South. My dad's father was born in Pennsylvania, so to follow his line, I'll have to head north to the NARA's Mid Atlantic Region (Center City Philadelphia), where records for Delaware, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Virginia, and West Virginia are maintained. My mother's father (Rote) was also born in Pennsylvania, so while I'm there I can try to track down more information about him. Her mother (Craun), however, was born in Indiana, so to track down this branch, I'll have to head over to the Regional Archives for NARA's Great Lakes Region, which are housed in Chicago, Illinois.** Great! Although I was born in Chicago, my parents left when I was a baby and I've wanted to visit for as long as I can remember.

---

Notes
* RFQ = Request for quote; SOW = Statement of Work
** Lines referenced: LLOYD, HERRINGTON, ROTE, CRAUN

Saturday Night Fun: Heritage Pie Chart via Genea-Musings

Over on Genea-Musings, tonight's genealogy task is to create a pie chart, based on your great-great-grandparents.

My great-great-grandparents were as follows:

16. Hiram Lloyd was born in 1825 in King, York, ON, Canada. He died on 14 Apr 1911 at the age of 86 in Sault Ste. Marie, MI, USA. Ellen Hughes and Hiram Lloyd were married on 28 Jul 1848.

17. Ellen Hughes was born on 2 Aug 1825. She died on 11 May 1896 at the age of 70 in Chippewa, MI, USA. She was also known as Ellen Lloyd.

18. Bartholemew Higgins was born on 14 Jun 1801 in Ireland.

19. Susan Swale died in 1871.

20. John A Herrington was born on 14 Jun 1801 in New Hanover, NC, USA. He died on 15 Jul 1859 at the age of 58 in Harrison, MS, USA. Sarah J Mathis and John A Herrington were married estimated 2 May 1825.

21. Sarah J Mathis was born on 29 Nov 1808 in GA, USA. She died on 27 Aug 1878 at the age of 69 in Biloxi, MS, USA. She was also known as Sarah J Herrington.

22. James Cornelius Boykin was born on 9 Mar 1843. He died on 28 Nov 1885 at the age of 42 in Sneads, FL, USA.

23. Jane Carolina McKeown was also known as Jane Carolina Boykin. She was born on 20 Jun 1845 in Chester City, SC, USA. She died on 7 Oct 1877 at the age of 32 in Sneeds, FL, USA.

24. William Rote was born estimated 1814 in PA, USA.

25. Martha Rote was born estimated 1823 in PA, USA.

26. John Ward was born (date unknown).

28. James Craun was born on 16 Oct 1820.

29. Martha McEwen was also known as Martha Craun. She was born estimated 1827.

Here's a pie chart showing where each was born:

Obviously, I'm missing a lot of information. If, by any chance, you happen to have more information about any of these individuals, I'd love to hear from you.