Thirty-five years ago, when Barry Gearwar appeared on my student rolls at Otter Valley Union High School, I encountered a surname I had never seen before. With good reason: the index for the 1900 census shows only one family group, for the entire country, with the Gearwar name living in Lamoille County.
Tag: Michael F. Dwyer
Lost Names, Part 27: Gilbar, Gilbert, Bushee, and Cornstock
Several years ago, Roberta (Wright) Mills of Florence asked me to explore the genealogy of her great-great-grandfather Eli Gilbar to see if we could find any evidence of Native American ancestry. While no traces of Native American forebears have yet surfaced in this family, Eli nonetheless emerged as opportunity to investigate another lost French-Canadian surname.
Lost Names in Vermont, Part 26: Turner
At the conclusion of Pittsford’s Memorial Day Parade, I enjoyed a catchup conversation with former colleague Pat (Parker) Carter, who taught for 40 years at Leicester School. You could have set your watches by us in our early morning commutes to our respective schools as I was usually one car-length ahead of her on Route 3.
Names lost in Vermont, Part 25: Geno and Yando
While on a seek-and-find mission for Loso gravestones in St. Dominic’s Cemetery in Proctor [Lost Names, Part 24], I photographed two other stones that propelled me to dig deeper into the identity of two women whose families belonged among other lost French-Canadian names.
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 24: Loso
This episode starts with revisiting two framed portrait-sized photographs donated to the Pittsford Historical Society. The photos came from the home of Myrtle (Rabitoy) Cameron (1917–2009).
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 23: Memoe and Cross
In our last installment, I remarked how many Québec families who settled in our area came from St. Hyacinthe, about sixty miles north of the Vermont border. Although I did not anticipate it with this next family, here is another instance of the same migration path.
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 22: Marcy, Burch, and Mosher
You may wonder, after 21 installments of this series, why there is always another investigation in the wings. As I continue to document Vermont families born in Canada East before the Civil War, I continue to encounter names that need exploration.
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 21: Tatro and Steady
Jarvis Tatro and Angeline Steady, parents’ names on the death record of Celina Browe, first wife of Jed Browe [Names Lost in Vermont, Part 20], launched this next installment.
Names Lost, Part 20: Browe and Sears
Genealogist Michael F. Dwyer explores the history behind the names Browe and Sears.
Names Lost in Vermont, Part 19: Wisell and Welcome
By MICHAEL F. DWYER Five Wisell brothers all bore decidedly Yankee names: Clayton (1879–1964), Otis (1882–1949), Thaddeus (1888–1967), Fordyce (1889–1975), and Noble (1895–1969). Neither their first nor last names give a clue as to their heritage. Second generation Vermonters, they were the sons of Charles Wisell (1851–1921) and Lucy Welcome (1854–1933). Fordyce and Thaddeus worked […]