Family History Through the Alphabet – N is for Nicolet, New Monkland, and N States

In researching my ancestry, I have discovered that many locations that my branches trace to, both in the United States and Europe, begin with the letter N, which is the focus of my Family History Through the Alphabet challenge this week.

N is for Nicolet:

Map Showing Nicolet

In researching my Kernan/Kiernan branch, I discovered Canadian roots. When my 4th great grandparents, Felix Kiernan (ca. 1796-1882) and Martha Rose Sheridan (ca. 1797-?), left Ireland between 1830 and 1832, they immigrated to Québec, Canada, settling in the town of Nicolet. Nicolet is located in the Nicolet-Yamaska Regional Municipality and is about 88 miles from Montreal. It is situated at the meeting of the Saint-Lawrence and Nicolet rivers and the eastern edge of Lac Saint-Pierre. From available records, Felix and Martha lived in Nicolet from at least 1832 to 1844, where six of their eight children were born and baptized, including my 3rd great grandfather Owen Francis Kiernan (1836-1901). By 1851, they were living in nearby Sainte-Monique, where Felix was a farmer. By 1857 they had left Canada for the United States, settling in Minnesota.

N is for New Monkland:

N is also for New Monkland. In 1847 Robert Leishman (1847-1900), my 3rd great grandfather, was born in New Monkland, where he lived until his immigration to the United States in 1869. New Monkland is located in North Lanarkshire, Scotland and is about 17 miles from Glasgow. Today it is primarily a suburb of Glasgow. Robert is found living in New Monkland, along with his parents and siblings, on the 1861 Scotland Census. He is enumerated on this census as being 14 years old and employed as a coal miner.

N is for N States:

N is also for N States, or rather U.S. States that are named beginning with the letter N. There are eight such states in the United States, which are Nebraska, Nevada, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, North Carolina, and North Dakota. Currently, I have a connection to all but New Mexico. The following discusses some of my connections to these states:

• Nebraska: My Lapham branch traces to Nebraska by 1880, where my 3rd great grandparents, William B. Lapham (1838-1925) and Emoline Reynolds (1844-1886), moved their family. Their son and my 2nd great grandfather, Horace Irving Lapham (1869-1927) married his wife, Anna Margaret Leishman (1875-1951), in Nebraska in 1895. Anna’s father, Robert Leishman (1847-1900), also moved his family to Nebraska by 1880. All ten of Horace and Anna’s children were born in Nebraska, including my great grandfather, Theodore Alexander Lapham (1910-1955).
• Nevada: My connection to the State of Nevada is it’s the state in which my maternal grandparents, Lee Hamilton (LIVING) and Alberta Sebok (LIVING), were married in 1954. They were married in Los Vegas after my grandfather returned from service in the U.S. Navy during the Korean War.
• New Hampshire: My Stearns branch (via Kernan) traces to New Hampshire as far back as the 1780’s when my 5th great grandparents, Samuel Stearns (ca. 1754-1840) and Thankful Raymond (ca. 1756-1817), moved to the state soon after their marriage. All ten of their children were born in New Hampshire, including my 4th great grandfather, Lyman Stearns (1803-1879), who leaves the state for Missouri and then California during the Gold Rush.
• New Jersey: My Worthington branch (via Hamilton) traces to New Jersey as far back as 1722 with the marriage of my 8th great grandparents, Ephraim Worthington (1697-1727) and Elizabeth Davis Brick (ca. 1704-1761). Another connection to New Jersey comes by way of Obadiah Wilson (1758-1826), my 6th great grandfather, who was born in New Jersey. Obadiah served in the American Revolution.
• New York: I have numerous connections to the State of New York. My Dunton branch (via Kernan) traces to New York as far back as about 1802, when my 5th great grandparents, David Dunton (ca. 1758-1829) and Polly Stoddard (ca. 1762-1845) moved to the state. My Gifford branch (via Hamilton) also traces to New York as far back as 1750 with the birth of William Gifford (1750-ca. 183), my 7th great grandfather. My Cook branch (via Kernan) traces back to New York as far back as 1818 with the birth of Cleveland C. Cook (1818-?), my 4th great grandfather. My Davis branch (via Kernan) also traces to New York as far back as 1760 with the birth of Enos Davis (1760-1841), my 5th great grandfather. Finally, my Balla branch (via Sebok) also traces to New York by 1907 with the marriage of my 2nd great grandparents, Alexander Balla (1886-1950) and Julia Molnar (1885-1962), in Brooklyn, New York. Many of Alexander and Julia’s children were born in New York, including my maternal great grandmother, Irene Vera (Balla) Sebok (1913-2006), who was born in LeRoy, Genesee Co., New York.
• North Carolina: My Worthington branch (via Hamilton) also traces to North Carolina as far back as 1779 with the birth of Joab Worthington (1779-1851), my 6th great grandfather. Another connection to North Carolina comes by way of my Couch branch (via Hamilton) with the birth of Samuel Couch (1777-1853), my 6th great grandfather.
• North Dakota: My connection to the State of North Dakota comes by way of Willard Pershing Graber (1918-1988), my step-great grandfather, who was born in North Dakota in 1918.

Click here to learn more about Family History Through the Alphabet Challenge (Clicking this link will take you to another site.)