I spent the day scanning reunion announcements that were found in the trunks of things that have been passed along to me. There were three reunions: The Gillespie Family Reunion, which started in 1910, The Dodder Family Reunion, which started in 1926, and The WAG (William A. Gillespie) Family Reunion, which started in 1957. I've not seen formal announcements from the very early days, maybe there were none other than word of mouth. But eventually the families grew to a size where announcements were sent by mail to family members, usually well ahead of time so that people could plan in advance to attend. And for a very long time, many did.
The phenomenon of the family reunion was really something. They were organized! They were in practice almost an institution! They had officers and committees, and business meetings. And family history was only a fraction of its purpose. Each reunion documented the oldest attendee and the youngest, and there was a reading of the past year's vital statistics - who was born, who married, who died. But they also worked long and hard on entertainment and activities for all the different age groups to participate in. It was a time for everybody to have some fun together. And I think most of the time, they did. Some of my earliest memories are of Michigan summers at these "events" that would be jammed with old and young alike, all of whom I knew nothing about because my family always traveled from beyond Michigan to attend. But reliably I would always be hugged by elders who looked and smelled funny, and then I would run off with the other kids to explore all the stuff in the family museum, or to ride around in the carriage that had come to Michigan from Canada. It seems like so long ago and it seems like yesterday.
So this afternoon, I found myself daydreaming about what a Gillespie reunion might look like today. And I started to think about all the relations I have met through the internet since I started working with this family history several years ago. What I come to realize as I locate and slowly get to know each new relation, is how we all come from the same traceable origin and yet how we have all branched out into the world in our own ways. Which is to say we're different. I think back in "the day", closer to the center of the now gigantic circle, people were more alike, generally speaking. We know they had the same ethnicity. We know they were all Protestant Christians and from their earliest days in America, their politics were Republican. We know they all knew what it meant to be self sustaining, to grow their own food and hunt and build and rebuild their homes. They all lived within certain economic means that seemed to improve gradually over time with all the talent and hard work of all the family units. They believed in education and service, and applied themselves vigorously in their communities as well as their families. And most certain of all, this summary of their ideology was shared. I think at a family reunion, one could count on having lively conversation with members who for the most part believed and lived a shared existence.
But how would that look today? So many progeny left the Michigan home nest, scattering to the four winds of the planet. And in the course of those journeys we diversified. We followed our interests and our hearts along unimagined paths. We moved, we worked, we fought wars, we struggled for peace and prosperity, and we fell in love with people and places so different from our Michigan heritage that we ourselves changed and grew into our own unique lives. We came to believe in something, whatever it is, and today we nurture ourselves and our loved ones within that context. But who are we Gillespie's now? We're not all the same any more. We have married across many lines by now. We have not one religion nor any singular spiritual view. We've found no one traditional way to make a living and feed our families. Our politics range the gamut, no doubt. And our families? Well, some look like they used to, and some do not. We're a blend now, both as individuals and as families.
Maybe the challenge of accepting our differences in the world is to accept them first among ourselves in our own families. My father, who was not a Gillespsie by the way, taught me this valuable lesson. For years, he and I didn't have much to do with each other because there wasn't a subject under the sun we could agree about. But somewhere HE decided that he simply didn't want that dynamic with his daughter any more. So he listened rather than judged, and gently, he asked me to do the same. With time and practice, we had lively conversations that we knew would never result in changing the other's point of view. But he'd kiss me on the cheek and I'd hug him hard, and we could smile with such deep affection knowing that loving each other was really all that mattered most.
So I think if I am ever part of resurrecting the reunion tradition, I will send announcements that say something like this: Come as you are. Be welcome and be seen and be open. Look into the kaleidoscope and be amazed. We are each part of the mosaic simply by virtue of the heritage we all claim, and we belong. We're blood. We're family. Let's introduce ourselves.
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Monday, June 13, 2011
The News Fit to Print
First I want to give credit to people who blog full time. How do you do that AND everything else in both life and genealogy? Wow. With that said, I am obviously behind in logging my genealogy research.
Well, what have I been doing? I went back to SLC again to finalize arrangements on a timeshare since it's clear that spending time there often results in the most bang for the research buck. So naturally I did research in between signing papers. On the Gillespie side, we discovered a Gillespie of the town Cavanecaw in County Armagh. This was an exciting find - a town!
Then May rolled around, and my sister and I went to Nebraska to pick up 6 trunks of family history stuff. That was around Mother's Day and I am STILL sorting and labeling and filing. There are so many valuable things to be found including correspondence, photos, slides, memorabilia. But one particular treasure is found in hundreds of self-published newsletters about the Gillespie family, written in most part by Edith Gillespie (author of The Gillespie Family Record, which was last published in 1966). Indeed, there are two newsletters, one called The Gillespie WAG, where WAG are the initials of Edith's father, William A. Gillespie. The WAG newsletters start in 1954 and continue to 1981. The newsletters were written and mailed monthly, and as time wore on, some issues were multi-page, although Edith was very good at cramming as much as she possibly could on to one page, obviously to save on the printing and postage. The printing was done by mimeograph, and I am thinking she had her own machine, although I don't know that for sure. In any case, every single month for roughly 27 years, Edith printed and mailed out a newsletter to WAG descendants. Taken altogether, this piece of work is staggering. Not only am I reading about my own life as written by a far-away great aunt, but I am following the story of my mother's family. Since my mother was the first of the clan to leave the state of Michigan when she came of age, she left behind stories in progress - stories I only heard in roundabout ways, if at all. For that reason, my own memories and knowing of Michigan are sketchy. Some things reported in the newsletter are a surprise, like when Uncle Foster died suddenly (I never knew him or even of him much, so to learn about his life and then sudden death by way of the WAG newsletter took me off guard). On the other hand, some things beg anticipation because I do know what's going to happen (e.g., knowing the date of my grandfather's death, I find myself hanging on any mention of him in the months before). It's all truly amazing.
At some point Edith realized that we had/have a good number of relations who were not direct descendants of WAG, and so she started a second newsletter called Gillespie Cousins in 1964. This newsletter was much less frequent - usually only once or twice a year - but they are equally packed with details that are a genalogist's dream come true. Gillespie Cousins continued under the efforts for Bruce Gillespie until Edith's death in 1986.
To be honest, I'm still absorbing it all. It was a different time, when family was nearly everything in a person's life. In these trunks are photos and details about family reunions that occurred annually going back to 1915 or so. The reunions had a board and committees, and the WAG siblings even had a financial club where they invested in the stock market together and then made the proceeds available for family members in need. I'm still trying to determine exactly when the LAST reunion was, and why they stopped, although I can probably guess. They stopped in large part because Edith got old and then older, and then she died. She was a one-woman force who drove the Gillespie and Dodder (her mother's side) family and amazingly recorded its genealogy. I begin to wonder if I will ever get a handle on everything she did, never mind how she did any of it without a computer....
Well, the newsletters have given me yet one more thing to do. First I have made an index so I know which issues are in my possession and which are missing. I am sending out word to anybody anywhere who might be able to come up with the missing issues. Hoping and praying that I will indeed be able to come up with a complete set, I will then publish them altogether and make them available for family researchers. I have been scanning the issues I have into PDF and better yet, they are searchable! So even though I have stayed up late nights reading every word, I can now circle back through and search. This has allowed me to do things like start an index of reunions - when and where they were held along with any other relevant details. It's mind boggling, and fun, and most importantly, the things found in these newsletters will add tremendous depth to the story of so many Gillespie descendants.
I can tell you that when the newsletter set is complete, I will be generating a commemorative print edition with the front section dedicated to the life of Edith Gillespie. I start to run out of adjectives when it comes to being amazed by her fairly unsung accomplishments. It's time to give her proper honor.
In the mean time, my awesome cousins are gleefully joining in whenever and wherever possible. From Michigan and Hawaii start to come scans of photos and letters that have been (and still are) filling attic space. Each image is jaw-dropping, heart-racing, blood-pressure-rising exciting to look at. We are all scurrying trying to find elders who can identify and tell stories that go with these things. Time is ticking. And meanwhile we occasionally catch ourselves looking in the mirror wondering what part of us is them, what part of them is us, and who will be the ones to recognize any of us 100 years from now?
Well, what have I been doing? I went back to SLC again to finalize arrangements on a timeshare since it's clear that spending time there often results in the most bang for the research buck. So naturally I did research in between signing papers. On the Gillespie side, we discovered a Gillespie of the town Cavanecaw in County Armagh. This was an exciting find - a town!
Then May rolled around, and my sister and I went to Nebraska to pick up 6 trunks of family history stuff. That was around Mother's Day and I am STILL sorting and labeling and filing. There are so many valuable things to be found including correspondence, photos, slides, memorabilia. But one particular treasure is found in hundreds of self-published newsletters about the Gillespie family, written in most part by Edith Gillespie (author of The Gillespie Family Record, which was last published in 1966). Indeed, there are two newsletters, one called The Gillespie WAG, where WAG are the initials of Edith's father, William A. Gillespie. The WAG newsletters start in 1954 and continue to 1981. The newsletters were written and mailed monthly, and as time wore on, some issues were multi-page, although Edith was very good at cramming as much as she possibly could on to one page, obviously to save on the printing and postage. The printing was done by mimeograph, and I am thinking she had her own machine, although I don't know that for sure. In any case, every single month for roughly 27 years, Edith printed and mailed out a newsletter to WAG descendants. Taken altogether, this piece of work is staggering. Not only am I reading about my own life as written by a far-away great aunt, but I am following the story of my mother's family. Since my mother was the first of the clan to leave the state of Michigan when she came of age, she left behind stories in progress - stories I only heard in roundabout ways, if at all. For that reason, my own memories and knowing of Michigan are sketchy. Some things reported in the newsletter are a surprise, like when Uncle Foster died suddenly (I never knew him or even of him much, so to learn about his life and then sudden death by way of the WAG newsletter took me off guard). On the other hand, some things beg anticipation because I do know what's going to happen (e.g., knowing the date of my grandfather's death, I find myself hanging on any mention of him in the months before). It's all truly amazing.
At some point Edith realized that we had/have a good number of relations who were not direct descendants of WAG, and so she started a second newsletter called Gillespie Cousins in 1964. This newsletter was much less frequent - usually only once or twice a year - but they are equally packed with details that are a genalogist's dream come true. Gillespie Cousins continued under the efforts for Bruce Gillespie until Edith's death in 1986.
To be honest, I'm still absorbing it all. It was a different time, when family was nearly everything in a person's life. In these trunks are photos and details about family reunions that occurred annually going back to 1915 or so. The reunions had a board and committees, and the WAG siblings even had a financial club where they invested in the stock market together and then made the proceeds available for family members in need. I'm still trying to determine exactly when the LAST reunion was, and why they stopped, although I can probably guess. They stopped in large part because Edith got old and then older, and then she died. She was a one-woman force who drove the Gillespie and Dodder (her mother's side) family and amazingly recorded its genealogy. I begin to wonder if I will ever get a handle on everything she did, never mind how she did any of it without a computer....
Well, the newsletters have given me yet one more thing to do. First I have made an index so I know which issues are in my possession and which are missing. I am sending out word to anybody anywhere who might be able to come up with the missing issues. Hoping and praying that I will indeed be able to come up with a complete set, I will then publish them altogether and make them available for family researchers. I have been scanning the issues I have into PDF and better yet, they are searchable! So even though I have stayed up late nights reading every word, I can now circle back through and search. This has allowed me to do things like start an index of reunions - when and where they were held along with any other relevant details. It's mind boggling, and fun, and most importantly, the things found in these newsletters will add tremendous depth to the story of so many Gillespie descendants.
I can tell you that when the newsletter set is complete, I will be generating a commemorative print edition with the front section dedicated to the life of Edith Gillespie. I start to run out of adjectives when it comes to being amazed by her fairly unsung accomplishments. It's time to give her proper honor.
In the mean time, my awesome cousins are gleefully joining in whenever and wherever possible. From Michigan and Hawaii start to come scans of photos and letters that have been (and still are) filling attic space. Each image is jaw-dropping, heart-racing, blood-pressure-rising exciting to look at. We are all scurrying trying to find elders who can identify and tell stories that go with these things. Time is ticking. And meanwhile we occasionally catch ourselves looking in the mirror wondering what part of us is them, what part of them is us, and who will be the ones to recognize any of us 100 years from now?
Sunday, April 3, 2011
Thoughts on the War of 1812
Last night watched a great documentary (acquired from Netflix) about the War of 1812. It's interesting that this is known as the "forgotten war" when indeed it was significant in so many ways. To the British, the War of 1812 was only a side show to the Napoleonic Wars raging in Europe. But for America, it was the first (and so far only) war fought against foreign invaders on American soil. It resulted in the burning of the White House and destruction of Washington D.C. And it was the bombing of Ft. McHenry which inspired the Star Spangled Banner. Wow.
Now I'm wondering what this historic war might have to do with my having trouble locating Gillespie's and Greer's in NY around this time. The War of 1812 was actually fought over 3 years: 1812-1815. The war was fought along 3 fronts: the Atlantic coast, the frontier along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, and in the south along the Gulf coast.
America declared war on June 18, 1812. If our Gillespie/Greer's were not already arrived in America by then, they probably did NOT come during these years. However, at least one couple might have been in America: James and Jane Greer. It appears their daughter Mary Greer was born in NY in 1812, although we don't have definitive documentation for that. The next 2 children, James and Joseph were also born in NY in 1815 and 1817 respectively.
And here's another tidbit. Ancestry has a source called War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815. And in it are passenger lists of enemy aliens being returned to Britain. There is even a record for a Thomas Gillespie, age 37 (about the right age of our Thomas), in U.S. for 4 years, returned with wife and 2 children, resident of NY (city, I believe), laborer. I don't think this is our Thomas Gillespie, although who knows. What's interesting to think about are families newly arrived in America from the British Isles being sent back as enemy aliens.
Regarding the question of when the Gillespie's and/or Greer's came to America, I still find myself believing that they came AFTER the Revolution, let's say after 1785 or even 1790 when the Revolutionary War was officially over and America was an independent country. If this is true, I find myself believing that these families were NOT loyal to Britain in any way, and in fact wanted to leave Ireland to get away from British rule. So if they were in America when the War of 1812 started, I don't think they would have been sent back, but if this premise is true, I might expect to find an oath of allegiance or some kind of naturalization record for them stating that they were indeed American. And there is also the question of whether any of them actually fought in the War of 1812. That's a subject probably worth exploring a little more.
Well, irregardless of where they were, America, Canada or Ireland, it was a tumultuous time.
Now I'm wondering what this historic war might have to do with my having trouble locating Gillespie's and Greer's in NY around this time. The War of 1812 was actually fought over 3 years: 1812-1815. The war was fought along 3 fronts: the Atlantic coast, the frontier along the Great Lakes and the St. Lawrence River, and in the south along the Gulf coast.
America declared war on June 18, 1812. If our Gillespie/Greer's were not already arrived in America by then, they probably did NOT come during these years. However, at least one couple might have been in America: James and Jane Greer. It appears their daughter Mary Greer was born in NY in 1812, although we don't have definitive documentation for that. The next 2 children, James and Joseph were also born in NY in 1815 and 1817 respectively.
And here's another tidbit. Ancestry has a source called War of 1812 Papers, 1789-1815. And in it are passenger lists of enemy aliens being returned to Britain. There is even a record for a Thomas Gillespie, age 37 (about the right age of our Thomas), in U.S. for 4 years, returned with wife and 2 children, resident of NY (city, I believe), laborer. I don't think this is our Thomas Gillespie, although who knows. What's interesting to think about are families newly arrived in America from the British Isles being sent back as enemy aliens.
Regarding the question of when the Gillespie's and/or Greer's came to America, I still find myself believing that they came AFTER the Revolution, let's say after 1785 or even 1790 when the Revolutionary War was officially over and America was an independent country. If this is true, I find myself believing that these families were NOT loyal to Britain in any way, and in fact wanted to leave Ireland to get away from British rule. So if they were in America when the War of 1812 started, I don't think they would have been sent back, but if this premise is true, I might expect to find an oath of allegiance or some kind of naturalization record for them stating that they were indeed American. And there is also the question of whether any of them actually fought in the War of 1812. That's a subject probably worth exploring a little more.
Well, irregardless of where they were, America, Canada or Ireland, it was a tumultuous time.
Saturday, March 12, 2011
Gillespie's in New York
I've spent the morning writing a report summarizing my research of the Gillespie surname in NY before 1830. (The report is found in the Library on my research website.) The bottom line is that I am no closer to figuring out Gillespie connections in NY. Well, maybe I'm closer and I just don't know it; that happens sometimes..... I have chased most of the collateral surnames that also show up in the Michigan family, and even though they also appear sporadically in Orange County, NY - the actual TIES are nothing more than speculation. Ugh. Where to go when you think there's nowhere else to go?
I need a plan. I thought I had one, but when a plan yields zero results, a new plan is called for. Hmmmm.
1. Look for immigration and/or naturalization records.
2. Research what resources might be available at the NY State Archives.
3. Look again for land records in NY. The purchase of land in Michigan Territory was for CASH SALES ONLY. Only one Gillespie made a cash purchase in Oakland County, Michigan (there were other purchases by Gillespie's in other MI counties, but Oakland is here the focus), and that was Elizabeth Gillespie, whose probate record was found a year ago. On the other hand, there were no fewer than 19 purchases in Oakland County by Greer's all from Orange County, NY. They bought ALOT of land with ALOT of cash. So where did that cash come from? They either brought it with them from Ireland and saved it, it was given to them (sent or inherited), or they earned it, presumably in NY. I *think* I would be looking for Greer's who are selling land in Orange County, NY - and I did spend a fair amount of time looking at land deeds in my last trip to FHL. Maybe that's the next step - just to organize and analyze that information so I might better know where NOT to spend time in the future.
And so not all research is fun, right? Or maybe that's not exactly right. In the balancing act of choosing where to spend the hours of my energy, would I rather be spending time elsewhere? Nah, not really. Not unless it would be writing the book that tells how all this turns out.
I need a plan. I thought I had one, but when a plan yields zero results, a new plan is called for. Hmmmm.
1. Look for immigration and/or naturalization records.
2. Research what resources might be available at the NY State Archives.
3. Look again for land records in NY. The purchase of land in Michigan Territory was for CASH SALES ONLY. Only one Gillespie made a cash purchase in Oakland County, Michigan (there were other purchases by Gillespie's in other MI counties, but Oakland is here the focus), and that was Elizabeth Gillespie, whose probate record was found a year ago. On the other hand, there were no fewer than 19 purchases in Oakland County by Greer's all from Orange County, NY. They bought ALOT of land with ALOT of cash. So where did that cash come from? They either brought it with them from Ireland and saved it, it was given to them (sent or inherited), or they earned it, presumably in NY. I *think* I would be looking for Greer's who are selling land in Orange County, NY - and I did spend a fair amount of time looking at land deeds in my last trip to FHL. Maybe that's the next step - just to organize and analyze that information so I might better know where NOT to spend time in the future.
And so not all research is fun, right? Or maybe that's not exactly right. In the balancing act of choosing where to spend the hours of my energy, would I rather be spending time elsewhere? Nah, not really. Not unless it would be writing the book that tells how all this turns out.
Thursday, March 10, 2011
The WORLD of Gillespie's
Inasmuch as I intend to use this blog to record my own research, none of it happens in a vacuum. Ever. So even though I have plenty to do in keeping track of what *I* am doing and sometimes even a little of what my cousins are doing, I also want to share my knowing of what other researchers are doing.
There is an amazing woman out there, most of the time in Canada methinks, whose name is Norma Gillespie. She publishes a regular newsletter which she is happy to send by email for nothing. Her research goal? Well, here is a quote from her email to me today:
"Yes, I appreciate any free advertising about what I am doing, especially regarding the development of a Gillespie Family History Library and Archives (I have about 500 genealogies of other researchers of Gillespies carefully preserved for them). My focus is preserving Gillespie records from across the world. I try to add something about Ireland and Scotland in each newsletter since Gillespies originated from there).
My goal in time is to have a location where I can open the library to the public, maybe a bed and breakfast situation as well as a pioneer farm.....some people drop by already from time to time. "
I can hardly get my brain around this kind of ambition, mostly because my little Gillespie branch alone must represent a small mountain of heritage all by itself. But all Gillespie's everywhere?
Norma, having applauded you privately, let me also do so publicly. I'm so happy to know you are out there with your enthusiasm and your vision. You add fuel to my fire every single time I hear about what you're up to. So thanks, and keep on going. You are a true Gillespie, to be sure.
NOTE: Norma's March 2011 Newsletter about Gillespie Family History is available for download from my website (follow the link located on this blog).
There is an amazing woman out there, most of the time in Canada methinks, whose name is Norma Gillespie. She publishes a regular newsletter which she is happy to send by email for nothing. Her research goal? Well, here is a quote from her email to me today:
"Yes, I appreciate any free advertising about what I am doing, especially regarding the development of a Gillespie Family History Library and Archives (I have about 500 genealogies of other researchers of Gillespies carefully preserved for them). My focus is preserving Gillespie records from across the world. I try to add something about Ireland and Scotland in each newsletter since Gillespies originated from there).
My goal in time is to have a location where I can open the library to the public, maybe a bed and breakfast situation as well as a pioneer farm.....some people drop by already from time to time. "
I can hardly get my brain around this kind of ambition, mostly because my little Gillespie branch alone must represent a small mountain of heritage all by itself. But all Gillespie's everywhere?
Norma, having applauded you privately, let me also do so publicly. I'm so happy to know you are out there with your enthusiasm and your vision. You add fuel to my fire every single time I hear about what you're up to. So thanks, and keep on going. You are a true Gillespie, to be sure.
NOTE: Norma's March 2011 Newsletter about Gillespie Family History is available for download from my website (follow the link located on this blog).
Tuesday, March 8, 2011
More Bloomfield, Michigan History
I just happened to run across a couple other sites that provide some interest for researchers in/around Bloomfield, MI:
http://www.bloomfieldtwp.org/Community/History.htm
Incredibly, this site has posted township records dating back to 1827!
Also, this group looks friendly :-)
http://www.bloomfieldhistoricalsociety.org/
http://www.bloomfieldtwp.org/Community/History.htm
Incredibly, this site has posted township records dating back to 1827!
Also, this group looks friendly :-)
http://www.bloomfieldhistoricalsociety.org/
Monday, March 7, 2011
The Birmingham Eccentic - Archives of Old Michigan Newspaper
OK - how much do we love librarians? Seriously, can we all pause right now and applaud them one and all?
One of my brick walls is finding the parents of one Isabella Gillespie Greer, born 1813 in either Ireland or New York, died 1891, buried April 3, 1891 in Franklin Village Cemetery, Oakland County, Michigan. Even though deaths were being recorded at that time in the state of Michigan, I have been unable to locate any official death record and thus any hope of a document that names her parents.
So what now? The only idea I could come up with was that perhaps a local newspaper had published any account of her death, and if I am lucky, a mention of her parents. I started with the Oakland County Library. They do in fact have old copies of the Pontiac Gazette going back that far. Would I give them a name and date and would I like them to do a look-up? Holy cow. Yes, please. Well, sadly they did not find any mention of a Greer death in April 1891, but they suggested I should check the library for Bloomfield Township. Well, ok, maybe I will.
Today in my email inbox is a short but pleasant email from Bloomfield Township answering my inquiry. Here is a link they sent me to access old copies of the Birmingham Eccentric, 1882-1929. There is no index and each page of the paper is its own PDF, but still, how terrific is this?
http://archive.btpl.org/
Sadly, I don't find mention of my Greer or Gillespie relations or even any other names I really recognize. There is an occasional mention of Bloomfield, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Franklin, but most of the news seems to be about Birmingham. Here is a map showing Birmingham, MI in relation to these other townships where my relations had settled:
View Larger Map
So the brick wall remains. Nevertheless, it was fun to read these old newspapers and take note of all the churches, the businesses, the schools, the crops, the weather, the politics, and events happening elsewhere in the state and in the world. It was a vibrant time and place to be sure. If you are researching anywhere near this little part of the world during the decades just before and after the turn of the century, these newspapers will give you great insight.
One of my brick walls is finding the parents of one Isabella Gillespie Greer, born 1813 in either Ireland or New York, died 1891, buried April 3, 1891 in Franklin Village Cemetery, Oakland County, Michigan. Even though deaths were being recorded at that time in the state of Michigan, I have been unable to locate any official death record and thus any hope of a document that names her parents.
So what now? The only idea I could come up with was that perhaps a local newspaper had published any account of her death, and if I am lucky, a mention of her parents. I started with the Oakland County Library. They do in fact have old copies of the Pontiac Gazette going back that far. Would I give them a name and date and would I like them to do a look-up? Holy cow. Yes, please. Well, sadly they did not find any mention of a Greer death in April 1891, but they suggested I should check the library for Bloomfield Township. Well, ok, maybe I will.
Today in my email inbox is a short but pleasant email from Bloomfield Township answering my inquiry. Here is a link they sent me to access old copies of the Birmingham Eccentric, 1882-1929. There is no index and each page of the paper is its own PDF, but still, how terrific is this?
http://archive.btpl.org/
Sadly, I don't find mention of my Greer or Gillespie relations or even any other names I really recognize. There is an occasional mention of Bloomfield, West Bloomfield, Southfield, Franklin, but most of the news seems to be about Birmingham. Here is a map showing Birmingham, MI in relation to these other townships where my relations had settled:
View Larger Map
So the brick wall remains. Nevertheless, it was fun to read these old newspapers and take note of all the churches, the businesses, the schools, the crops, the weather, the politics, and events happening elsewhere in the state and in the world. It was a vibrant time and place to be sure. If you are researching anywhere near this little part of the world during the decades just before and after the turn of the century, these newspapers will give you great insight.
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