Wat's New

Well, I am back in business. I had computer problems that took a few months and then I spent the winter in Yuma, Arizona where the internet access was not the best. I have my excuses but in the meantime readers of my blog really laid some bombshells on me.


1. After thinking that I might never know what happened to Susannah Wagstaff (1866) I received two comments on my blog from John Earl from Portland, Oregon. He told me that she went to the mining district of Western Montana with two of her half sisters, Margaret and May Carlin who had married miners. John Earl is a descendent of Margaret.

Susannah Wagstaff married John Mentrum on 1 Nov 1888 in either Clark or Helena, Montana. She had three sons. John born in 1890 died as a teenager. Leonard born in 1891 married and eventually moved to Portland where his descendents still live. They have been in the sheet metal business. One of the family has put a pedigree and some fabulous photos, certificates and other images in Ancestry.com. Clarence born in 1894 moved to New York City where he was in the US Marines. I have not yet looked for more information about him.

Susannah Wagstaff was buried as Susan Mentrum in 1897 in the Forestdale Cemetery in Helena, Montana.

Oh Susannah, you are found at last!

2. Roger Ward contacted me to tell me that he had read my blog. He is one of our distant cousins who resides in Upper Caldicote, Bedfordshire. I have been hearing about him for decades. He probably knows more about Wagstaff Family History that any of the rest of us. He volunteered to help in any way he could. He has a pedigree in Ancestry.com but it is still private. We have been thinking about the best way to share what we have. One possibility is through Ancestry.com. I have an international subscription (it actually belongs to my wife but she lets me use it). With the recent announcement that Ancestry will be in all Family History Centers, there is the possibility that anyone even without a subscription could see the pedigree at any Family History Center. Ancestry's capablity of showing sources, images and stories is quite exciting.

Let me know if you have any ideas or would like to see some of the materials that we are accumulating.