This post is to add another PDF biography I put together of my Grandmother Muriel Grey (Thomas) Davenport, who we all affectionately called GaGa.
My next project, as I mention last year is to do a biography of my grandparents on my mothers side of the family (Mead and Magill).
Enjoy
Davenport Family Additions
It has been a long time for a new post. The Pandemic has meant I have had to keep my social distance from everyone, but the restrictions are easing. Along the way I have some new family additions to my family tree.
Elliot Hudson Clemons
b. September 11, 2020
Elliot is beautiful son of my daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Steven.
Montgomery Anna Martini
May 27, 2020
Montgomery is my newest step-granddaughter and the life of the party.
Rosella Grace Carauna
b. Oct 5 2020
Rosella Grace is not really a biological granddaughter, but a very close friend at church and she is just beautiful.
Mead Family Additions
My next project is to put together a bibliography of my Grandparents Hudson Dexter Mead II and Mary Esther (Magill) Mead. In my gathering of information I have discovered two new people to add the the family tree that I am sure my mom had no knowledge of, and perhaps even her dad Hudson had no knowledge of. We will never know, but now we know. We meaning whoever reads this and myself.
The information came from a search of the Greenwood Cemetery online database which uncovered the result shown directly below:
Greenwood Cemetery, Chadron, Nebraska
https://chadron-nebraska.com/201/Greenwood-Cemetery
H D Mead would be my great grandfather Hudson Dexter Mead, born 26 Aug 1868 in Niles, Michigan and died 19 Feb 1950 in Chadron, Nebraska. His wife was our great grandmother Nora (Blake) Mead. Both are shown above in spaces 2 and 3.
What first caught my interest was that the list included two John G Mead’s. Hudson’s father (by great great grandfather) is John Groot Mead born 7 Apr 1838 in New York and buried 4 May 1920 in Chadron. His wife Mary Eliza (Dexter) Mead was born 5 May 1840 in New York and buried 15 Jan 1928 in Chadron. Both are shown above in spaces 10 and 12.
The other John G Mead record in space 1 is shown below:
My great grandparents Hudson and Nora Mead were married in 1902 and my grandfather Hudson Mead was born in 1906 and as far as we knew he had two sisters, Mary and Kate. Now we know he was preceded by a brother John who passed away before Grandpa was born. I have no other pictures or information that he even existed, but he did and would have been a great uncle to me if the Lord hadn’t taken him home as an infant.
The second thing that caught my attention was the listing of Arthur J Mead and A J Mead. I have posted previously about Arthur J Mead who is a half brother of my great grandfather Hudson who was born in 1862 in Michigan and died at his own hand in 1910 in Chadron, a sad story. Along with a wife who left him with four children sometime before 1910, and a previous wife who died about a year after they were married in 1885, now I discover a child who died as a baby 6 days old.
This is not really surprising information as many of us have similar events in our lives that many that come after us would know nothing about. These events don’t really affect us, at least not directly from our perspective. But the Lord has plans for each of us. Some events are sad and some are joyful, but all are meant to grab our attention and get us to focus on Him.
It was no mere coincidence that I was also born in Chadron, Nebraska. Small world after all.
Crowders Mountain, NC
On our New Year visit to North Carolina to see my daughter Stephanie and son-in-law Steven, we spent an afternoon taking a hike up Crowders Mountain. It is nice to do that in January in North Carolina, something we couldn’t do in Michigan, at least not in our shorts and working up a sweat.
Had a great lunch at Nellie’s Southern Kitchen in Belmont on way back home
We took 3 hour trip 
On the trail 
Closer to the top 
Group Photo at top 
Charlotte in the distance 
No one died on our watch
Frank and Muriel Biography
This post is to make available a PDF copy of the biography of Frank Howard Davenport (b. 1884) and Muriel Grey Thomas (b. 1895). These are my grandparents on my fathers side of the family.
Note: PDF file updated on 17 Dec 2019 with some new content.
Northeaster – Day 11 – The Gilded Age
On day 11 we visited two different mansions in Newport, Rhode Island. This was our last leisurely day before hitting the road back to Michigan. The tour guides at the mansions mentioned a few times about the history of the mansions being a part of the gilded age. For sure, the lifestyle of the people that would have owned and lived in these “summer cottages” was in a different world than the one I live in, or most anyone else for that manner.
In Bay City, we have some beautiful homes along Center Avenue and once a year the owners open some of them up for the public to visit and see inside. These homes in Bay City would maybe be suitable servants quarters for the mansions in Newport.
The first mansion we visited was “The Breakers”:
The second home we visited was “Chateau-sur-Mer”:
They were nice to visit and see the extravagant lifestyle that some people in this world actually live in (or used to live in). But as for me, I like my little 1200 square foot single story ranch home with attached two car garage.
Northeaster – Day 10 – Heritage
On day 10 we first visited Mount Auburn Cemetery in Cambridge, Massachusetts. There is a memorial at the cemetery that lists the name of Thomas Davenport who is my direct ancestor born in about 1615 in England and immigrated to the United States around 1635.
This is confirmed through genealogy research and Y-DNA testing
This memorial notes Thomas as descending from Ormus de Davenport
John was the brother of Jonathon Davenport who is my 7th great grandfather.
Next stop Plymouth, Massachusetts.
Followed by a short visit to another cemetery, Old Buriel Hill in Plymouth, where Adoniram Judson, a pioneering missionary, is buried.
Then a quick trip up the Cape Cod peninsula, just to say we’ve been there, and then on to Newton, Rhode Island and a visit to the gilded age.
Northeaster – Day 9 – Above Normal
Our second day in Boston found us at places where people with above normal income or above normal IQ’s can be found. Fortunately, no one stopped me to check my IQ and they did accept my credit card for our dinner.
Northeaster – Day 8 – Freedom Trail
Spent the whole day following the red bricks of the Freedom Trail in Boston. We took the green line subway from near our hotel and got off right at the beginning of the trail on Boston Common. I am just going to show a few of the pictures we took along the way from the Boston Common to Bunker Hill.
Boston Common 
Paul Revere Grave Marker 
Sam Adams grave marker 
Old South Meeting Room 
Old State House 
Old State House Sign
Upstairs above Faneuil Hall Market
Green Dragon Tavern 
Green Dragon Plaque
Paul Revere’s House
Old North Church 
Bunker Hill Monument
Northeast – Day 5-7 – Acadia
On the next leg of our journey we spent 3 nights in Bangor, Maine with two full days of visiting Acadia National Park. Well, almost two full days, minus the time it took to head back on day one to Bangor to have our rear brakes fixed.
On day one in Acadia we did the park loop trail with lots of short stops here and there. Especially nice was the ride up to the top of Mount Cadillac and the stop at Sand Beach.
Day 2 in Acadia was nicer than day 1 for a couple of reasons. The first being that the car felt much better with the new brakes. The second being that we went on the west side of Mount Desert Island (where Acadia National Park is located) which had much less traffic and people. First we hiked to the top of Acadia Mountain.
Then we did another two mile hike on the Ship’s Harbor Trail at the southern shore of Mount Desert Island.
After the hikes and a quick stop to see the Bass Harbor Light Station we ended our day in Bar Harbor checking out the shops and having some lobster rolls.
Sunday morning, upon leaving Bangor, Maine, we first stopped to see the big statue of Paul Bunyan in the downtown area of Bangor. Then we went and worshiped with the folks at Essex Street Free Baptist Church, founded in the 1850’s. This was a very small church currently looking for a Pastor, with very friendly people who made us feel right at home. The church was founded in the 1850’s so it has been around a long time.
retravelment.com 