Life is a Circus

When I first started researching my own family history I was excited to learn I had a “Mayflower” connection. This was early on, way before I learned that everyone doing genealogy was certain they had a “Mayflower” and/or “Native American” connection. So I was excited and I began to dig into what family records I could find. This led me to my 3^rd great-grandparents Edwin B Allen and Mathilda Tinkham. Poor Edwin seems to have sprouted out of thin air, to date no records have been found to link him with his supposed brothers and sisters or any parents, aunts, uncles or grandparents. I’ll write more about Edwin B Allen in the near future. Mathilda Tinkham though, brought me a wealth of information by bringing me to her parents, Jacob Tinkham and Rebecca Nutting.

Ah, Jacob and Rebecca, nomads who ranged across the Midwest. They were both born in Vermont, they married in 1820 and had four children in Vermont and then moved to New York State where they had three more children. Then, sometime between 1843 and 1850 they packed up and moved to Wisconsin. To Baraboo, Wisconsin. Baraboo didn’t ring a bell with me. I didn’t know much about Wisconsin, just that most of my family lines passed through there at one time or another on their way West. As I researched Jacob and Rebecca Tinkham I noticed that although they always went back to Baraboo, they seemed to spend a great deal of time traveling in a circle. Going from one place to the next, visiting children and other relatives throughout Wisconsin and Iowa, back and forth it seemed.

Why did they always seem to be on the move? Maybe he’s a tinker or a traveling salesman, I thought. So, I did just a little research on the area and learned that Baraboo was the winter home of the Ringling Brothers Circus. Laugh out loud! Well, this might even be better than a “Mayflower” connection. However, I’ve looked and I’ve researched and I just can’t find a connection to the circus. I did however find my “Mayflower” connection. Through Jacob Tinkham, I have proven seven Mayflower lines from Allerton, Brown, Cooke, Howland, Tilley, and Warren. Jacob has given me a plethora of history and events to research that will take me a lifetime to learn. Even better than a circus, I now have connections to almost every major event in the Colonies.

My Best Friend, the Library

I grew up with a love of books and libraries. I know now that it is a matter of genetics, this love of reading. It is something I have in common with many cousins, aunts, uncles, nieces, and sisters. I enjoy the feel of a good book in my hands, turning the pages as I get absorbed in the story. And I like stepping into libraries and seeing all those books surround me. Some libraries are especially welcoming, giving the aura of home and family.

Two hundred years ago, during the War of 1812, the British destroyed both the U.S. Capitol and the Library of Congress. Tragedies of war, symbols of our country. The very thought of someone intentionally destroying books appalls me. On January 30, 1815 Congress purchased Thomas Jefferson’s personal library for $23, 950. At that time, Jefferson held the largest personal library in the United States, a collection of nearly 6,500 books. With this collection, the United States Library of Congress was officially back in the business of serving Congress.

Today, the Library of Congress in Washington, DC still follows its mission to support Congress in fulfilling its constitutional duties and to further the progress of knowledge and creativity for the benefit of the American people. It is our nation’s oldest federal institution and is the largest library in the world.

Libraries are fascinating places, holding stories to our pasts. The Indiana State Library has a folder with letters written by a group of brothers and their sister, called the Messler Family Letters. In this folder I found answers to mysteries in my own family history helping me to understand the difficulties they faced. What answers will you find in your library? You will never know until you go there in person and search for your own answers. Libraries are a family historian’s best friend. Visit your friend today.