Katie (Dacy) Regnier 1878-1949

Some people are doing 52 Ancestors, blogging about 1 ancestor per week for this year. Well that seemed like a bit much to me to jump right into, so I am trying 12 ancestors this year (one per month). Plus I didn't hear about the 52 Ancestors until January 10 so I was already a week or two behind. Anyway, one per month for this year 2014. Maybe next year I can do 2 per month, or one per week. We will see.

For January, I picked my great-grandmother Katie (Dacy) Regnier

This picture I have labeled Katie Dacy, Cornelius Dacy and Lucy Dacy. Lucy was her mother and Cornelius "Con" was her brother. So she would've been young in this photo as her parents died when she was young. I'm guessing this was taken around 1890, soon before her mother passed away.

This is what I know (have) on Katie. She was born Katherine Dacy to James and Lucy Bridget (Crahan) Dacy on 7 April 1878 supposedly in St. Louis, Missouri. I don't know much about her early life, other than they moved to Oklahoma at one point. Her father James supposedly worked on the railroad so I think they moved west quite a bit. She was the second youngest of about 7-9 children. Her father James died in 1891 in New Mexico, and her mother a year earlier in 1890. So she would've been 12-13 years old when her parents died. Family members say she was then taken into an orphanage until she was of age, and then her siblings arranged a homestead for her. She had an aunt who was possibly a nun, so I wonder if she was in an orphanage where her aunt worked. So I would like to know more about her early life, find some records that would support these stories.

Then in June 1903 she married Roy Regnier in Springfield, Colorado. I believe this is their wedding photo:

They lived near Springfield, Colorado for more than 20 years, until 1926, when they moved to Fairbury, Nebraska. They had nine children, 2 of whom died as infants, one who died as a teenager, and the other 6 lived many, many, many years. Most of those 6 lived well into their 90s, the youngest (Juanita Regnier) just passing away this month. The oldest of the 6 was Paul Regnier who lived to be 98 years old. She raised her family, and she passed away in 1949 in Fairbury, Nebraska. 

So reviewing what I have for documents about her, I have her obituary, death certificate, cemetery photo, and have found her in the following Federal censuses: 1920, 1930, 1940 and possibly 1900. I also have a few photos of her, the two I included here plus a family photo and a photo of about graduation age. So what I would like to find is her baptism certificate (as I don't think a birth certificate will exist), marriage license and any school or orphanage records. 

Killing 2 birds with one stone with this post, for #genchat we were supposed to review a document we have to see if we could find anything "new". So I am choosing to review Katie's obituary which I have read and transcribed previously. I'm not sure that I find anything "new", but it does help lead me to places to look for documents. The obituary says they were married in Springfield, Colorado so I need to look there for a marriage license. The obituary says she lived in Kenton, Oklahoma as a child so I should try there for school records. I could also try tracing her siblings, and working with a couple known Dacy relatives I have. 

Rest in peace great grandmother. Please contact me if you are related, or if you are able to help with finding those early documents. Thanks for reading. 

Why to join us on #genchat ???

Disclaimer: I was asked to give a little testimonial about #genchat which is two Fridays a month at 9 pm Central on Twitter. Find the schedule at Conference Keeper http://www.conferencekeeper.net/genchat-2014.html
I am receiving NO monetary rewards for this, or any gifts of any sort. Probably just receiving some virtual love and thanks.

Reasons to join us for #genchat:

1. EDUCATION: Learn tips about genealogy, from web sites to sources, writing tips, etc. And sometimes just get reminded about stuff you knew but forgot. Like using Family History Centers, and the BCG Standards were just two topics I learned about from #genchat.

2. FUN: We are a fun bunch of guys and gals. We have a virtual bartender @leprchaunrabbit who serves up virtual drinks. We laugh at funny genealogy things. We have great hosts @confkeep and @ancestryjourney and sometimes guest hosts.

3. MEET NEW FRIENDS: I can't tell you how many wonderful genealogy friends I have met through #genchat. It's nice to have virtual genealogy friends who understand how excited you are when you find a new ancestor, or find that the library and cemetery are RIGHT NEXT to each other. Sometimes other people just don't understand us.

4. TIME: Can you spare an hour? It lasts usually just an hour, and you can stop at any time. If you miss a chat, it is published on Storify usually the next day. Some of us hang around after to chat more.

5. NO DRESS CODE: You can come in your pajamas! As long as we aren't video chatting, wear what you want.

Remember to follow the people mentioned above on Twitter, and follow me @SparrowBeth73

So I think that's it. Come join us for #genchat on Fridays to learn more and have fun with your genealogy friends. Remember to check the schedule above! See you tonight!

Genealogy goals for 2014

Can you believe it is 2014? I can't. Had trouble typing the right year.
So it is time to make goals for a new year.

PERSONAL GOALS
1. Finish husband's Mayflower application.
2. Go to Family History Center to research.
3. Continue working on my lines as noted in my Ancestry.com notes
4. Continue doing regular backups.

PROFESSIONAL GOALS
1. Continue attending #genchat on Twitter. I learn and get reminded of so much during these times.
2. Do one webinar or video for genealogy education.
3. Go to 2 genealogy conferences, Nebraska state and one other.
4. Blog twice a month or 24 times for the year.

VOLUNTEER GOALS
1. Finish cemetery directory at local cemetery where i am on the board by March having up at cemetery by April 15 (weather permitting).
2. Finish photographing Shelby cemeteries and possibly start another. Finish adding photos online on Findagrave to Osceola cemetery.
3. Start indexing marriages in Polk county and put online.
4. Update and maintain Polk county GenWeb web site.

That's all for me. Stay tuned to see how i do.