Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #35 By Tonya Graham McQuade One of Mom's Handmade Ornaments It’s been a while since I’ve added a new post, and with the holidays approaching, I thought I’d take a break from my “historical ancestor” posts and write about someone much closer to me: my mother. I still intend to get back to my posts exploring my Scots-Irish ancestry and other family roots, but I’ve decided here to honor the person who taught me how to celebrate the holidays and to love Christmas and all its adornments: Dorothy Ann (Wagner) Graham. My mom: Dorothy "D ..read more

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #34 By Tonya Graham McQuade Quakers have been active in Ireland since 1654, and their meeting records go back to 1655 - a great boon for genealogists! Check out this Genealogy Webpage. I’ve always been rather fascinated by the Quakers - not that I necessarily agree with all of their theological interpretations, but I find many of their beliefs intriguing. First and foremost, I admire many of their political stances based on their strong belief in equality – they have proven themselves to be on the right side of history on ..read more

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #33 By Tonya Graham McQuade My 7th great grandparents, John and Dorothy Reager, were both killed in the massacre at Fort Seybert, and their three children (including my 6th great grandmother) were taken captive. For many years, I have taught Conrad Richter’s 1953 novel The Light in the Forest to my juniors in English 11. The book begins in Ohio in November 1764 as various tribes - including the Shawnees, Senecas, and Delawares (aka. Lenni Lenape) - are returning their white “captives” to Col. Henry Bouquet at the forks of the Musking ..read more

 Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #32 By Tonya Graham McQuade My Great Grandmother Fleeta Jackson Brandt In my previous post, I discussed why the “Ulster Presbyterians” emigrated from Scotland and England to settle in Ireland, some of the reasons they eventually decided to leave Ireland, and how and why they ended up in Pennsylvania. In today’s post, I will look more specifically at some of my own relatives on my mom’s side who were part of this migration: the Archers and the Renicks. In a future post, I will discuss the Jacksons and Hamiltons, who also immigra ..read more

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #31 By Tonya Graham McQuade Some of my ancestors come from Fermanagh, Antrim, Cavan, Derry, Donegal, and Tyrone in Ulster in Northern Ireland This summer, my husband Mike and I had the opportunity to visit Ireland and Scotland, where many of our ancestors originated. We were both excited to see places our ancestors had lived, as well as learn more about what their lives might have been like and why they might have chosen to brave the journey across the sea to come to America so long ago. While in Dublin, we learned more about the ..read more

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Blog Post #30 By Tonya Graham McQuade So, I received another fun package this weekend. This one included a packet of military records that Kathy, the genealogist from the Andrew County Historical Society and Museum, printed out for me from fold3 - another “add on” subscription service available through Ancestry.com. I have never subscribed to it, but when she told me she had found some relevant military records for my GGG Grandfather James Calaway Hale, I was happy to send a check and have her print them out!  With excitement, I discov ..read more

 Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #29 by Tonya Graham McQuade Emily Parsons Display at the Missouri Civil War Museum in St. Louis, Missouri When I was at the Missouri Civil War Museum in April, one of the displays talked about the role of nurses in the Civil War. A description of Emily Elizabeth Parsons said the following: "Massachusetts native Emily Parsons first arrived in St. Louis in 1863 at the request of Jessie Benton Fremont. Although partially deaf and physically very frail, Parsons overcame these obstacles and soon become the head nurse at St. Louis' Benton B ..read more

Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #28by Tonya Graham McQuade So, it's been far too long since I posted on my blog - but that's because I've really been working hard to finish the first of my books - A State Divided: The Civil War Letters of James Calaway Hale and Benjamin Petree of Andrew County, Missouri. It's getting close to where I'll be ready to start reaching out to publishers. Here's hoping 2023 is the year I see this book in print one way or another!  Have you ever wondered how the writing process works? Well, Kathy Ridge, the genealogist I met when we visit ..read more

 Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #27 by Tonya Graham McQuade Yesterday I had the opportunity to be the featured speaker for Los Gatos Rotary and to share the story of my letters, research, travels, and books. I was both nervous and excited! While I loved being able to share my story, I quickly realized that it is impossible to explain Missouri's Civil War history, share excerpts from both the letters and my books, and describe my research and travels in 30 minutes. LOL. I frequently run into the same issue in my classroom - I get overly ambitious because I'm so ..read more

 Chasing History: Exploring My Ancestral Roots - Post #26 by Tonya Graham McQuade "The First Ride of the Pony Express," by Charles Hargens Jr. One of the historical events I will be incorporating into my book Missouri Daughter is the opening of the Pony Express on April 3, 1860. Since this is a historical fiction account, I am taking some liberties by placing my great great grandfather Bailis Petree there for the opening ceremonies. He certainly might have been there, right? He was living within 15 miles of St. Joseph at the time, and in a city with a population of only 9,000, many th ..read more