Jumpstart Genealogy, LLC

06/22/2024

(Apologies…for some reason I cannot load my videos to this post. If you would like to see the videos, check out my personal page Keira Murphy)

Lessons in local history lasted well into the night on the 5th and final day of the 2024 Jumpstart Genealogy, LLC summer research trip. Susan Gross Pollara and James Higgins took me out to dinner last night across the Delaware River in Pennsylvania, and on our way back to Hopewell, NJ we crossed the historic Washington Crossing bridge, the site of George Washington’s famous surprise attack on the Hessians on December 25, 1776. I was too caught up in the moment to remember to take a picture. 😩 Susan and I then stayed up late talking and before I knew it I was too tired to post.
Yesterday was a great day despite coming to the realization that the records I had hoped would materialize and answer the research questions I set going into the trip simply did not survive the past 250 years. This was confirmed by the kind and knowledgeable folks at the Hunterdon County Hall of Records. While I knew this was a possibility as I prepared for the trip, I wanted to do an exhaustive search. And I did.
An amazing byproduct of this search was that I learned so much about my Hill ancestors and their journey from New Jersey to Pennsylvania to West Virginia. I started at the Flemington (the county seat of Hunterdon County) library and scoured their books on local history. In George Mott’s 1878 edition of The First Century of Hunterdon County, State of New Jersey, I read that two of my 6th great grandfathers, Jonathan Hill, Sr. and Richard Phillips, appear on a 1753 subscription list for a new patronage attached to the Presbyterian Church of First Amwell, a congregation that had existed since 1730. It is through this church connection, I imagine, that their children Jonathan Hill, Jr. and Elizabeth Phillips, met and eventually, married. I also learned from A History of East Amwell 1700-1800 (1979 Hunterdon Ciunty Historical Society) that Jonathan Hill, Sr. was a cordwainer or shoemaker. Many Hill family members were highlighted as contributing to the Revolutionary War effort. For example, on January 11, 1780, Samuel Hill (not a direct ancestor but definitely a close relative to my Jonathan Hill) contributed 11 bushels of corn, 72 bushels of oats, and 7 bushels of flax seed worth $1910.
Perhaps the most exciting discovery of the day was a photograph of a house owned by (I believe) this same Samuel Hill. Actually, the photo is of a more modern house that incorporated part of Samuel Hill’s 18th century dwelling. With the assistance of an amazing local historian, Sue, at the Hall of Records in Flemington, and a detailed paper map of Hunterdon County, I was able to pinpoint the current location of the house. Of course, I had to find it and take pictures.
Before embarking on that adventure which would have taken me south and back toward Hopewell, I decided to drive around the county and find the sites of the earliest churches that would have been around in the mid 1700s. I visited First Presbyterian in Amwell, the site of Saint Andrew’s Episcopal (where Samuel Hill is buried) in Ringoes, and Bethlehem Presbyterian in Pittstown. I had a very nice conversation with a woman named Marilyn in the parking lot of Bethlehem Presbyterian. She provided me her email address should I need more information about the Presbyterian churches of Hunterdon County.
Toward the end of this very hot afternoon, I found myself following the paper county map to the place that Sue (from the Hall of Records) felt the Samuel Hill house would be. As I approached the street I was looking for, I passed another street called North Hill Road. I just had a feeling this road was named for the Hill family, and not for a topographical rise in elevation. Of course I turned onto the road to investigate and very quickly saw an old cemetery off to the left. I recorded a video that better captures my excitement than these words do, but when you are looking for Hills, and you are on Hill Road, and you are about a quarter of a mile from a Hill homestead, and many of the legible gravestones are from the 1700s, the time period your are researching, it’s a big deal. Two baby deer welcomed me and I took that as a sign I was where I needed to be.
The Samuel Hill homestead was not difficult to find on Rainbow Hill Road. I’ve become accustomed to knocking on strangers’ doors to ask permission to take pictures. When no one answered and I tried yelling “Hello! Is anyone home?” several times without a response, I quickly took the pictures and left. There is no doubt that the remains of the 18th century home of Samuel Hill are the same as I found in the book.
As this adventure comes to a close, I can now pinpoint on a map the places my deep ancestors lived, worked, worshipped, and died. I’ve made connections with people who are very knowledgeable about the local history and who are willing to help me in the future. I have tons of pictures and scans of text to review when I get home. I’ll need a few days to debrief.
For now, though, I’m going to take off my genealogist hat, put on my favorite mom hat, and go watch Kevin coach and Liam play in a lacrosse tournament near Frostburg, Maryland.
Thanks for all of your kind words of support.

06/21/2024

Day 4 of the Jumpstart Genealogy, LLC summer research trip was a transitional day because I moved my research from Pennsylvania to New Jersey. I got a late start. I needed to wait until the Uniontown, PA library opened at 9 am so I could retrieve the jumpdrive I accidently left there on Tuesday, and then I was on my way to New Jersey.
The drive west to east across Pennsylvania is long, and today’s journey was uneventful. Since I arrived mid-afternoon and my friend Susan worked until 5, I drove around the beautiful area where my ancestors lived in colonial times before stopping at the adorable Hopewell public library to do some research. My plan for tomorrow is to go to the much larger library in the county seat of Hunterdon County, Flemington, as well as the courthouse there to learn more about the Hill family that I have been researching. I discovered some references to them in the books I saw today in Hopewell which will jumpstart the search tomorrow.
It is wonderful to spend time with Susan, one of my dearest and closest friends from college. She has lived in Hopewell for nearly 20 years and has graciously welcomed me into her home for tonight and tomorrow night.
Tonight we enjoyed walking her dog, Jack, a perfect meal, and delicious ice cream along with amazing conversation.

06/19/2024

Day 3 of the 2024 Jumpstart Genealogy, LLC summer research trip ended earlier than most research days, but it was extremely busy. As I’ve mentioned before, today was a day to be outside and away from Courthouses and libraries. It was cemetery day! And that means a lot of driving around looking for family clusters. Online sources like Find-a-grave can provide many clues, but the information provided on the site is not definitive and not always accurate. I found that out many times today. It’s also important to see who else is buried around the person you are researching. Sometimes you will find that missing link right there.
I’m honestly not too sure how many cemeteries I visited today. I stopped counting at 6. In each one I was looking to make connections for my personal research or that of my client from Winston-Salem. Most of the offices were closed but I wandered around and had some good luck.
It was a beautiful day to have the windows down and sunroof open on our new (to us) car. I don’t even want to know how many miles I will put on it in the first week we’ve had it. 😳 I finished my audiobook and found a great 80’s radio station out of Pittsburgh.
I won’t bore you with photos of gravestones. However, I did find myself close enough to Wheeling, WV, where my grandparents lived and where my dad grew up, to stop by their old house and cemetery.
On the way back to Uniontown, my home base for the past three days, I told my GPS to avoid highways and drove 2 lane roads through the beautiful countryside of southern Pennsylvania.
I don’t think I mentioned that I got caught driving in a violent thunderstorm with hail yesterday and there is possibility of another one today. Better safe than sorry.
Tomorrow I head east to New Jersey for the final two days of research on my paternal line. New Jersey has some really old resources, and that is what I need. I’ll be digging for more info on the alledged murderer as he moved to Pennsylvania from New Jersey about 1785. I believe he also married his wife there. Keep your fingers crossed 🤞🏻
Photos included: driving, at my grandparents’ grave sight, and my grandparents’ old house.

06/19/2024

There is a phrase in genealogy that is at the core of what we do. That phrase is “exhaustive search.” This means we look for every record available that pertains to our research question in the hopes of finding resources that answer the question. Unfortunately, most people forget that there is only a fraction of genealogically significant documents online that can be searched, analyzed and correlated from our homes. To truly perform an exhaustive search, you have to GO to the place where your event occurred and immerse yourself in the history. You need to visit courthouses, libraries, cemeteries, and homesteads. You need to talk to local people, read old newspapers on microfilm, analyze maps, and understand local traditions. Conducting an exhaustive search allows a researcher to feel confident in her results. In the absence of results, an exhaustive search can also allow a researcher to say “The documentation to answer my research question is not available…yet.” The question and the search may go on hiatus until new resources become available.
Day 2 of the 2024 Jumpstart Genealogy, LLC summer research trip was all about the exhaustive search for a couple of different research questions. Because tomorrow is Juneteenth and all libraries and courthouses will be closed, I needed to make a lot of headway on both questions without really stopping to analyze. My goal was to gather as much information as I could in one day. I achieved that goal even though I don’t have much to show for it.
My personal mission is to follow a particular line on my paternal side and answer the following 1. Find the maiden name of (one of) my 4th great grandmothers. 2. Determine if (one of) my 5th great grandfathers killed his wife as implicated in a 1819 brief newspaper article and 3. Ascertain when and where this line arrived to New Jersey.
I am also working with a client from Winston-Salem to find the name of the father of his great great grandfather who lived his entire life in Allegheny County, just north of where I am now.
As a brief summary of my day, I want to thank all of the people who helped me today. Thanks to the man in the Fayette County courthouse who helped me figure out how to decipher the codes in the deed books while I looked for evidence of my ancestors residence in Fayette County. Thanks to Al and Destiny in the Fayette County Library’s PA (genealogy) room who researched by my side for hours and promised to keep looking when we could not think of any other resources to check. Thanks to the kind people in both of the Allegheny County Courthouses who eventually led me to Amy at the main Carnegie Library who led me to Liz at the McKeesport Heritage Center who led me to Mike at Richland Cemetery.
I am still waiting for Michelle from the Fayette County Courthouse to get back in touch with me about whether there was a court case about the alleged murder in 1819.
So much about what I am searching for on this trip happened before any standard documentation of events came to be. There are no official birth, marriage and death records. Resources are scarce and one-of-a-kind. Most newspapers haven’t survived the centuries. Fires claimed more church records than you might think.
Tomorrow I will visit more cemeteries after I take a better look at what I do have. I’m doing the work for an exhaustive search. Indeed, I am exhausted.

06/18/2024

Day 1 of the 2024 Jumpstart Genealogy Summer Research Trip is in the books. I’m so grateful that I now live closer to many places where my ancestors lived. This morning I drove three hours to Bancroft, WV to visit the place where my grandmother, great grandparents, and great great grandparents once lived. I first stopped by Schowen Cemetery to pay respects to members of the Osborne family buried there. I then knocked on the door of the old homestead in Bancroft right on the Kanawha River. The last time I was here (2018) the house was in foreclosure and in terrible condition. Thank goodness for Mark Erwin! Not only did Mark save this beautiful home from demolition, he refurbished the entire property, inside and out, and it is beautiful! He even invited me inside so I could take some pictures. I called my dad while touring the house and he was able to tell us about his memories of the house from the 1940s and 1950s. So much fun! I’m not sure the pictures will do it justice. Before leaving Bancroft, I stopped by Bertha Phalen’s house. Sue and I met Bertha in 2018 on the last genealogy trip to this area. Bertha has lived in Bancroft since 1948 and she remembers the Osbornes living in that house. It was wonderful catching up with Bertha.
I have several questions regarding one branch on my paternal line that require visits to courthouses and libraries that I would like to answer on this trip but I totally forgot about Juneteenth on Wednesday. Libraries and courthouses will be closed. Unfortunately, I’ll need to come back to Morgantown another time to do some reasearch there. My most important questions need research in Fayette County in Pennsylvania and that is where I find myself tonight. I will spend tomorrow in the Fayette County Courthouse and Library. I’m doing research on Thursday morning in Allegheny County for a client. My hope for Wednesday is to do outside things (ie visit cemeteries) and consolidate what I find tomorrow. Following this same branch back into the early 18th century, I’ll be in New Jersey and Maryland at the end of the week.
I’m excited to see where this adventure will take me.

01/31/2024

Are you interested in learning more about your family history? Do you have DNA results that you need help deciphering? Please check out www.jumpstartgenealogy.com or message me through Facebook. I'd love to help you with all of your genealogy needs.

You’re making history today! Jumpstart Genealogy, LLC is dedicated to researching and preserving family histories by working with clients one-on-one or in small groups. We are particularly excited to find new ways to engage the next generation of genealogists by integrating genealogy-based curricu...