Two Recent Passings in Nancy's Family

 Recently, my wife Nancy lost an aunt and an uncle. Her aunt Joyce Darlene (Douglas) Seitz was her father's sister, while Richard Dunn was her mother's brother. Nancy and I attended Aunt Joyce's service. Unfortunately, we will not be able to attend Uncle Richard's service.

Both were good people. We stayed with Aunt Joyce a couple of times, including just a couple years ago. 

Below are their obituaries:

Joyce Seitz

April 27, 1932 — July 19, 2025

Joyce Darlene Seitz, beloved mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, and friend, passed away peacefully on July 19, 2025, in Tucson, Arizona, at the age of 93.

Born on April 27, 1932, in Hindsboro, Illinois, Joyce was the cherished daughter of Ralph Douglas and Ethel Hanks. She was one of seven children and grew up in a close-knit family filled with love, laughter, and the values that would guide her life.

Joyce graduated from Hindsboro High School and pursued her passion for caring for others by attending nursing school. Her kind heart and steady spirit made her a natural in the profession, and she touched many lives through her work and her quiet strength.

A longtime member of the United Methodist Church of the White Mountains, Joyce found joy and purpose in her faith and her church community. She had a special love for life's simple pleasures - spending time in her garden, working through intricate jigsaw puzzles, and savoring a Milky Way candy bar now and then.

Joyce was known for her strong will, boundless kindness, and warm heart. She was a devoted mother to four children: Ed Seitz, John Seitz, and the late Tom Seitz and Larry Seitz. She was a loving grandmother to five grandchildren and took great pride in her role as a great-grandmother to two. Her family was the center of her world, and her strength and compassion left an indelible mark on all who knew her.

She is preceded in death by her beloved husband, Russell B. Seitz; her sons, Tom and Larry Seitz; her grandchildren, Marie Dine Seitz and Russell Lee Seitz; and her parents and several siblings.

Joyce's legacy is one of enduring love, resilience, and generosity - a life well lived and deeply treasured.

A viewing will be held at Owens Livingston Mortuary, 320 N. 9th Ave., in Showlow, Arizona, on Monday, July 28, 2025, at 1:00 PM, followed by a Funeral Service at 2:00 PM. Graveside services will be held at Show Low Cemetery at 3:00 PM.

Joyce Darlene Seitz will be forever remembered, deeply missed, and always loved.

- "Well done, good and faithful servant."

Richard L Dunn

June 20, 1938 – September 3, 2025

Obituary of Richard L Dunn

IN THE CARE OF Aycock-Riverside Funeral and Cremation Center

Richard Livingston Dunn, 87, of West Palm Beach, Florida, formerly of Redmon, Illinois, died September 3, 2025. He was born on June 20, 1938; the son of Carroll Livingston and Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn.

Richard earned BS and MS Degrees from Eastern Illinois University and completed post-graduate studies at Indiana State University. He served in the US Army Air Force three years and the Illinois National Guard eighteen years. After several years teaching, he was named Regional Planner of Coles County, Kankakee County, Arlington Heights, and Glen Ellyn in that order.

Richard and Jane were married October 11, 1986 in Paris, Illinois. After retirement, they relocated to West Palm Beach, Florida. Richard was an active parishioner of various United Methodist churches where he lived. He and Jane served thirty-two mission trips sharing God’s love and helping improve the lives of those in underserved communities and countries.

Richard is preceded in death by his parents and three siblings, Elaine Dunn, Joseph Leon Dunn and Barbara Jean Dunn.

He is survived by his wife, Jane Gard Rizk Dunn; siblings, Carroll Thomas Dunn (Evelyn) of Paris, Illinois and Sharon Dunn Douglas (Ed Bramel) of Sierra Vista, Arizona; brothers-in-law, James Gard (Karen) and Richard K. Gard; step-children, Richard Rizk (Jill), Mark Rizk (Nataliia) and Jamila Rizk Farid; grand-children, Gina Rizk, Amanda Rizk, Samuel Rizk, Julia Farid and Ava Farid; nieces, Nancy Douglas de Baca, Amanda Douglas Lewis, Brittany Dunn Kingery and Kristy Dunn Bettenhausen; nephews, Andrew Douglas, and Brett, Brian, Brice, and Kevin Dunn; as well as many great-nieces and great-nephews.

Memorial services are scheduled at the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches, Florida on September 12, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. with reception to follow. A graveside service will occur at Mount Church Cemetery, E 700th Road, N 250st, Clark County, Illinois (south of Casey, Illinois) on September 18, 2025 at 10:00 a.m. A luncheon will follow at The First United Methodist Church of Paris, Illinois. For those inclined, memorials may be sent to a charity of choice or to the United Methodist Church of the Palm Beaches.

Obituary: Marjorie Louise Barnett Douglas

Obituary

Marjorie Louise Barnett Douglas, 96, of Clinton, Indiana and formerly of Champaign-Urbana and Hindsboro, Illinois, passed away at 10:00 a.m. April 28, 2020, at Clinton Gardens Nursing Home in Clinton, Indiana.
Born September 14, 1923 in Douglas County, Illinois, she was the daughter of John Will and Lena Pribble Barnett. There were six children in her family and she was the last surviving member.
She attended high school in Hindsboro but graduated from Rantoul High School in 1941.
She was employed most of her adult life in retail sales and retired as a library aide in the Champaign-Urbana school districts.
She attended the Hindsboro United Methodist Church and the Clinton First United Methodist Church. She was active in many organizations including many community and church functions.
Preceding her in death were her parents, three brothers, and two sisters. Her husband, Howard Leon Douglas, preceded her in death on December 4, 2009, after 61 years of marriage.
Surviving is one song: Robert John Douglas of Urbana, Illinois; and one daughter: Brenda Alabaugh and her husband Robert of Clinton, Indiana; three grandchildren: Avada Marie Douglas and her wife Katie Sharp; Andrea Alabaugh Deitchley and her husband Matthew; and David Alabaugh. She leaves two great-grandchildren: Jack and Violet Deitchley along with a step-great-grandchild: Fergus Savage; several sisters-in-law, and many beloved nieces and nephews.
Graveside services provided by Krabel Funeral Home will be held for the family only at Van Voorhis Cemetery in Hindsboro, Illinois on Monday, May 4, 2020 at 2:00 p.m. (Illinois time). No visitation or funeral services will be held.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made either to the Hindsboro United Methodist Church or Clinton First United Methodist Church in Clinton, Indiana.

Research Sites for Illinois

Many of my wife's roots go back to Illinois. Here are some links that I may use soon when researching her genealogy.

* Genealogy and Local History Page, Charleston Carnegie Public Library

* Coles County Illinois Genealogy Society

* Illinois State Archives - Databases

* Illinois State Archives - Genealogical Research

* Illinois Digital Archives

* MTM Kin Site - includes photos and documents relating to my wife's relatives.

Sunday's Obituary - John William Hanks

An obituary for my wife's great-grandfather John William Hanks. He was her paternal grandmother's father. He was born on 14 April 1856 and died on 3 March 1933.

Frieda Marie (Douglas) Roberts - 1923-2011

My wife's aunt died recently. Below is her obituary which I copied from the Journal Gazette and Times-Courier online.


INDIANAPOLIS - Frieda Marie Roberts, 88, of Indianapolis, passed away April 3, 2011. She was born February 4, 1923 in Hindsboro, IL to the late Ralph and Ethel Marie (Hanks) Douglas. Frieda was a self employed hair stylist for 60 years. She was a loving mother, grandmother, and sibling. Visitation will be held Friday, April 8, 2011 from 4:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at Shirley Brothers Drexel Chapel, 4565 E. 10th St., with funeral services Saturday at 10:00 a.m. Graveside services will be at 2:00 p.m. EST in Hindsboro, IL. Frieda is survived by children, Charlene (Peter) Sherry , Charlotte Grippaldi, Cheryl Roberts, Chester (Beverly) Roberts, and Christopher Roberts; sister, Joyce Seitz; grandchildren, Shawn, Beth, Mark, Shonna, Shadrick, Todd, Heather, and Sean; and 10 great-grandchildren. Frieda was preceded in death by brothers, William, Leon, Jerald, and Robert Douglas; sister, Norma Goble; and former husband, James Leo Roberts. Memorial contributions may be made to the Alzheimer's Association , Greater Indiana Chapter, 50 E. 91st St., Ste. 100, Indianapolis, IN, 46240.

Published in Journal Gazette & Times-Courier on April 5, 2011

New "Hanks Family" Label

Recently, I found a treasure trove of information about my wife's Hanks relatives. Specifically, I found many posting on the website Find A Grave. There, a contributor posted information about Nancy's great-grandfather John Williams Hanks, her 2nd great-grandfather Sydnor Hanks, and her 3rd great-grandfather Abner Hanks.

I contacted the contributor, who sent me a descendant register report for Sydnor Hanks. Although he personally is not from this family, he did send my query to someone in who is distantly related to my wife.

I'm hoping to find more of my wife's relatives. In order to facilitate this family search, I've created a new label on this blog: The Hanks Family. If you have any information about this family, please contact me via e-mail at abqbobcat@nmia.com or post to this blog.

Signor (Sydnor) Hanks family in the 1850 US Census

Below is the 1850 Census record for my wife's 2nd great grandparents Sydnor and Elizabeth Hanks (Family # 183.) This enumeration shows the following family members:

Signor Hanks, 38 years old, male, farmer ("), $1,500 in real property, born in Kentucky
Elizabeth (Hanks), 29 years old, female, born in Kentucky, person over 20 years old who cannot read or write.
Elijah (Hanks), 13 years old, male, born in Kentucky
Susan J. (Hanks), 11 years old, female, born in Indiana
Sarah F. (Hanks), 9 years old, female, born in Indiana
Matilda (Hanks), 7 or 8 (?) years old, female, born in Indiana

From this record, it appears that the family moved from Kentucky to Indiana between 1837 and 1839, which would be the birth years of Elijah (born in Kentucky) and Susan F. (born in Indiana.)

My wife's great-grandfather John William Hanks would not be born until 1856, which is the reason that he was not listed in this census.

I was researching this information because my sister-in-law had questions about Susan J. Hanks.

See also The Sydnor Hanks Family - 1860 Census and the 1870 Census.





Signor Hanks family, 1850 U. S. census, enumeration schedule, state of Indiana, Hamblin township, Brown County, dwelling # 183, family # 186, retrieved 28 November 2009; digital image, Records Search, pilot site, Family Search website (pilot.familysearch.org).

John William Hanks Family, 1900 U.S. Census

I found my wife's great-grandparents in the 1900 United States Census of Sergeant Township, Douglas County, Illinois. John William Hanks and Amanda Ann Craven were her paternal grandmother's parents. They are listed here in dwelling # 209, household # 209, as John and Mandy A. Hanks. Their daughter Ethel M., who is listed on the record as being 3 years old, was my wife's grandmother.

Click on the image below to get a better view of this record:

I retrieved this page today from the Family Search, Records Search website. Click on this link to go to that site.

Joseph Dunn Obituary

My wife's uncle, Joseph Leon "Joe" Dunn died on Friday, August 21, 2009 in Peoria, Illinois. Please click on this link to read his obituary.

Nancy's Grandmother Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn

Below is a photo of my wife's maternal grandmother, Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn. She was born on 8 February 1909 in Redmon, Illinois, and died 10 October 1972 in Paris, Illinois. She appears to be in her twenties in this photo.

I can see a definate resemblence between Nancy and her grandmother.

Nancy's mother lent it to us to scan.

Viola Fern (Poole) Dunn

Sundays are good days to post

Last week, I wrote about how I posted to three different genealogy message boards, and received responses from all three. Well, today I received another reponse to one of last week's posts. Now I know a little bit more about my stepson's grandfather - specifically his birth and death dates. I've posted on the same list for an obituary.

It seems that Sundays are good times to post of message boards. I've got to remember that.

Searching for my stepson's family

Remember how this is the Baca/Douglas Genealogy and Family History Blog? Well, Douglas is my wife's maiden name. Which means that I should, every once in a while, be doing research on my wife's family. Well, I finally got down to it recently: I started looking up my stepson's ancestry.

(The story that follows does not include last names or my stepson's full name in order to protect the identities of living people.)

It all started yesterday when I was showing my wife the features of the new Family Tree Maker 2009 that she installed for me. She was going through the list of names on the program, when she noticed that I put the "wrong" birthplace for her son. I put the Illinois township that he was born in, rather than the actual city. It would be like putting "Paradise Hills" instead of "Albuquerque"as the city (Paradise Hills is a neighborhood in ABQ.) I told her that I got the information off of his birth certificate. She didn't believe me. So we checked it out - and lo and behold, I was right. Well, I was right in that it mentioned the township instead of the actual city. Well, what do I know? I don't know Illinois geography and we certainly don't have townships in New Mexico!

Anyhow, we checked a few more sources in order to prove her right, and we browsed through Nancy's wedding book. In the book was my stepson's family tree. It included the name of his grandparents, and the name of his great-grandfather's name: Archibald Frederick P****. Nancy gave me some additional information, for instance that his grandfather Robert was born in 1927, that his great-grandfather Archibald lived in Vermilion County, Illinois and that there was an "uncle" Isham. I began my search (today!).

I searched HeritageQuest Online first. I can access census records from from home through the Rio Rancho Public Library system (Albuquerque Public Library cards work on Rio Rancho's server.) The problem is that HeritageQuest has a ... um ... crappy search engine. Often I can't find what I'm looking for, and 1930's census records are mostly not indexed. Therefore, I found a lot of names that are similiar, but obviously were not the correct ones.

In desperation, I posted information to three different genealogy forums. Within a few hours, I received a wealth of information. First, I received a message from Dick at GenForum. It was a 1930's census record that seems to be the correct family. It lists a widow Ethel (with her maiden name!) as well as her children. Archie, 28, (or more likely, 23) is listed as married - but, it does not list his wife's name (so I'm still looking for that!) It also has his brother as being Isham, 17; so, therefore, Isham may be the great-uncle of my stepson's father, not his uncle.

Later, from "granny" at the Ancestry forum, I received a possible 1992 obituary abstract for Archibald. I would like to read the actual obituary, but this is a start.

And just now, as I was writing this post, I received another message from Larry at CousinConnect. He had a whole slew of census records that look very promising. I think I might have found another generation, as well as the name of Archibald's father (but still no name for Archibald's wife.) This message also included a transcript of the 1930's census record that I mentioned before. It shows Archie's age as 23 on that record. Looking back at the actual record, it does appear to be "23". This also closely matches the obituary abstract I talked about which shows "Archie" as being born in 1906.

The moral of this story: use genealogy forums. When I first used these forums 10 years ago, it took weeks to get a response - if I got one at all. Now, with everyone connected, it took me just hours. Wow! I wasn't expecting that!

Poole Family in 1930 U.S. Census

Viola Fern Poole was my wife's grandmother. Viola's parents were Thomas Watson Poole and Estelle Blanche Ryan. This family shows up in a 1930 Census of Redmond, Illinois. Click on this link to view this record.

I found this record at the Special Collections Library in Albuquerque, NM using the Ancestry.com website. Retrieved 20 October 2007.

Douglas Family in the 1930 U.S. Census

I discovered three census records from 1930 that show members of the Douglas family. Click on the underlined words below to pull up PDF files of these records.


* Hindsboro, Illinois, record # 1: This census includes the families of Ralph Douglas, Ray Douglas and William J. Douglas. Ralph was my wife's grandfather, Ray was Ralph's brother, and William J. was Ralph and Ray's father.

* Hindsboro, Illinois, record # 2: This census includes Bruce Douglas and his wife. Bruce was another of Ralph's brothers.

* Vermillion County, Indiana: This census includes Elmer Douglas and his wife Helen. This appears to be a record for another of Ralph's brothers.

I found these records at the Special Collections Library in Albuquerque using the Ancestry.com website. Retrieved 20 October 2007.

Too many women named Nancy Hanks?

As I mentioned in a blog entry that I made last year, my wife may be a distant cousin of Abraham Lincoln through his mother Nancy Hanks. The only problem proving this, however, is that there were many different women named Nancy Hanks that could have possibly been his mother. There is no definate way of showing my wife's relationship to this American president.

A discussion about the true identity of Nancy Hanks can be found on the webpage Will the Real Nancy Hanks Please Stand Up?

For more information about the Hanks Family, check out Hanks for the Memories.

Dunn / Poole marriage record

I am now looking for the Carroll Livingston Dunn and Viola Fern Poole's marriage record. The information I have is that they were married on 30 November 1930 in Monticello, Illinois. Monticello is in Piatt County; therefore I sent an email today to the Piatt County Historical and Genealogical Society. I'll post on this site if I receive a response from them.

Update: 5/24/2007 6:30 PM:

Twice I tried to send an email to the historical society, but it bounced back both times. I will have to send a snail mail to them instead.

Abner Hanks - American Revolutionary War soldier

My wife's paternal grandmother was a woman by the name of Ethel Marie (Hanks) Douglas. According to "The Hanks Family of Viriginia and Westward", Ethel's great-grandfather was a man by the name of Abner Hanks, who was married to an Elizabeth Goodwin (she was one of his wives, as he apparently was married 6 times.) Today, I searched RootsWeb and found a genealogy for Abner Hanks on the McCord Family Online database. The author of the database quotes from a National Archives record indicating that Abner Hanks was a soldier drafted in the American army in April 1780. You may read a transcription of that document by going to the following link.

Reference:

Barber, Adin,The Hanks Family of Virginia and Westward. (Kansas, Illinois: The Arthur H. Clark Co., 1965.)

Ralph Douglas' World War I Draft Registration Card

Form 1 1395 REGISTRATION CARD No. 23

1. Name in full: Ralph Douglas Age: 26
2. Home Address: Hindsboro, Ill
3. Date of birth: may 18 1891
4. Are you (1) a natural-born citizen, (2) a naturalized citizen, (3) an alien, (4) or have you declared your intentions (specify which)? Natural
5. Where were you born? Hindsboro Ill U.S.A.
6. If not a citizen, of what country are you a citizen or subject? [Blank]
7. What is your present trade, occupation or office? Mechanic
8. By whom employed? Mossman & Moss (?)
Where employed? Hindsboro Ill
9. Have you a father, mother, wife, child under 12, or a sister or brother, solely dependant on you for support (specify which)? Wife
10. Married or single (which)? Married Race (specify which)? Caucasion
11. What military service have you had? Rank [Blank]; branch [Blank]; years: None; Nation or State [BLANK]
12. Do you claim exemption from draft (specify ground)? No

I affirm that I have verified above answers and that they are true.

Ralph Douglas
(signature or mark)

12-8-9-A
REGISTRAR'S REPORT
1. Tall, medium, or short (specify which)? Medium; Slender, medium, or stout? Medium
2. Color of eyes? Blue; Color of hair? D. Brown; Bald? No
3. Has person lost arm, hand, feet, or both eyes, or is he otherwise disabled (specify)? No

I certify that my answer are true, that the person registered has read his own answers, that I have witnessed his signature, and that all of his answers of which I have knowledge are true, except as follows: [Blank]

John P. R(illegible)

Precinct 1
City of County: Douglas
State: Ill Date of registration: 6-5-1917

Source: Ancestry.com World War I Draft Registration Cards

William T. Dunn Family 1910 Illinois Census

1910 United States Federal Census
State: Illinois, County: Montgomery, Township: Grisham, Sheet # 288A
House # 6; Dwelling # 6

Dunn, William T.; Head of household; male; white; 42 years old; Married for 14 years; Born in Kentucky; father and mother both born in Kentucky; speaks English; Profession: Minister in a church; Not out of work anytime during 1909; able to read and write English; Owns house, which is mortgaged.

_____, Annie L.; wife; Female; white; 41 years old; married for 14 years; number of children born 6; 6 children still alive; born in Kentucky; both father and mother born in Kentucky; speaks, reads and writes English.

_____, Alvira; daughter; Female; white; 13 years old; single; Born in Kentucky; father and mother both born in Kentucky; speaks, reads and writes English; attended school any time since September 1, 1909.

_____, Susie; daughter; female; white; 11 years old; single; Born in Kentucky; father and mother both born in Kentucky; speaks, reads and writes English; attended school any time since September 1, 1909.

_____, Carroll; son; male; white; 9 years old; single; Born in Kentucky; father and mother both born in Kentucky; speaks, reads and writes English; attended school any time since September 1, 1909.

_____, Merrill; son; male; white; 6 years old; single; Born in Kentucky; father and mother both born in Kentucky; speaks, reads and writes English; attended school any time since September 1, 1909.

_____, Walden; son; male; white; 4 years old; single; Born in Kentucky; father and mother both born in Kentucky.

_____, Estil; son; male; white; 2 years old; single; Born in Illinois; father and mother both born in Kentucky.

Extracted from Ancestry.com on 17 April 2007.

The record indicates that Walden was born in Kentucky four years prior to the census; while Estil was born in Illinois 2 years prior. Therefore, we can assume that the family moved to Illinois between 1906 and 1908.

Searching for more information about the Dunn family

On Tuesday, I snuck to the Albuquerque Genealogy Library between my student teaching job and the 4PM UNM class that I am attending. I say I snuck there because I probably should have been doing something more constructive during that time, but many of you may know how addicting genealogy can be. Anyhow, I was being alturistic - I'm doing this for my wife (if I keep saying that, I'll actually believe that I'm doing it for noble reasons and not just because I'm a gene nut.)

Anyhow, I found a 1910 Census record for William T. and Anna Dunn, which includes Nancy's maternal grandfather Carroll Livingston Dunn. I'll post that record later.

Today, I pulled up Carroll Dunn's social security record on the FamilySearch US Social Security Index. This is what I found:

Carroll DUNN
Birth Date: 5 Oct 1900
Death Date: Sep 1980
Social Security Number: ***-**-****
State or Territory Where Number Was Issued: Illinois

Death Residencies Localities
Zip Code: 61949
Localities: Redmond, Edgar, Illinois

Death Benefit Localities
Zip Code: 61944
Localities: Paris, Edgar, Illinois

The information that was given to me by Nancy's aunt Joyce Seitz indicated that Carroll Livington Dunn was born in No Creek, Kentucky on 10 May 1900 instead of 5 Oct 1900. The Beeler database also shows his birthday as 5 Oct 1900. Since there are differences between records, I am going to have verify this information by finding his actual birth record. I will probably have to request a copy of the record from Ohio County, Kentucky.