Wednesday, June 3, 2015

My Third Great Grandfather, David Fleming

According to family lore, David Fleming, my third great grandfather, died in the War of 1812. The War ended in 1815 principally with Americans routing the British with the help of Jean Lafitte at the Battle of New Orleans. David Fleming was supposed to have died within a few days of this battle in Mississippi.
I had attempted to find his burial location in the south with no results. I decided to give the question to the National Park Curator at the Jean Lafitte National Park where the battle was fought. There is a military cemetery there but it was really established for Civil War burials and only four veterans of the War of 1812 are buried there.
I kept looking and was able to locate his burial here.

David's last name was misspelled as Flemming, which was not surprising. What did surprise me was that he is buried in the War of 1812 Cemetery in Erie County, New York. I found that he was part of the 17th Kentucky Infantry and that he died from fluid in the lungs. Many soldiers died of disease in this war.
He was born in Pennsylvania, fought for Kentucky, died in Mississippi and is buried in New York. And his children filed for benefits in 1828 at a court house in Trumbull County, Ohio. In their affidavit, they mention the 17th Regimental Infantry. The 17th may have been a U. S. Army unit which organized in Kentucky.
David was married to Eleanor King, the daughter of Colonel Robert King, who was an officer for George Washington at Valley Forge.
I have begun the process to apply for membership in the Sons of the American Revolution through Colonel Robert King. It is somewhat daunting in that you have to prove your direct lineage and I am concerned about what will constitute acceptable proof. But there is a new chapter in my area and they will help.

Tuesday, January 6, 2015

D & O Celtic Jewelry

When I began to study our family history, I expected some family members to be more interested than others. What I did not expect was for our son, Dan, to create a business based on items found in our heritage. But that's what he did.
I publish several blogs about the various family lines from my mother and father and from my wife's family. Most of my early research was based on Irish families than settled in the Saint Louis, Missouri area. When Dan coupled this with his natural artistry skills and his engineering skills, he started to develop some jewelry designs. A new industry also caught his attention, 3-D printing was just emerging, and also interested him.
He put this all together from home, developing new designs on software and having them 3-D printed at Shapeways.com where he has an online store.
He has done Irish events, festivals, fairs and has a web site of his own located here
D & O Celtic Jewelry

My favorite design of his, although I admire many, is this nod to genealogy, the Family Tree design:
He has developed quite a number of designs. The Motherhood Knot has also been very popular for him, pictured here:
A few of his others are his Shamrock
 And his Celtic Warrior.
He can order these, and many others, in many different metals and costs. He has some on hand at the link above and can get others if you are so inclined.
As a parent and an avid amateur genealogist, I am so proud of Dan and his work!