This obituary is of my 3rd great grandfather, George Milligan, and was featured in the 7/30/1907 edition of the Lancaster Daily Eagle:

DEATH OF OLR SOLDIER

Mr. George Milligan, aged about 60 years, a veteran of the Civil war, died today at his home in Oakland, after only a few days’ illness. He leaves a wife and five children to mourn. He was also a brother-in-law of Mrs. William Rogers of Lancaster. Mrs. Rogers will go to Oakland Wednesday morning.

The following appeared in the 8/1/1907 edition of the Lancaster Daily Eagle:

The following persons were called to attend the funeral of Mr. George Milligan, which was conducted this forenoon at 10 o’clock: Mr. and Mrs. W.E. Rodgers, Mr. and Mrs. Ed Cave, Mrs. Ned Wait, Mrs. Andrew Saum.

Many thanks to Charlotte Dittmar for her assistance in locating and mailing the final Lancaster, Ohio obituary. She has been an enormous help with my research.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits) – Mellie Waits (Milligan) – George Milligan

Houston National Cemetery Hemicycle

Although no direct family relations are buried there, my family and I visited the Houston National Cemetery in Houston, Texas yesterday. The cemetery is beautiful and very well maintained. It was a nice, sunny day, although a bit windy and chilly. We hope to visit again this summer when the grass is greener and the flowers are in bloom. Click here for the entire picture set from our visit.

My wife’s co-worker, Bruce Alan Johnson, recently passed away, and is buried there. His obituary appeared in the Houston Chronicle 12/21/2009:

Bruce Alan Johnson Headstone

BRUCE A. JOHNSON, 62, of Houston, passed away on Friday, Dec. 18, 2009. He was born on Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 27, 1947, in Galesburg, IL to Floy and Herman Johnson. After years of service to the US Military and Texas Children’s Hospital, he leaves behind four sisters and two brothers, Leslie Fletcher of Houston, TX, Kathy (Donald) Bell of Aledo, IL, Randi (Bruce) Richardson of El Cajon, CA, and Sue (Rob) Carey of Katy, TX, Steve (Kristy) Johnson of Galesburg, IL, and Craig Johnson of Pittsburg, PA, along with several nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by both his mother and father.Visitation will be at Earthman Bellaire Funeral Home from 6-8 p.m., 6700 Ferris St., Tues., Dec. 22, 2009. The funeral will be held Wed., Dec. 23rd, 2009 11 a.m., at Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, 4930 West Belfort, Houston, Texas 77035. Donations may be made to the Texas Children’s Auxillary and Voluntary Services and Salem Evangelical Lutheran Church, both of Houston, Texas. On-line condolences may be made at MEM.com

There are also three Congressional Medal of Honor recipients and a renowned veteran/Congressman buried in the cemetery:

From the Houston National Cemetery website:

First Lieutenant Raymond L. Knight, (World War II), U.S. Army Air Corps. Northern Po Valley, Italy, on April 25, 1945. His remains were relocated to Houston National Cemetery on April 25, 1992.

Staff Sergeant Macario Garcia, (World War II), U.S. Army, Company B, 22nd Infantry, 4th Infantry Division. Grosshau, Germany, Nov. 27, 1944.

Captain James H. Fields, (World War II), U.S. Army, 10th Armored Infantry, 4th Armored Division. Near Rechicourt, France, Sept. 27, 1944.

Albert Thomas Headstone

From the Houston National Cemetery website:

The most renowned veteran buried in the cemetery is the late Honorable Albert Thomas, United States Congressman from Texas. Congressman Thomas served as a Lieutenant in the U.S. Army during World War I, and served almost 30 years in the U.S. House of Representatives. He was instrumental in getting this cemetery established by Congress. “Congressman Albert,” as his many friends knew him, died in Washington, D.C., on Feb. 15, 1966, and was buried in the mall area of the Houston National Cemetery, on Feb. 18, 1966.

It’s time for some recent family history… Using Apple iMovie ’09, I put together a video of my children’s first visit to Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena Vista, Florida. We took the trip in May 2009. I hope you enjoy it!

Brian Davis

Nellie Ruth Williams Son-In-Service Navy Pin

Nellie Ruth Williams Navy Flag Picture

This pin belonged to my great grandmother, Nellie Ruth Williams.  The one blue star on the flag denoted that one son (or husband) was serving in the Armed Forces. A gold star was used to indicate that the family member was killed or had died during the war. Her son (my grandfather), Ralph Scott Williams Jr. served in the United States Navy (USN on the pin) during World War II.  In the second picture, you can see my great grandmother and the Son-In-Service United States Navy flag hanging in their window.

If you have any family treasures you’d like to contribute, please take a picture of the item and email it to me.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits)

These are video clips from my mother and aunt’s trip to Ohio in August 1992. Featured in the video: Jackson High School; Maple Hill Cemetery; the former home of my great grand uncle, Rowland Williams and great grand aunt, Lorelle Williams (Fite); the former home of my great grand aunt, Evalyn Gahm (Williams); my grand uncle, Don Williams; my grand aunt, Wanda Williams (Hall); and the marriage of Don and Wanda’s son, Timothy Williams.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Madrith Jean Williams (Williams/sister of Donald Edward Williams) – Donald Edwin Williams (brother of Rowland A. Williams and Evalyn R. Williams)

Mary Louise “Mollie Lou” Oliphant/Kirkpatrick (Tarrant), my 3rd great grandmother, was born 7/27/1856 in Bullard, Texas. She died of “natural causes”, but heart trouble was listed on her death record. Mollie Lou was 84 years-old at the time of her death, and had three children with her first husband, John Marion Kirkpatrick (died in 1886): Woodie, Jack, and Johnnie Mae. She had two children with her second husband, Valcour Little Oliphant: Valcour Leon and Louis. Her gravesite is located at Old Larissa Cemetery in Mount Selman, Texas.

Brian Davis – James Michael Davis – James Nead Davis – Margie Leaine Davis (Kirkpatrick) – Woodie Tarrant Kirkpatrick – Mary Louise Oliphant/Kirkpatrick (Tarrant)

My great grandmother, Nellie Ruth Waits, and her sister (my great grand aunt), May Waits. Photo taken approx. 12/1907, in Oakland, Ohio. This picture was retouched by 399Retouch. Many thanks to Jane Mason for contributing the original photograph.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. – Nellie Ruth Williams (Waits)

Lewis F. Kirkpatrick, my 3rd great grand uncle, was born 2/15/1863 in Cherokee County, Texas. He died in Jacksonville, Texas of leg gangrene on 12/29/1934 at the age of 71. “L.F.” is the son of my 2nd great grandparents, James Isaac Kirkpatrick and Martha Margaret Fulton. He was a farmer in Cherokee County and married Mary Gay around the year 1900. I’m always intrigued by headstones with a picture of the deceased on them. This is invaluable to a genealogist, as it may be the only photo we come across. L.F. is buried in Union Grove Cemetery in Jacksonville, Texas.

Brian Davis – James Michael Davis – James Nead Davis – Margie Leaine Davis (Kirkpatrick) – Woodie Tarrant Kirkpatrick – John Marion Kirkpatrick (brother of Lewis F. Kirkpatrick)

This is my first attempt at creating a video out of family photos and home movies. It took me about two days to complete the project and I’m very happy with how it turned out. I created the project using Apple iMovie ’09. The video centers around my maternal grandparents and an inscription on one of their photographs, “Remember.” I’m hoping to create several more videos in the near future.

A couple of tips when viewing the video:

• Depending on your download speed, you may need to do the following: After clicking on the play button in the center or bottom left-hand corner of the video screen, pause the video in the bottom left-hand corner and wait for the entire video to load (you can tell it’s completed when the entire status bar at the bottom is full.) After it is completely loaded, press play.  This will prevent the video from stopping to load while it is playing.
• Set the resolution of the video to 720p. You may not be able to tell a difference, but this will guarantee you are watching it in the highest resolution available.

I hope you enjoy the video. Any feedback is greatly appreciated.  If you’d like to subscribe to my YouTube channel, click here.

Brian Davis – Christine Davis (Williams) – Ralph Scott Williams Jr. and Madrith Jean Williams (Williams)

I’ve made the decision to pursue a Certification in Genealogy.  While it may not seem like a difficult process on the surface, nothing could be further from the truth. I’ve been researching my own family tree for about ten years, but it will likely take me at least a few years to gain the knowledge and skills necessary to become certified.

The first step I’m taking is to join the National Genealogical Society.  They provide a lot of educational materials and hold various conferences (2011 NGS Family History Conference in Charleston, South Carolina) and workshops to teach these skills.

Upon certification, I hope to either change careers or do part-time work on the side. I’ll post periodical updates about my progress.