This Family Reunion Looks Sharp! [Genealogy Photo]

This Family Reunion Looks Sharp! – Yes! The pun is intended. Josiah and Lydia (Neal) Sharp are the progenitors of this large brood of children and grandchildren. I might be personally biased, but I think they really do look sharp. Josiah Steward Sharp was born in New Jersey in 1836. He came to Randolph County,… Continue reading This Family Reunion Looks Sharp! [Genealogy Photo]

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Gender-Confused, Transgender, or Just Messing Around? [Genealogy Photo]

Gender-Confused, Transgender, or Just Messing Around? – Today’s Way Back Wednesday genealogy photo provides undeniable evidence that one of my ancestors participated in at least one incidence of crossdressing. So what was going on with that? Pictured from left to right are Hilda Oberender, Clara (Clark) Bales, and Blanche (Bales) Sickels. Clara was my great-grandmother.… Continue reading Gender-Confused, Transgender, or Just Messing Around? [Genealogy Photo]

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Early 1900’s Threshing Ring – Randolph County, Indiana [Genealogy Photos]

Early 1900’s Threshing Ring – Randolph County, Indiana [Genealogy Photos] – We’ve all heard the phrase “pitching in,” but how many realize the saying comes from the common early American practice of the neighborhood threshing ring? The threshing ring was every bit as much a social event as it was a functional necessity in that… Continue reading Early 1900’s Threshing Ring – Randolph County, Indiana [Genealogy Photos]

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Ozro Bales Kidnapping Bertha Root [Genealogy Photo]

Way Back Wednesday: Ozro Bales Kidnapping Bertha Root – What on earth is going on in this photo? My great-great-grandmother Estella (Sharp) Bales is the one holding the gun aimed at her husband Ozro Bales. The handwriting scrawled on the back of the photograph says, “Carl took the picture.” Carl is presumably Carl Root who… Continue reading Ozro Bales Kidnapping Bertha Root [Genealogy Photo]

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Could My Ancestor Have Been One of the Mysterious Melungeons?

Way Back Wednesday: Could My Ancestor Have Been One of the Mysterious Melungeons? – Until two weeks ago the Melungeons were so mysterious to me I didn’t even know they existed. I had encountered Mulattos in census records. I had come across Mestizos in history textbooks. However, Melungeon was a completely foreign word to me… Continue reading Could My Ancestor Have Been One of the Mysterious Melungeons?

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Way Back Wednesday – What Ethnicity Was Ozro Bales?

Way Back Wednesday: What Ethnicity Was Ozro Bales? – My great-great-grandfather Ozro Bales was born to parents who trace their documented lines back to England or Ireland. His parents appear to be Caucasian as expected according to all of the lines I’ve been able to follow, and yet Ozro appears to have something other than… Continue reading Way Back Wednesday – What Ethnicity Was Ozro Bales?

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Way Back Wednesday – J H Bales – Butter, Eggs, and Poultry Wagon

Way Back Wednesday: J H Bales – Butter, Eggs, & Poultry Wagon – The following large group photo would have likely been taken somewhere near Bloomingport of Randolph County, Indiana around 1910. The photograph includes my great-grandfather, as well as his parents, grandparents, and siblings. There are additional friends and neighbors pictured too. Some I… Continue reading Way Back Wednesday – J H Bales – Butter, Eggs, and Poultry Wagon

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Way Back Wednesday – John and Nancy McMullen Bales Reunion 1896

Way Back Wednesday: John and Nancy McMullen Bales Reunion 1896 – The following is a large family group photo taken at a Bales Reunion in 1896. The individuals pictured are the descendants of John and Nancy (McMullen) Bales. I suspect the photo was taken at Bloomingport in Randolph County, Indiana. John Bales was born about… Continue reading Way Back Wednesday – John and Nancy McMullen Bales Reunion 1896

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Way Back Wednesday – Bloomingport Livery Stable and Carlos City to Carlos Mystery Solved

Way Back Wednesday: Bloomingport Livery Stable and Carlos City to Carlos Mystery Solved – My great-great-great-grandfather John Henry Bales operated the livery stable at Bloomingport in Randolph County, Indiana. A livery was sort of like a hotel for horses. In the days before other forms of transportation, someone stopping in a town would need more… Continue reading Way Back Wednesday – Bloomingport Livery Stable and Carlos City to Carlos Mystery Solved

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Way Back Wednesday: Bales and Others at Carlos, Indiana

Way Back Wednesday: Bales and Others at Carlos, Indiana – Carlos is barely a blip on the map in Randolph County, Indiana today, but at one time it was a booming metropolis. Okay, maybe it wasn’t a metropolis, but it was definitely a substantial town with a number of businesses and many residents. Even when… Continue reading Way Back Wednesday: Bales and Others at Carlos, Indiana

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