I’ve been trying the new ancestry. I do like parts of the new site. So far I’ve mostly played with hints and the facts view. The new site includes and updated LifeStory view, the Facts view (with lines linking facts to sources), and a media gallery. If you want to sign up to be added to the waitlist, sign up at:
http://home.ancestry.com/beta.
Ancestry recently posted on their blog the list of features they are working on. One thing that is super annoying to me is the extra step on hints. After choosing to review a hint, I receive a preview of the information and am asked if this looks like my relative, (yes, no, or maybe)… after answering yes I get to go on to the screen to match up the details to my tree. Previously it was assumed if you chose review you thought it was a match…. so why the extra step?
I can’t wait to see where Ancestry goes with this though….
Scheduled to be available in the next couple of weeks:
- Web Links: quick links to web pages
- Media Gallery features:
- Save: Save photos to your family trees from the new media viewer
- Edit: change the description and details on a photo or story
- Create/upload story: create and upload a new story in the media Gallery
- Audio/video file support: view and listen to audio and video files
Planned to be available in about a month:
- Profile picture cropping: edit/crop a profile photo to fit in the circular photo space
- Quick Edit: edit an ancestor’s vital information directly from the tree viewer
- Media Gallery sorting/filtering: sort and filter by media type, chronological order
- FamilySearch integration: LDS Account holders can share information between their Ancestry tree and their Family Tree on FamilySearch
Exact Functionality/Timing still TBD:
- Member Connect features: Find other members researching a similar ancestor and save info from their family trees
Lower-priority features/not currently being addressed: These features have very low usage. We will evaluate these once we have taken care of the more important needs and features represented above.
- Family Group Sheet: a family view of the tree data
- Military Pages: tribute pages for ancestors who served in the military
– See more at: http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2015/06/05/new-ancestry-feature-update/#sthash.FrP27dn6.dpuf
In October/November of 1777 my ancestor Rev. John Corbley joined the House of Delegates for Virginia.
THE DISQUALIFICATION OF MINISTERS IN STATE
CONSTITUTIONS
By E. G. Swem
As a step toward the separation of the church and state in
Virginia, the convention which met in Richmond, on July 17,
1775, adopted, in the "Ordinance for regulating the election of
delegates," a clause disqualifying all clergymen of the Church
of England, and all dissenting ministers or teachers from election
as delegates, or sitting and voting in convention. 1 In the con-
vention of May, 1776, which adopted a permanent constitution,
the substance of this clause was embodied in the constitution.
All those holding lucrative offices, and all ministers of the gospel
of every denomination were declared incapable of being elected
members of either house of assembly, or the privy council. 2 Un-
fortunately, we have no report of the debates on this or any other
subject in the convention, except as briefly mentioned in the
journal. It will be observed that this disqualification applied not
only to clergymen of the Church of England, but to members of
every denomination. It is not fair to assume that this was in-
serted from fear of the ministers of the established church only.
There was as much danger from religious interference in the new
government by over-zealous Baptist and Presbyterian ministers,
who might get in the assembly, as from the others. The clause,
because of its including ministers of all churches, must have re-
ceived the support of all factions in the convention.
*9 Hening, 57.
2 9 Hening 117, Aritcle XIII.
My ancestor was the first to be disqualified from the House of Delegates with this law….
The first minister to whom the disqualifying clause was ap-
plied, after 1776, was John Corbley, of Monongalia, who was re-
turned to serve in the House of Delegates, when it met in October,
1777. On being objected to, on the ground that he was a minister,
he was heard in his place upon the matter, and confessed himself
to be a minister of the gospel, but alleged that he received no
stipend or gratuity for performing that function. The fact of
receiving no stipend had no effect upon the house, for it was
resolved that he could not serve.
Though I believe in separation of church and state, I personally believe that separation is best to prevent undue pressure on any person by any group. Every person has a right to their own beliefs. Laws in the government are meant to be based on a vote of the majority that follows the norms of society. In our society currently a subset of the population is chosen to vote on the laws to govern. I find it interesting that when first set up the government of VA excluded ministers. (I did find that in 1798 the constitution of Georgia was rewritten to give rights to religious persons – http://www.wallbuilders.com/LIBissuesArticles.asp?id=77)
I haven’t researched it yet, but I am curious whether any state still discourages ministers from holding office?
Edward Corbley:Birth April 19,1832 Death 20 Oct 1891 in Oakwood, IL (Parents William Corbley and Rebecca Stephens). Spouse Mary Ann Littler (February 7, 1860)
My aunt has decided to join the DAR and so this spurred a quest to find all the records for my paternal grandmother’s side of the family. We had already recorded the Corbley bible, but the last three generations needed more documentation. All was going fairly well until my great great grandfather Edward Corbley. Family stories differ on why he vanished and there aren’t a lot of records on him, but they all revolve around livestock that got ill and him losing everything. One story Aunt Ethel told was that Edward Corbley was driving cattle up from Texas when they became ill (she said hoof and mouth disease) and he had to hide from the government… then losing the land and everything to the federal government.
The Corbley Farm was a big farm that included the land across from the high school all the way to the land that included Muncie (there is a street in Muncie named after the Corbleys). One article shows that the Congressman J.G. Cannon purchased the farm in both Champaign and Vermilion counties for $30,000. I’m not sure what the mention of Pearsons and Taft of Chicago means?
From that I can piece together though Edward Corbley went on after the livestock ‘fiasco’ to live in Kansas city, Missouri. He lived there approximately 8 years before visiting his daughter in Illinois and passing away in her home. The article tells that he sold his property and went west when reverence overtook him.
Mary Ann Littler (his wife) is rumored to be buried in Stearns Cemetery in Muncie Illinois with her family, so the thought is that he might be buried in the same cemetery. There isn’t a record of his burial that I can find so far, and the only undocumented tombstones are so worn that they can no longer be identified.
Somewhere the name switched from Corbley to Corbly also. Edward Corbly had a brother Lindsey that was in the new constantly (a lawyer) – so it makes it surprising to me that Edward fell off the books. I did find one mention that Edward and another man were responsible for surveying and laying out the town of Muncie but in a book with the history of Vermilion County, Edward is dropped completely from the history. I’m not completely sure I’m ready to quit searching for the history of what happened to Edward. Most stories though may be lost to time.
From what I’ve found about the livestock disease at that time, Texas cattle were immune to the illness and any land that they inhabited became infected. New cattle brought in to graze on that land then became ill and died off. Several states closed off cattle drive routes and would not allow those cattle to be driven through their states. Shortly after the time I was looking at Illinois closed it’s borders to new Texas cattle. BUT not knowing what was causing the illness, the farmer bringing in the cattle was vilified by neighboring ranchers for killing off huge herds of cattle. My ancestors seems to have been caught up in the bad luck of bringing in the wrong type of cattle at the wrong time.
The history of Texas Cattle Drives is available here, but includes:
TEXAS FEVER. Readers of the Veterinarian, an English journal, were informed in June 1868 that a “very subtle and terribly fatal disease” had broken out among cattle in Illinois. The disease killed quickly and was reported to be “fatal in every instance.” The disease was very nearly as fatal as the Veterinarian claimed. Midwestern farmers soon realized that it was associated with longhorn cattle driven north by South Texas ranchers. The Texas cattle appeared healthy, but midwestern cattle, including Panhandle animals, allowed to mix with them or to use a pasture recently vacated by the longhorns, became ill and very often died. Farmers called the disease Texas fever or Texas cattle fever because of its connection with Texas cattle. Other names included Spanish fever and splenic or splenetic fever, from its characteristic lesions of the spleen. The disease is also known as hemoglobinuric fever and red-water fever, and formerly as dry murrain and bloody murrain. To protect their cattle, states along the cattle trails passed quarantine laws routing cattle away from settled areas or restricting the passage of herds to the winter months, when there was less danger from Texas fever. In 1885 Kansas entirely outlawed the driving of Texas cattle across its borders. Kansas, with its central location and rail links with other, more northern markets, was crucial to the Texas cattle-trailing business. The closing of Kansas, together with restrictive legislation passed by many other states, was an important factor in ending the Texas cattle-trailing industry that had flourished for twenty years. (See also, e.g., SHAWNEE TRAIL.)
I almost wonder if in the mention of Texas Fever in Illinois, if the story might be referring to what occurred with Edward Corbly. Corbly moved to Missouri in 1883, leading me to believe that the epidemic with his cattle occurred shortly before that in the 1880 to 1883 time frame – though it could have been as early as the 1870s.
MUNCIE was platted and recorded in 1875, and evidently named by the surveyors, Alexander Bowman and Edward Corbley.
One story is that part of Muncie was handed over to make restitution for the loss of livestock.
To me this is a weekend to reflect back on the family we have lost (Especially
close family). My mother goes around to each of the graves and puts flowers on the graves… which is comforting to her – knowing that there is one day out of the year that the graves are decorated. For me this is more a long holiday where at some point I reflect on the family I have lost. My close family are in my memories every day, so it’s hard to say that one day is any more special than others.
Memories of my grandmother come to me when I sew, when something special happens in the boys lives (especially Kristopher), even certain foods I make. I miss her all the time! Big things like the fact that she never met Konnor or little things like that she will never make him a sock monkey…. this next weekend and that she will miss Kris’ graduation.
A barbie wedding outfit my grandmother made that I have displayed in a shadow box.
My grandmother was wonderful at sewing, I really wish I had taken the time to listen when she had tried to teach me…. and let on more that I was listening. She explained grainline, I don’t know how many times. I’ve since looked it up to refresh my memory, but I remember her trying to explain it – and my ‘Why does it matter?’ As for the sock monkeys, I’ll never forget her story of taking them to my cousins in Texas and her luggage getting lost. – “Is there anything unique in your luggage that will help identify it?” – “Yes, There are three monkeys in my suitcase”.
She survived two husbands and all her brothers and sisters, and was still in her right mind when we lost her. Just one day she was here, and the next she wasn’t. She did everything from own a bar to teach kindergarten and was the only one of her siblings to go to high school. Yes, I think she was pretty amazing. My grandfather drown when my mother was about 3 and my grandmother had left her job as a teacher to marry him. So she was forced to move back home with my great grandmother.
My mother tells the story of my grandmother meeting my second grandfather. He saw her waiting bar at the bar she had bought…. and he told my Uncle Ervin he was going to marry her. She told him ‘Like Hell you Will!”. She said she was married to one drunk and she wasn’t going to do it again. My grandfather Wakeland then cleaned up his act and she married him. (By cleaned up I mean not around her, there was a story about my grandmother trying to bean him with a marble ashtray when he came home drunk once). I also remember something about a footrace but that story I don’t remember clearly.
I would say that I miss my grandmother the most each day, but on days when I reflect back I miss my close aunts and uncles too. Most of my other grandparents were gone before I was born other than my grandfather Richter and he died when I was younger making my memories of him much slimmer.
Last weekend we took a trip home. It was a wonderful trip down memory lane…. We went mushroom hunting, played in the river (I got scream at for that one), and even saw my cousin Larry with the Super Banana.
Growing up on a farm as foods came in season we ate those foods EVERY meal until they weren’t in season anymore! Morel mushrooms were one of those seasons. (Sweet Corn is another that has turned me into a corn snob… forget that out of season stuff you get at the grocery store). Morels are only available a few weeks each year, can’t be grown commercially, and everyone guards their spot. My Aunt Linda used to have me drive her 
to her spot long before I got my license so that I could drop her off and pick her up later. 
You would hate to leave any evidence of where your favorite spot is! Mushrooms tend to grow in sunny spots where decaying old trees are coming up. This year I managed to catch a frog too. Konnor also tried to track a deer down, he followed the tracks through the woods. I remember my dad showing me years ago which tracks are female and which are male (I don’t remember any
more which are which), it’s amazing how you can tell from the tracks.
Out in the woods I was reminded of all the times we would try to walk across logs (on ravines) – I still am amazed that my brother and I never broke a bone in our childhood. We would head out in the woods just to walk. Across streams, through brambles, and with no particular destination in mind.
After mushroom hunting on the way home, I stopped and hopped in the river. It was really cold – but what a memory. It brought back memories of walking in the river, canoeing, and looking for shells. My mother was concerned about all the trash (broken glass, needles, and everything else) that has now ended up in the river…. The river water did feel really good after walking around in the woods while it was hot out!
Finally after getting home my cousin Larry Wayne showed up. He had his dad’s tractor the Super Banana with. My Uncle Lloyde used to take that tractor all over to tractor pulls and my dad would make us attend whenever they were at the local fair. The tractor was loud! They hook the tractor to a sled and you see who can pull the sled the farthest down the track. My Uncle had ended up in the Hall of Fame for Tractor Pulls with his tractor, and that’s where Larry picked it up. The tractor had been put away in the late 70s and yet it was still running! It has 4 Hemi engines and was surprisingly no where near
as loud as I remember from my childhood.
I also remember my dad challenging Uncle Lloyd to a tractor pull with his farm tractor. My dad still claims he would have won if my cousins hadn’t hooked the sled to the farm tractor’s axle!
On a side note, Larry has the same birthday as me! 10 years before I was born, Larry was born on the same day. Then Larry’s first daughter was born on his 30th birthday, and my 20th birthday! Same day! Our birthday is a popular day in our family.
Mom has also added a little fish pond that Konnor enjoyed feeding the fish. Growing up our fish pond was huge and my dad had dug it with a big farm tractor, but the little one is nice for Konnor. – My dad would move the pond when he felt like it, and have it stocked with bass and catfish. There may still be catfish in the last one he dug. They originally were trained to come up to the surface when he walked out to the pond – then he would feed them dog food. It’s amazing to think that you can train a catfish to come to the vibration of
footsteps!
We took a lot of pictures and everyone was exhausted by the end of the day!
