My "Heritage Pie" Chart - SNGF

I loved Randy's idea this week for Saturday Night Genealogy Fun! 

Below is a list of my 16 great-great-grandparents and where they were born.  Below that is the actual pie chart showing the birthplaces and how they are weighted.

One of my lines is a little iffy, so I just had to make an assumption of place of birth for this exercise.  Also,  2 of my lines had people born in places that have since changed around since WWI and WWII.  For instance, my DOMELLE line was born in Hungary, but exactly where is not Hungary now, it's now in modern Romania.

My 16 great-great-grandparents are:

1.  Adam Domelle, born Bet. 1850 - 1860 in Austria Hungary.  He died in Austria Hungary.  He married Christine Rizer.
2.  Christine Rizer, born Bet. 1850 - 1860 in Austria Hungary.  She died in Austria Hungary.

3.  Unknown Obendorfer, born in Austria.  He died in Austria.  He married Unknown.
4.  Unknown, born in Austria.  She died in Austria.

5.  John Mix, born 09 Mar 1830 in Tioga County, NY; died 1906 in New York.  He married Mary Ellen Weaver Aft. 1854.
6.  Mary Ellen Weaver, born 19 Feb 1839 in Cooperstown, Otsego, NY; died 13 Jan 1925 in Ithaca, Tompkins, NY.

7.  John Francis Akins, born 13 Mar 1841 in Tioga County, NY or PA; died 13 Feb 1890.  He married Hattie Elizabeth Kirby 17 Apr 1885.
8.  Hattie Elizabeth Kirby, born 19 Mar 1866 in Bennettsburg, Schuyler, NY; died 04 Jun 1963 in Schuyler Hospital, Montour Falls, Schuyler, NY.

9.  Johann Andreas Kleylein-Weltdicker, born 04 Oct 1829 in Unterrodach, Oberfranken, Bayern, Germany; died 26 Feb 1886 in Unterrodach, Oberfranken, Bayern, Germany.  He married Katharina Schaller 07 Mar 1858 in Unterrodach, Oberfranken, Bayern, Germany.

10.  Katharina Schaller, born 24 Aug 1833 in Unterrodach, Oberfranken, Bayern, Germany; died 15 May 1919 in Unterrodach, Oberfranken, Bayern, Germany.

11.  John Pawlak, born 24 Jun 1850 in Posen, Poland; died 20 Apr 1911 in Hale Township, McLeod Co., Minnesota.   He married Branislawa Lewandowski 30 Jan 1876 in St. Adalbert, Chicago, Cook Co., Illinois.
12.  Branislawa Lewandowski, born 30 Sep 1856 in Posen, Poland; died 13 Mar 1910 in Hale Township, McLeod Co., Minnesota.

13.  John Pokornowski, born 21 Dec 1856 in Starawies, Gniezno, Poland; died 21 Jan 1939 in Geneseo, Sargent Co., North Dakota.  He married Pelagia Kautz 25 May 1881 in St. Adalbert, Silver Lake, McLeod Co., Minnesota.
14.  Pelagia Kautz, born 11 Mar 1864 in Posen, Poland; died 15 Jan 1964 in Breckenridge, Wilkin Co., Minnesota.

15.  Nimrod Harrison, Jr., born 19 Apr 1839 in Mt. Airy, Carroll Co., MD; died 1919 in Taylorsville, Carroll Co., MD.  He married Sarah C. Watkins 28 Nov 1860 in Frederick Co., MD.
16.  Sarah C. Watkins, born 22 Aug 1845 in MD; died 1931 in Taylorsville, Carroll Co., MD. 

The birthplaces of my great-great-grandparents are:

Pre-WWII Hungary
Pre-WWII Austria
NY (4)
Germany (2)
Poland (4)
Maryland (2)

And finally, here is the actual Heritage Pie chart I came up with, thanks to the great NCES website:

Surname Saturday - Akins

This surname has been some trouble for me in researching it - a couple generations and BAM! Brick Wall!!!

Also, there are many spellings in the records I've come across: AKINS, AIKINS, AIKENS, and AIKEN.

I suspect it is English/Scottish/Irish, but I have no actual proof as yet. This particular AKINS family was in the Finger Lakes region of New York; specifically in Tompkins and Tioga counties. Where they were before that, I just don't know yet!

Here is my ahnentafel for AKINS:

1. Leah KLEYLEIN - Me!

3. Deborah DOMELLE - my Mom!

7. Ann MIX - my Grandma! She was born in Tompkins County, NY and spent her childhood years there. After marrying my grandfather (William DOMELLE), they moved around a bit.

15. Cornelia Elizabeth AKINS, born 23 Apr 1887 in Village of Lockwood, Tioga County, NY; died 24 Jan 1986 in Ithaca, Tompkins County, NY. She was married to William MIX, of Tompkins County, NY.

30. John Francis AKINS, born 13 Mar 1841 in New York; died 13 Feb 1890. I've located him in Tioga County, NY in the 1870 and 1880 Federal Census's, but that's it so far. He was married to Hattie KIRBY, who I believe is from Seneca County, NY, as the earliest record I've located her in is in the 1870 Federal census in her Grandfather's household in the town of Waterloo.

60. John AIKENS, born 1810 in New York. He was married to Deborah, surname unknown.

120. AIKENS. He married Elizabeth, surname unknown. I have a record of Elizabeth because she was living with her son John AIKENS in Ithaca, Tompkins County, NY during the 1850 Federal Census.


And that's it for my AKINS family!

Surnames and Lots of Other Places that aren't Rehoboth, Mass.

In my last posting I listed out all my surnames that originated (at least once they moved to America) in Rehoboth, MA. One day soon I'd like to visit that town.

Anyway, so below is a list of my other surnames, I like to think of them as "Not-from-Rehoboth-Surnames":

AKINS - the farthest back I have them is the 1800s in Lockwood, NY. They are a brick wall for me.

BROWN - first lived in Swansea, Mass, don't have much on them at all, the name comes from a wife

CHURCHILL - first lived in Wethersfield, CT. Lots of old genealogies try to link my Josiah Churchill to the famous Churchill family but I'm not buying it

COLLINS - first lived in Boston, then moved to Walllingford, CT, came from Herford, England

DOMELLE - immigrated in the 20th century from what was NagyOsz, Hungary (now in Romania) and moved to Lake Village, Indiana

ENSIGN - first lived in Hartford, CT. Some old genealogies try to prove a link to nobility with this one, but again, I'm not buying it.

FIENES - this was a maiden name for the mom of the wife of the first Bliss of mine that came over. Family was from Maiden Newton, Dorset, England

FOOTE - lived in Wethersfield, CT, came from Shalford, Essex, England and Royston, Hertfordshire, England

GEORGE - lived in Braintree, Norfolk, Massachusetts, have little because it was a wife

GIBBS - 1800s in Waterloo, Seneca Co, NY, have little because it was a maiden name

KINGSBURY - another maiden name of a family that first came over, they came from Dedham, Norfolk, England, but that's all I have right now

KIRBY - lots of brick walls in NY in the 1800s - another maiden name in Waterloo, Seneca, NY that comes from who knows where

LYNN - darn those maiden names, it's so hard to prove who the parents were in so many cases! This one was in Connecticut.

MIX - originall in New Haven, CT, then moved to Wallingford, CT, then NY - the cause of all my mysterious maiden names in NY. I know the first Mix came from London, but that's it.

OBENDORFER - married to the Domelle above, so was in Lake Village, Indiana. all I know is that she said she was born in Vienna and that's it!

ROCKWELL - lived in Windsor, CT, came supposedly from Fitzhead, Somerset, England

ROYCE - lived in New London, CT, came suppsedly from Martok, Somerset, England

STEVENS - another maiden name who married a Mix, I got nothing - 1800s in Greene, Chenango County, NY

TROWBRIDGE - lived in Boston, New Haven, CT, Branford, CT. Supposedly came from Devonshire, England

TURNER - like the Mix, I only know he came from London. First lived in Lynn, Massachusetss, then founded New Haven, CT

WHEATLIE - a maiden name of one who came over - is supposed to be from Maiden Newton, Dorset, England


And those are all my surnames to the point of emigration or immigration, whatever you want to call it!!

A Little Dash of Crazy Never Hurt Anybody

I'd like you all to take a look at this picture:


This is my Great-Grandmother Cornelia Elizabeth Akins Mix Simpson. She was born an Akins in Lockwood, Tioga County, New York, and married a Mix (my great-grandfather), then married a Simpson.

She's standing here with her half-brother, George F. Akins. They shared the same father, John Francis Akins.

I'm guessing from her dress that this picture was taken in the 1940s. It's likely on his or her farm up in the Finger Lakes region of New York, probably Tioga or Tompkins county, or somewhere near there.

I don't know this for sure because the Akin's are IMPOSSIBLE to find ANY information on other than the bare minimum. I think they must have hid from the census taker's and never got any marriage license's because according to the records, they DON'T EXIST. I say this after a day spent poring through censuses (census's? censi?) and NOT finding them. I figured after waiting a decade or so after doing a first look that something would have come up, but NO!!

Part of the problem is that Akins can also be Akin, Aken, Akens, Aiken, Aikens, Aikin, Aikins, and probably more I haven't figure out yet, thus the lack of finding ANYTHING!

But as usual, I digress.

Taking another look at the picture, you will notice that they are holding the skin of a timber wolf (at least that's according to what's written on the back of the photograph). Yes, wolves used to be all over the place, even New York state, before we (Americans) nearly killed them all off, so I'm assuming that this is a proud farmer showing off the skin of a wolf he killed. What can I say, times were different.

But now, if you still haven't noticed it, take another look, there's something else.

Something to do with George.

Something to do with George's hat.


See it? There is a.......chicken.....on Great-Great-Uncle George's hat.

Oh so many questions...

• Did he always wear a chicken on his hat?
• Is this chicken special in some way?
• Does the chicken lay eggs up there?
• Does he have different chickens for different days, like a sunday-best chicken?
• Did he save the chicken-on-the-hat just for special occasions, like when you are showing off your timber wolf skin with your half-sister?

At least now I know which branch of the family the crazy came from, that's some progress.

Four Generations

There's a few pictures like this floating around in my family. The women on my mom's side of the family tend to live FOREVER, so there was a great-grandma around to take these pictures with. This picture below was taken sometime between August 7-9, 1973.


Starting on the left is my mom, wearing a lovely lavender checked frock. Actually I do like it. Notice how tan she is - we all still lived in Miami at this point. In the middle, holding me, is my grandma, Ann Mix Domelle (mentioned in the previous post), and next to her is her mom, Cornelia Akins Mix Simpson. I knew her as "Grandma Simpson". She is the "Nelia" I mentioned in the previous post, the one with a million kids. She did divorce William Mix, my grandma's father and married a Leon Simpson.

I'm in the middle staring at the dog rather than the camera.

Grandma Simpson lived up in the Finger Lakes region of New York, that's where this picture was taken. We all think she was part gypsy because no one moved as much as she did. Now that I think about it, maybe she was running from the law. Or maybe she was in the witness protection program. Or a spy.

Probably the answer is that she lived through the Depression with a million kids and moved from place to place, depending on who would let her stay on their land (in a trailor), or who had a house for her to rent. Some of the kids would have already been out of the house (probably the eldest two brothers, my grandma was the youngest). She married Leon Simpson in 1935, so hopefully things improved for her after that.

Why did she get divorced from William Mix back at a time when divorce was so much more shocking? I'm not allowed to say, my grandmother would kill me. :-) Let's just say irreconcilable differences. But rest assured there was no murder or kidnapping or anything like that. Just people not getting along.

I have one sibling. I cannot even imagine having 9 siblings running around with an age range of 22 years. I guess you would get used to not being the center of attention? And you would be pretty good at wolfing down your food to get seconds before it was all gone, huh? And you could sleep through noise really good too I imagine.

Grandma Simpson's maiden name was "Akins". I've had a pretty tough time researching that name. It comes up as Akins, Akens, Aikens, and Aikins.

I know that Cornelia's grandparents were John and Deborah Akins, who in 1850 had a farm in Ithaca, New York. There were 7 kids running around (in 1850 at least). Beyond that, I have no clue, it's been a wall. According to the 1850 census, John was born in NY, but the census's older than 1850 only list the head of the household's name. Gee thanks stupid census people, I guess the only important person was the head of the household? How do you expect me to figure out where John was if he's only a checkmark under the "child aged 10-15" column? Stupid census people.

And don't even get me started on the government letting the 1890 census burn up in a fire. Oh, the humanity!!!!