John Laymon - a photograph helps locate 100 family members

John Laymon and Eliza Olmstead Laymon
at their home in Hardy, Nuckolls, Nebraska

In the last couple of weeks I've come across some old photographs, correspondence and other family history artifacts that had been tucked away and long forgotten since the late 1980s. Given my passion for genealogy, it's hard to believe that there were items I had not thoroughly perused, cataloged and committed to memory. I knew I had seen a photograph of my 2nd great grandparents, John Laymon and Eliza Olmstead, but hadn't come across it in years. The photograph was among the recently re-discovered family artifacts in my possession.

John and Eliza

John was a Union solider in the Civil War, a Private in the 91st Illinois Infantry. He was born in Indiana in 1838, sharing his birthday with our nation, July 4. I hadn't pursued my research on John Laymon beyond locating the index to the widow's pension that Eliza filed and some online information on the 91st Illinois Infantry.

A few days ago, I began working my tree on Ancestry.com to see what I might find. I knew the Laymon family had been in Grundy county, Illinois between 1855 - 1900 and later. Using online resources, including FindAGrave and Google Books, I came across some information about the Laymons of Grundy county.

As I am always cautious about the shaking leaves on Ancestry.com, I was quite hesitant to start adding these clues to my tree. I read the biographies of other Laymon men in the country history books I discovered on Google books. I looked through dozens of census records on Ancestry and FamilySearch.org. I looked at every census record for every Laymon in Grundy county during the time period when John Laymon lived there, and reconfirmed his marriage to Eliza on October 3, 1861 (thanks to the Illinois Statewide Marriage Index - a valuable resource).

It was not until I was able to put the pieces together that I concluded that my John Laymon was, indeed, the son of James Laymon and Maria Sloan. Not only that, but the county history gave me the names of all four of John's grandparents: Abraham Laymon and Elizabeth Goodpaster and George Sloan and Mary Storey. I discovered memorials and photographs of gravestones on FindAGrave for James Laymon, Maria Sloan Laymon, Abraham Laymon and Elizabeth Goodpaster. In a few short hours of online investigation, I was able to take this line back to my fourth great grandparents.

Once I was confident that my findings were solid, I started adding members to my Laymon tree on Ancestry. This was done strictly through census and public records - not by integrating other people's trees into mine. In a few more hours, I had added more than 100 people to my Laymon family tree. I am usually not one to be a relative collector or number counter, but in this situation, I found it incredible that I was able to go from knowing only a tiny bit of information about my Civil War ancestor into discovering more than 100 members of the family. And I haven't even begun to bring each branch of the family forward in time. That will be for another day.

Sometimes, all you need is a photograph to get the ball rolling.

Genealogy Events in Nebraska - June 2011

Date & Location	Description
June 3, 2011 7:00 p.m. LDS Family History Center 11027 Martha St Omaha, Nebraska	GO-PAF User Group
June 11, 2011 Start time TBA 908 Yellowstone Avenue Alliance, NE	The Heritage Seekers will host an all day driving tour of the 13 Box Butte County cemeteries.  Meet at the museum early and we will carpool to take the driving tour of these cemeteries, led by our museum director: Becci Thomas and other museum staff. Bring a sack lunch, drinks, comfortable shoes and a camera! This will be an all day excursion. Call 308-762-2384 for more info or email the museum at the following:   museum@cityof alliance.net
June 14, 2011 7:15 p.m. Lower Level Theater Dick Admin. Bldg. Union College Campus 3800 So. 48th St. Lincoln, Nebraska	Lincoln-Lancaster County Genealogical Society: Finding and Documenting Resources was a high interest topic on our survey. Learn tips from researchers on what to take with you and how to search efficiently through records, microfilm and old newspapers. Then discover ways to document and save findings whether on paper or electronically. We'll also make plans for a research opportunity at the Nebraska State Historical Society on the following Saturday morning, June 18.
June 14, 2011 7:00 pm – 9:00pm LDS Family History Center 3000 Old Cheney Road Lincoln, Nebraska	Preparing for a Research Trip Free Class
June 15, 2011 7:00 p.m. Crown Pointe Retirement Center 2820 South 80th St Omaha, Nebraska	Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Program to be announced
June 16, 2011 12:00 Noon Nebraska History Museum 15th and P Sts Lincoln, Nebraska	Nebraska State Historical Society Brown Bag Lecture Series: Nebraska Baseball Presenter: Jon Hamilton
June 16, 2011 Holiday Inn Express 300 Holiday Frontage Rd North Platte, Nebraska 4:15 p.m. – 9:30 p.m.	North Platte Family History Expo 2011 Visit the Family History Expos web site for more information.
June 18, 2011 9:15 a.m. – noon Mormon Trail Center 3215 State Street Omaha, Nebraska	Greater Omaha Genealogical Society Uncle Sam Wants you: Using military records for getting to know our ancestors. Part 2: Where There’s a Will: Discussing wills and probate records to learn more about the family. What are other records that may be available if there was no will?
June 18, 2011 1:30 p.m. West Nebraska Family Research and History Center 1602 Avenue A Scottsbluff, NE	West Nebraska Family Research & History Center Forum Brown Bag Lunch & Book Sharing day
June 21, 2011 7:00 pm – 9:00pm LDS Family History Center 3000 Old Cheney Road Lincoln, Nebraska	Church Records Free class
June 28, 2011 7:00 pm – 9:00pm LDS Family History Center 3000 Old Cheney Road Lincoln, Nebraska	Digital Records Free class

Memorial Day - honoring those who served

Soldiers's Circle
Wyuka Cemetery
Lincoln, Nebraska

Jess Carl Petersen
Wyuka Cemetery
Lincoln, Nebraska

Searching for Sina - Sina Kelly and daughter Maxine

Sina Bellinger Kelly
and her first born child
Maxine Dorothy Kelly

This is the year that I am seeking information on my maternal grandmother, Sina Bellinger Kelly.

I've recently discovered two boxes of family history information and photos that had been long forgotten. I don't even remember seeing this photograph of Sina and her first born child, Maxine Dorothy Kelly.

Little Maxine (my aunt) lived only 13 months. She was born August 6, 1914 and died the following year, on September 15, 1915. On the back of this photograph, Sina has written that Maxine was three months old. Sina was about 25 years old when this photograph was taken in the fall of 1914.

Sina's mother, Emma Harriet Landon Bellinger, died about a month after this photograph was taken. The following month, in January 1916, Sina gave birth to her next child, Margaret Janice Kelly.

It seems to me that was a lot for young Sina to deal with in just a five month period of time.

More articles about Sina Bellinger Kelly

Sunday's Obituary: William and Sina Kelly

As I've been sorting through my personal archives in recent days, I'm surprised by items I had either forgotten about or didn't realize that I had. Among them were the funeral books for both of my Kelly grandparents, which included the newspaper clippings of their funeral notices. No dates or sources are written on either. I'm speculating that Sina's is from the Ashland, Nebraska Gazette and I'm quite certain that Bill's is from the Lincoln, Nebraska Journal.

Funeral Is Conducted
For Mrs. Kelly, 66

Funeral services were conducted Monday morning at the Marcy Chapel for Mrs. Sina Harriett Kelly, 66, who died Thursday, Nov. 3, at her home in Greenwood.

Mrs. Warren Robinson and Mrs. Barbara Laune sang "Lead Kindgly Light" and "The Old Rugged Cross," accompanied by Mrs. Howard Anderson, organist. The Rev. Clarence Stirn officiated. Pallbearers were Walter Marolf, Maynard Griffith, Harold Pilfold, Evan Armstrong, Charles Dyer, and Elmer Leadabrand. Burial was in Greenwood Cemetery.

Mrs. Kelly was born at Fremont April 3, 1889.

KELLY - William LeRoy, Sr. 77, Greenwood, died Tuesday, Retired mayor and city electrician in Greenwood. Survivors: son, W. L, Kelly, Jr., St. Louis, Mo.; daughters, Mrs. William Dulin, Springfield, Mo., Mrs. Kenneth L. Peterson (sic), Lincoln, M. J. Kelly, Eugene, Ore.
Services: 10 a.m. Friday, Marcy Chapel, Ashland. Burial Greenwood Memorial.

Notes:
Sina Belllinger Kelly died November 3, 1955. William Kelly died December 31, 1968. My parents and I were getting ready to attend the funeral of Henrietta Beale ("Aunt Etty") when word arrived of my grandfather's death. Dad was to be a pallbearer at Etty's funeral, but we immediately went to Greenwood instead. Mom lost her two closet living older relatives within days of one another.

William and Sina Kelly
Greenwood Memorial Cemetery
Greenwood, Nebraska

Bill and Sina Kelly
as I remember them