Forebears and Bears

For years I searched online records for Elizabeth (Betsey) Poland my great great grandmother.   Determining through records that Amanda Poland's mother was  Betsey   Thomas born in Maine possibly to an Elisha and Betsey W. Thomas, I believed I had found her in a record for an Elizabeth Thomas, daughter of Elias and Elizabeth W . Thomas, born in 1809 at Portland, Maine.  That was the only record which seemed to come close.  I noticed many other researchers on genealogy websites were coming up with the same individual and those researchers, including myself, discovered that this Elias Thomas married Elizabeth Widgery (thus the "W") at Portland, Maine.  Sounds right?  However when I delved into the records for that Elizabeth (Widgery) Thomas of Portland, the information just did not make sense for my family tree.   Research included extensive study of all available online records and information for John Poland and his wife Betsey, i.e., c...

 The Nelsons of Indian Trail, Cummaquid, MA The Nelsons approx. 1912   — left to right: front row: Harriet Leah and Elizabeth Amanda; back row Alice Louise, William John Nelson, Mary Teresa (Doyle), and William McKinlay. Twin daughters Estelle and Adele are born later . I love this photograph.   It was the first picture I had ever seen of my grandmother Harriet as a child, and more importantly of her parents William John Nelson and his wife Minnie Doyle. Please note that William Nelson’s name is sometimes written as William John but also as John W. or John William in others - in the census record at age 2, WWI draft registration card, and various land transaction documents.   Normally, I don’t like to share personal family photographs on the internet, I feel too possessive of them, but this photograph happens to be all over A ncestry.com already so I figured it’s out there.   My uncle had this framed photograph in his living room and shared it with relatives an...