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When Grandpa Trod the Boards: From The Colleen Bawn to the Irish Cultural Garden

Title page from The Colleen Bawn script.   In 1933, when Joseph John Gilbride was 23 years old, he took to the stage. Grandpa had a bit part as a soldier in a production of the 19th century Irish play, The Colleen Bawn , by Dion Boucicault. The play was produced in Cleveland's Little Theater in Public Hall. 1   My grandpa's name and address in The Colleen Bawn cast list. 2   Now, it's not a huge stretch to imagine Grandpa doing a bit of theater. He was an outgoing fella, prone to jokes, puns, and visual nonsense that made his grandkids laugh.  Cut-up Grandpa checks out his new headphones, getting a smile from Grandma! 3 But beyond the novelty of thinking about a young Grandpa playing a soldier, it was the context of this Theater of Nations endeavor and the groups that helped produce  The Colleen Bawn  that grabbed my attention.   Beginnings  It began with this announcement on 13 December 1929 in The Plain Dealer: Races of City to Give Plays with P...
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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!

      Delete
  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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