2021 Scavenger Hunt Questions & Answers

Scavenger Hunt Day #1 – Jackie Robinson (1919-1972)

Jackie Robinson (1919-1972) was born in Georgia as the youngest of five children, and in 1947 became the first African American to play in Major League Baseball in the modern era when he started at First Base for the Brooklyn Dodgers.

Question #1: What was his eldest brother’s occupation?

After using the 1920 U.S. Census to verify which was the eldest brother, Edgar Robinson was enumerated as a Gardner in both the 1930 U.S. Census and the 1940 U.S. Census.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MT-692X?i=2

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R41-8G6?i=3

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4531815_00252

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-0024000407

Question #2: What was his 1930’s home street address?

The 1930 U.S. Census shows 121 Pepper, Pasadena, Los Angeles County, California. This address was listed as “W. Pepper St.” in the 1940 U.S. Census.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R41-8G6?i=3

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4531815_00252

Question #3: What was his grandmother’s full name?

There are several sources for this information. Edna McGriff was enumerated in the 1930 U.S. Census on the page following Jackie. One hunt participant located her 1933 Death Certificate.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GR41-83C?i=4

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4531815_00253

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QSQ-G9SF-293F-L

Question #4: What was his occupation and industry worked in 1940?

Jack was enumerated in the 1940 U.S. Census as a part-time janitor at motion picture studio. One participant also found him listed as an Assistant Athletic Director with the National Youth Administration (NYA), but this information is harder to confirm.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MT-692X?i=2

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-0024000407

Question #5: What was his mother’s occupation?

Mallie’s occupation is enumerated in the 1920 U.S. Census as “Laborer, General Farm” and in the 1940 U.S. Census as a “Laundress, Private Home.” In the 1930 U.S. Census her occupation was shown as “none” although a book 2007 book by biographer Jonathan Eig indicates she also held odd jobs.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R66-97P?i=21

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R41-8G6?i=3

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MT-692X?i=2

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6061/images/4300116_00022

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4531815_00252

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-0024000407

Question #6: What was the value of the family home?

The 121 Pepper Street (Pasadena) home owned by Mallie Robinson was valued at $4,000 in the1930 U.S. Census. In the 1940 U.S. Census, Jackie lived in that same house which was at that time rented by his sister-in-law (so the monthly rent paid was listed in lieu of the value). His mother lived next door at 133 Pepper Street, and her home was valued at $2,000.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9R41-8G6?i=3

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:3QS7-89MT-692X?i=2

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6224/images/4531815_00252

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2442/images/m-t0627-002400040

Question #7: What was the significance of Jackie’s middle name?

It has been widely reported that he was named in honor of (then recently deceased) former President Theodore Roosevelt, however the actual source of this information is difficult to find. One of our participants found this story documented in a 1997 book by biographer Arnold Rampersad.

References:

https://archive.nytimes.com/www.nytimes.com/books/first/r/rampersad-robinson.html

Scavenger Hunt Day #2 – John Jacob Wintler (1837-1913)

John Jacob Wintler (1837-1913) arrived in Clark County from New York via the Panama Isthmus in 1857, became a steamboat engineer, and later operated a harness and saddle shop in Vancouver.

Question #1: How many children did Jacob rear?

He is known to have had 10 children, six with first wife Lucy Jane (née Knight), and four with second wife Sarah (née Butler). Nine of the children were enumerated together in the 1887 Washington Territorial Census and in the Will which John made in 1911. The tenth child, Lucy K. Wintler, died at seven months of age on Aug. 29, 1877. She does not appear in a census, but is memorialized on the family grave marker located in the Old City Cemetery in Vancouver, Washington. That marker has been photographed andcan be viewed on the findagrave.com website.

References:

1870: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6PQC-L1G?i=75

1871: https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/Download/749485ee-93e9-4c0c-9809-112d9eba14fc
1877: https://www.findagrave.com/memorial/35625823/lucy-k.-wintler
1880: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBC-2YK?i=34
1883: https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/Download/6698a76e-307d-401b-a54d-2d8132db2eb5
1885: https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/Download/516baa84-8704-4b72-adf4-6f2a69cea6d9
1887: https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/Download/8c8505d9-76e8-4520-a67c-17868d9bf274
1900: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D1PD-FX?i=22
1911: https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/9086/images/004355352_00228

Question #2: What was his home address?

John’s home address is listed differently in the 1910 U.S. Census, the 1912 City Directory for Vancouver, his published 1913 Obituary, and on his 1913 Death Certificate. For the purposes of this CCGS Scavenger Hunt, all four answers were allowed. For genealogical purposes, it is suggested that Clark County property records be used in order to locate the precise parcel where the home was located.

References:

[Note: These sources do not agree.]

1910: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBC-6Q4

1910: https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4454959_00866

1913: https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QXQ-VDX

Question #3: On what date was he granted a land patent?

The land patent reads “the thirtieth day of July, in the year of our Lord one thousand eight hundred and seventy four” (image found on the General Land Office, Bureau of Land Management, U.S. Department of the Interior website).

References:

https://glorecords.blm.gov/details/cdi/default.aspx?doc_id=1583514#cdiDetailsTabIndex=1

Question #4: What was his father’s birth place?

John and both his parents were born in Switzerland. This information can be found in the 1880, 1900, and 1910 U.S. Census as well as on his 1913 Death Certificate.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-D1PD-FX?i=22

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33SQ-GYBC-6Q4

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/6742/images/4244644-00153 usePUB=true&usePUBJs=true&pId=43728631

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7884/images/4454959_00866

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-6QXQ-VD

Question #5: Where was Lucy Jane (née Knight) Wintler born?

Lucy was born to Joel and Amelia (née Stewart) Knight at their farm on the south shore of the Des Moines River near Vernon in Van Buren County, Iowa. The family was enumerated there in the 1840 and 1850 U.S. Census. The book Covered Wagon Women, Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails 1853-1854, Volume 6, by Kenneth L. Holmes, 1986 (available on Google Books), gives details about the farm.

References:

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4298893_00111

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4268772_00119

https://digitalarchives.wa.gov/DigitalObject/Download/9fb9cb9c-1c7c-49f1-a7b5-5221bfc1f648

Question #6: What was the death date for Sarah (née Butler) Wintler?

The Morning Oregonian newspaper on April 2, 1931, page 21, reported her date of death as March 31, 1931.

References:

PS:

https://infoweb.newsbank.com/apps/news/document-view?p=WORLDNEWS&docref=image/

v2%3A11A73E5827618330%40EANX-NB-12A850140782B2F2%402426434-12A7540C987C5AC2%4020-12A7540C987C5AC2%40&hlterms=%22Sarah%20Butler%20Wintler%22&f=basic

Question #7: What was Lucy Jane (née Knight) Wintler’s memorable day in 1853?

Lucy Jane Knight probably had three memorable days in 1853. The first was on April 1st when their wagon train began its journey west across the plains. The second was on April 29th when they spotted the first Indians and she and her younger sister Almira ran to hide in the wagon. The third, and probably most memorable, was on August 8th when she wandered behind the wagon train and it left her. Emigrants in the next wagon train picked her up and returned her to her family. This information is contained in the journal kept by Lucy’s mother Amelia (née Stewart) Knight. The original journal is held at the University of Washington Library. The book Covered Wagon Women, Diaries and Letters from the Western Trails 1853-1854, Volume 6, by Kenneth L. Holmes, 1986 (available on Google Books) reprints selected journal entries.

References:

SS: https://books.google.com/booksid=xzbiP5M2MAYC&pg=PA36&lpg=PA36&dq=Lucy+Jane+Wintler&source=bl&ots=DbWUCzgJe&sig=ACfU3U1RCTU2iCQaRMOIcLcTDzL5s1Nyg&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwi40vi8lpTyAhUXIDQIHVMRBT0Q6AEwEHoECBcQAw#v=onepage&q=Lucy%20Jane%20Wintler&f=false

Scavenger Hunt Day #3 - Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885)

Ulysses S. Grant (1822-1885), the 18th President of the United States. After graduating 21st in the Class of 1843 at West Point, he served at numerous Army postings, one being Fort Vancouver in the Oregon (later Washington) Territory.

Question #1: When serving at Fort Vancouver Army Base, what was his rank?

This question wasn’t straight forward based on conflicting accounts found on various historical websites. For the purposes of this CCGS Scavenger Hunt, we accepted Lieutenant, Brevet Captain, and Captain. Commission by brevet to a higher rank (which has been obsolete since 1922) was bestowed by the U.S. Army prior to 1865 as a reward for outstanding service. According to the Complete Army Register of theUnited States for 100 Years (1779 to 1879), by Thomas H.S. Hamersley, 1881, page 472, Ulysses S. Grant received these promotions between his West Point graduation and his resignation on July 31, 1854:

July 1, 1843: Brevet Second Lieutenant, 4th Infantry
Sept. 30, 1845: Second Lieutenant, 7th Infantry
Sept. 8, 1847: Brevet First Lieutenant for gallant and meritorious conduct at Molino del Ray
Sept. 13 , 1847: Brevet Captain for gallant conduct at Chapultepec
Sept. 16, 1847: First Lieutenant
Aug. 5, 1853: Captain

Notice that only eight days elapsed between Brevet First Lieutenant, Brevet Captain, and (Full) First Lieutenant. Subsequent to his promotion to the rank of full Captain, Grant was assigned to the command of F Company at Fort Humboldt, California (which, in a letter home to his wife, was scheduled for October). Hence, he would have held the First Lieutenant rank on arrival at Fort Vancouver (Sept. 20, 1852) and the Captain rank at departure.

References:

[Note: He arrived on Sept. 20, 1852 and departed in the Fall of 1853]

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=uc1.b5497810&view=1up&seq=508

Question #2: What was the name of first lady Julia Grant’s father?

Ulysses and Julia were enumerated in the same house as her father, Fred, in 1850 U.S. Census. Frederick (84) lived with them at the White House in the 1870 U.S. Census.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DTJJ-8W?i=140

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DHG7-CPN?i=422

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4200575_00470

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4263347_00428

Question #3: Where did the Grants live in 1850?

Ulysses and Julia were enumerated twice in the 1850 U.S. Census. On August 10th they, and their three month old son, were living in the 2nd Ward of St. Louis, Missouri. Grant’s first name was misspelled as “Julicious.” On September 9th they, and their (now) four month old son, were living in the 4th Ward of St. Louis,Missouri. Grant’s initial for his first name was misspelled as “Hugh.”

Question #4: Who was also listed with U.S. in the 1850 US Census?

They lived with Julia’s family in the 2nd Ward. They lived with or near other military families in the 4th Ward.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DTJJ-8W?i=140

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-6SDS-D2T?i=261

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4200575_00470

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4200577_00268

Question #5: What was his 1860 occupation?

Ulysses was a clerk in his father’s leather goods business.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:33S7-9YB6-9BN9

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7667/images/4213650_00101

Question #6: Why were more than 10 people named as household members in 1870 US Census?

They were staff at the White House.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DHG7-CPN?i=422

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-DHG7-CZH?i=423

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4263347_00428

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/7163/images/4263347_00429

Question #7: Name the county of his retirement home.

Although the Grants were enumerated in their home at East Galena, Jo Daviess County, Illinois, in the 1880 U.S. Census, this doesn’t appear to be their retirement home. After leaving office on March 4, 1877, the Grants set out for a world tour on May 16th, returning on September 20, 1879. Following his failure in 1880 to gain a 3rd presidential nomination, they decided to settle in New York and bought a house near Central Park in August 1881. They remained there until his friend, James W. Drexel, placed his cottage on Mount McGregor, near Saratoga Springs, at their service. Grant resided there, completing his memoirs from June 16th, 1885, until his death on July 23rd.

References:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=nyp.33433082401286&view=2up&seq=269

Scavenger Hunt Day #4 – Elisha Whittlesey (1783-1863)

Elisha Whittlesey (1783-1863) was a lawyer, civil servant, U.S. Representative from Ohio in the 18th through 25th Congresses, and the General Agent for the Washington National Monument.

Question #1: Elisha’s father was an Ensign in the Revolutionary War (DAR Ancestor # A125579, SAR Patriot # P-319397). What was his given name?

Elisha’s father was John as can be found on both the DAR and SAR websites or in online images of the book Genealogy of the Whittlesey-Whittelsey Family.

References:

https://services.dar.org/Public/DAR_Research/search_adb/default.cfm

https://sarpatriots.sar.org/patriot/display/319397

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/1034/images/VBMDUSACT1634_0049-0156

https://books.google.com/books?id=SatFAQAAMAAJ&pg=RA1-PA10

https://archive.org/details/genealogyofwhitt00whit/page/n150/mode/1up

Question #2: Elisha married Polly Mygatt at Danbury, Connecticut, in early 1806 and they set out by wagon for Ohio on June 3rd. What celestial event surprised them on June 16th, the morning after they left Pittsburgh?

A total solar eclipse. Detailed information about the path of this eclipse can be found at the eclipse portal on the NASA Goddard Space Flight Center website and at the astronomical data portal on the UK Hydrographic Office website.

References:

https://archive.org/details/genealogyofwhitt00whit/page/n150/mode/1up

http://astro.ukho.gov.uk/eclipse/0211806

https://eclipse.gsfc.nasa.gov/SEsearch/SEsearchmap.php?Ecl=18060616

Question #3: In February 1813, Brigade Major Elisha Whittlesey in the Army of the Northwest under Gen. Harrison, rode through the famous “black swamp” then onward to the Ohio state capitol, a total journey of 180 miles in 3 days and nights to deliver a message to the Ohio Legislature. To what city did he ride?

Chillicothe was the original capitol when Ohio became a state in 1803. In 1810, the Ohio General Assembly moved the capitol to Zanesville. In 1812 the Ohio General Assembly restored Chillicothe as the temporary capitol city until a permanent site “not more than 40 miles from what may be deemed the common center of the state” could be built. The Ohio General Assembly met for the first time at the new capitol in Columbus in 1816. Hence, in February 1813, Major Whittlesey delivered his verbal dispatches to the Ohio Legislature at Chillicothe. As a footnote, Elisha Whittlesey was elected as a member of the Ohio House of Representatives in 1819.

References:

https://archive.org/details/genealogyofwhitt00whit/page/n151/mode/1up

https://www.lsc.ohio.gov/documents/reference/current/guidebook/17/Chapter%2012.pdf

Question #4: As General Agent of the Washington National Monument, Elisha Whittlesey’s name appears on the copper plaque covering the zinc time capsule set into the cornerstone which was laid on 4 July 1848. Why can’t that plaque be viewed by the public today?

The cornerstone, a 24,500 pound block of pure white Symington marble, was laid at ground level on a base of other stone work. During the strengthening of the foundation in 1879–80 the cornerstone was sandwiched between the bluestone rubble and concrete slab under the old foundation and the concrete buttress completely encircling what remains of the old foundation. The time capsule is today over 20 feet below ground.

References:

http://npshistory.com/publications/wamo/history/chap2.htm

http://npshistory.com/publications/wamo/history/chap4.htm

https://americanhistory.si.edu/collections/search/object/nmah_528644

Question #5: In what building and city were Elisha (65), Elisha Jr. (28), and 9 unrelated people enumerated in the 1850 U.S. Census?

They rented rooms at Mrs. Hyatt’s Boarding House, which was located on the south side of Pennsylvania Avenue between 6th and 7th Streets, in the 4th Ward, Washington City, District of Columbia. That entire block was razed prior to the construction in 1937 of the Apex Building which today houses the Federal Trade Commission.

References:

https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HT-XCSC-QHP?i=2

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/8054/images/4193081-00430

Question #6: In a commemorative of Elisha at the First Presbyterian Church in Washington, DC, on January 10, 1864, Rev. Byron Sunderland referred to him as “the _______ of the Treasury” for his service as First Comptroller of the Treasury under Presidents Taylor, Fillmore, Pierce, and Lincoln. What word goes in the blank?

He was known as “the watch-dog of the Treasury.” A published copy of Rev. Sunderland’s sermon booklet can be found on the babel.hathitrust.org and archive.org websites.

References:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=yale.39002067418039&view=1up&seq=22

https://archive.org/details/sermoncommemorat00sund/page/16/mode/2up

Question #7: Elisha Whittlesey’s law office, built in the mid-1800s, was moved in 1965 around the same time his home was razed. Where can it be found today?

The building was moved to the Western Reserve (formerly Pioneer) Village at the Canfield, Ohio, Fairgrounds.

References:

https://www.hmdb.org/m.asp?m=65433

https://remarkableohio.org/index.php?/category/1011

Scavenger Hunt Day #5 – Dorothy Hooker (circa 1589-circa 1662)

Dorothy (née Hooker) Chester (circa 1589-circa 1662) became part of the colonization of the AmericanColonies in the early 17th century. She was an ancestor of 30th U.S. President Calvin Coolidge.

Question #1: Dorothy Hooker married John Chester [whose lineage can be traced back to Saint Begga (613-693)], at Birstall, Leicestershire, England, on what date?

The date of their marriage was June 1, 1609. Several of the scavenger hunt participants found this in The Great Migration, Vol. II, C-F, but none found images (if they exist on-line) of the Birstall Parish Registers.

References:

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2496/images/42521_b158313-

00169

https://www.foundersofhartford.org/the-founders/dorothy-hooker-chester

Question #2: After the death of her husband in 1628, Dorothy removed to the American colonies, probably on the ship Griffin with her brother Thomas and his family. In which harbor did the Griffin arrive on 4 September 1633?

In his journals, John Winthrop recorded the arrival at Boston harbor. The ship was brought into harbor by Capt. Gallop via a new way near Lovell’s Island.

References:

https://www.google.com/books/edition/Genealogical_and_Personal_Memoirs_Relati/

Bc8UAAAAYAAJ?hl=en&gbpv=1&pg=PA2075

https://archive.org/details/winthropsjourna05hosmgoog/page/n127/mode/1up

Question #3: Dorothy settled first in Newtowne, Massachusetts. What is the name of this town today?

Massachusetts Records, Vol. I, page 180, Sept. 8, 1636, records “Newe Town now called Cambridge.” Massachusetts Records, Vol. I, page 228, May 2, 1638, records “It is ordered that Newtowne shall hence-forward be called Cambridge.”

References:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=hvd.li3b8q&view=1up&seq=354

https://www.cambridgema.gov/historic/cambridgehistory

Question #4: In 1634, Dorothy’s son Leonard was one of the “Ten Adventurers” who permanently settled in an area south of what was to be become Hartford that the Wongunk called Pyquag. What was this settlement renamed in 1637?

The land was initially called Watertown (after Watertown, Massachusetts) and was renamed Wethersfield.

References:

https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/history

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=coo.31924096458587&view=1up&seq=58

https://www.wethersfieldhistory.org/articles/wethersfield-a-history

Question #5: Dorothy owned several parcels of land. Where was her “home-lot” in 1639?

According to The Memorial History of Hartford County, Connecticut, 1633-1884, Vol. I, by J. Hammond Trumbull, 1886, page 234, “her home-lot was on the west side of Main St. near Centinel Hill.”

References:

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucw.ark:/13960/t1qf8tf4s&view=1up&seq=274

https://archive.org/details/collectionsofcon14conn/page/366/mode/2up?q=Chester

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/2496/images/42521_b158313-00169

Question #6: An inventory of Dorothy’s estate was taken on 27 May 1662 by Gregory Wolerton, John Barnard, and Thomas Bull. What value did they place on her estate?

£33-11-08. One of our participants found an image of the inventory in the original probate package.

References:

PS:

https://www.ancestrylibrary.com/imageviewer/collections/9049/images/

007627777_00705

https://babel.hathitrust.org/cgi/pt?id=ucw.ark:/13960/t4sj1zt9m&view=1up&seq=139

https://www.familysearch.org/library/books/records/item/121817-a-digest-of-the-early-connecticut-probate-records-vol-1?viewer=1&offset=0#page=136&viewer=picture&o=&n=0&