In The Beginning
In 1852 Joseph and Mary Trudgian arrived in Galena, Illinois after sailing from Plymouth, England on May 3, 1852 on the ship John with two of their own children under the age of 6 and two slightly older children from Joseph's first marriage. ( He had married Ann Woolcock on March 6, 1833 and after having two children, Ann died in 1844. On Christmas Day of 1845 he married Mary Pellymounter who was, as they say, a spinster.)
About 80 acres of land had been purchased by Joseph just outside of Galena.....but there were no structures on the property. Imagine having four young children, coming to a new country and not having a home. The family built a barn - which is still standing today - of field stone and wood and the family moved in and lived there for a year or two until their home was built. The barn's foundation of fieldstone was equipped with special little windows to allow someone on the inside of the barn to aim a shot gun at any intruders [ family stories say the area was occasionally visited by Indians] while keeping out arrows or bullets from "enemy" from harming anyone inside. Both Lillian's father, Charles and my great-grandfather, Thomas were born in the barn, as was their brother, Samuel.
If you have read Lillian's Diaries: Whispers From Galena's Past you will may have noticed that Lillian starts right in with her first entry in 1913 in the here and now. There is no mention of her father having lived on the land from the first day of his life, or of any correspondance from anyone in England or for that matter any mention of her true "roots". In fact, in one entry she states the family is Irish and in another that they are French. So here is a difference between Lillian and I......she appears to never be seeking information about her family tree, while those that know me, know that I can't seem to stop seeking genealogical information about the Trudgians and those associated with them.
About 80 acres of land had been purchased by Joseph just outside of Galena.....but there were no structures on the property. Imagine having four young children, coming to a new country and not having a home. The family built a barn - which is still standing today - of field stone and wood and the family moved in and lived there for a year or two until their home was built. The barn's foundation of fieldstone was equipped with special little windows to allow someone on the inside of the barn to aim a shot gun at any intruders [ family stories say the area was occasionally visited by Indians] while keeping out arrows or bullets from "enemy" from harming anyone inside. Both Lillian's father, Charles and my great-grandfather, Thomas were born in the barn, as was their brother, Samuel.
If you have read Lillian's Diaries: Whispers From Galena's Past you will may have noticed that Lillian starts right in with her first entry in 1913 in the here and now. There is no mention of her father having lived on the land from the first day of his life, or of any correspondance from anyone in England or for that matter any mention of her true "roots". In fact, in one entry she states the family is Irish and in another that they are French. So here is a difference between Lillian and I......she appears to never be seeking information about her family tree, while those that know me, know that I can't seem to stop seeking genealogical information about the Trudgians and those associated with them.
Labels: 1852, England, Galena IL, northern Illinois history, St. Austell, Trudgian genealogy
posted by Sheryl Trudgian Jones | 5:31 PM
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