GHanson family query; immigration puzzle

My computer mail box was full this week with letters from readers seeking help.

I only have space for two, but I promise that all legitimate letters will be published, with one exception ... letters from persons seeking living relatives with whom they have lost contact. That's not the purpose of this column and I, personally, feel that is an invasion of privacy. There are public and private agencies who will perform that service for you.

What we are about is ancestors ... historical stories and questions about relatives who lived years ago and are now long gone. If we happen to find a new cousin in our genealogical ventures, that is wonderful. But we weren't looking for any one specific person by name.

One of my recent letters was from Harriet Hanson Lora who read an old column on the Hansons and is looking for proof of a marriage I mentioned. Harriet writes:

"Dear Judy,

"As you can tell, it's been a while since I visited the Fayette Citizen Web site (lost my link). I was appalled at the first article claiming that Jesse Hanson divorced Elizabeth Crawford and married Mary Murphy, but then quite relieved to see the correction appear in the March 2 edition.

"I must still take exception, however, with the claims that Jesse Hanson married Mary Murphy. No record that I know of (and I have checked) exists showing this marriage took place. The claim is made solely on the basis of a widow's pension application filed by Mary Murphy 23 years after Jesse Hanson died. Her application was rejected.

"Personally, I believe (and so do other Hanson researchers) that Mary Murphy was a housekeeper in the home of Jesse Hanson and his wife, Elizabeth Crawford. Elizabeth died in 1840 at the home of their daughter. I do not believe that Jesse and Mary were married in 1841, or ever. I think that poor Mary Murphy found herself alone and feeble in her old age and filed a claim as his widow, hoping for a monthly income.

"If anyone has a certified copy of a marriage record for Jesse Hanson and Mary Murphy, I would LOVE to see it! In fact, I would appreciate being proven wrong.

"And, now that I found my link to your site again, I will read your column on a regular basis. You provide a wonderful service. Thanks and keep up the good work.

"Harriet Hanson Lora,

"Llora90501@aol.com."

Harriet didn't mention where the marriage supposedly took place, but I'm sure there are Hanson researchers out there who will jump on this one. I'd like to know the answer too.

The next letter is from Dennis Baker in Peachtree City and I was sure Dennis was pulling my leg ... until he wrote back and explained his situation a little more. Dennis is looking for information on his parents and siblings who were Turkish immigrants to the United States in the early 1900s.

Huh? Parents? Siblings? You're kidding, right? Baker doesn't sound like a Turkish name to me. Well, it appears Dennis' name has been "Americanized" as so many are. His surname was actually Bakirtzoglou. Dennis has even written a letter to the Turkish embassy in Washington but they were unable to help.

I confessed to Dennis that I haven't a clue about Ellis Island immigration information. He had already checked the new Ellis Island site on the Web (which I would have advised him to do), but came up with nothing.

Just in case there's someone out there who may be related, I'll publish Dennis' letter. And to those of you who have had experience with Ellis Island immigrants, please let us hear from you. I have combined and paraphrased both the letter to me and the letter to the Embassy. Dennis writes:

"I have been trying for some time to find a source for information about my parents and older sister and brother who came to America in the early 1900s from Dardenelles, Turkey.

"I was able to find immigration information about my father in the Ellis Island files but not for my mother, sister and brother. I also found information about two of my father's brothers.

"I sent an e-mail to the Turkish Embassy in Washington giving them all the information I had but they were unable to help.

"My family members immigrated to America from Turkey between 1909 and 1914. I found my father's immigration information from the Ellis Island files as follows: Antonios Bakirtzoglous, departed Dardenellia 8 July 1912 on the ship Macedonia. I believe that the 's' on my father's name is an administrative error. He had two brothers that immigrated before he did whose last name did not include the 's' ... Dimitrios Bakirtzoglou, who was a twin, and Panayotis Bakirtzoglou who was a younger brother. These two are also listed in the Ellis Island files. I have not been able to find immigration information about my mother, older sister and older brother.

"My mother and father were married on or about 17 April 1906. My mother's maiden name was Tsouras; her first name was something like 'Efpraxia.' My sister's name was 'Chrisula' and my brother's name was 'Androcles.'

"I would (like to have) copies of my parent's marriage license and their birth certificates; copies of birth certificates for Dimitrios and Panayotis Bakirtzoglou; and copies of birth certificates for my sister Chrisula and my brother Androcles Bakirtzoglou. Also, the immigration information for my mother, sister and brother. I hope you can provide me with some sources.

"Dennis Baker, 2031 Village Park Drive, Peachtree City, Ga. 30269-2983; e-mail: yaya2papu@aol.com."

I did advise Dennis that the LDS Family History Center in Newnan is a great resource for foreign genealogy. If they don't have it in Salt Lake, it probably can't be found!

The FHC phone number is 770-254-9857 and they're open every day of the week (and some evenings) except Sunday and Monday.

I'd also like to remind those of you who may have missed some of the previous columns and are interested in reading them (there is a lot of family information in most), they can be found on our Web site (www.thecitizennews.com). From the home page, scroll down and you'll see the "Finding Your Folks" link on the right.

Looking for your ancestors? Got a genealogy tip? Write to The Citizen, Drawer 1719, Fayetteville, GA 30214; e-mail jkilgore@thecitizennews.com or jodiek444@aol.com.

Until next week, happy hunting!