Ancestors Traced To Battle Of Hastings

Pam Payne, a local genealogist, begins the New Year for us with a wonderful success story. She writes to give testimony of how wonderfully helpful the personnel and resources are at the Family History Center.

“I found out all about my great-greatgrandmother clear back into the Middle Ages at the library,” she enthusiastically writes.

“Through family stories and research done by my father’s cousin, I knew that my great-greatgrandmother, Dulcinea Louisa Harris, had packed up her children, including her son-in-law, widow of her deceased daughter, and left her husband and oldest son and moved west to Spokane in 1888. We knew she and her son-in-law, Emmett Spicer, owned a little grocery store in the Valley, and we knew that she died in 1919 and was buried in Riverside Cemetery. For a long time we wondered about her and her background, and now we know!”

Payne continues the story: “I had taken a beginner’s genealogy class and so I knew a little bit about where to start, and I knew there would most likely be some answers to be found at the Family History Center. I first called the cemetery and they only had the date of her death and burial. But they did tell me that Smith Funeral Home had conducted the services. After asking Ray Fisher, the local records expert (found most days in the Genealogy Room of the Spokane Public Library), I found out that Hennessey Funeral Home has the old Smith records.

“Sure enough, Hennessey’s was kind enough to find and copy the record of Dulcinea’s funeral. Here I found Dulcinea’s exact birth and death date and her parents’ names - Jason Harris and Sarah Lucretia Richmond! I also found that she and her parents had been born in New York. The informant had been her son, so surely the information was reliable.

“The next step was to visit the Family History Center and check all these new names in the IGI (International Genealogical Index, a computer database of millions of ancestors’ names). There I found the marriage record for Sarah and Jason, and then I just kept finding more and more on her - I could scarcely believe my good fortune! I found the names of Sarah’s father - Ebenezer Richmond and his wife Louisa Gott. Then I found Ebenezer’s parents, Edward Richmond and his wife Hulda or Polly. I was disappointed not to find her last name, but I know that in genealogy, you win some and lose some. I looked some more and there were Edward’s parents, Edward Richmond and Elizabeth Powell. Wow!

“From there on, it was a bit confusing, for the name Benjamin Richmond kept appearing and I could not see where my Edward Richmond fit with Benjamin Richmond. So I turned next to the Ancestral File (another computerized database of lineage-linked families) and lo and behold, there was Benjamin Richmond as the eldest son of Edward Richmond and Elizabeth Powell. Some kind soul had entered this family and its branches back to a Thomas Richmond born in England in 1384, giving me 17 generations of Richmonds! Wow!

“A few days later I was at the downtown Spokane Public Library using the books in the Genealogy section and found a book titled ‘Genealogical and Family History of Western New York.’ There was a big article on the Richmond family, following the line of Benjamin’s brother, John Richmond, back beyond Thomas Richmond to a Roaldus Musard de Richmond ‘who came from France to England with William the Conqueror and is said to have ridden at the side of his illustrious leader at Hastings Field.’ I can’t tell you how excited I was to read this article!

“When I looked up the Battle of Hastings in the encyclopedia, I found that it took place in the year 1066. Going back to the IGI, I looked at the Richmond family entries for the years 1384 to 1066, and was able to glean a few more bits of information for my Richmond family group sheets.

“All in all, it was a grand return for a few hours work, but I admit there was an awful lot of luck involved. I am very thankful for all my distant Richmond ‘cousins’ who shared their information into the IGI and Ancestral File so that it was there for me to find. There is lots more about my family that I don’t know, but I certainly plan to keep looking - wish me more luck!

“One last thing,” Payne writes. “We know Dulcinea never went back east to her husband and eldest son, nor did they apparently ever come to Spokane and so we’ll never know if there was a reunion. That’s kind of sad. And after Dulcinea died, Emmett Spicer disappeared and that’s sad, too.”

Readers request help

If any readers would like to “make somebody’s day,” as they say, and provide answers to two other readers’ questions, please do help: Frances Bone of Tensed, Idaho, writes to ask, “Does anyone know what a ‘dollar a year man’ for the U.S. government meant? This man did travel overseas quite a lot. Does it have to do with that?” Please send your answer to me, c/o this paper.

Reader Margret Hanna Burdega, 5917 W. Crosscut Road, Deer Park, is looking for someone to translate letters written in the Ukrainian language and to help her write and address a letter to the Ukraine. Please respond directly to her if you can help.

Londoner offers assistance

Are you needing some on-site genealogy assistance in London? I have received a letter from John LeBoutillier, 13 The Redlands, Court Downs Road, Beckenham, Kent, England BR3 2LQ, who offers to do professional research in the Public Records Office, St. Catherine’s House, Somerset House and The Society of Genealogists Library in London. When you write to him, please remember to include two IRC’s (International Reply Coupons, available at the main post offices) as his return postage to you.

If you would like a copy of his letter to me, detailing his services and fees, send me a selfaddressed, stamped envelope c/o this paper.

Society will meet Saturday

The Eastern Washington Genealogical Society meeting on Saturday will be a noon luncheon at The Spokane Club, W1002 Riverside. The speaker will be Royce Gorseth on “Traveling through Norway and England.” A genealogical book auction will also be held.

Reservations must be in by Wednesday; send your $12 check to EWGS, P.O. Box 1826, Spokane, WA 99210. Make your check for $20 more if you need to pay your EWGS dues!

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