As a genealogist you also study the anthropological aspects of your family tree. Some of the history behind the migration pattern of the moving to new states or territories is relevant and interesting. Others not so much. It is intriguing to know why someone moved to a new location. Why did they move, what was their motivation, did they flourish, move on, or did they have regrets. Some assumptions can be made. Better jobs, living conditions, owning their own land, business adventures, wars, religious reasons are usually the main ones.
When you hit a brick wall in your genealogy research, it is a good idea to take a look as to why your ancestor relocated to new cities, states or countries. This can help discover kinship or identify relatives not known. There may be clues in court, church, land grants, or military records and newspaper archives in the new locations that may assist you in your search. Don’t discard family stories that so and so lived in such and such place. There may be clues hidden waiting to be discovered.
I moved three times in my life. Michigan to Utah and back, Michigan to Seattle and this past March to Florida. Basically because I wanted to try something new and different. That may be the answer as to why my maternal grandparents move to Florida in the mid 1940’s. Right now I am fixated as to when and why they move to Florida and then back to Michigan.
Why? I because I ended up in the same city my Mother remembered very fondly growing up. However, didn’t recall her mentioning Bradenton, FL until after I moved here. My sister and Dad reminded me of the coincidence when I gave them my new location. And my interest in piqued, why? Because the records I have of them during the brief period they lived here, doesn’t put them in Bradenton. They were located in the Tampa area and listed in the Hillsborough County 1945 Census. My great grandmother Mabel Baumgartel and my grandmother’s half sibling John moved down first, so I think they did. I have a photo I discussed with my grandmother Olive, long ago, that showed the house in Mango, FL.
Mabel’s husband Borden Baumgartel, Sr died in Dearborn, MI in January 1944. The 1945 Florida census was conducted in May 1945. So my grandparents move between those dates. The Baumgartel’s were originally from Kentucky. So Florida was a new venture for this family. I thought the story from my mother was that grandpa was looking to move to the country so the older boys would stay of out trouble living in the big city of Dearborn. Dearborn was still rural them. My grandparents and mother also lived in Pinckney, MI. I have yet to determine which occurred first, did they live in Pinckney before Florida or after they moved back from Florida? The family moved back to Michigan around 1948 or 1949.
In my earlier research, I found that a relative of my grandmother’s sister-in-law moved to Florida and thought that could be the connection. However, the dates don’t match as my uncle didn’t marry into that family until 1949. Recently I was checking on an Ancestry leaf hint which lead me to a new direction. The hint was for a brother of Mabel’s first husband, Ollie Roll. This brother David Roll lived and died in Bradenton, FL. He died in December 1944. This could be why Mabel moved down here. To find some type of kinship with family. If, she moved down before he died.
I may not ever find the reason why the family moved in Florida. But I did discover new clues. Is this David Roll my great grand uncle? I search the Bradenton Library newspaper archive for an obituary. The obit listed two sisters as survivors. One is named Annabell Shrewsbury and David and Ollie have a sister named Annabell. The other is Mrs with an unfamiliar last name. I might have to pay for a death certificate to see if David Roll’s parents are a match.
It’s a small world after all….(I do live in Disney country)
Annabell Shrewsbury resided in Maricopa, AZ. One of Mabel’s brother moved to the Phoenix area in Maricopa County, AZ. Lets play six degrees of separation. What coincidences can you find in your family history.
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