The Other Side of the Stone

There's often more to a tombstone than just one side. This picture of the tombstone for my great-grandparents is slightly misleading, especially to someone unfamiliar with the family.

Mimka J. and Tjode Anna tombstone, Moss Ridge Cemetery, Carthage, Hancock County, Illinois. Photograph taken summer of 2004 by Michael John Neill

There is an apparent flag adjacent to the tombstone which appears to be next to Mimka's side of the stone. Flags are usually placed on a grave to indicate military service and an unsuspecting user of the photograph may conclude that Mimka was in the military.

He was not.

His son Edward was. The stone is in the center of the Habben graves. Edward and his wife's inscriptions are on the reverse side of the stone. The flag was placed on the grave to acknowledge Edward's military service.

It is always a good idea to photograph the entire stone and remember that there could easily be something on the "other side."

And don't jump to conclusions.

Genealogy Webinars for the Holidays

We have re-opened our $5 webinar sales for the holiday season. The complete list and ordering information is available here.

Refocusing on Benjamin Butler in 1860-Charting out the "kids"

Benjamin Butler (probably born about 1819 in New York State) has a been a thorn in my genealogical side for some time. He moved quite a bit and simply cannot be located thus far in the 1860 census.

Benjamin has been located in the following federal censuses:

• 1850: St. Clair County, Michigan.
• 1870: Union County, Iowa.
• 1880: Vernon County, Missouri.

I won't bog this blog post down with my rationale for why I think these enumerations are the same Benjamin Butler as that's really not the point of this post. What I'm trying to do is extend the information I have on Benjamin, particularly for the 1850-1870 time frame. That's a time in his life where I'm hoping that Benjamin left some records somewhere that may provide some clues on his children and perhaps his parents.

Benjamin left St. Clair County, Michigan for St. Joseph County, Michigan in the early 1850s and he stayed there until the mid-1850s. This is based upon land and property tax records in both those locations. Then the trail runs cold until 1870 when he shows up in Davis County, Iowa. If all the children enumerated in his 1850 and 1870 household are his and the places of birth are correct, the family traveled quite a bit. 

The three census enumerations for Benjamin suggests he had at least fourteen children. It is possible that some of the children living in his 1870 household are actually those of his 1870 and 1880 wife, Nancy Wolfe who Benjamin married in Nebraska. I've created a separate chart with these same individuals summarizing which ones for whom I have found parent-child evidence, what that evidence is and which ones for whom I have been unable to locate such evidence. Just because someone appears in a household (especially before 1880) does not mean they are the child of the head of the household. Locating such evidence and "end of life" information for all of the supposed children may also provide information on their earlier life.

The chart here only summarizes what I know on the children in Benjamin's household--focusing on their census enumerations. It is not meant to be comprehensive and was created to help me concentrate on the census and my success (or lack thereof) in finding the Butlers in those records. My sources and my analysis are separate. In fact, this chart is one I created only for my own use simply to keep myself organized and that's why the detail on it is sketchy.

Name	Approximate year of birth (source)	Location (source)	1850	1870	1880	Know death location?
Alfred	1842 (1850)	Canada (1850)	yes			St. Joseph Co. Michigan
Landen	1844 (1850)	Canada (1850)	yes
Mary	1846 (1850)	Michigan (1850)	yes
George	1848 (1850)	Michigan (1850)	yes			Wapello County, Iowa
Ellen	1854 (1870)	Iowa (1870) Missouri (1880)	Na	Yes	Yes (with her own family)
Harriet	1856 (1870)	Michigan (1870)	Na	Yes
Charles	1861 (1870)	Kansas (1870)	Na	Yes
Benjamin F.	1865 (1870) 1864 (1880)	Illinois (1870, 1880)	Na	Yes	Yes
Alice	1868 (1870)	Michigan (1880)	Na	Yes
Sarah	1872 (1880)	Iowa (1880)	Na	Na	Yes
Lecta	1875 (1880)	Iowa (1880)	Na	Na	Yes	Kansas
Lila	1879 (1880)	Nebraska (1880)	Na	Na	Yes
Rebecca	1882 (1900)	Missouri	Na	Na	Na	Nodaway County, Missouri

I chose to only indicate the source of the year of birth and place of birth in this chart.

The chart made the gap between George and Ellen (6 years) more evident and reinforced the need to discover more about "the gap." The gap could have been for several reasons:

• Benjamin was not married during this time.
• Benjamin's wife had several miscarriages.
• At some point in time the younger children died due to an illness.
• The younger children were living with another family member (after all, this is an apparent large family).

My thought is that learning more about the children I already have may help me discover more about the gap--so while I'm aware of the gap, I'm not concentrating on it at this point.

A map would also be helpful. Unfortunately at this point, for some of the places of birth (even if they are correct), all I have is a state of birth. 

My thought about Benjamin in 1860 is that all of those who would have been living in 1860 cannot have been missed. The hope is that some of the older children were living in other households--or even their own household--and should be enumerated somewhere, even if Benjamin and his household was overlooked. Hopefully.

We'll have updates as we have them. 

Citation reminder: We are a strong believe in citing genealogical source material in the spirit of Evidence Explained. However, we choose not to include properly formatted citations in these blog posts. There's always enough information in the post to create a citation and full citations are included in my how-to newsletter Casefile Clues. 

Greetings of the Season

As we approach the end of the year, now is an excellent time to pass along our wishes for a Happy Holiday season to all who are fans, followers, or readers of Rootdig. We appreciate your continued support, suggestions, and comments.

If you are not aware of my other blogs and online genealogical activities, my portal is here:

http://www.genealogytipoftheday.com/

And, in the spirit of the holiday season, we've opened our webinar offers up again as well. That listing can be viewed on our other blog here.

FamilySearch: Delaware, SC Freedmen's, and Baltimore Passenger Lists

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

Delaware Orphan Court Records, 1680-1978

South Carolina, Freedmen's Bureau Records, 1865-1872

Maryland, Baltimore Passenger Lists, 1820-1948 (index included)

Thinking of Genealogical Proof as an Infant

I'll be honest, I don't like the phrase "genealogical proof." There I said it. If I'm in trouble, so be it.

I use it, but I don't like it. I don't have to like it. I'm trained in mathematics, where when you have a proof, you have a proof. If your logic and your analysis is correct, it's done. Over. Complete. There is no changing the conclusion. Others may deduce other proofs that reach the same conclusion or others may find a more "sophisticated" or "elegant" proof, but if your conclusion is sound, you're done. And if you were the first, then you may even have a theorem named after you. And if your approach is clumsy you may be chided for it, but at least you got the job done.

But genealogical proofs are not quite like that. And it's not just that a genealogical proof won't be named after the writer.

A genealogical proof can change if new evidence, stronger and more reliable that was was originally known to exist, is located.  Two different genealogists may even use the same information to reach a conclusion. In mathematics, if the assumptions are the same and the reasoning is sound there are no alternate answers. A genealogical proof is not a mathematical proof. It is not the same sort of proof as a mathematical proof. And it should not be judged or viewed in the same way as a mathematical proof.

Of course, if the genealogical proof standard is applied completely and accurately, a change in the conclusion should rarely happen. Yes, genealogical proofs are more subjective than mathematical proofs. After all, we're dealing with humans and with records that don't always tell the whole story. The genealogical proof standard requires though that an exhaustive search be conducted and that an analysis be complete and clearly written (among a few others things). Is it hard to meet the genealogical proof standard? Sometimes. It is hard to meet the standard  if one gets bogged down in terminology and is unwilling to learn it, is scared of learning what one does not know or understand, refuses to search for every record possible that could answer the question, and is not willing to admit they could be wrong. A proof, even one written by an experienced and highly regarded genealogist could need to be revised.

That revision usually is the result of something "appearing." A new record could come to light in an old archives. A new finding aid could locate a reference that clearly contradicts previous material and that new reference contains "better information" that was originally discovered. However, if a new record "appears" in a place where one really should have expected it, then the exhaustive search was not applied.

If a researcher "knows the records of the area and time period" the chance that something is overlooked should be minimal. And creating a genealogical proof is not impossible or onerous. It is less so if one chooses not be be afraid of the terminology. Writing a genealogical proof is not like writing a proof in a geometry class.

Should the word "proof" even be used when there are other words, such as inference, that have a similar interpretation? Perhaps, but it's worth remembering that there are may words that are used in different disciplines and have different meanings in each. A legal document may refer to an infant. A medical document may also refer to an infant. The lawyer writing the legal document probably is referring to someone under the age of majority. The doctor writing the medical report probably means someone less than a year or so of age. Completely different things in different disciplines.

Do we tell the doctor that he can't use the word infant because the lawyer already uses it to mean something else? No.

Just because another profession or discipline uses a word is not reason for us not to use it. A discipline is free to use words of its choosing as long as the definition of those words is clearly agreed upon by members of the discipline. The BCG Genealogical Standards Manual defines these terms. It may be that various members of the discipline disagree on some of the details.

I may not think the word "proof" is the best word to use, but if I want to play genealogy with others concerned about standards, I'll have to use agreed upon terms.

Just like I had to write mathematical proofs "by the rules" when I took Sets and Logic all those years ago.

And sometimes I didn't like those either (grin!).

Updated on FamilySearch: New York and Boston Materials

The following are indicated as new/updated on FamilySearch:


New York, State Health Department, Genealogical Research Death Index, 1957-1963

Massachusetts, Boston Tax Records, 1822-1918

A Pretty Blond in a Blue Dress Gets Married

Seventy-eight years ago today my grandparents were married in Keithsburg, Illinois--17 December 1935. I've always thought that was a cold day to drive off and get married.

This newspaper clipping from the Mendon Post-Dispatch contains a brief write-up of the marriage. Unfortunately when I made the original copy of this years ago, I neglected to include the specific date of the newspaper--I won't make that mistake again. The only comment I wrote on it was "December of 1935."

I asked, but my Grandmother never told me why they went to Keithsburg to get married. It was an eighty mile drive in an Illinois winter, was not the county seat, and not where either of them had relatives. I asked Grandma about it--the location of their marriage was never a secret. Grandma's only comment was that "your Grandpa just decided to go," or something to that effect. The comment never made any sense to me as everything I've heard about my Grandpa Neill indicated he never did anything on any sort of whim. But if there's any reason for the going, I'll never know. Grandpa died when I was six months old and Grandma died in 1994.

They certainly didn't go to keep in from family or to keep the wedding license "out of the paper." Putting the item in the local paper seems to indicate that the marriage was not a big secret. As Grandma always told it, Grandpa went back to living with his family near Stillwell and Grandma went back to living with her family near Loraine. That seems consistent with the newspaper account.

I don't have any wedding pictures of Grandpa and Grandma and was lucky that the newspaper item even mentioned Grandma's dress.

This picture is the closest one I have to the time they married. I'm not certain when it was taken, but it was taken in West Point, Illinois, sometime after my Grandpa Neill's brother Herschel married in Texas in the 1940s.

If I had not known already, the newspaper account would have told me that Grandma's father was deceased by the time she was married. The locations would have come in handy too. It's a little difficult to imagine Grandma as a blonde--I only remember her with gray hair.

Sometimes minor secrets get taken to the grave. But you can bet I'll be better about keeping track of the newspaper's date in the future.

Are You Scanning Pictures Over the Holidays?

The holiday season can be a great time to make scans of those photographs while visiting relatives. Remember that you can scan just about any piece of paper. I've been using my Flip-Pal to easily scan photographs and other family history items.

Do not neglect to indicate "how" you know who is in the picture and how they came to possess it (if known). Those are important details.

Photograph of Fred Ufkes and horse--taken near Basco, Hancock County, Illinois, 1910s. Original photograph in possession of Michael John Neill--identification made by unknown person on back of photograph. Face appears similar to other know pictures of Fred Ufkes and item was in other family photographs and materials in personal collection of John H. and Dorothy Ufkes--grandparents of Michael John Neill. Scan made August 2013 by Michael John Neill.

Here are some suggestions (repeated from an earlier post), if you've never used a  Flip-Pal  before.

After my first onsite Flip-Pal scanning experience, here are a few suggestions:

• Have plenty of batteries. Have twice what you think you will need (and maybe more). 
• Scan the backs of pictures if names are written on them. In one way it's faster than taking notes, gets information accurate and gives you time for something else.
• Consider taking a scanning buddy with you. The scanner is not difficult to use or learn to use. My mother scanned the smaller pictures for me that did not need any stitching, upside down scanning, etc.and that could be scanned by simply laying the picture on the Flip-Pal and hitting scan. I scanned the larger items and the ones that required later stitching. This freed me up to discuss pictures and other ephemera with the relative whose pictures were being scanned. 
• Practice more than you think you need to if you've never done "onsite scanning" before. Practice one more time than that if you don't have any idea if you will ever get back to the person's home again. 
• Encourage the person to locate and review the pictures before you get there. This will get their mind "running" and give them extra time to remember and organize materials. If you have to do it "cold," that's the way to go, but if they've looked over things a few times they are liable to "remember more" when you actually are there for the actual scanning.
• Back up your scans before you perform any stitching, cropping, etc. You want to make certain you actually have scans when you get home.
• Offer to share what you have or send them scans that you make.

Our Genealogical Freebies

Here is a summary of freebies we have:

• 2 free copies of Casefile Clues--simply enter in your email address and "submit" order. There is no credit card or other personal information required.
• My Brick Walls A to Z Webinar (and handout)--click here to process order. Coupon code is "brickwall" no credit card or personal information except email address is required. 
• You can subscribe to Genealogy Tip of the Day (free) by entering in your email address in the box on the right hand side of the blog page at http://genealogytipoftheday.blogspot.com/
• You can subscribe to Genealogy Transcriber (free) and play along with others reading the handwriting at  http://genealogytranscriber.blogspot.com/. There is a subscription box on the right hand side of the page.
• You can subscribe to Genealogy Search Tip (free) by entering in your email address in the box on the right hand side of the blog page at http://genealogysearchtip.blogspot.com/. 

Feel free to share with your friends, blog readers, etc. etc. 

Schools and Their Borders Change

Have you thought about how the schools in your area have changed?

I am not talking about educational offerings or clothing styles. There are changes that impact genealogists. Districts have consolidated, buildings have closed, boundaries have changed. What about in the area where your ancestor lived? Do you know what school your ancestor would have attended--if he or she even attended school? 

In the 19th century, educational "boundaries" were more fluid than they were later. They certainly were more fluid than they are today. If you have an urban ancestor, do you know what school within the city he would have attended? (An older post on this blog discusses locating a district's boundaries for a rural school.)

This picture contains a "letter" from each of the schools in the Carl Sandburg Community College district when the display was made. The picture was taken on 16 December 2013 and was made before August of 1992. Quite a few of these school districts no longer exist, having merged in with others over the twenty year time span.

Note: I know some of the schools represented by these letters, but not all. I'll have add determining what they all represent to my to do list.

A Few Links to Tombstone Iconography

Yesterday's Genealogy Tip of the Day regarding tombstone iconography generated so many emails that I've posted a few links here to help readers determine what those images and initials on a tombstone might mean.

• Genealogy Tip of the Dayhttp://riverdaleporterdale.org/Tombstone_Symbolism.htm
  

  
  

  TOMBSTONE SYMBOLISM

  riverdaleporterdale.org

  
  
• Genealogy Tip of the Dayhttp://www.ajlambert.com/cemetery/cmty_ts.pdf

  Like · Reply · 2 minutes ago
• Genealogy Tip of the Dayhttp://homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com/~.../tombandfrat.html
  

  Tombstone Symbols and Fraternal Abbreviations

  homepages.rootsweb.ancestry.com

  
  
• Genealogy Tip of the Dayhttp://www.vagenweb.org/shenandoah/cem/tcarv.html
  

  TOMBSTONE SYMBOLS

  www.vagenweb.org

  
  
• Genealogy Tip of the Dayhttp://en.wikipedia.org/.../United_States_Department_of...
  

  
  

  United States Department of Veterans Affairs emblems for headstones and markers - Wikipedia, the...

  en.wikipedia.org
  

  The United States Department of Veterans Affairs (VA) maintains many cemeteries...See More

  
  

Is It Always Necessary to Start Over?

While giving final exams last week, I decided to would take "fresh stab" at locating information on my Benjamin Butler.

Benjamin has been located in three census records:

• 1850 in St. Clair County, Michigan
• 1870 in Union County, Iowa
• 1880 in Vernon County, Missouri.

Additionally he is known to have spent part of the mid-1850s in St. Joseph County, Michigan, and married in the 1860s for the second time to Nancy Wolf. I'm not certain where he was born, who his parents are, when and where he married prior to Nancy Wolf, or where he spent the mid-1850s through 1870.

This post really is not about Benjamin. Instead it is about the whole concept of starting "from scratch." 

In an attempt to get past any assumptions and incorrect information, I started with nothing other than the census enumerations as listed above. I know that the children listed in his 1850 and 1870 households may not actually all be his biological children, but I still needed to research them. Together there were fifteen children who were either Benjamin's children or step-children. I descend from one of them. It is hoped that locating something on one or more of them will provide information on Benjamin.

I'll be honest, I used online trees at Ancestry.com and other sites as clues. There is no need to reinvent the wheel as others may have accurately researched various parts of the family, but any clues I obtained on these sites were used as leads and checked for reasonableness and accuracy. I did not merely copy the information into my materials without first viewing it myself. 

The online trees and some quick searches of census and other online records got me to about where I was originally when I compared my "fresh start" searches with what I already had.

While this was a good exercise, I think that I won't start entirely from "scratch" the next time. Finding the children I "already had" was pretty much a waste of time in this case--although trying to search them more thoroughly may not be a bad idea.. It would have been more effective to have reviewed the conclusions I had already made and tried to determine if something had been overlooked. 

Where I think starting from scratch is still a good idea, is with the children I cannot find anywhere other than the census records listed above. I need to go back on those children, consider how accurate the years of birth and places of birth are and decide if there are alternate names I should consider. The last name of Butler is a common one and limits the effectiveness of some search techniques that may work with last names that are less common. The 1870 census hints that the family was fairly migratory between 1850 and 1870 which only frustrate the search approach. I may even need to consider that the census places of birth for children born during this time are incorrect.

Reviewing information is good. Starting from scratch is sometimes good as well, but make certain that you don't spend too much time relocating material you already have. 

It's not always necessary to start from scratch. 

FamilySearch: Updates: AL, ID, MO, OH, SD, TX, VA

New or updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

Alabama, Estate Files, 1830-1976	25,297
Idaho, County Birth and Death Records, 1883-1929	Browse Images
Missouri, County Marriage Records, 1802-1969	158,956
New England, Passenger and Crew Lists, 1911-1954	Browse Images
Ohio, Cuyahoga County Probate Files, 1813-1917	Browse Images
Ohio, Summit County, Coroner Inquests, Hospital and Cemetery Records, 1882-1949	Browse Images
South Carolina, Darlington County Records, 1798-1923	Browse Images
South Dakota, School Records, 1879-1970	Browse Images
Texas, El Paso Manifests of Arrivals at the Port of El Paso, 1905-1927	Browse Images
Virginia, Isle of Wight County Records, 1634-1951	Browse Images