Who Are Jack and Louisa?

         So here is a family history find.  Jack Day Prather was born in Nicaragua to a single mother who had mentioned Jack’s father to him.  The name of his father is Ralph Prather – the same Ralph Prather that had married my Grandma Mary when my mom was sixteen.

 At age eighteen Jack decided he wanted to go to the states and needed proof of his birth.  His birth certificate had him listed as Jack Day Garcia – no mention of a father or even his last name.  Thus when Jack arrived in the states he dropped the Prather/Garcia and passed himself off as Jack Day and has gone by that name ever since.

Eventually Jack did have the desire to know his father – or the man he was told was his father and has been on a mission for many decades.  It’s too bad facebook and Google didn’t exist in the 70’s for both he and Ralph were living in California – though different parts.  He missed finding him.

He did find Richard through Ancestry.  The name “Ralph Prather” came up in Richard’s profile and in April 2021 Jack sent him a message which Richard passed on to me.  I knew that my brother Steven had been in contact with some of Ralph’s descendants and so I passed Jack’s name onto Steven (here). 

We have all become good friends with Jack and his wife Louisa.  Steven wrote his own post about them here.

 Their home is on the list of airbnb.  This is where we stayed on Saturday night.

On Sunday we went with them to Maddalena Restaurant at Antonio Winery – which we were supposed to tour.  Unfortunately we forgot and had not made the time.  Again fried brain. I think Jack was hoping we would return to the bed and breakfast but we parted ways at the restaurant. So good to visit with them.

Where was I between 2013 and 2016?

 

        Every once in a while I will click on Ancestry just because it’s there.  For the most part I don’t know if the information is accurate or not.  My passion isn’t there to remember if Uncle Harold was born in one place or another.  I mean, I think I could narrow it down to state or region that I could figure out the inaccuracy such as knowing the birth took place in Utah although I don’t know exactly where in Utah, I think it is safe to rule out Texas or Florida should they come up.

        Today when I went into Ancestry I noticed that there were hints for my dad.  Okay, I can do that.  I can break it down more easily than any of his uncles or cousins.  I clicked on the census and grave information.  Both were correct and I added to others as well.  And then I found my own name.  I clicked on my name – which came up as my maiden name.  Eleven hints.  Wow. 

Okay, nine of them were high school photos of someone who lives in El Paso – or did at the time when she was in school.  Also the photos are someone with my married name.  Ignored all of the photos. Then I clicked on one that said public records.  The addresses of the top three are correct but only one of the dates is accurate.  We have lived at our current Myrtle Creek address from 2016 to now.  But I don’t understand the specified years – especially since they overlap. 

         Do they really believe that I house hopped during those years?  Like one was a summer home and the other a winter? Not that the zip code made a huge difference that I would have really used one as a summer home and the other for alternating season. They are, after all, less than ten miles apart. I grew up in the house in Midvale (maiden name) and was married at the other (though I guess I did technically make the purchase in my maiden name) 

I’ve never even visited North Dakota, let alone lived there. Interesting that there is only one year listed at that.  Except for Myrtle Creek – the beginning and ending dates are inaccurate – for me personally.  The homes/addresses still exist.  Just not at those times.  I ignored the hint but took a picture and made the corrections – sort of.  I put the corrected screenshot into my gallery in the event I do pass and someone else is trying to find me they will know the public records are not 100% accurate.  But are they ever?  Many of my ancestor names aren’t 100% to information provided.  There a lot of “could be”s.  As of now no one would have access to my photos because I am still living.

Anyway, I just found it interesting and so decided to share. 

Keeping Accurate Records - or Trying to Find Them rather . . .

I have an ancestor named Robert Stuart Stirrat Purdie.  That's his name.  Both middle names are pronounced "Stew-ert".  My mom had told me that it was a custom (whether in the family or community is unknown) for the parents to name the child (in this case middle name) after the first visitor who calls after the baby was born.  Friends Stuart and Stirrat (whose last names are unknown to me at this time) arrived together to call upon the family - thus Robert was given two identical middle names, although different spellings.  Comes in handy when trying to piece together if various records do indeed belong with the ancestor you're trying to find.  I have not run into any juniors or seniors on either side of my family (well, not until the lines of royalty - which thus far are just names - the accuracy of their relation is also unknown.  They didn't actually use Junior and Senior but I, II, II, IV, etc.)  

My grandmother wanted to name her youngest son after his father, but my grandfather did not wish to have a "junior" in the family, thus they gave him a middle initial but not a middle name.  I have a daughter-in-law who has a rather common name.  Her father is a junior and his father is the senior, thus when ancestry presents hints, it is very important to pay attention to the dates as both names will come up as suggested matches for either.  It used to be if you deleted one name on the branch, it would wipe out the entire line.  That doesn't seem to be the case with this new format - which may be easier to understand, but one I am certainly not used to and don't find it at all convenient.  

I was given a great number of hints for those I believed were already in my system.  They were.  I discovered I had duplicates.  I don't know if I removed them all or not.  I have actually been finding names that don't seem to be connected to anyone in particular.  So why are they still in there?

Years ago we had learned that my brother-in-law bill is not only an uncle to my boys by marriage but also their sixth cousin once removed on their blood line.  We had his line and the boys line as two separate lines and thus had duplicate names and that bugged me.  In family search, you can connect the two rather than resubmit them as new people with duplicate names.  I like that much better.  I'm getting really tired of the duplications.

I notice that there are a lot of names that get used again and again honoring the grandparents - and it is nice when the names skip a generation, or when the names given are so unique that I don't recall ever having had heard it as a name before, like Thankful and Remembrance Fish.  When the name is so unique like Robert Stuart Stirrat or Priddy Meeks - it's gratifying.  Oh, yes.  That's got to be him.  Whereas Brigham Young, Joseph Smith, Jose Rivera, Roberto Martinez, Jennifer Anderson . . . say what? 

Family History can be very time consuming - and I think the most common names actually require the most attention.  I want to thank all of those from my tree who gave unique names to their children and putting distance between the more common names . . . well, many of you anyway.