Dear Jean,
Thanks so very much for your e-mail message. I am glad to hear that your
Bill is now at home and doing well. I didn't realize that you too have
had heart problems in the past. Those diets that you two have to keep to
sound like they are difficult to figure out. It is hard enough as it is
just trying to think of something to eat every day without the
additional worry of whether or not it conforms to TWO diets! Best of
luck with that, and keep care of yourselves.
You are quite the prolific writer!! 14 published works and 58
unpublished?? Gads!! I am attempting to move into the literary world
myself actually. I have recently finished my first book - a work of
non-fiction (80,000 words) - but am having difficulty finding a
publisher. I have therefore set that aside and have started working on
my real passion - fiction. Anyway, I didn't write you to talk about
THAT.
With regard to your archives and the Ohio Update, not to mention your
other books, I would love to order those if it weren't for the fact that
I simply can't afford it at the moment. The economic situation here in
Israel is at the worst that it's been in decades due to the stall in the
peace process. As a result, my husband has even had to leave to work
abroad, leaving me and my two small children here with his family until
he can make enough money to come home. Consequently, we are on a really
tight budget just now. However, once things improve, the first thing I'm
going to do is order several of your books, among others on the Sinclair
history/geneology. They will make welcome additions to my little
library.
I spent all night last night (until 5 am actually) trying to gain access
to Ohio census records for the 1800's. The only ones I found that I
thought would pertain to my line had a fee attached to them, and
therefore I could not get access to them - VERY frustrating, to say the
least (however, needless to say, probably not nearly as frustrating as
what you went through with the census records when compiling your UPDATE
1995). I am having a very difficult time discovering genuinely
searchable databases. Any suggestions?
You mentioned in your e-mail that I would have to go back further than
1891 in order for you to pick up my line in your unpublished works, and
that it would be helpful if I could give you the county where John Ward
Sinclair I was born. Well, you are right. There is a death certificate
for him and I recently acquired a copy of it from a long, lost great
aunt (Ruth Sinclair - whom I never even knew was an aunt of mine up
until 2 months ago) whose husband (Rodney Noel Sinclair) was the second
son of John Ward Sinclair I (John Ward Sinclair II being the first son).
However, the death certificate only lists that John Ward Sinclair I was
born in Ohio on March 27, 1991. It further states the following:
LENGTH OF RESIDENCE IN CITY OR TOWN WHERE DEATH OCCURRED: (Dillon,
Montana) 12 years
AGE (at time of death): 37 years
NAME OF FATHER: Robert Sinclair
BIRTHPLACE OF FATHER: Ohio
MAIDEN NAME OF MOTHER: Ward
BIRTHPLACE OF MOTHER: Unknown
As you can see, not a lot to go on. No first name of his mother, no
county, let alone, city in Ohio. Birthplace of Mrs. Robert Ward/Sinclair
- unknown. However, would it still not be possible to try and find
Robert Sinclair on the 1880 census, or would that be too difficult given
that there is no county to start from? I did find a little information
last night on the Ohio Death Certificate Index
(http://www.ohiohistory.org/dindex/search.cfm) - 1913-1927, and
1933-1937 - including some county details, but from what they gave me
(I'd have to pay for any more information) it is still hard to make out
if one of these 4 are my gg grandfather. Here is what they gave me:
NAME: Sinclair, Robert
MIDDLE INITIAL:
COUNTY: Summit
VOLUME NUMBER: 2491
DATE OF DEATH: 1/26/1916
CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 6497
NAME: Sinclair, Robert
MIDDLE INITIAL: I
COUNTY: Stark
VOLUME NUMBER: 3638
DATE OF DEATH: 7/23/1921
CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 41660
NAME: Sinclair, Robert
MIDDLE INITIAL: A
COUNTY: Hamilton
VOLUME NUMBER: 4856
DATE OF DEATH: 10/9/1925
CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 57319
NAME: Sinclair, Robert
MIDDLE INITIAL: G
COUNTY: Lucas
VOLUME NUMBER: 7902
DATE OF DEATH: 8/18/1935
CERTIFICATE NUMBER: 49756
I also have a copy of John Ward Sinclair I's obituary, which I also
recently received from my great-aunt and the last paragraph reads:
"Surviving him are his wife and two children, his mother and sister, the
two last named being here from their home in Colorado to attend the
funeral."
>From that, I learned for the first time that there was a daughter/sister
in the picture as well and that they had at some point gone to Colorado.
The obituary also mentions that my great grandfather John (or "Jack" as
he was normally called) was a WWI veteran, a member of the American
Legion and a Methodist.
This is basically all I have at the moment Jean. Do you think you might
be able to get something from it at all? That would be absolutely
FANTASTIC if it turned out that I descended from your missing "twig" in
Ohio. Lets just do as you said and keep our fingers crossed.
Thanks for your website address. I've been there. Wonderful, informative
site. Good work!
Well, I'd better close this so I can get it sent off. I'll be looking
forward to hearing from you again.
Best,
Kristin