Robert Ritchie McCracken - to Diamond Park???

Linda Malpass · Post by **Linda Malpass** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 2:26 am

I was wondering if someone can help me ... Robert Ritchie McCracken immigrated to the USA, 1901 from Scotland, the ship manifest says he is going to an uncle in Diamond Park? .. it might be Illinois or Indiana ...it is not clear, does anyone know the reference to Diamond Park, or what state this would be in .. Robert was a Coal Miner in New Cumnock Ayrshire, Scotland. He registered with the US Army 1904 and was discharged in 1907, then I find him in all the census's in Staunton, Macoupin, Illinois

Rach · Post by **Rach** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 3:58 pm

Just doing a bit of surfing for Diamond Park brought up the following:
*one Diamond Park in Arkansas but the first recorded diamond there was 1906
*Diamond, Illinois which was a coal mining area.
I don't suppose you have found which of his uncles he might have visited to see if that might give you a clue.
Rae

Linda Malpass · Post by **Linda Malpass** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 4:48 pm

Thanks Rae for taking the effort to look for Diamond Park ... I don't know who this uncle would be that he was going to see I have tried many searches to no avail .. I would assume he was going for Coal Mining? From Oct 1901 to 1904 whereabouts unknown until he joined the US Army in July, 1904, illinois and was discharged in 1907 and then shows up in 1910 census for Staunton, Macoupin, Illinois ..

It may be that Diamond Park is a coal mining community within a township?

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 5:56 pm

Linda,

I think what you are looking for is the town of Diamond, in Parke County, Indiana. There was coal mining there.

I blew up the passenger list to 175% and I'm fairly sure it's Indiana that's abbreviated. Also, very faintly in the background is the name Elizabeth Holden. Does that mean anything to you?

Hard to say about the "Uncle". My grandmother's younger brother told the clerk taking the passenger list information that he was going to his brother Jacob. He didn't have a brother Jacob!

Carol

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:40 pm

Hi again,

Also in the background, it says "to carbon". Carbon, Indiana is a town about five miles east of Diamond--also a coal mining town. Both are NE of Terra Haute.

Carol

Linda Malpass · Post by **Linda Malpass** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 6:57 pm

Thank You Carol

It always helps to have another set of eyes .. glad you had a look at the 1901 ship manifest .. I too had thought Indiana .. and thank you for trying to figure out the name Elizabeth Holdon .. it doesn't mean much to me but I am going to search it out .. funny name for an Uncle ..

I have since met a second cousin in Illinois and they stated their grandpa, Robert Ritchie McCracken always said he had a relative that came out from Scotland but lost track of him in Indiana ?? He does have a brother, James Muir McCracken who immigrated in 1913 to Pennsylvania, I have researched him up until the 1930 census in Allegheny, PA ...

Linda Malpass · Post by **Linda Malpass** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 7:55 pm

Carol ... have a look at the 1900 census Indiana, County Parke for a Ezekiel Holden, born in Scotland, I am sure this is the name on the ship manifest for Robert Ritchie McCracken .. see what you think.

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 8:42 pm

Linda,

You're right! It is Ezekiel Holden! I just glanced at the name and thought it was Elizabeth. Now you just have to figure out how he was related to you!

Parke County, IN is a very pretty place. They have a lot of covered bridges there. When I started googling to find Diamond Park and came up with Diamond, Parke County it just clicked. Also, I knew that there was a lot of coal mining acrossed central Indiana and Illinois.

Carol

Linda Malpass · Post by **Linda Malpass** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 9:10 pm

I can't thank you enough Carol ... I would never have figured this out without your help.
I have since discovered that Ezekiel Holden was born in Kilwinning, Scotland and he married Agnes Ritchie, that is my great grandmothers sister ... so it is all coming together. Agnes sister Elizabeth Ritchie married James Muir McCracken and Robert Ritchie McCracken is their son who came to Indiana in 1901 .... great find

I have downloaded tons of documents from Ancestry, they came to Indiana in 1865/1866 ... so I have lots of info on the Holden family ...

Many, Many Thanks Carol

speleobat2 · Post by **speleobat2** » Sat Aug 22, 2009 11:26 pm

Wow! That's great Linda!

I'm always glad to try to help and it's fun when it works out like this! You're lucky to be able to find lots of docuements because the records kept in the US in the 1800's weren't always that great.

We were also luck that the passenger record could be magnified 175%. I could never have read the fine print even with my glasses otherwise!!

Carol