The Niece of Marshal Sisco
AND THE IDENTIFICATION OF MRS. ANNIE BELL KING
As always, unapologetically, unedited.
Well, you really didn't think I was done, did you?
I mean, come on. There is always another story to tell.
It isn't that I wanted to move on to the next project all that fast. Rather, I wanted to truly finish up and complete the story I’ve been telling—I wanted to elevate it. And no, I'm not talking about Ruth (Fuller) Francisco. I've done all that I can to bring dear Ruthie's tale into the light. I will have to rely on the New York Genealogical and Biographical Record to stand as both Ruth's and my own testimony regarding her identification, her life, and her Mayflower ancestry. (Coming July 2026 God willing!)
No, this time, it was Annie.
I just didn't feel like I had done enough for Annie—that is Ruth's great-great-granddaughter, Annie Bell (Cisco) King.
Finding Annie's death register record, which explicitly names her parents as Clark Cisco and Sarah (Hurley) Cisco, was a monumental win for this entire Mayflower line. Not to mention, it rescued dear Annie herself from being lost in the mists of time. Because of that, I wanted to elevate Annie and the tale of her "discovery."
So the question became: How best to do that?
I initially thought about putting it all together and calling upon the NYGBR again, but Annie's tale falls outside the scope of her New York ancestry. I thought about trying my luck with NEHGS’s The Register, but they tend to blow you off because they're so damn busy most days. I know I could try anyway, but it just didn't feel right. Annie's story also felt a little too far removed to attempt Mayflower Descendant (besides, I’ve driven the editor there crazy enough times!).
Still, my need to tell Annie's side of this lineage story prevails.
In my genealogical madness, I decided to combine the telling of Annie's tale—which I am calling "The Niece of Marshal Sisco"—with my own aspiration (and hubris) to publish in one of the other premier genealogical periodicals: The American Genealogist (TAG). It isn't as "old" a publication as The Register or The Record (having started in 1922), but it is fiercely exclusive. Along with the National Genealogical Society Quarterly, they are the big kids on the block.
Look at me. Trying to play with the New Kids.
Oops. Sorry, Wrong kids. Oh well, as usual, I digress.
Anyway, back to our regularly scheduled program...
So, I took the plunge. I wrote my exploratory email to the "TAG" editor, Dr. Nathaniel Lane Taylor, and attached version 129k of my manuscript: "The Niece of Marshal Sisco—Identifying Annie Bell (Cisco) King of Madison, Jefferson County, Indiana."
Wish me luck. This process is so incredibly intimidating.
If I get this published—and I know that is a massive "if"—it will mean that two major sections of Paige's Mayflower line ancestry, Ruth Fuller and Annie Cisco, will have successfully made their way out of the dark pages of forgotten history and into the permanent light of:
Yes, this is who we were.
Anyway, it's officially sent. Wish us luck!
☮
