Someone Peed In My Gene Pool! – Page 5 – A day in the life of the family historian…

April 1, 2017

Applegate Family History

Applegate Surname

John Edward Beyl’s marriage to Edna Mae Applegate gives me a whole new line of ancestors to research. My initial search on the Applegate surname looks promising.

I did a quick search on Ancestry.com to find the origin of the surname Applegate. It appears to be a variant of Applegarth, which comes from the northern Middle English word gate or road.

Fortunately, Ancestry seems to have hundreds of thousands of records for the Applegate surname, so this may be very promising when researching this line of genealogy.

It looks like most of the Applegate ancestors immigrated to New Jersey. Many also immigrated to other areas of the Northeast, including Missouri, Illinois, Indiana, Kentucky, Ohio, and Pennsylvania. But of course, there are some scattered throughout the rest of the United States.

Naturally, I will be looking for how they got to Indiana. Edna Mae was born in Indiana, which is not to say that her immediate ancestors originated there. But they ended up there, so I will be looking for where they were immediately before Indiana and where their arrival point was.

I don’t yet know where her parents were born, so I’m not sure how far back in the Applegate line they immigrated. Based on the time frame, I would venture to guess that it would’ve been her grandparents or great-grandparents who immigrated.

It seems that many Applegate immigrants came from England, while many others came from Great Britain. A couple came from Denmark, and one came from Ireland.

Since 12% of my DNA comes from Great Britain, we could assume they immigrated from Great Britain, although I’m not into making assumptions about genealogy.

That could come from a different line. So I’ll have to research this further.

Most of the Applegate families seem to have immigrated between 1851 and 1890.

There was a pretty big spike in 1857. It would be interesting to find out what happened that year, if anything, that caused so many more to come over.

This time frame would appear to be the time of Edna’s great-grandparents. I’ll definitely want to confirm this.

I haven’t seen any passenger lists for this line, though I’ve only done the research for one person so far. Hopefully, I’ll find more on them soon.

As expected, most of them were farmers, and many were Laborers. I’ve found a lot of Laborers in the Beyl lineage. I’m guessing I’ll also find many more in the Applegate lineage. But you never know.

I’ve found that most wives prior to the 1900s were housekeepers or housewives, so it’s not surprising to see the 6% in this chart. I’ve also seen a few Carpenters in there, but again, that’s on the Beyl side.

It’s interesting to see a few Blacksmiths in this line. I hope to find one or two among my ancestors…just because I dare to be different.

Edna’s father was a Drayman who owned his own house. I just learned that a Drayman is a person who delivers beer for a brewery. That is different, I like that…alcohol aside.

Applegate Ancestors I’ve Researched So Far

George W. Applegate
- John William Applegate
- Edna Mae Applegate
- Elsie Mae Applegate
- George Thomas Applegate

Finally, the Applegate family’s life expectancy has been pretty close to that of the general public.

It seems as though many lived to see their 70s.

I do find it interesting that life expectancy spiked in the late 1950s by over 20 years! It’s commonly known that technological advances began in the 1950s; perhaps this is the reason for the spike.

Researchers are still trying to determine the reasons for such differences. So, I will continue focusing on my own ancestors and let the scientists tackle that question.

There is not much information on this line just yet, as I’ve only researched one person so far. But, as always, I will come back and update this page as I find more information. There is so much to do, so little time!

It would be nice to know more about these ancestors. Where did they come from before Indiana? Why did they immigrate to the United States? Are there any notable or famous ancestors in this line?

Have you found Applegate in your family tree yet? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

Even if you haven’t, have you found reliable places to research the history of your family name? I’d love to know where to go to find out accurate facts about surnames that can provide some of the history behind the name. Do share and let us know how you do it. Just drop a line in the comments below.

That’s all for now, I’ll check back regularly and update this page as I find additional information.

Happy searching!

~Kris

March 9, 2017

Beyl Family History

Beyl Surname

I haven’t found much about the Beyl surname online yet. I am still in the early stages of my research on this line. Quick searches on the history of the name Beyl yield very few results, if any, which makes it challenging to determine its origin.

I’ve only found one website that provides any description for the name, but it isn’t a reliable site for genealogical purposes. It is more of a touristy site that encourages you to purchase memorabilia featuring what they claim is your coat of arms. Anyway, it stated that Beyl is a Danish name derived from the word “bayer.” Bayer means one who came from Bavaria.

However, I found that Ancestry.com lists the meaning of the Beyl name as a variant of German Beil.

So, naturally, I queried the site for the meaning of the Beil surname:

In the limited research I’ve done on this line so far, I’ve found that the Beyls immigrated to the United States from France. So the question is, can I trace them from France to Germany? Only time will tell at this point.

Ancestry also provides a helpful page with basic statistics for the Beyl line in the United States. According to the United States Federal Census, most Beyl families resided in the northeastern region.

The New York Passengers List indicates that most immigrants came from Germany, with some also arriving from the Netherlands, Prussia, and Italy. So far, I’ve only traced my line back to France. According to Ancestry.com, the Beyl Family Origin comprises four families from Germany, three from the Netherlands, two from Prussia, and one from Italy.

They also show that there are three Civil War Service Records for the Beyl surname, all of which are on the Union side.

Interestingly, I found that one person in my line, Jacob Beyl, who was listed as an Unassigned Indiana Volunteer for the Union side, appears to have been injured in the war. I haven’t found much on that, but I will be doing further research to see if I can identify what happened.

Ancestry reports that most of the Beyl ancestors were farmers. A good portion were laborers. I have found both in my line. There were also some Saloon Keepers as well as horse car drivers.

I did find a site that listed a couple of Beyl settlers in the United States during the 18th Century. One was Johan Peter Beyl, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1747. Another was Johannes Beyl, who landed in Pennsylvania in 1754.

I do not yet know if either of these is related to my line, but I will attempt to confirm or deny this during my research.

Beyl Members I’ve Researched So Far

- Jacob William Sr

Ultimately, it seems that the Beyl family’s life expectancy has been relatively similar to that of the general public. Some died young, around 50 years old, while others lived to be around 90 years old. But the majority seem to pass away around 70 years old.

I know this is very little information to provide so far. However, as I mentioned earlier, I have only recently begun researching this line and hope to add a great deal more information shortly.

It would be nice to know more about these ancestors. Where did they originate before arriving in France? Why did they immigrate to the United States?

I hope to find a wealth of information on this line, as it holds particular significance for me. Have you found Beyl in your family tree yet? If so, I’d love to hear from you!

Even if you haven’t, have you found reliable places to research the history of your family name? I’d love to know where to find accurate information about surnames and their history. Do share and let us know how you do it.