Researching my family history is an addicting hobby I’ve been indulging in for the past twenty years or so. I’ve uncovered distant ancestors and met long-lost cousins along the way and I’m sharing some of the data with you on these pages. If you can’t find what you are looking for here, try the search feature or drop me a line. However, in most cases, everything I have is posted online.
The greatest proportion of my ancestors are English in origin. These include the Hurts and Smiths on my father’s side. These people lived mostly in the south, settling in Mississippi, Tennessee, and Virginia. They were mostly farmers and laborers. The families on my grandmother’s side seem to have been well educated, becoming doctors, lawyers, and artists. The ancestors of my grandfather, Bruce Straub Farquhar, seem to be of mostly German descent, settling in Pennsylvania in the areas of Easton, Bethlehem, Lehighton, and Slatington. They were of varying religions, including Moravian, Dutch Reformed, and Presbyterian. A few ancestors took part in the American Revolution; they are Moza and Philemon Hurt. Three ancestors fought in the Civil War: Joseph David Hurt for the Confederate Army, and Robert Emmett LeBlond and Jesse LaBar for the Union.
There were no thieves, rogues, or criminals, no skeletons in the closet. (Darn it!) Likewise there are no high-ranking government officials, no inventors, no sports stars, or noblemen. They all seem to be hard-working, church-going, upstanding citizens who valued education and were solidly middle-class.
At top is a list of surnames that I am researching. Click on a name to read a summary of the information I have found so far. Some of the lines have lots of info; others very little. Please enjoy your browsing!
You can also see my family tree at Ancestry.com by clicking here.
Karen-
My name is Ken LeBlond and I’m also a descendant of Elizabeth Knight and Robert E. LeBlond. My great-grandfather was John A. LeBlond. (Does the A. stand for Abram?)
John A.’s son was John Knight LeBlond (my grandfather) and my father is John Knight LeBlond Jr. I also have a son Samuel LeBlond so the name lives on!
Your site is great and you’ve done much of the work that I was slowly getting to. I just spent some time in Cincinnati (actually only about a half a day) researching some family history and it left me with more questions than answers. Our LeBlonds (i.e. my dad and his siblings) didn’t seem to communicate much with their cousins (John A.’s other kids’ families) so I don’t have much with which to work.
Did you travel to London or France looking into family history? The family grapevine has claimed that the LeBlonds were Huguenots (which you’ve also found out) AND that the name was changed TO LeBlond from their original French name when they moved out of France to avoid religious persecution while in London/England. Do you have any information about that?
Thanks for any info you can provide. I’m still browsing through your site. Great work, Karen!
Ken LeBlond
Amherst, Massachusetts (recently from Seattle, WA)
Greetings! I’m truly astounded at the amount of information you’ve collected here! My girlfriend and I are working on her family tree. She is the 6th great granddaughter of Philemon Hurt. We had hit a wall until we stumbled across your site and your detailed biography. It filled in several holes we had, and helped us expand our research further. A few things:
1. On Geni.com, they have managed to trace the Hurt line quite a bit further back, to Thomas Hurte, born in the late 14th century. There are several great resources to check out, including official pedigrees!
2. There seems to be a 404 error with many of your links from the Hurt surname page to various individuals, as well as the essays. I didn’t check them all out, and I’m not sure if the same issue exists on other surname pages, but I thought you’d like to know.
3. Do you have any other list of the sources you have discovered, apart from the essays and books on the surname page? We are trying to create the most complete source list possible for our documentation.
4. I’d like to ask your permission to copy and paste your biography of Philemon Hurt and possibly other individuals into Ancestry.com, citing you as the source, of course. There’s such a wealth of information there, I think it’s more than worth sharing!
Thanks for the wonderful work you do!
Benny, Thanks for your comments. (1) Yes, I know the Hurt line goes back quite far in England and I have some info about that on my site. (2) I moved things around and messed up all my links! Will try to fix them. (3) I have other sources but my Hurt stuff is in disarray after moving the site about 3 times. (4) Yes, you may use the bios.
Ken, No I haven’t traveled anywhere to do my research, just read a lot and got quite a bit of info from my grandmother. I do not believe the LeBlonds changed their name after leaving France. You might check out my tree on Ancestry.com – it has lots of LeBlonds.
Hello! Lovely site, with quite a lot of information. I have a LeBlond print, The Fifth of November, and wanted to know if you may be interested in acquiring it to add to your collection. Please email me if you would like to know more.
Thank you,
Ms. Rose
Karen,
How are you. My name is Larry Hubbard, and I have been researching our family history for over 20 years. My ancestors were slaves in Yazoo County, MS (G.N. Jordan). G.N. Jordan was allegedly the father of my Great-Great Granddaddy, Henry Hubbard. Henry was considered a Mulatto (mixed). Many of his children also wear the appearance of Mulattos. This is history passed down for years and years until as recently 1999 or so from Henry’s last living daughter, Edna Minniefield.
G.N. Norman is the great grandfather of Ethel Skakel (married Robert Kennedy). William Jordan of Triune is G.N.’s great uncle (who is the brother of Samuel Jordan, G.N.’s grandfather).
Our older people also referenced coming from Tennessee. Henry Hubbard’s referenced father, Chas Hubbard, was born in Tennessee. His mom, Mariah Hubbard, and his dad were also from Tennessee. Per the census, I can only find one Mariah Hubbard from Tennessee, born around the same time, from Williamson County, TN (Jordan Store).
I find it interesting that G.N. Norman is related to your ancestors with Hubbards being located in both Williamson County and in Yazoo County, MS. I don’t know if G.N. came through and brought slaves with him or what. However, he inherited a plantation and slaves from his wife that he married. She died some short years later. I would love to find out if there are slave records there that could link the Mariah Hubbard of Yazoo, MS who came from TN to be the same person. However, a common factor is G.N. Jordan (owned almost 150 slaves in Yazoo County). Any info from you will be great.
I have inherited 40 different LeBlond ovals collected by my grandfather over a 60 year period. His home was filled with 100s and 100s of Leblonds and Baxters. He was a local lawyer and lumberman and would go to London 2-3 times a year to attend the auctions and visit Bond St and the portabello market I tried consigning them to a local art gallery but they returned them saying there was no interest in them. I find this hard to believe. Surely there is some one out there still collecting these prints. Is that person you? Any information would be gratefully received Thank you for your time.
Tina, Hi – I might be interested in buying your print, thanks!
Larry, I don’t think I can help you much, sorry. I have a George Jordan who married Sally Puckett on December 12, 1815, in Williamson County, TN. He was born in 1785, son of William Jordan and Sarah Wood. He’s not in my direct line so I don’t research him at all.
Bill, I am collecting prints, but only a few at a time, as finances allow. I know you can sell them on eBay. They go anywhere from $10 – 100 each. I think there is still a market, but it’s not like it used to be.
I think William Jordan may have been an uncle to GN Jordan.
I am in the direct line of William Jordan of Triune. The information I was given is that William Jordan’s father, Edward, (1720-1791) married Elizabeth McConnico, instead of Washington. Can you verify and tell me which is correct? Thank you, JT
I have come to like Findagrave.com as a place for memorials to ancestors and family members. The entry at greenwood cemetery for James Mann Hurt Jr (https://findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GSln=hurt&GSfn=james&GSmn=mann&GSbyrel=all&GSdyrel=all&GSob=n&GRid=24995970&df=all&😉 gives no clue as to James Mann Hurt Sr. Your info shows him buried in the family burial ground at McLemoresville TN, and someone else’s indicates he was buried outside Mclemoresville. The closest “Hurt” cemetery in TN is about 30 miles north, according to google maps. I have not located his burial plot. Do you know its location? If so, you might add it to Findagrave.com.
Thank you for publishing all of this. I love learning about my family history. I wish i could find
a LeBlond oval to purchase at some point since I am a LeBlond
So Robert, were you related to R.K LeBlond? I now work at the house he owned…it is now called “St. Ursula Villa” and is a vibrant and happy place, filled with school children. I think frequently of R.K…have read about him. I say “So dear R.K…can you see the fruit of your generosity? Can you see all these happy, happy children? Today I decorated the “chapel” (Great Room) for Advent. Such a beautiful, beautiful place.
Laura
Ms. Hurst,
Thank you for getting back to me. I appreciate that you may be interested in my print, The 5th of November. Please contact me at my email to set up. It’s a great print.
Thanks,
Tina Rose
Karen:
I have Bogart research that I would like to share.
I descend from your David Bogart’s sister, Mary.
My research differs somewhat from yours.
You may find it interesting.
Ted Holtzman
Cheshire, CT
Hi Ted, I’d love to compare notes. Would you like to email me?
You and I must be related. My Grandfather is Homer Walter Straub. He died when my mother was 14. I know very little about him other than he married my Nana Robeania (sp?) Smith. She was from Staten Island, NY and was Scottish heritage, the only one of 6 born in the USA. I’d love to hear from you.
Could I speak to you by telephone; am doing a research project.
Sure, but first can you give me an idea of what you are researching?
I have pictures of paintings by Wilhelm Blomberg. Need e-mail address to share photos.
Hi Charles, that would be great. I send you an email but if you don’t get it, my email is karen [at] karenfurst.com. Looking forward to seeing your paintings!
Hello Karen –
I continue to enjoy your posts & stories. In return,, here is the link to my SmugMug site where I am in the process of posting our travels – “harrar.smugmug.com”
Ardelle Cottrill found the small oval painting of Mary LeBlond. I have in my collection of paper copies in family history this painting labeled “Mary LeBlond”. One uncle thought that John Geddis (1810) married a Mary LeBlond from the Cincinnati area. Could you please help me with any information about this Mary LeBlond in the painting?
Thank you.
Hi! Your photo of an Amenita mushroom led me to your site which then happens to have some fascinating information on my clan, the Boyers. I believe Solomon is my direct relative, unless there could be multiple Solomon Boyer types out there.
I’ll be sure to return here to glean more juicy bits on my clan, as well as others!
Thanks, EB
Thanks for visiting!
Hi Karen:
Bill Scott here – you and I are both descended from Austin O. Furst, in my case through Elizabeth Watson Furst (Klumpp). I’ve been doing some research about the Hannas and thought I would offer some thoughts about the aftermath of the raid on Miller’s Station in which Elizabeth Kelly Hanna was abducted.
There are some reports that she had two girls, Jane and Miriam, and that both were abducted with her. Jane is a real person, and later married Lt. David Hammond, one of the original members of the Society of the Cincinnati. Miriam may not be.
Some sources suggest that they were returned to the US with the help of friends in Montreal. I think this is extremely unlikely. There were few European people in Western Pennsylvania at the time, and fewer still with friends in Canada.
Whatever the party captured, it seems likely that the raiding party were Senecas (rather than Muncy or Mingo as is sometimes reported), and that they were taken initially to Canandaigua in Western New York. This is still and important Seneca site and the historical capital of the Seneca Nation. Thence, everyone agrees, they were taken to Fort Niagara, which is where Butler’s Rangers were headquartered.
It is said that a “British Agent” was involved in their release. I think this means the guy who was running the trading post at the fort. It still exists in the great French Built House that is the center of that post. My conjecture is that there was a relatively established market for captured folks…. white women were worth a blanket for bottle of whiskey a piece, with some consideration given for their condition.
It is said that Miriam caught the eye of a British officer in Canada, and married him. I doubt it. After going through what these captives endured, they were not likely to catch anyone’s eye, much less a person of education and position (required for officers). I think Marian or Miriam is apocryphal.
I have not been able to discover any records of Jane’s course, but other captives were typically taken to Carleton Island at the eastern end of the lake, where the Brits had a naval base. From there, they were put in open boats that had an easier time navigating the St. Lawrence to Montreal.
Other captives came back to the US via the Lake Champlain route, through Plattsburg, Albany, New York and thence to Philly. I think Elizabeth and Jane took this route and ended up in Lancaster PA or its environs.
The reason for this conjecture is that it is the site of the Donegal Presbyterian Church. The Donegal Presbytery still exists, and was responsible not only for the beautiful church in Lancaster, but also for other mission churches in Pennsylvania.
There were three in the North Forks of the Susquehanna, including the one that Jane and David were members of. The Potts Grove Presbyterian Church still exists in its third edifice. Jane and David are buried in the original yard, now largely abandoned. It’s called the Chillisquaque Cemetary, and is located on the Mexico Road, just north of where I-80 passes to the north of Potts Grove.
Karen would be interested in comparing notes. My dad is the ggg grandson of,John labar. I never was told any of this. Please send me an email.
Hi Karen — I write for Chadds Ford Neighbors magazine and I’m writing an article about the historic Fairview Inn — do you know anything about this property? I’d love to chat with you if you do (or if you know someone who does). My publisher gave me your book — I LOVE it. Thanks for your help, Rachel Brown, 302-509-8183
I don’t know much about it, sorry. You can contact the Chadds Ford Historical Society for more information.
Hello. Thank you for the work you do. My grandmother just died a few years back and was a phenomenal genealogist. Leallah Franklin. Published many times. She has much info on my Chamberlin lineage. For me most notably Rebecca Chamberlin who died in prison during the Salem witch trials.
That’s awesome! If you’d like to share it, feel free to email me at karen@karenfurst.com and I’ll be happy to add your info to the site.
Do you still need photos from the Eagleville and Triune areas? If so, please let me know. I was doing some research and am related to the Jordan family in that area, which led me to your blog.
I would be delighted to share your photos, thank you! Please send them to karen at karenfurst dot com.
Karen, do you have any additional info on German Nicholas Jordan?
Karen, I’m a reporter for the Tribune-Review, a newspaper in Greensburg, PA. I’m searching for descendants of Robert Hanna, founder of Hanna’s Town in Westmoreland County, PA, for an article I’m writing. Your entry about Hanna came up when I was searching online. If someone in your family is a Hanna descendant or you performed research for a descendant, I would appreciate help in making contact with them. I’m at jhimler@triblive.com or 724-531-3017. Thanks.
Is anyone still active on this chat?