Talking Genealogy

Sat, 3 May 2008 13:36:16 -0400

Did Mickey Mouse come from Huron County?; Disney family traced back to region
Did you know that Walt Disney was a descendant of Huron County pioneers? This came to light a few weeks ago after a lady called me and asked for help researching her family history.
When I visited this lady she surprised me when she asked if I could help her confirm an old family story that she was related to Walt Disney.
I smiled to myself. In my line of work, lots of people tell me they are related to someone special. But really, could she have just said the name Walt Disney, the creator of my childhood hero Mickey Mouse? After our initial telephone conversation, she had listed all the information she had about her Huron County family. The most interesting exhibit was a family photograph of a long ago family gathering in a time period of the pioneers. A sheet of barely transparent paper accompanying the photograph and once overlaid it revealed a number placed on the centre of each individual's head. At the bottom of the sheet was a legend explaining their names and relationship to the descendants. In total there were about a dozen people including one she suspected of marrying into the Disney family.
Never one to resist a challenge I gathered her names and dates and got started with my work. I left this lady's house with the task of tracing her relative's descendants as well as copying her photograph into a digital format and adding the names at the bottom. I was certain I could do the second task but would I be able to track the progression of her family from Huron County to Hollywood?
Starting by developing her family tree I moved back through the generations and came to a Richardson who married a Disney. How would I research the connection with the creator of Mickey Mouse? Through research, I discovered a Richardson who owned property in Bluevale, in Huron County during the 1870s. I also found a certificate of the marriage of a Mary Richardson to a Kepple Disney that became an important part of solving the puzzle.
Talking with a friend and fellow genealogist about this assignment, I heard her chuckle as we were both at our computers, I sent her the information I had about Mary Disney, who's maiden name was Richardson, and held on. Within a moment my ears were burning with the sound of my friend's voice saying "Oh My, Oh My, Yes, Wow, I can't believe it!" She sent me the link and I was able to see instantly a biography of Walt Disney's life and a perfect match of names. Walt's great-great grandparents were Ruth Lark and Robert Richardson, names supplied by my client.
There it was, this lady did have an ancestor in common with the late great Walt Disney, the father of Mickey Mouse himself and I had the confirmation she was seeking.
Walt Disney's father Elias had traveled to the United States with his father Kepple and brother. Kepple was on his way to California like thousands of others who heard of the easy gold pickings to be had. On their way they met a man who talked Kepple into accompanying him to Kansas. This is the place he decided to stay. I did find records of Mary and Kepple with Walter and his siblings in Ellis, Kansas, in the early 1900s. I found documentation that showed the family left Huron County, Canada, in 1878.

Family tree quest takes interesting turns
Several years ago I was working on researching my family history and learned the maiden name of my grandfather's mother.
I asked my mother about this family and all she could tell me was that she had never met either of her grandparents because they were both deceased by the time she was born. She told me they came from some place in Quebec. I was optimistic and started my search. I went from one site to the other checking census records, vital statistic records but to no avail.
So I had decided to work on another part of my family as I thought this Quebec family would be too difficult to find. What a shame it would have been if I had given up at that point! The richest heritage story I have ever come across to date comes from these Lower Canada ancestors.
Many months later I decided to give it another try. I went to the Quebec websites and started to search again. To my surprise and delight, I came across a reference to a will with some names on it.
One name in particular was recognizable, the name of William Wool Wallis - a name one tends to remember. Instead of using my usual methods of researching census and databases of other genealogical information, I decided to search some of the message boards on popular websites. I noticed another person was responding to an inquiry with a number of Wallis family names. I sent a request to the person on the message board asking if my William Wool Wallis was a member of her family ancestors.
Bingo! She was a descendant of our mutual great-great-great-great-grandfather. My excitement grew when I realized that I would soon have information about this family that was not otherwise available to me. I was given a complete set of family names to work with and the locations of where each family lived.
I found websites that listed county history books and news articles from the various locations during the earliest times. I found ancestors tombstones with their names, birth and death dates. Many of these stones revealed the the places in England from which they had come, some as early as 1793.
I have since discovered the military contributions some made to our young country. By searching the Archives of Ontario site, I now have a photograph of my great-great-grandfather showing him with his sword and the ribbon and medal he received for the part he played during the Fenian raids. I was able to see all this when I searched his name, Henry Bull Wallis, on the Ontario Archives Special Collections website.
After compiling all the photographs and quotes from books with newspaper clippings, I decided that something must be done with all this family archival material. I wanted to share my discoveries with other family members in an organized and interesting way. I made a family history website with charts, newspaper articles, quotes from books and photographs with a sense of patriotic pride.
I have since been contacted by a Wallis descendant in Florida who told me she had been looking for her Canadian ancestors for years. I was able to pass our shared heritage to her via the Internet and by means of my website.
Meeting her and other descendants that lived near and far has been a delightful reward.
I want other families to enjoy the same pleasure by letting me help them discover their heritage so they can share their archival collection in this new and interesting way.

Marcia Earl RR1 Annan ON Canada N0H 1B0 519-374-9017 Call from *8am to 6Pm Monday to Saturday

Talking Genealogy