Daniel James Thompson (1954 - abt. 2016)

Born 10 Jul 1954 in Cleveland, Cuyahoga, Ohio, United States

Ancestors

Died about 2016 at about age 61 in Ohio, United States

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Biography

Childhood Memories

The oldest of four children, I was raised in suburban Cleveland, Ohio. My father was a electrician/repairman in the coin operated machine industry. Our basement was like an arcade with a jukebox, a pinball machine, 2 pool tables (regulation and bumper), a spin poker machine and a shuffle alley bowling machine. Needless to say we were the most popular house on the block! My Mother was an old fashioned stay at home mom who never learned to drive but could cook up a storm. My maternal grandmother lived with us and I would marvel at the number of cousins she had and wondered how she remembered them all. Sadly, no one thought to write down the identities of all the people in her photo albums which now are just old photos with no context. My dad's maternal Grandmother, whose maiden name was Foster, lived with us for a couple years before her passing and would tell us that she was related to Stephen C Foster, a connection I have not been able to prove yet. Because of the influence of these grandparents I was always interested in family history though didn't really pursue it until recently.

Dan was married to Michelle Klein (nee Schroll) in Tokyo, Japan on 24 Jan 1976. The marriage ended December 1976.

Military Service

Dan Thompson is a Military Veteran.
Served in the United States Navy 1972-1993 attaining Chief Petty Officer
Served in Vietnam and Desert Storm

After Graduation from high school I enlisted in the the US Navy. After basic training and OS'A' school I was assigned to the USS Bausell (DD-845), a Gearing class destroyer homeported in Yokosuka, Japan, spending the last two months of the Vietnam War conducting Naval Gunfire Support (NGFS) north of the DMZ. In addition to the Bausell I served on the following ships during my career:

USS Ranger (CV-61), "Show the flag" ops during the Entebbe incident.

USS Coral Sea (CV-43)

NAS Alameda, California, Base Security Force

USS Kilauea (AE-26), Support ops in the Persian Gulf during the Iran hostage crisis and rescuing Vietnamese boat people.

USS Ortolan (ASR-22), One of two commissioned catamarans. Advanced to Chief Operations Specialist - Surface Warfare (OSC(SW))

USS Ainsworth (FF-1090), Libyan ops in the Gulf of Sidra, south of Qadaffi's "Line of Death."

FITC Damneck, Virginia Beach, Virginia, OS'A' School Instructor

USS Portland (LSD-37), Desert Shield/Desert Storm followed by a training cruise to South America (UNITAS)

I retired in 1993 after 21 years service having visited over 40 countries on every continent except Antarctica.

Life after Service

After retirement from the Navy my wife and I decided to stay in Virginia Beach so our 2 teenage daughters could finish high school without having to be uprooted. I worked a variety of jobs and two years after retirement began driving a taxi cab in Norfolk. It turned out to be the perfect job for me. I was my own boss. setting my own work schedule and I really enjoyed meeting so many people. On 9/11 I was taking an Air Force Sgt to Langley AFB from the airport when we heard the news. I immediately volunteered to return to active duty but being just months away from 30 yrs total service and transfer to the retired list from the Fleet Reserve, the Navy would not let me return to active duty.

Dan was a Freemason and Past Master of Virginia Beach Lodge #274 A.F.&A.M.

Forced Retirement

In 2005, after several years of physical decline I was diagnosed with "Kennedy's Disease" or Spinal Bulbar Muscular Atrophy, a rare, progressive, degenerative neuromuscular disorder caused by a mutation on the X chromosome. The symptoms are very similar to ALS, though progression is much slower. I had to stop driving in 2009 and the following year relocated to Fort Myers, FL. Now I spend my days working on family history, doing data entry for the World Archive Project through Ancestry.com, playing bridge several times a week and spend way too much time watching TV.

Genealogical Interests

Besides trying to break through the brick walls, I'm particularly interested in the Puritans of the Great Migration, especially the members of Rev T J Hooker's congregation who settled Hartford.
Outside of my own lineage, I'm doing what I can to clean up the profiles of other Puritan families and merge duplicates where ever possible. I also participate in the World Archive Project helping to create searchable data bases of various records.

Family History

The United States is a nation of immigrants. This is no less true for my family. Of my eight great grandparents four were born in or near Germany and one was the daughter of German immigrants. Of the remaining three, Henry N Thompson aka LaVie is probably the son of Spanish emigrants; Mary (Foster) Krakan is the granddaughter of Irish/Welsh emigrants whose American born father, Robert M Foster I have not yet been able to trace. . My great grandmother,Carrie (Francis) Thompson, roots go back to Palatine origins through Noffsinger and Pfleger, Scots through Erskine and Puritans through Olmstead, Brownson, Butler, Francis, and others. Through her I have been able to trace this branch to Scottish and English nobility.

Family Mysteries and Brick Walls

• I'm trying to find the actual location of my ancestors birthplace called “Russia-Poland”. My Great Grandfather Wilhelm Wagner (1873 – 1941) arrived here in 1897 or '98. He was followed in 1901 by his wife, Amelia Hodores (1872 – 193?) and 6 yr old John Wagner (1895 – 1963), my grandfather, settling in Cleveland, Ohio. According to the 1910 and 1920 census many of the Wagners' neighbors were also from “Russia-Poland”. A search of maps from turn of the century Europe provides no place with that identity. The US Census data provides us with conflicting information: 1910 for Wilhelm, Amelia and John report place of birth as “Germany”, and 1920 as “Russia-Poland.” On John's naturalization papers in 1922 his birthplace is identified as “Russia”. By the 1930 census John is married and reports his and his parents place of birth as “Russia-Poland” while Wilhelm reports his own and Amelia's birthplace as “Poland.” In 1940, the most recent census to be released, Wilhelm reports his birthplace as “Germany” and John's is recorded as “Russia”. The Wagner's spoke German as their native tongue though Amelia's maiden name “Hodores” is of Polish origins. I'm thinking that there was some disputed border region that might have used an ambiguous name.
• Looking for ancestors of Isabelle Jones Born May 16, 1808 in Washington County (Now Smyth County), Virginia; Married William Francis on February 2, 1826 in Sweet Springs, Monroe County, Virginia (now West Virginia); died March 17, 1860 in Smyth County, Virginia.
  
  

~Dan

Sources

• Daniel J. Thompson: First hand knowledge.