May is flying by and we’re already half way through the month. There is a new Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge with Randy Seaver for us to answer:

1)  Determine where your ancestral families were in May 1876 — 150 years ago.

2)  List them, their family members, their birth years, and their residence location (as close as possible).  

On my father’s side:

My great grandparents, Stephen Kucharik (1855-1933) and Maria Kacsenyak (1859-1926) were peasants living in Okruzna and Nizna Sebastova, a neighboring village.

My great grandparents, Michael Scerbak (1868-1932) and Anna Murcko (1872-1967) were peasants living in Ujak and Hajtovka, Slovakia, both part of the Greek Catholic parish of St. Demetrius.

My 2X great grandparents, John Kucharik (1820-1893) and Maria Repka (1825-1896) were peasants living in Okruzna, Slovakia.

My 2X great grandparents, Michael Kacsenyak (1834-1899+) and Anna Haluska (1832-1899+) were peasants living in Nizna Sebastova, Slovakia.

My 2x great grandparents, John Scerbak (1836-1916) and Maria Patorai (1839-1912) were peasants living in Ujak, Slovakia.

My 2X great grandparents, John Murcko (1831-1917) and Maria Szova (1845-1925) were peasants living in Hajtovka, Slovakia.

My Rusyn ancestors worked hard just to survive with no education, poor nutrition and no opportunity for a better life. Their life spans tended to be short, even if they survived to adulthood.

My maternal ancestors were much better off, as they attended school, had access to medical care and ate a more nutritious variety of foods.

My great grandfather Charles Edwin Adams (1877-1922) didn’t quite make the 1876 cutoff, but his wife, Annie Maude Stewart (1874-1940) was growing up on a farm in Meddybemps, Washington, Maine.

My great grandparents, Hartwell Thomas Coleman (1868-1938) and Anna Elisabeth Jensen (1872-1916) were living very different lives as children. Hartwell lived in Red Beach (today part of Calais), Washington, Maine, as the son of a master mariner. Anna was living in Copenhagen, Denmark, where her father worked as a prison guard.

My 2X great grandparents, Calvin Segee Adams (1843-1921) and Nellie F. Tarbox (1856-1927) were newlyweds living in Calais, Washington, Maine. Calvin was a master boat builder while Nellie was “at home.”

My 2X great grandparents, Charles Augustus Stewart (1822-1894) and Elida Ann Hicks (1833-1914) owned and farmed their land in Meddybemps, Washington, Maine.

My 2X great grandparents, William Coleman (1834-1905) and Sarah Moriah Crouse (1833-1930) were similar to Calvin and Nellie Adams in that William worked as a master mariner and Sarah was “at home.”

My 2X great grandparents, Frits Wille Oscar Emil Jensen (1845-1920) and Margrethe Bruun (1843-1890) lived in Copenhagen, Denmark, where Frits worked as a prison guard and Margrethe was “at home.”

Unlike my paternal family, many of my maternal 3X great grandparents were living in 1876.

My 3X great grandparents, Daniel Adams (1810-1893) and Sarah Ann Parker (1817-1900) were living in Calais, Washington, Maine, where Daniel worked as a boat builder. Sarah was “at home.”

My 3X great grandfather, George Rogers Tarbox (1818-1895) owned a granite quarry in the 1870s. However, my 3X great grandmother, Mary Elizabeth Scripture (1827-1866) died on 11 March 1866.

My 3X great grandparents, John Stewart and Catherine Carlisle, and Israel Hicks and Abigail Carlisle, all died before 1876.

My 3X great grandparents, Thomas Coleman (1800-1888) and Mary Elizabeth Astle (1809-1889) lived in Red Beach (now Calais), Washington, Maine, where they worked a small farm.

My 3X great grandfather Peter Crouse, born 1800, died about 1835. However, his wife, Rebecca Jones (1809-1897) married (2) Benjamin Blyther and lived in Red Beach (now Calais), Washington, Maine and was at home raising ten children. Benjamin was a farmer.

My 3X great grandfather, Johannes Jensen, born 1810, died in 1865 in Saeby, Hjorring, Denmark. My 3X great grandmother, Johanna Elisabeth Molin (1814-1895) was renting a room and living in Copenhagen, Denmark.

My 3X great grandparents, Niels Thomsen Bruun and Ana Amalie Christensen, both died in Flade, Hjorring, Denmark long before 1876.

I have one 4X great grandmother living in 1876. She was Marie Katrine Jensdatter, born 6 October 1799 in Flade, Hjorring, Denmark. She married Christen Andersen Moller, who died in 1867. However, Marie Katrine lived to a ripe old age, passing away on 28 December 1890 in Flade Hjorring, Denmark.

That’s it for my ancestors living in 1876. Of those living in Maine, ten were descended from Loyalists and several of them were born in Canada. I do wonder what they thought of the U.S. Centennial that year!

Thank you, Randy, for another interesting challenge. My ancestors were scattered in what are today three countries, living very different kinds of lives.