This is a blog about Tracy family history. My name is James Tracy and I am a grandson of Truman Glenn Tracy, born in 1918 in Kewanee, Illinois. As such, this blog will focus on my direct Tracy ancestors and relatives with some excursions into maternal lineages such as Young, Rubey, Searle, Kilmer, etc. Each post or “tale” might be about a particular ancestor, a branch of the family, or even a deep dive into genealogical research and methods.
For simplicity, I will begin with my grandfather and trace my direct paternal line as far back as possible, and then move forward down the lineage. Beyond that, I will allow this to unfold somewhat spontaneously. Sources will be listed at the end of each tale to keep the text free of clutter.
Starting with Truman Tracy, the paternal Tracy line is easy to document backwards an additional four generations by consulting obituaries that were published in the local newspapers alongside some other documentation. (I say “easy” in the sense that newspaper archives are easily searchable online these days. That obviously wasn’t always the case!).
So, let the journey begin!
Truman Glenn Tracy (1918-1967)
Glenn Kilmer Tracy (1887-1954)
Jesse S. Tracy (1863-1909)
Jesse S. Tracy is a bit more of a challenge as his obituary does not mention the names of his parents.
Joab Tracy (1831-1904)
A search of cemeteries in the area does, indeed, turn up a Jesse Tracy buried in the old “Turkey Run” cemetery along with four other Tracys. The headstone places his death in 1845, so this appears to be a match. While no obituary from 1845 survives, that I know of, his tombstone does give his age at the time of death down to the day. And that allows us to place his birth in the year 1795. Where he was born, however, is another question, but Kentucky seems like a pretty good lead.
And that is where the trail turns cold - at least initially.
For simplicity, I will begin with my grandfather and trace my direct paternal line as far back as possible, and then move forward down the lineage. Beyond that, I will allow this to unfold somewhat spontaneously. Sources will be listed at the end of each tale to keep the text free of clutter.
Starting with Truman Tracy, the paternal Tracy line is easy to document backwards an additional four generations by consulting obituaries that were published in the local newspapers alongside some other documentation. (I say “easy” in the sense that newspaper archives are easily searchable online these days. That obviously wasn’t always the case!).
So, let the journey begin!
Truman Glenn Tracy (1918-1967)
Dr. Tracy was born June 18, 1918, at Kewanee. Ill. to Glenn K, and Clara Searle Tracy.
-- The Columbia Missourian, October 1, 1967, page 5
Glenn Kilmer Tracy (1887-1954)
The son of Jesse S. and Kittie Kilmer Tracy, he was born Oct. 9, 1887, in Osco Township.
-- The Dispatch (Moline, Illinois), May 28, 1954, page 15
Jesse S. Tracy (1863-1909)
He leaves a wife and a son, Glenn K., to mourn the departure of a loving husband and father, besides a host of friends and relatives.
-- The Cambridge Chronicle, September 30, 1909
Jesse S. Tracy is a bit more of a challenge as his obituary does not mention the names of his parents.
No worries, though. Since Jesse was born in 1863 this means that the first United States Census that he would appear in occurred in 1870 when he was about 7 years old. You don’t even have to leave Henry County, Illinois, where he died, to find him. Jesse shows up in 1870 in the household of Joab and Mary Tracy, in Lynn Township, Henry County, Illinois.
Joab Tracy (1831-1904)
Joab Tracy was born May 26, 1831, in Montgomery county, Indiana…Joab Tracy was the son of Jesse Tracy, a Kentucky farmer who died when Joab was 14 years old.
-- The Geneseo Republic, April 8, 1904, page 3
Jesse Tracy (1795-1845)
If Joab Tracy was 14 years old when his father, Jesse, died, then that would put Jesse’s death in about 1845. The obituary quoted above refers to Jesse Tracy as a “Kentucky farmer” but it also mentions that Joab Tracy was born in Montgomery County, Indiana. So the best place to look for Jesse Tracy is in Indiana, not Kentucky.
A search of cemeteries in the area does, indeed, turn up a Jesse Tracy buried in the old “Turkey Run” cemetery along with four other Tracys. The headstone places his death in 1845, so this appears to be a match. While no obituary from 1845 survives, that I know of, his tombstone does give his age at the time of death down to the day. And that allows us to place his birth in the year 1795. Where he was born, however, is another question, but Kentucky seems like a pretty good lead.
And that is where the trail turns cold - at least initially.
Read the next tale, 1 - Old Turkey Run
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