Four Generations Together, 1955

After some fairly heavy-duty research and blogging about the Chatteris Casbons, I’m ready for something a bit lighter. Thanks to cousin (fourth, once removed) Mark Casbon, for contributing these photos and allowing me to share them with you. This photo is a treasure! It shows four generations, beginning with Amos James Casbon (1869–1956), Vernon Lloyd… Continue reading Four Generations Together, 1955

“Gay Girl,” the Story of Harry and Kate

This story doesn’t have a happy ending. In my last post, introducing the “Chatteris Casbons,” I made brief mention of 13-year old Harry Casbon in the home of his grandmother, Emma Allpress, in 1881.[1] After considerable effort, I found Harry in the 1871 census, also living with his grandmother Emma. The “considerable effort” comes from… Continue reading “Gay Girl,” the Story of Harry and Kate

Chatteris

CHATTERIS, a parish and market town in the hundred of North Witchford, in the county of Cambridge, 26 miles N.W. of Cambridge, and 7 S. of March. It is a station on the Ely and Peterborough railway, and is situated on the river Ouse. Alwina, wife of Athelstan, and niece of King Edgar, founded a… Continue reading Chatteris

Leslie Casbon, Valparaiso High School Class of 1914

Getting distracted by “bright shiny objects” or BSOs is generally considered a bad habit in genealogy research. Such distractions can interrupt an organized plan of research, wasting valuable time and resulting in a disorganized mess of unrelated facts. While I generally agree with this view, I think a case can be made that pursuing BSOs… Continue reading Leslie Casbon, Valparaiso High School Class of 1914

1905, Red Lake County, Minnesota

The word serendipity means “the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way.”[1] I was browsing through various census results the other day, not looking for anything in particular. It was through serendipity that I chanced upon this entry in the 1905 Minnesota state census. At first, I thought this… Continue reading 1905, Red Lake County, Minnesota

Christmas Wishes

From The (Valparaiso, Indiana) Vidette-Messenger, December 23, 1949:[1] Larry, Roger, and Curtis are the sons of Delbert Keith (1916–2007) and May Dell (Ludington, 1918–2010) Casbon. Delbert Keith was the youngest son of Amos James Casbon (1869–1956). I hope they got what they wished for! Merry Christmas to all my readers! Our Casbon Journey looks forward… Continue reading Christmas Wishes

Margaret Casbon, 1864–1903

The original title for this post was going to be “What Happened to Margaret?” I was going to write about how female ancestors can be more difficult to trace than males. However, in the course of writing, I came upon new (to me) data sources. With the new information, some more puzzle pieces have slid… Continue reading Margaret Casbon, 1864–1903

The Birth Record of Amos James Casbon

A short while ago I wrote about a birth record I had obtained from the General Register Office (GRO) in England.[1] I actually received three birth records from the GRO in the same order. In addition to that of George Casbon, I received the records from Amos James Casbon and his sister Margaret. I’ll write… Continue reading The Birth Record of Amos James Casbon

“Public Sale!”

Thanks to Ilaine Church for sending me a copy of this flyer. Ilaine is the wife of my third cousin, once removed, and shares my love of family history. The Church and Casbon families are related through the marriage of Thomas Hiram Church, Jr. (1866–1951) to Lodema Evaline Casbon (1871–1938) in 1890.[1] Lodema was the… Continue reading “Public Sale!”