Week 41 Oct. 7-13th

40

So I turned 40.  That's new.  Mom, Barb, and John came to visit for my Birthday, and it was great to see everyone and spend time with them.

But what I did do this week was also pretty cool and what I wanted to write about.  In week 22, I wrote about looking up some of my family tree that were from Grant, MI.  Well,  this week I stumbled accross some more Train family information that pieced my family line back to Scotland!  That's right, the Train family is from Scotland.....and its a BIG family!

In 1635, John Train came from Scotland, speculated to be an endentured servant to pay for the trip.  He came on the ship "Susan Ellen".  On that ship was a woman named Margret Dix, who John married a few years later in Watertown, MA.  It is speculated that John waited to marry Marget until his service for the crossing was paid off.  Watertown is just west of Boston.  In fact, I would imagine it is actually Metro Boston today. 

Without going though the long list of marriages and births, the Train family primarily stayed in this area for over a hundred years, some fighting in the Revolutionary War.  During this time, some split off and move to New York state and some move elsewhere.  My direct line stays in MA until the 1830's when Samuel Train moves his family to Hincley Township, Ohio, an area just south of Cleveland.

Samuel Train, Jr.

He brought with him his son, Samuel Train Jr.  Samuel Jr., met and married Luranna Allen in Ohio.  In 1862, Samuel Jr., joined the Union Army as part of the 5th Regiment Ohio Sharpshooters.  Samuel Jr., fought for the remainder of the Civil War.  In May of 1865, as the war was drawing to a close, Samuel Jr., died of Smallpox in an Army Hospital in Nashville, TN, where he is buried, leaving his wife, Luranna and two sons, Willie and John. 

Grief stricken, Luranna moved to Newaygo County, MI to claim a homestead.  She brought her two sons and possibly her brother to what is now Grant, MI in 1865.

In 1873, Willie died.  Luranna explained, in a biography of early Newaygo County Residences, that her sons death brought back painfull memories of her husband's death and she never remarried.  She died in 1899 and is buried in Grant. 

Her son John B, married Sarah Baker in 1879 in Grant.  They had a daughter, Leona, in 1880.  I think Leona married and her married name was McQuistian.  She is buried with John, Sarah, and Luranna in Grant as well as she died in 1946.

Here is where it gets a little fuzzy.  John and Sarah adobted a son, possibly two, between 1880 and 1890, named Elmer.  Elmer was born in 1880.  Elmer is my Great Grandfather and lived his life in Grant.

So, in my family, all the men have the middle name "Winchell".  My father told me it was because a great grandfather had been adopted and his real last name was Winchell.  Ok...this story pans out.  So now what I want to find out is, was Elmer's last name really Winchell?  Why did he get adopted?  What happend to his family? 

Coat of Arms

Oh, and growing up in Michigan, there were Train families around that were "not related".  Well, I found out they are.  Before Samuel Sr. moved to Ohio, one of his relatives moved to Saranac, Michigan where they established their clan.  Another of Samuels relatives moved to Kalamazoo in the 1830's as well.  Both clans trace their roots to the Train's in Massachusetts.  I did get to email one of them and we found the common connection point.

I was excited to stumble accross this information.  I was intregued about it when I visited the gravesites in Grant earlier this year, but I never imagined I could trace the family tree back to Scotland.  Even finding the ship John Train came to America on.  Time just hasn't allowed me the opportunity to do more digging or even organize the information I found into something I can share with my family.  Heck, there are even "Train's" out there who have traced the Train family in Scotland.  We even have a Coat of Arms!