I recently wrote about my ancestor, DeWalt Schneider of Somerset County, Pa., who is hailed by locals as a Revolutionary War veteran even though there is no evidence to indicate he was even in the country at the time.
Lou Murphy of Kenneth City has a similar story to share.
"Back in the 1930s, my great-aunt, Emily "Sudie" Barnett, of Jonesboro, Ark., joined the Daughters of the American Revolution using her ancestor, James Muse of Cumberland County, N.C., as her revolutionary ancestor. For her proof, she cited a record she found in the North Carolina Archives, which stated that James Muse had been a lieutenant in the Cumberland County, N.C., militia in 1771.
"It evidently slipped my aunt's mind that the Revolutionary War didn't start until (1775). It also slipped the minds of the DAR watchdogs in Washington who review applications, because my aunt was duly accepted for membership. In the 1950s, she persuaded me to join, using her lineage as my entrance. (I was then in my 20s and not yet bitten by the genealogy bug).
"I was in my 30s when I got hooked on genealogy. And my research soon revealed the awful truth. James Muse was actually a flaming Loyalist, and firmly on the side of the King and the Crown. In fact, he was captain of light horse in McDonald's Tory army, which was soundly defeated by the patriots at the Battle of Moore's Creek Bridge in North Carolina in February 1776.
"James Muse, along with the other officers, was captured. Enroute to prison in Philadelphia, he managed to escape and returned home. But he continued to stir up trouble, prompting both the N.C. Council of Safety and the Provincial Congress to order a company of cavalry to apprehend him and his fellow insurgents. Some of his property was confiscated. But before he died in 1780, he redeemed himself.
"He took the oath of allegiance and his civil liberties were restored.
"I never had the heart to tell my great-aunt that I was in the DAR under false pretenses. After she died in 1982, I resigned from the DAR. But they still have a certified Tory named James Muse lurking among their patriots."
EXES IN TEXAS: If all your exes live in Texas, log on to http://lhdatabases.ccpl.ci.corpus-christi.tx.us Birth, marriage, divorce and death records that appeared in the Corpus Christi Caller from 1883 to 1903 are online in a searchable database.
ROOTING IN OHIO: The Florida Chapter of the Ohio Genealogical Society will hold a two-day conference in Orlando on February 20-21. Topics include general research, locating immigrant origins and documentation roadblocks. The cost is $45 for nonmembers and $40 for members. Log on to www.rootsweb.com/~flfcogs or contact Damon Hostetler at betdaclwho@aol.com for more information. Or write to FCOGS, P.O. Box 56433, Jacksonville, FL 32241.
GENEALOGY SOCIETIES: Looking for help in searching your roots and someone to commiserate with when slamming against another brick wall? Want to learn new research techniques or computer software programs? Want to help other rooters? Look no further than your local genealogy society.
The Pinellas Genealogy Society is a good example. It offers monthly study groups for beginners, individuals interested in Family Tree Maker and those who want to discuss the use of computers in genealogy. Members volunteer in the genealogy section of the Largo Library and help canvass and record local cemeteries. Log on to www.rootsweb.com/~flpgs for details. Or write to the Pinellas Genealogy Society, 351 East Bay Drive, Largo, 33770.
Genealogy societies exist in almost every county. Log on to www.fgs.org to find the one nearest you. No computer? Contact the special collections department in the main branch of your local public library for assistance.
-- Read past Donna Murray Allen columns online at www.sptimes.com Type "Donna Murray Allen" in the search box. You can write to Allen c/o Floridian, St. Petersburg Times, P.O. Box 1121, St. Petersburg, FL 33731, or e-mail her at rootscolumn@yahoo.com Her Web site, www.rootsdetective.com includes information on classes and lectures. Allen welcomes questions about genealogy and will respond to those of general interest.
