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Taking on the 2026 14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge

Image courtesy of Family Locket, used with permission.   It's January and time for the 14-Day Research Like a Pro Challenge brought to us by the mother-daughter team of Diana Elder and Nicole Dyer at Family Locket . I love the dedicated time to focus on a particular research question. The challenge takes researchers through the 7-step Research Like a Pro process to solve genealogical questions.  Here's what I've done in the first seven days of the challenge:    Day 1 - Objective: Research Question My question for this year's challenge flows from some research I did last year on Maria Jane Darragh, a second great-grandmother. While I have learned a good deal about her already, some questions remain. First, why was Maria Jane's mother, Dorah Elliot Darragh, buried in the same plot as Joanna Elliot? Dorah Darragh died on 12 October 1856, while Joanna Elliot died three months prior, on 15 August 1856. Both are buried at St. Stanislaus Catholic Cemetery in Chats...
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Pioneers of the Twin Territories


Celebrating the news this week that Jim's lineage to one set of 3x great grandparents was confirmed for First Families of the Twin Territories by the Oklahoma Genealogical Society. The program is open to anyone who can document descent from an ancestor who lived in Oklahoma Territory or Indian Territory prior to Oklahoma's November 1907 statehood.

Dewitt Samuel Blackman and Elizabeth Butler Blackman were present on 7 September 1892 in Section 6, Township 18 North, Range 3 West, Logan County, in Oklahoma Territory. 

I have written about this couple several times, and they are one of my favorite sets of Jim's ancestors. First, because they did so much! Dewitt was born in New York, Elizabeth in Ohio. Eventually Dewitt moved to Ohio where the couple married. Dewitt served in the Civil War, in Co. B, 47th Ohio Infantry. By 1880, the couple established a farm in Sumner Co., Kansas, and then moved on to Oklahoma in 1892, where they were homesteaders. Dewitt died prior to proving the patent, but in 1899 Elizabeth finished what he started.

 


The second reason I love them? Their activities left numerous records: a lengthy Civil War pension file, including both Dewitt's invalid claim, and Elizabeth's widow's claim; a homestead application file detailing improvements, Dewitt's death, and Elizabeth's final proof; even a two-page entry on Dewitt in a Kansas county history. It's alot easier to put together a puzzle when you have a lot of pieces, and the Blackmans certainly had plenty. 

Putting this lineage application together has long been on my genealogical checklist. But more than that, I'm happy to honor this terrific couple and celebrate their achievements.

Until next time...

 

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Read more about Dewitt Samuel Blackman and Elizabeth Butler Blackman:

Proving the Blackman Homestead, Logan, Oklahoma Territory

What is a Cyclone Cave? 

Where Was Dewitt Samuel Blackman Born? 

From the Pages of a Book (Kansas County History) 

An 1800s Photographic Surprise (a serendipitous discovery of a photo of Elizabeth)

Timelines & ThruLines: Untangling Two Elizabeth Butlers in Ohio

 

 


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  1. Laura WeberMarch 16, 2023 at 11:58 AM

    Congratulations! This kind of validation of your research is so rewarding!

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyMarch 20, 2023 at 7:57 AM

      It really is. I always swear I'm not doing another one...until I do!

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  2. Molly's CanopyMarch 17, 2023 at 11:14 AM

    Congrats and how fortunate this ancestor had a Civil War file. Always so much information there.

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyMarch 20, 2023 at 7:57 AM

      He had a great file. Got his service record as well, which showed his place of birth! Lucky!

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  3. Diane HenriksMarch 19, 2023 at 1:44 PM

    Congrats on getting everything needed for your lineage app! How fun! I have yet to have the time to apply to any. :)

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    1. Nancy Gilbride CaseyMarch 20, 2023 at 7:59 AM

      It's ever-so-slightly addicting. I've done a few: Mayflower, Associated Daughters of Early American Witches, First Families of Pennsylvania...it's nice to go so deep back, and I love uncovering lineages that my family had no idea about.

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