Using US Passenger Lists at Ancestry.com for 2 December

Tonight was our first version the "Using US Passenger Lists at Ancestry.com" webinar. Unfortunately the recording did not take so those who missed it can't get the recording.

We've got to make the recording and have rescheduled it again for 11:30 AM central time on Decemeber 2. You'll be sent the PDF handout and if for some reason your schedule changes or you can't log in, you'll get a complimentary link for the recorded version.

Register now for only $5.

Purchase already recorded webinars here.

Habbens at Castle Garden and Ancestry

Habbens at Castle Garden and Ancestry

[reposted from 2007 for tonight's webinar]

This is the entry for the Habben family athttp://www.castlegarden.org/. Note that except for the youngest child "U" everyone has their complete name spelled out. Other than Trientse, whose name was Trientje, and Meinke (father and son) whose name was Mimke, the names are on the mark. This is apparently the same data that was used to create the Germans to America series which is where I first found the Habben family. Note: I "connected" two pages of hits together to make the one image shown here.

The second image comes from Ancestry.com and is for the same family. On this manifest (apparently the quarterly reports of immigrants), first letters of some names are only given. This manifest is difficult to read and one can see how the name might have been interpreted in a way other than Habben.
This data from Ancestry.com is from
Source Information:
Ancestry.com. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: The Generations Network, Inc., 2006.
Original data:
Passenger Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1820-1897; (National Archives Microfilm Publication M237, 675 rolls); Records of the U.S. Customs Service, Record Group 36; National Archives, Washington, D.C.

Passenger and Crew Lists of Vessels Arriving at New York, New York, 1897-1957; (National Archives Microfilm Publication T715, 8892 rolls); Records of the Immigration and Naturalization Service; National Archives, Washington, D.C.
Note: I "connected" two pages of hits together to create the image shown here.

A copy of the manifest (from the microfilm) appears as the last image on this post.

Now I am slightly confused. The Castlegarden.org database shows ten members of this family as immigrants. Ancestry.com (as well as the image) shows 11. The child who is "L" on the manifest image and the Ancestry.com index does not appear in the castlegarden.com database.
Trientje's age is also off on the http://www.castlegarden.org/entry.
As a note, the names of all the children are "correct" order, at least when comparing the manifest entry with the list of children I have from church records in Wiesens, Ostfriesland, Germany from where the family originated. The "inft" was actually Antje, born 26 August 1867, shortly before the family left Germany.

Note: More to come...

Michael-2nd great-grandson of Jan Habben, son of Mimke and Antje.

CastleGarden.org Problem?

Anyone else get this error message on www.castlegarden.org? This is a message I received when trying to load the page at around 1:30 PM central today.

I received similar messages on Chrome and Firefox.

Internet Explorer let me right through....

An Open Letter to Ancestry.com

[This is the text of an email I just sent to Ancestry.com. It is unedited and somewhat less polished than usual, but I just wanted it sent. As a brief bit of history, I have used Ancestry.com since the website went live and wrote articles for Ancestry Magazine before there ever WAS an Ancestry.com]

Hello.

I am not certain what happened, but the searches at Ancestry.com are not working correctly. I (and) others have had problems for the past few days. I get search results that do NOT match my exact search terms--which is extremely frustrating. Sometimes I make conclusions based upon the lack of results from these searches and this is extremely maddening.

Personally, I would rather the searches WORK on a regular basis for the web-based PC user than see all these cell phone and other "mobile" apps being released. I realize the bottom line is important, but I think there is an overemphasis on the "newbie" and attracting new users that the power-users, professionals and others are sometimes left out in the cold to defend themselves.

It also appears that those who beta test things are only performing simple perfunctory searches.

Sorry for the negative tone of this email. I use Ancestry.com daily and benefit from it greatly, but creating workarounds on a regular basis is a pain. Those of who theoretically "know what we are doing" can do this. Those users who have less experience are the ones I am worried about.

Searches that do not work do not leave a very positive user experience.

Please forward as appropriate. As you know, I am a loyal Ancestry.com user and fan and have been since the very day the website went live.

Michael

I also sent this link briefly describing my experience:

http://genealogysearchtip.blogspot.com/2011/11/restricted-to-locations-not-working-at.html

Genealogy Is An Art

I was trained as a mathematician, so on one level the title of this post really bothers me.

On the other hand, it is true-at least partially. It is also true that mathematics is an art as well. An art, grounded with rules, laws, theorems, and postulates. But even "art" has rules, rules of color, composition, and form. Rules can be worked with, or worked around, and usually therein lies the "art."

I've been working on an article on a family in Missouri in the 1860s. The family really doesn't matter. Putting together the material does. I have a conclusion, soundly reasoned, but which could (if new information arises) be shown to be incorrect. Hopefully that doesn't happen. The logic lies in the validity of my conclusion and the soundness of my argument.

Where is the "art?"

The art is in constructing the argument in a fashion that makes sense to the reader and sense to the writer as well. The art is the very process by which evidence was analyzed, summarized, and synthesized into a conclusion. Genealogists are not boiling chemicals in test tubes, waiting for a specific reaction at a specific temperature. Genealogists are not mathematicians looking to prove a great theorem by induction or some other method. 

Genealogy is an art and it is a science. Some days it is more on than another. 

I'm not certain which day it is today.

Santa Claus in 1930

This is the image of Santa Claus in the 1930 Census in Saline County, Missouri. This image has not been altered (grin).


The image below is Santa with his parents in 1900 in Liberty, Saline County, Missouri.

We're working on census images from other years.

For those doubters--his grave is on FindaGrave.

Is Your Brick Wall in Your Head?

Reprinted from the Ancestry Daily News
  Michael John Neill – 7/14/2004

---

Is Your Brick Wall in Your Head?

Genealogy brick walls--those problems we think are insurmountable-- are frustrating. Occasionally the brick walls are of our own making, and those walls are the ones we are looking at this week. Some ancestors left behind confusing records, but it is possible that we have muddied the road ourselves. Today's column focuses on some questions to ask yourself in an attempt to knock a hole in that brick wall.



Is the Tradition Really True?

Are you holding on too tightly to that beloved family tradition from Aunt Helen? The one that apparently was a state secret. Even though she lived in rural Kansas, she whispered it to you, fearful that the neighbor five miles up the road would hear.

Or, despite her insistence to the contrary, maybe her grandfather did not own eight hundred acres of prime Indiana farmland and maybe he was born into abject poverty.

Remember, you may find clues in these stories, but they may be small ones.

Do You Have the Right Place?County boundaries have changed, and that is not the only potential geographic problem. Is it possible you are mixing up the name of the county with the name of the town? Remember that if a state has a county and town with a same name, the town may not be located in the county of the same name. Keokuk, Iowa, is located in Lee County, Iowa--not Keokuk County, Iowa, as one might expect. There are numerous other examples.

International boundaries can create difficulties as well. My daughter was looking on Mapquest,www.mapquest.com, for Limavady, Ireland, because she was creating a map for a project. After insisting to me that Limavady was not in Ireland and that I must be wrong (something children love to do), I realized that she should be searching for Limavady in the United Kingdom, not in Ireland, as Limavady is in Northern Ireland. Boundary and geo-political changes in other parts in other parts of the world can create similar problems.

Do You Have the Right Spelling? Sometimes family historians “hold tight” to that one particular spelling, insisting that it is the “only one” and that those with a “wrong” spelling either cannot be the same person or are not related. As much as it irritates me, my last name is occasionally listed as “Neil,” “Neal,” “O'Neill,” and a variety of other spellings--particularly in old records. The sooner one learns to accept these variants and to search for them, the fewer brick walls they will have. And remember, if your ancestor was illiterate, he couldn't read how his name was written anyway.

Do You Know What You Are Doing? Our friends and relatives may occasionally wonder if we know what we are doing, but there is a serious side to this question. If you are researching in an area where you are unfamiliar with the history, culture, or records, you are at a serious disadvantage. You are also significantly increasing the chances of interpreting something incorrectly and researching in the wrong direction.

A few years ago in this column, we discussed the importance of learning about the time period and culture when a mid-eighteenth century will from Virginia was analyzed. The female writer of the will did not mention any real estate and her inventory did not list any real estate because at the time women were not allowed to own property and consequently could not bequeath any real property in a will.

It is always an excellent idea to learn about the time and place in which our ancestors lived.

Do You Know What the Word Means? Are you absolutely certain you are interpreting a word in the proper historical and social context? Is the word a legal term with which you are not familiar? An incorrect interpretation may send you down the wrong path.

Are You Disorganized? For some of us, this is a loaded question. The stacks of paper on our desktop attest to our organizational skills. Research that is highly unorganized and done in a haphazard fashion is apt to be inefficient and unsuccessful. It is also important to organize the information one has located in order to see patterns and trends that will not be obvious when the records are analyzed individually.

Do You Have the Right Person? Sometimes more than one individual with the same name lived in the same location, and the two can easily be confused by a researcher two hundred years later. Is your confusion resulting from “merging” two different people together? First cousins (particularly males who share the same paternal grandfather) can easily have the same first and last name. If the last name is Smith or Jones, there can easily be several unrelated contemporary people with the same name in the same location.

Do You Have the Correct Pronunciation? If your ancestor's native language was not the language of the country where he lived and not the language in which his records were written, confusion can result. The town of Kisa, Sweden, can very easily be pronounced to where it sounds like “Cheesuh,” As a result, the name of the village might be spelled starting with the letters “Ch” instead of “K.” If your ancestor's place of birth on a death record cannot be located, consider that the spelling on an English language record may be how a native English speaker interpreted a non-English word. Obtaining a guide to how letters are pronounced in a foreign language can be good start to overcoming this type of stumbling block.

Did Someone Get Remarried? Multiple marriages of ancestors can create brick walls. If your ancestor was widowed or divorced, there is always a chance that he or she married again. Keep in mind that hard times and lack of financial support may have easily resulted in a marriage of convenience, if not outright necessity. This subsequent marriage may have meant the addition of stepchildren to the family and the informal changing of the last names of some children. All of these things can result in confusion for the researcher five generations later.



Do You Have Hidden Assumptions? It is easy to make assumptions, and often they are necessary to get our research started. The downside to assumptions is that if we are not careful, they can migrate from the “land of assumption” to the “land of fact.” Assumptions that have accidentally become facts often do not go back to being assumptions.

To clean out your assumptions and become more aware of some you might have been overlooking, write down everything you “know” about an ancestor or a problem. Then find the sources you have to prove each statement. Are there statements for which you have no direct proof? Is it possible to verify these statements using a combination of documents and reasonable logic? If not, then you have assumptions left. Is it possible that some of these assumptions are incorrect? Even if they are not, a careful analysis may indicate that the remaining assumptions at least need to be modified.

Give Them a Rest After all, most of your ancestors are dead and they are not going anywhere anytime soon. One final approach (and a favorite of mine) is to work on another family and then come back to the brick wall person a few weeks (or months) later. Sometimes time is the greatest destructive force that can be applied to a brick wall.

Recorded Genealogy Webinars

CyberMonday Special--through 11:59 PM 28 November--25% discount. code: monday

Miss my recent webinars? The recorded version and the PDF version of the handout can be purchased for viewing at your convenience. Presentations are generally an hour long. Each one is normally priced at $8.50--that's the best rate for recorded webinars around--we don't have overhead costs to cover and there is no mailing or postage. Download is immediate! 

• Using US Census on Ancestry.com (NEW!)--This presentation discusses search tips and ideas for using the US Census at Ancestry.com. There is also discussion on organizing your search before you start typing names and information in search boxes. You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the PDF handout for $8.50. Add to cart here. 
• Brick Walls from A to Z--This lecture is based upon my article "Brick Walls From A to Z" and is geared towards the somewhat experienced beginner to intermediate researcher. Just a list of ideas to get beyond your brick walls discussed alphabetically. Handout included. Add to cart here. 
• Local Land Records in Public Domain States--This lecture discusses obtaining, using, and interpreting local land records in areas of the United States from Ohio westward where land was originally in the public domain. This lecture is geared towards those who have some experience with land records--advanced beginning and intermediate researchers.  $8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture. Add to cart here. 
• DeedMapper (NEW!) Geared for the person who is not familiar with DeedMapper--which maps properties described in metes and bounds, allows users to map multiple parcels on the same map, manipulate plats, insert background images. This works through one example and discusses other features of the program. Add to cart here.
• Barbara's Beaus and Gesche's Girls--Case study of two German immigrants to the American Midwest in the mid-19th century. For $8.50 you will be able to download the media file and the PDF version of the handout. Add to cart here. 
• Court Records-Pig Blood in the Snow. This lecture discusses American court records at the county level where cases were typically originally heard. Discusses cases of main genealogical relevance along with searching techniques. For $8.50 you will be able to download the media file and the PDF version of the handout. Add to cart here. 
• Seeing the Patterns-Organizing Your Information. This lecture discusses the problem-solving process and a variety of ways to organize your information with the intent of getting the research to notice overlooked clues, patterns, trends, and information. $8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture. Add to cart here.
• Determining Your Own Migration Trail/Chain (NEW!). You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the handout as as PDF via this link for $7. This lecture discusses ways to find the names of your ancestor's associates and ways to determine how your ancestor fit into a larger chain of migration. Geared towards advanced beginners and intermediate researchers.$8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture 
• Using the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Website (NEW!). You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the handout as as PDF for $8.50. This lecture discusses effective search techniques for the site, how to formulate your searches, how to trouble-shoot searches, a search template, and what records patents in the BLM site can lead to. Add to cart.
• The Missing 1840 Census Enumeration  (NEW!). This webinar discusses a couple "missing" from the 1840 Census in Ohio and how they were eventually found and the indirect evidence used. A good overview of using land records to solve a "non-land record" problem with some points along the way about organization and visualization. Suggestions for additional research are also discussed. Add to cart.

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More are coming. My webinars and other genealogy webinars are listed on http://blog.geneawebinars.com/ it out.

Last 5 2011 Webinars for $30

Sign up for our last 5 webinars in 2011 for only $30. Offer ends on 28 November. Dates and topics are:

30 November--Using US Passenger Lists at Ancestry.com
2 December--More Brickwalls From A to Z
9 December--American Naturalization Records before 1920
11 December--Creating Families from pre-1850 Census Records
16 December--Sarah and Susannah-Two 18th Century Virginia Women and Their Property


Those who miss or can't attend will receive complimentary links to download the webinar after the recording has been posted. 

Details are here:

http://www.casefileclues.com/webinars_neill.htm

This link is the only one that will register at the $30 payment:

The $30 link is not on the webpage that describes the webinars. 

Post Card From 1878

This card was written to Herman Harms of Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois, by his brother-in-law, John Ufkes in 1878.

Dear brother and sister in law

At first our greetings. We hope you all are in the pink. We are also doing very well now. Come to visit us, if you are able to do so. Jann and Langmann (?) are also willing to once visit you. Write in return very soon..

Greetings John (?)

[the writer was actually John Ufkes of Basco, Hancock County, Illinois]

The reverse side of the card showing the "postmark" of Basco, Ill.

Interviewing Grandma

[reprinted from June of 2003]

from the Ancestry Daily News
  Michael John Neill – 6/4/2003

---

Interviewing Grandma
Summer, along with family trips and reunions, is quickly approaching. This week we take a short look at obtaining oral information from relatives. While its accuracy is sometimes questionable, for most of us oral history is a great starting point to our family history. Even for those of us who've been researching for some time, there still are questions we probably need to ask. All family historians would do well to remember that oral history, when it still exists only in a person's mind, is the most fragile family history source we have.

An excellent way to preserve the interview (at least for the short term) is to record the interview on audio or videotape. While a transcription should be made, the tape frees the interviewer from taking copious notes during the interview.

Tips for Recording Oral Histories
1. Schedule the oral history session in advance. This gives the person time to reflect, and hopefully to remember more detail. It also gives the person time to locate family materials in their home.

2. Bring an audio or video recorder, and a pen or pencil and paper. If you want to use a recording device, make sure you get permission from the person you're interviewing before you show up on their doorstep, camera in hand. Take some notes even if you record the interview (you may need to refer to them during the interview if nothing else) and practice using the recorder before the interview.

3. Bring a list of questions in advance and consider sending some of them to the interviewee in advance as well. If you're taking notes on paper, leave space for the answers or number the questions and then number the answers on a separate sheet. You can also take notes on a laptop computer as long as your typing skills are sufficient.

4. Don't be afraid to let the interviewee get off the subject. You may get unexpected good stories this way. If necessary, gently steer your interviewee in the right direction if their digression has truly taken them far afield.

5. Don't push for answers. This may only aggravate the person and cause them to cease answering questions.

6. If it is clear that a question has upset the interviewee, back off. You might have inadvertently brought up a family skeleton. Unless you are trying to solve your great-grandfather's unsolved murder, remember that you are not conducting a police interrogation.

7. Exact dates can be difficult to remember. Try to have the person put the event in perspective relative to other events in their life—their marriage, the death of a parent, a war, etc. Forcing them to guess at dates is not in your best interest and approximate dates within the context of a chronology can perhaps be pinned down later with other records and historical sources.

8. When contacting the person, ask if they have any old pictures or family mementos. Bring along any you have as well. These may be fodder for additional conversation.

9. Keep the session reasonably short. Three hours at one sitting is probably too much. Send the person a follow-up thank you note, enclosing an SASE in case they care to jot anything else down and send it to you.

10. Consider taking a scanner or a digital camera. This may be an excellent way to make copies of photographs or documents that your interviewee may not wish to leave their house.

Avoid getting overly personal. There are some things a person would like to take to their grave with them.

Suggested Questions—Just to Get You Started

Childhood
 

Where and when were you born?
 

What do you recall about your childhood?
 

Where did you live and go to school?
 

How long did you attend school?
 

What do you remember best about your parents?
 

What did you and your siblings do in your spare time?
 

Did the family move around quite a bit?
 

What is your favorite childhood memory?
 

What styles of clothing did children wear then?

Family Traditions
 

Did your family have any special traditions?
 

Are there any family recipes that are particularly special?
 

Are there any heirlooms that have been passed down from one generation to another?

Growing Up
 

When did you leave home?
 

Why did you leave and where did you go?
 

How long did you attend school?
 

Did you have a favorite aunt/uncle?
 

How did your life change when you left home? Did you feel grown up? Were you a little scared?
 

When did you get married?
 

How did you meet your spouse?

Historical Events
 

Which significant historical events have taken place during your lifetime?
 

Did your parents have strong political feelings?
 

Were there wars, natural disasters, or political changes?
 

How did these events affect you?
 

Who was (is) your favorite president?
 

How was your life different after the war?
 

For whom did you cast your first vote?

Immigration (if relevant)
 

How old were you when you immigrated?
 

Who came with you?
 

Were you scared? How did you feel as you undertook this journey?
 

Were did you come from and where and when did you arrive?
 

How did you travel? How did you travel from the coast inland? How long did the trip take?
 

What was the biggest change you faced?
 

Did you have a difficult time adjusting?
 

Why did you or your family immigrate?
 

Did you ever wish you had never left?
 

What was the biggest adjustment you had to make?

Occupation
 

What did your parents do for a living?
 

Did your mother work outside the home?
 

Was your family financially comfortable?
 

How old were you when you got your first job?
 

What jobs have you had during your life?
 

Which job was your favorite?

Physical Characteristics
 

What physical characteristics do people in your family share?
 

Which family member do you resemble?

Earlier family members
 

Did you know your grandparents or great-grandparents?
 

What were their names?
 

Where did they live?
 

Why did they move from one location to another?

Religion
 

What part did religion play in your family?
 

What church did the family attend?
 

Were you very religious?
 

Did you go to religious services on a regular basis?

Other Possible Topics
Education, Politics, Military Service, Recreation, Family Pets, Traveling, Dating, Clothing, Family Recipes, Family Medical History, Marriage and Raising a Family, and just about anything else that is of interest to family members. Remember that the impact of national and regional events on the lives of your family members can bring out excellent information as well.

Some Additional Thoughts:
 

If the family moved, ask what caused the family to move?
 

If a parent died young, ask how this impacted the family?
 

If a sibling or relative was in a war, ask how this impacted the family?
 

Don't just ask for dates, names, and places. Ask for reasons or reactions. The reason or reaction can be more interesting than the specific event itself.
 

Ask "why" where appropriate, but avoid being overly personal.

No Leading Questions
Do not suggest the answer to the person answering the question. Questions like "Grandma was born in Ohio wasn't she?" can easily be answered "yes" when the person is actually not certain. Your goal is to get at an accurate rendering of what the person remembers. Asking for clarification to something you misunderstood is fine, suggesting an answer is not.

Ask!
Hopefully the courthouse, the library, and the cemetery will be around for a while. Grandma might not be. If she has information in her head you haven't tried to get out, make an effort. Now I have a few relatives myself I need to interview, including a few first cousins of my parents and grandparents. Don't forget the "shirttail" kin as well.

Websites
Cyndi's List
www.cyndislist.com/oral.htm

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Recent Webinars in M4V format

Recorded Copies of Recent Webinars in M4V format

Miss my recent webinars? The recorded version and the PDF version of the handout can be purchased for viewing at your convenience. Presentations are generally an hour long. Each one is normally priced at $8.50--that's the best rate for recorded webinars around--we don't have overhead costs to cover and there is no mailing or postage. 

If you need M4V format, email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com, tell me what webinars you'd like and I'll send an invoice.

If you CAN view windows media files, order here for immediate download.

• Using US Census on Ancestry.com (NEW!)--This presentation discusses search tips and ideas for using the US Census at Ancestry.com. There is also discussion on organizing your search before you start typing names and information in search boxes. You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the PDF handout for $8.50. 
• Brick Walls from A to Z--This lecture is based upon my article "Brick Walls From A to Z" and is geared towards the somewhat experienced beginner to intermediate researcher. Just a list of ideas to get beyond your brick walls discussed alphabetically. Handout included. 
• Local Land Records in Public Domain States--This lecture discusses obtaining, using, and interpreting local land records in areas of the United States from Ohio westward where land was originally in the public domain. This lecture is geared towards those who have some experience with land records--advanced beginning and intermediate researchers.  $8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture.
• DeedMapper (NEW!) Geared for the person who is not familiar with DeedMapper--which maps properties described in metes and bounds, allows users to map multiple parcels on the same map, manipulate plats, insert background images. This works through one example and discusses other features of the program.
• Barbara's Beaus and Gesche's Girls--Case study of two German immigrants to the American Midwest in the mid-19th century. For $8.50 you will be able to download the media file and the PDF version of the handout. 
• Court Records-Pig Blood in the Snow. This lecture discusses American court records at the county level where cases were typically originally heard. Discusses cases of main genealogical relevance along with searching techniques. For $8.50 you will be able to download the media file and the PDF version of the handout. 
• Seeing the Patterns-Organizing Your Information. This lecture discusses the problem-solving process and a variety of ways to organize your information with the intent of getting the research to notice overlooked clues, patterns, trends, and information. $8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture. 
• Determining Your Own Migration Trail/Chain (NEW!). You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the handout as as PDF file. This lecture discusses ways to find the names of your ancestor's associates and ways to determine how your ancestor fit into a larger chain of migration. Geared towards advanced beginners and intermediate researchers.$8.50 includes handout and hour-long lecture 
• Using the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Website (NEW!). You can purchase the recorded version of the webinar as a Windows media file and the handout as as PDF for $8.50. This lecture discusses effective search techniques for the site, how to formulate your searches, how to trouble-shoot searches, a search template, and what records patents in the BLM site can lead to. 
• The Missing 1840 Census Enumeration  (NEW!). This webinar discusses a couple "missing" from the 1840 Census in Ohio and how they were eventually found and the indirect evidence used. A good overview of using land records to solve a "non-land record" problem with some points along the way about organization and visualization. Suggestions for additional research are also discussed. 
• PREORDER--Using US Passenger lists on Ancestry.com  (NEW!)--will ship on 19 November 2011-

More are coming. My webinars and other genealogy webinars are listed onhttp://blog.geneawebinars.com/ it out.

My Tilley-Howland Mayflower Lineage

This is one other Mayflower lineage--again through my great-grandmother Trautvetter.



1) John Tilley (1571 Henlow, England--first winter at Plymouth ) and Joan Hurst  (1567/8 Henlow, England--first winter at Plymouth )
2) Elizabeth Tilley (1607 Henlow, England-1687 Swansea, MA)  and John Howland  ( )
3) Hope Howland  (1629 Plymouth-1683 Barnstable, MA ) and John Hale Chipman  (1621 Dorchester, England-1708 Sandwich, MA )
4) Lydia Chipman  (1653 Barnstable, MA-1730 Barnstable, MA ) and John Sargent  (1639 Charlestown, MA-1716 Malden, MA )
5) Samuel Sargent (1688-Malden, MA-1721 Malden, MA )  and Elizabeth Pratt  (1693 Malden, MA-1760 Chelsea, MA )
6) Thomas Sargent (1720 Malden, MA-1795) and Tabitha Tuttle (1724 Chelsea, MA -1804 Hubbardston, MA)
7) Samuel Sargent (1748 Hubbardston, MA -1819 Marlboro, NH) and Deborah Sylvester (1751 Leicester, MA-1791 Marlboro, NH)
8) Samuel Sargent (1774 Ashby, MA-1841) and Sarah Gibson (1774 Ashby, MA-1847)
9) Clark Sargent (1805-1847 Winnebago County, IL) and Mary Dingman
10) William Ira Sargent (abt. 1845 Ontario-1916 Peoria County, IL) and Ellen Butler
11) Ida Mae Sargent (1874-1939 Quincy, IL) and George Trautvetter (1869 Tioga, IL-1934 Jacksonville, IL)
12) Ida Trautvetter (1910 Hancock County, IL-1994 Carthage, Hancock, IL) and Cecil Neill (1903 Stillwell, Hancock, IL-1968 Keokuk, IA)
Ida Trautvetter Neill was my paternal grandmother. I've got at least one more Mayflower lineage I may get around to posting as well.

One Mayflower Lineage--Allerton

Given the time of year, I'll re-post this post from last year. This is one of my Mayflower lines, none of which I knew about until I was able to finally able a couple of years ago to find the marriage record of Ira Sargent and Ellen Butler--generation 10 below.

1) Isaac Allerton (1586-1659 New Haven, CT) and Mary Norris (1588-1622 Plymouth, MA).

2) Remember Allerton (1614 Leiden, Holland-?) and Moses Maverick (died 1686 Marblehead, MA)

3) Abigial Maverick ( 1644 Salem, MA-1685 Salem, MA) and Samuel Ward (1638 Hingham, MA-1690 Quebec)

4) Martha Ward (1672 Salem, MA-1723 Ipswich, MA) and John Tuttle (1666 Ipswich-1715 Ipswich, MA)

5) Samuel Tuttle (1691 Boston, MA-1742 Chelsea, MA) and Abigal Floyd (1691 Chelsea, MA -1773 Chelsea, MA)

6) Tabitha Tuttle (1724 Chelsea, MA -1804 Hubbardston, MA) and Thomas Sargent (1720 Malden, MA-1795)

7) Samuel Sargent (1748 Hubbardston, MA -1819 Marlboro, NH) and Deborah Sylvester (1751 Leicester, MA-1791 Marlboro, NH)

8) Samuel Sargent (1774 Ashby, MA-1841) and Sarah Gibson (1774 Ashby, MA-1847)

9) Clark Sargent (1805-1847 Winnebago County, IL) and Mary Dingman

10) William Ira Sargent (abt. 1845 Ontario-1916 Peoria County, IL) and Ellen Butler

11) Ida Mae Sargent (1874-1939 Quincy, IL) and George Trautvetter (1869 Tioga, IL-1934 Jacksonville, IL)

12) Ida Trautvetter (1910 Hancock County, IL-1994 Carthage, Hancock, IL) and Cecil Neill (1903 Stillwell, Hancock, IL-1968 Keokuk, IA)

Ida Trautvetter Neill was my paternal grandmother. I've got at least one more Mayflower lineage I may get around to posting as well.

The Garden of John DeMoss

"For Value received of my SonJohn Demoss Junr..."

This is part of what is on the back of a patent for property in Harford County, Maryland.

This property was apparently settled by John Demoss . in 1789 when it was surveyed. It was patented to John Demoss Jr. in1802 as "Demosses Garden."

The patent itself is interesting, but the acknowledgement here that John Demoss was the father of John Demoss Jr. solidifies the connect between the two men. One can never assume that a Sr. is the father of a Jr. In this case, the father leaves no will or estate settlement which is what a person would typically use to make parent-child connections when real estate is owned.

Not all patents include information on parent-child relationships on the reverse. In this case, John had the property surveyed, but before the patent could be issued, he transferred it to John. There's no REAL reason that the relationship between the two men had to be stated. I was fortunate that it did.

I'm wondering if John Sr. actually owned no real estate at his demise and that's the reason for no will or estate settlement. It also looks like John Sr. had no other children, or at least none that survived to adulthood. This statement is supposition on my part and only based on the fact that there are no Demosses in the area of approximately John's age and "generation."

I'm working on an analysis of John Demoss' property for an upcoming issue of Casefile Clues.

The image below is a screen shot indicating the source. In the newsletter, we include complete citations. Sometimes on the blog we don't. Clicking on the image will pull up a larger version.

William Rampley's Bridge Relief in 1837

Turns out that the "relief" that William Rampley requested in 1837 centered around the building of a bridge in Harford County, Maryland.

Petitions to the state legislature could result from many things--I was hoping for a mention of a pension, but no go.

The payment for the building of a bridge is still interesting. The image from the Laws of Maryland follows:

This comes from the Session Laws 1837, Volume 601, page 48--located on the Maryland State Archives website. 

1831 Relief of William Rampley

A search on Genealogy Bank indicated that there was an act passed in the December 1837 session regarding a William Rampley. This item was located by performing a Genealogy Search on their site.

The item regarding William Rampley is 51 on this list.

The item was actually published in 1838, a few months after the act was passed. I'm not exactly certain what the Act was--we'll put that on the list and see. The Maryland State Archives may have additional information. Stay tuned.

And remember that you never know what you'll find in the newspaper.


Source:

Date: 1838-04-28; 

Paper: Easton Gazette

Ostfriesian First Name Poem

I first encountered this poem while searching the issues of the Ostfriesische Nachrichten for something or other in the 1903 issues. To find a poem comprised entirely of Ostfriesen first names was highly unusual, so I made a copy and transcribed it.

I've always loved the sound of the Platt first names--interestingly enough, my great-grandmother's name of Tjode is not on the list, but most of my other Ostfriesian ancestor's names are. The name of Uf(f)ke, from which my mother's maiden name is derived as a patronym is not on the list either, but most others are. My maternal ancestors all hail from Ostfriesland, most from in and around Wiesens, Holtrop, Wrisse, etc. 

Any errors in the transcription are mine.  

From the 1 September 1903 issue 

of the Ostfriesche Nachrichten [Breda, Iowa]

Ostfriesen Names

Men's Names

Berend, Borjes, Himel,

Tonjes, Dorjes, Ihmel,

Oeke, Eike, Wielf,

Esdert, Gerjet, Stielf,

Untel, Garbrand, Wiebrand,

Ifebrand, Haat, Siebrand.

Evert, Ulfert, Eilert, Klaas,

Luppe, Mehme, Onke, Staas,

Onntje, Tiele, Harm, Tettrino,

Janto, Lubbert, Rickert, Krino,

Geffe, Remier, Dicke, Meimert,

Eielt, Swittert, Swirt, und Weinert.

Pupt und Koert,

Ulpt und Loert,

Jibbe, Jabbe,

Hibbe, Habbe,

Reipert, Focke,

Geike, Ocke,

Koob und Sweert,

Jan und Geerd.

Wirtje, Watje, Woltje, Wene,

Uptet, Eiffe, Henffen, Hene,

Suntje, Jurke, Steffen, Ee,

Silke, Liebte, Engelke, Thee,

Meine, Hootje, Harber, Hedlef,

Sjamme, Lutet, Aalef, Detlef.

Hilfert, Uelert, Ulert, Girk,

Tinnelt, Remert, Lammert, Dirk,

Eicke, Wilcke, Brunte, Weert,

Zobe, Zebe, Ehren, Leert,

Wiebt, Wobias, Wenert, Meus,

Folkert, Frerich, Uidt, Thaleus.

Lutjen, Casjen, Soke,

Melchert, Garrelt, Foke,

Luhre, Ucke, Tamme,

Ubben, Fehde, Mamme,

Ede, Jelde, Onne,

Danje, Eute, Bonne.

Tato, Fiepto, Thilko,

Onno, Otto, Wilko,

Odo, Poppe, Renko,

Jarto, Enno, Menke,

Fieke, Ockje,

Dirtje, Focktje,

Almt, Gertje,

Olligtie, Weertje,

Moderte, Elske,

Jenningtje, Knellste.

Thalke, Sarke, Lamke,

Reenste, Brechtje, Samke,

Eie, Roolfte, Ecke,

Tonna, Wilmke, Becke,

Meemte, Lootje, Lientje,

Jantje, Harmke, Mientje.

Jabbo, Hano, Emme,

Habbo, Nanno, Hemmo,

Jibbo, Dodo, Eicko,

Hibbo, Uno, Henko.

Meiel, Weffel, Ottig, Meine,

Melmer, Bohle, Seven, Heine,

Tebbe, Eiffe, Eve, Ecke,

Hauwe, Weintje, Jellste, Decke.

Jbeling, Eitl, Bemer, Bene,

Folkert, Jellrich, Hinrich, Meme,

Tone, Jilde, Borchert, Fiehe,

Hennsmann, Oltmann, Tard und Hene,

Louth, Cozard, Siefke, Enne,

Julf, Eggo, Remmer, Menne,

Sede, Brune, Freert, Eteus,

Mennte, Mimke, Roolf, Poppen

Women's Names

Wibke, Wocbke, Wubcke,

Roste, Imte, Lubke,

Swantje, Feentje, Haute,

Geelte, Tiede, Bauke,

Aaltje, Jilfte, Petje,

Tjabbend, Lieste, Gretje.

Bilda, Wea,

Wiemda, Kea,

Thea, Mina,

Hilka, Stina,

Tjalde, Manna,

Truda, Sunna,

Bena, Sina,

Hemke, Tina,

Berenda, Peta,

Lumka, Reta.

Antje, Geske, Gebke, Baufte,

Abte, Tatje, Rante, Aafte,

Hiemke, Hinte, Rerte, Theeste,

Rinnett, Wendel, Engle, Reeste,

Meifte, Jellfte, Greitje, Hientje,

Amke, Anke, Hille, Stientje.

Barber, Sieber, Dever, Hemke,

Bartje, Moder, Meite, Wemke,

Eimde, Lubje, Sieverte, Feike,

Sjante, True, Boke, Jeike,

Bete, Rinne, Betje, Lumke,

Aalfte, Tatje, Infe, Wumke,

Tede, Diene, Elmerich,

-------------

I have often used the poem to help me tell whether a first name is a male or female name, although after some years of experience, I am pretty good at name differentiation without having to refer to the poem. 

Platt first names are unusual and I'm glad to have the poem as (in some cases), it helps me to get an idea of how a certain name was said. 

The author is not listed on the poem.

And as my ancestors used to say, "Eala Frya Fresena." 

"Lever dood as Slaav"

----------------
Feel free to link to this post. The URL is: http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2011/11/ostfriesian-first-name-poem.html

Please do not just copy and paste the poem.

This transcription is (c) 2011 Michael John Neill