Webinars Released: BLM, Fold3.com, and Your "Process"

We've released copies of my three latest webinars--download is immediate!

Is Your Process the Problem?

Is your genealogical research process part of your problem? We will look at ways to organize your search, your problems, and your results in order to make the most effective use of your genealogical and financial resources. Geared towards beginning and intermediate researchers. $7 includes registration and handout.

Using the Bureau of Land Management Site

This presentation discusses search strategies for the Bureau of Land Management website--which hosts a database of federal land patent extracts and images. It will include a brief discussion of legal land descriptions in federal land states before discussing the several ways the site can be searched and queried. The presentation will conclude with several specific examples and how the site was queried for additional information. $7 includes presentation and handout.

Navigating Fold3.com-

Frustrated with finding databases and people on Fold3.com? This presentation discusses search techniques for determining what Fold3.com has, what it doesn't and how to search the entire site and specific databases for individuals of interest. Download complete presentation for $7.

Dog Passports and Leaving Servants in China

Sometimes one just simply cannot make things up.

In the process of searching for items on GenealogyBank while working on a separate blog post, I located a reference to a visit George and Marie Drollette made to her hometown of Evansville, Indiana, in 1921. The article contained an interesting subheading:

"Five Passports for Dog"

In explaining the subheading further, the paper states that "in speaking of the difficulties of entering the United States, Mrs. Drollette remarked that she had to have five passports to get her dog over."

Five passports for her dog? I'm inclined to think that she's referring to some sort of permission for the dog, but I'm doubting that she obtained canine passports.

Mrs. Drollette also lamented that she was unable to bring over her Chinese servant due the apparent amount of time the Drollettes were staying in the United States.

I'll have to look for Mrs. Drollette's passport and see if any dog is mentioned.

Stay tuned.

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GenealogyBank may contain similar items on your relative.

FamilySearch Updates

The following databases are showing as new or updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

Montana, Beaverhead County Records, 1862-2009

South Carolina, Confederate Home Records, 1909-1958

New York, Northern Arrival Manifests, 1902-1956

Minnesota, Baudette, Warroad, and International Falls Passenger Lists, 1910-1923

Florida, Key West Passenger Lists, 1898-1945

United States, Freedmen's Branch Records, 1872-1878

FamilySearch Update

The following database is showing as updated on FamilySearch:

Ohio, County Marriages, 1789-2013

How much of this is "new" I am not certain. I've used this database personally and it's been on the site for some time. My advice is to check and see if your counties of interest are showing up.

My Irish Immigrants

Like many genealogists with Irish immigrants, I don't have a great deal of information on my Irish family in Ireland. 

Samuel Neill immigrated as a single man in 1864, arriving in Canada's New Brunswick Province with his married brother Joseph and Joseph's young family. The Neills were living in Limavady when they left Ireland for Canada. Their immigration information appears in Brian Mitchell's Irish Passenger Lists 1847-1871: Lists of Passengers Sailing from Londonderry to America on Ships of the J. & J. COOKE Line and the McCORKELL  Line (Genealogical  Publishing  Co., Balto., MD.  1988).

Samuel's brother Joseph was married in Ireland before the family's immigration to the United States:

From  the "Quarterly returns of Marriages 1862 Ireland  Vol.  9," LDS microfilm roll 0101440, page 375.

On  16 January 1862 at the Derrymore Presbyterian Church,  Joseph NEIL[sic] and Ann BRYCE[sic] were married by Wm. [JAMISON?], with witnesses  of  Wm. MC INTOSH and John ARCHIBALD.  Joseph  was  of full  age  and was a bachelor who lived in [Taques] Hill  in  the parish  of Drumachose.  Joseph was a servant, and was the son  of John NEIL[sic] who was a laborer.  Ann was a spinster of full age and  was  a servant living in White [??] in the parish of  Drumachose.  Her father was James BRYCE, a laborer.

Samuel and Annie Murphy were married in New Brunswick in 1865. Unfortunately there is no additional information on the family in their marriage record there. Nothing is known about Annie's Irish origins other than she was born in the late 1830s/early 1840s and was a native of Ireland.

The Neills moved to near West Point, Hancock County, Illinois in the late 1860s and remained there until their deaths. Research in Hancock County has not located any information related to Annie's Irish origins. The Neills settled in Hancock County likely because Joseph's wife, Anne Brice, had family already in the area. 

Annie (Murphy) Neill died in St. Albans Township in 1897. Samuel died at his home on 17 March 1912.

Samuel and Joseph supposedly had several siblings. One may have been a Roseanna Neill who died in Ireland.

Related to Michael?

For those who've read various postings here and have wondered if they are related to me, I've posted an incomplete copy of my ancestor table on my website. My email indicates that there are several followers/readers who are related to me in one way, shape, or form.

I have quite a bit more of my Ostfriesen lines but just don't have them uploaded to the page yet. While some of the Ostfriesen last names are unusual, the nature of patronymics does not necessarily mean that we're related just because we have the same last name in common. There are several different Ufkes families out there for example--unrelated (I'm from the Ufkes family from Holtrop/Wiesens). Ufkes descendants have a male ancestor whose first name was Ufke--meaning that unrelated men with the first name of Ufke could both have children with the last name of Ufke. And every Ostfriesen has at least one (or five, ten, fifteen, etc.) ancestors with the last name of Janssen). Exceptions to the Ostfriesen patronym rule are generally the last names of Fecht, Flessner, Gronewold, etc. which are not patronymic in origin.

If you think there's a relatively close connection, I'd love to hear from you--but keep in mind that responding may take me a little while.

14 Genealogy Blogs You Might Not Be Reading

Genealogy Tip of the Day made Crestleaf.com's list of "14 Genealogy Blogs You Might Not Be Reading...But Should!" I appreciate the mention as we don't spend any money here on advertising or promotion.

I'm fairly certain most Rootdig readers are aware of Genealogy Tip of the Day as we've mentioned it here before and most tips come from items I'm working on for larger projects.

Readers may wish to take a look at the other blogs listed here. Sometimes it's good to get outside your "genealogical comfort zone."

Congratulations to the other bloggers for appearing on the list!

Unravelling the Mysteries of Women on the FamilySearch Site.

I was quoted in a recent article on the FamilySearch blog, "3 Ways to Unravel the Mysteries of Women in Your Family Tree." Female ancestors present challenges for ways mentioned in the article.

Here are few of my female ancestors for whom I was able to locate a great deal of records and where those records were located:

• Barbara (Siefert) Beiger Fennan Haase Haase (died in Illinois in 1903)--two divorces (1870s and 1880s) and the guardianship of her children in the 1850s.
• Nancy Jane (Newman) Rampley (died in 1923 in Illinois)--her denied Civil War widow's pension was finally approved in the very early 20th century, after a great deal of testimony which documented much of her life before and after her marriage to the Civil War veteran.
• Antje (Jaspers) Habben Fecht (died in 1900 in Illinois)--a family court case after her husband's death in 1877 documented her operation of the family farm after his demise.
• Susannah Rucker--deeds executed by her children in Orange and Amherst Counties in Virginia in the mid-18th century document her move from one county to another.

There is no doubt that female ancestors are more difficult to document than male ancestors. One key is making certain you have researched everything you can get your hands on and have interpreted every document in the appropriate legal and historical context. Often records that are not directly about females indirectly contain significant clues about them.

Getting Listed in the 1880 US Federal Agricultural Census

Census instructions matter, but genealogists do not always read them as often as they should. The image that is a part of this post comes from a set of instructions for the United States federal agricultural census schedules found on the www.census.gov website.

If you have an ancestor in the US agricultural census schedules, have you thought about what size and type of farm qualified? Was your ancestor who had a large truck garden from which sold produce supposed to have been enumerated?

Have you thought about reading the instructions?

Hard telling what you might learn.

BLM, Fold3, and Research Process Webinars

We had scheduling challenges with my brick wall webinars (the BLM site was not responding during our presentation and I had a family emergency on 12 March). But we are back and on track. If you already registered and paid, you do not need to do so again--you are on the list.

Using the Bureau of Land Management Site-Wednesday 18 March 2015-7:00 pm Central

This presentation discusses search strategies for the Bureau of Land Management website--which hosts a database of federal land patent extracts and images. It will include a brief discussion of legal land descriptions in federal land states before discussing the several ways the site can be searched and queried. The presentation will conclude with several specific examples and how the site was queried for additional information. $6 includes registration and handout.

Navigating Fold3.com-Wednesday 18 March 2015--8:30 pm Central

Frustrated with finding databases and people on Fold3.com? This presentation will discuss search techniques for determining what Fold3.com has, what it doesn't and how to search the entire site and specific databases for individuals of interest. $6 includes registration and handout.

Is Your Process the Problem?-Thursday 19 March 2015--7:00 Central

Is your genealogical research process part of your problem? We will look at ways to organize your search, your problems, and your results in order to make the most effective use of your genealogical and financial resources. Geared towards beginning and intermediate researchers. $6 includes registration and handout.

Note:

If you already registered for these at the original time and cannot attend, you will get a complimentary download link to view the presentation and the handout. You do not need to pay again.

Registrants will receive a GotoWebinar link and a handout before the webinar begins. No special software is required to participate in the webinar, but a high speed internet connection enhances the participation experience. Questions can be addressed to Michael at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. 

Ancestry.com's Whispering Hints That Make My Ears Hurt

Let me preface this by saying that Ancestry.com's digital images of actual records are helpful to my search. But...

Their "hint"s are another matter entirely and make it clear why some of the user-submitted trees on Ancestry.com are full of errors. 

The "hints" on Ancestry.com for my ancestor Habbe Habben who died in 1665 in Holtrop, Germany, include:

• World War I Casualty Lists
• An 1864 military crew list
• An 1881 passenger list

I'm a little rusty on my world history, but I thought that World War I was a twentieth century experience.

I realize Ancestry.com wants to give me a "good user experience" and help me find things. I also realize they are concerned that my death year for Habben could be off.  However, a death date of 1665 would have to be pretty off for that same person to be serving in World War I.

I also realize sometimes these hints are taken from records that have been linked to trees by other users. I know Habbe Habben is not the most common name in the world and that some people can't be bothered worrying about accuracy imposed by things as ephemeral as dates.

But can't Ancestry.com set some parameters to not even show me these inane hints even if someone has linked them to the same person? If my Habbe Habben who I thought died in 1665 really lived until World War I, he could have been considerate enough to have lived through the 1980s when I could have asked him all sorts of personal questions.

Can't the search parameters on the "hints" be a little tighter?  It seems to me that record event dates two centuries after the person died is a little loose. Just a little.

Let's not blame the computer for these wacked out hints. It's not the fault of the computer that these hints are returned. Programmers control computers. Ancestry.com is not the new kid on the block just setting up shop. They've been at this a while. If they can index the entire 1940 census in a matter of months, create all those cell phone apps, and manage all that DNA data, they certainly can figure out how to tighten up a few search parameters.

It is "hints" like this that hint to me Ancestry.com just does not really understand the genealogy research process.

Or maybe they don't understand programming.

Fold3.com Acknowledges Wildcard Issue

Apparently it was not just me.

In "Wildcards at Fold3.com-Why Won't Foc*e Find Focke?" I mentioned a wildcard search at Fold3.com that apparently was not working. 

I received several emails from people who apparently thought I wasn't performing the search correctly. That wasn't true as the search approach I was using was precisely the same one that Fold3.com suggests on their search page (and which was shown in the images in my post). 

But Fold3.com realized the problem was not with me when I recevied this message via Twitter:

"Our engineers are looking into that wildcard issue you had with search. Thanks."

We'll post an update when we have one...stay tuned.

Sometimes website problems are not with the user!

Wildcards at Fold3.com-Why Won't Foc*e Find Focke?

Hopefully I'm just a little confused with Fold3.com. Hopefully there's just something I'm doing wrong that I'm not realizing.

When I search for Focke Goldenstein, there are 29 total matches. That's not surprising. Focke Goldenstein is not a common name.

While practicing for an upcoming Fold3.com webinar, I decided to perform a wildcard search for "foc*e" goldenstein. It should find "focke goldenstein" and any other matches to that search term. I should get at least as many matches for foc*e goldenstein as I do for focke goldenstein.

The surprise was on me. There were no matches. 

Hopefully I'm doing something wrong. If Focke Golenstein is in the database at Fold3.com (which it is based upon the first screen shot included in this post), then a search for foc*e goldenstein should locate it as well. 

These searches were conducted on 11 and 12 March 2015.

We'll post an update if needed.

• 14 March--Fold3.com acknowledges the issue. 

Have You Considered Blogging?

One of the "2015 Brick Wall" techniques I mentioned was blogging. There are several reasons why blogging can be good for your genealogical research:

• Writing up your research in a clear way for others to read and so that they can understand your thought process makes your research better
• Citing what you write--completely even if not academically correct, makes your research stronger
• Sharing your research can "get the word out"
• Blog posts are excellent "cousin bait"

That said, I'm not suggesting that blog posts be rambling, contain "connections" that make no sense, repeat undocumented conclusions, or merely copy information from other researchers or compiled sources. Bloggers need to be original and create their own content. I'd also suggest that posts include reasonably correct grammar and correctly spelled words. 

There are a few caveats:

• Blogging is not necessarily a permanent way to "preserve" your information.
• Blogging shares whatever you post with the world immediately and from a practical standpoint, you may lose "control" over what you post.
• Blogging is very public, others may not like what you post.

There are two sites where you can set up a blog at no charge with minimal technical experience:

• http://www.blogger.com
• http://www.wordpress.com

There are other sites--these are just two.

This post was meant to get those who have not really thought about blogging to consider giving it a try--or at least give it a second thought. You don't have to blog every day. In fact it is better to wait until you have something to actually say instead of thinking that you must blog every day. 

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This post was written because a recent post turned up a distant relative--now I just need to respond to her email. 

Brick Wall Strategies for 2015 Webinar Released

Our brick wall webinar series was our most popular...so we added one more:

Brick Wall Strategies for 2015

Aimed at the advanced beginner and intermediate researcher, this presentation will focus on a variety of brick wall problem-solving strategies and is different from my "Brick Walls from A to Z" series. Discussion will be through specific example emphasizing the problem and the process used to work through it. We will also discuss knowing when you may be at the "end of the line." A basic knowledge of American resources is suggested. Download the recording and handout for $7.

They Are In the Book But Not Named

Back in the early days of my research, after attending a lecture or a seminar, I looked in a copy of the 1895 Sargent Genealogy for my elusive Ira Sargent. While published genealogies had their pitfalls, they were still a good source of clues if nothing else.

I didn't find my Ira Sargent listed. It wasn't of trying.

It turns out he is in the book.

He was there as entry 1128:

A son.

No wonder I didn't find him.

I'm not certain why the last three children of Clark and Mary (Dingman) Sargent were not named in the 1895 publication. My speculation is that they simply lost touch with the rest of the family when Clark moved west, frst to Ontario and later into Illinois. All of Clark Sargent's children were born in Ontario, Canada, and he died in Winnebago County, Illinois, in the late 1840s. Clark did settle where he had no known Sargent relatives and, given that he was younger when he died and that his wife Mary died shortly after a subsequent marriage and that her second husband raised the children, it is very possible that they simply lost all touch with their paternal side of the family upon Clark's death. It is even possible that Clark wanted to lose touch with his family.

But it got me to wondering.

How often is the person of interest in a publication, only to be unnamed?

And how many families lost touch with their "families of origin" as they moved west?

The Sargents did settle in Winnebago County, Illinois, where it appears they had no immediate relatives. That's somewhat unusual but not unheard of. However, they are not as unusual as one might think. There were other Canadians who settled in Winnebago County--including several from Ontario.

The Sargents didn't move west with family. They moved west with neighbors.

Mary Sargent's second husband was an Ontario native she met in Winnebago County, Illinois. In 1850 she and her new husband and her children are enumerated in Winnebago County in the federal census. By the 1856 Iowa State Census, Mary is dead and her husband is heading a household with four of his step children of two children of his own. By 1860 they have moved to Missouri.

It's doubtful that the Sargent children had any contact with close relatives of their mother or father.

Which might explain why few stories of the family were passed down to the current generation and possibly why when the Sargent genealogy was compiled in the 1890s there probably was not any contact made with the children of Clark Sargent.

FamilySearch Update: Maine Vital Records

The following FamilySearch database is showing as updated since our last posting:

Maine, Vital Records, 1670-1907

BLM and Brick Wall Strategies Webinars Tomorrow-10 March

My BLM and Brick Wall Strategies webinars are tomorrow-10 March.

FamilySearch: US Education Supt. Records; Chinese Pass. to San Diego, and NY Passenger Soundex

The following databases are showing as new or updated on FamilySearch:

United States, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1864-1879

California, San Diego, Chinese Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1923

New York, New York, Soundex to Passenger and Crew Lists, 1887-1921

How "updated" they are I can't say, but the last one has already been online for a while.

A Warning About Warnings Out

An earlier post ("Aunt Caty Warned Out of Addison in 1814") mentioned a "warning out" a relative received in Addison, Vermont, in 1814.

Like many records, there's a little more here than just what is on the surface. The "warning out" didn't mean that Aunt Caty was drug out of town in January of 1814 with her children in tow and her belongings dragging behind her in a cart. It was most likely a warning that she was a newcomer to Addison and was potentially a person who would not be able to support herself. Warnings out have a long history dating back to the early days of the American colonies and stemmed from English practice. The essence of the intent behind the system was that the village not have new residents move in who had no means of support. 

Caty's brother-in-law, Samuel Sargent, was "warned out" of Addison in 1812--also in February. It may be that Samuel actually never left and his residence there was the reason Caty moved there herself after her husband died. Maybe. There's nothing in these records to indicate that however and I'll need to do more work to determine if Samuel Sargent was still living in Addison at the time when Caty was "warned out."

These records, like all records, require an understanding of their intent and their implementation. But don't just assume that your ancestor was "dumped at the village line" as a result of the warning out.

An additional reminder that sometimes just "Googling" to find information on a topic may not be sufficient. My own Google searches for this topic located several online references that provided a very superficial treatment of these records. Understanding the purpose and background of any record is crucial to the interpretation of it. Readers with an interest in the topic may wish to refer to Josiah Henry Benton's Warning Out in New England (Boston, 1911, W. B. Clarke Company).

We're working on a longer post with some references and additional readings on these records. Stay tuned.

Aunt Caty Warned Out of Addison in 1814

In February of 1814, Caty Roe was "warned out of Addison, Vermont, and told to "Depart Said Town."

The order to ask her to leave was dated 14 January 1814 and signed by Addison's selectmen Gideon Spencer, Levi Hanks, and William Picket. William Whitford, Constable, attempted to serve notice on Caty.

Except she wasn't home on 14 January 1814 when the notice was served. She was "gon[e] to Burlington and Expected to return tomorrow." Whitford left the notice with Solomon Crowfoot who was living at her "last usual place of abode."

What Caty was doing in Burlington in 1814 is another story and one that I don't know. It is nearly thirty miles from Addison and most likely not an easy trip in the winter for a single woman. What Caty's connection was to Crowfoot (if any) is not known at this time. Preliminary research does not indicate that he is a member of her extended family, but it is possible.

The warnings out were usually issued to newcomers who were either undesirable or had no means of support. Caty was a widow and her financial situation at the time of her warning out is not known. It's possible the town of Addison did not want a family without means of support living there. Whether she immediately left Addison is not known, but she is known to have lived in other locations in Vermont.

Her sister, Sarah (Gibson) Sargent's husband, Samuel was warned out of Addison in 1811. Whether he actually left is another matter.

What I need to check are town vital records to determine where the children of Samuel and Sarah (Gibson) Sargent were born and where Caty Roe's children were born. The Sargents were having children around the time of Samuel's warning out. Roe was not. That would help to provide a partial  migration chronology for both the Sargents and for Roe.

They might have been warned out of more than one Vermont town.

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See our first update here.

Thinking About Research Process for John Gibson

I've decided to take another stab at the family of John Gibson (born in Stow, Massachusetts in 1751) and who I wrote a while ago after finding a reference to him in a Gibson family history.

The author of that family history apparently loses John after a land transaction in 1799 where he sold his property in Ashby, Massachusetts, and indicated that it was thought that John left the area after that point in time.

And, for unexplained reason, the author indicated that John Gibson died after 10 April 1811. The author makes no reference as to why they knew John was alive on that date. In all honesty, I need to read more completely the Gibson genealogy from which the information on John was obtained to see if there is any other reference to that 1811 date--it may be that he signed or appears in some sort of probate or other estate settlement document. But that's only a guess.

Apparently at some point, some genealogist has taken the "last alive by date" for John and converted it into a death date. That date is given as John's death in numerous online references, all seemingly copied from the initial date converter.

I've not thrown out the online references to John and his children. Just because a compilation has one fact apparently interpreted incorrectly does not mean that other information in those compilations is incorrect. Those compilations have given me solid leads on John's children, specifically:

• Catherine Gibson, born 1783 in Ashby
• John Gibson, born 1778 in Ashby

I'm using the information in those online compilations on those two children as clues to obtain further information from "non-compiled" sources. I am also constantly reviewing that data to determine if the information is reasonable and consistent. And as I do that, I'm tracking from where the information was obtained. That does slow down the research process, but it makes later continued analysis and reference easier. 

Another of John's children, Sarah (born in 1744 in Ashby) is believed to have married Samuel Sargent. I'm also hoping to find documentation to solidify that "belief." 

Part of the rationale for tracking these children of John Gibson is that some of the records on Catherine, John, and Sarah Sargent mention where they lived and where their children were born. 

These locations are then being used as possible places to search for John Gibson in an attempt to see where he went after he apparently left Ashby. Chances are hopefully he'll turn up near where one of his children live.

And then maybe I'll find estate, probate, or land records on him that may more concretely tie him to his children and maybe even solidify that died after 10 April 1811 death date. 

Some schools of thought would suggest that I research the children completely, then put that information together, see what it says and go from there. Given that I'd really like to find John after 1799 and that records on him may help me confirm where his children ended up, I'll keep working the approach that I'm using now. 

Because I'm hoping to firm up the "belief" that John's daughter Sarah married Samuel Sargent--after all, that's my actual line of descent.

FamilySearch: Panama Canal Zone Employment Records-1905-1937

The following database is showing as new or updated on FamilySearch  since our last posting:


United States, Panama Canal Zone, Employment Records and Sailing lists, 1905-1937

An 1811 Slave Murder in Virginia

Sometimes the things we find in our past are not pleasant and often the unpleasant items are not ones that are passed down as stories from one generation to another. Such is the case of a Virginia slave who was murdered by a probable relative of my Sledd family.

Every so often, I try and determine who this "Sledd man" was that murdered a slave in Virginia in 1811. The Sledd name is not common and the individual referenced is from the same two county area (Bedford and Amherst) as where my Sledd family was from.

It was a vicious punishment of the slave by Sledd to which the article in the Examiner refers. The treatment of the slave (which was not even Sledd's slave but instead belonged to a neighbor) was brutal. Sledd received two years in the Virginia State Penitentiary for the crime.

Newspaper accounts indicate the case was heard in Bedford County, but offer no specifics as to Sledd's name.

It's probably time to access the local criminal records that would cover Bedford County--which I've mentioned doing before. 1810 census records, property tax and personal tax records may give me candidates for this Sledd man. I should also locate local newspapers as those references to the case may help to identify Sledd.

As mentioned in an earlier post, this may be a case that cannot be solved by online sources.

And unfortunately, the slave woman--poor soul--will never be identified.

One Mile to School in 1933 for the Ufkes Children--and No Hills According to the USGS Site

There's a site of historical USGS maps that may help you disprove that story of Grandpa walking uphill to school both ways....

While working on an unrelated post, I was reminded of the historical USGS topographic maps that have been posted online.

The image on this post comes from the 1933 map for Carthage, Hancock County, Illinois. The only modification I made to the map was the "Fred & Tena Ufkes farm" notation (and the black line pointing to their house). My great-grandparents, the Ufkeses, would have been living there in 1933. All the Ufkes children (including my grandfather) attended the Union School which is shown in the northwestern corner of section 24 of Bear Creek Township. Not too far of a walk and a fairly flat one from the map (which I already knew).

These historical maps on the http://historicalmaps.arcgis.com/usgs/ site are a wonderful resource and a great way to locate former one-room schools. Churches are also indicated. There's one to the very very small "+" to the right of "farm." Cemeteries may also be noted as well, sometimes unnamed. There cemetery affiliated with the church near the Ufkes farm is approximately one mile north of the church and is indicated with an + with a box around it.