Mapping the Sledds in Kentucky

The first image in this post in a plat of an estate division from Nicholas County, Kentucky in the 1830s for the estate of Thomas Sledd. Several things worthy of note here:

• Thomas Sledd's estate was actually probated in Bourbon County, shortly after his death in 1814.


• This plat is actually upside down (which I learned when I used DeedMapper to plat the properties out using the legal descriptions)


• This document was recorded in Nicholas County, Kentucky.

This image was made from a microfilm scan I made while at the Family History Library last May on our annual trip. I have only reproduced the part of the deeds that show the map.

Thomas Sledd was my 5th great-grandfather, his daughter Belinda (Melinda) married Augusta Newman in 1815 and is my 4th great-grandmother.

Another helpful scan I made was the "title" page from the microfilm. I then saved that image along with the scan from the deed books so I could track my source. And we all know how important that is.

In a future post, we'll talk about how DeedMapper was used to plat the properties out "correctly."

Getting Ready for Saratoga Springs, New York

I'm in the last steps of preparing to leave for a genealogy workshop in Saratoga Springs, New York, sponsored by Heritage Hunters. This will be my first trip to the area, but like most, it will be a short one (my Sunday morning flight leaves at 6:00 a.m.). I am looking forward to the trip and meeting with the group.

If any regular blog readers or Ancestry.com readers are in attendance, please come up at some point and introduce yourself. We will be talking about planning research trips, researching newspapers, problem-solving, and more.

Georgia Death Cerficiates online

Georgia recently uploaded an index of it's death certificates from 1919-1927. There are many search options, including first and last name.

The nice thing is that if one does an "advanced" search, one can search all the name fields, including those of the parents. This made it easier for me to track the movements of some extended members of the Rampley family, including Rachel, whose son's Samuel Mosley's death certificate from 1921 is partially shown on the left.

I'll be spending more time with advanced search. Feel free to post your tips for using the site here as well.

The Church in Wiesens

Doris Reuter has an excellent site for those with Ostfriesen ancestors. It is in German, but the pictures are wonderful.

I found the church in Wiesens, where 3 of my great-great-grandparents were born and christened:

• Jann M. Habben (1859-1939)
• Anke Fecht Habben (1860-1941)
• Jans Jurgens Janssen (1856-1929)

The Habbens died in Elvaston and Janssen died near Basco, both in Hancock County, Illinois.

Found some neat pictures of the church in Etzel, where two of my third great-grandparents were born:

• Bernard Dirks (1825-1913)
• Heipke Mueller Dirks (1832-1924)

Those two died near Coatsburg, in Adams County, Illinois.

There's lots more--which happens when you are one-half Ostfriesen, but I'll end the posting with just these two. The site is fairly easy to navigate and provides good geographic information as well for Ostfriesen genealogists.

The Ostfriesens are one of my favorite groups to research, but I am a little bit biased ;-)

Get it RIGHT, CNN!

CNN is reporting the amazing, surprising, totally knock me on the floor fact that two unsuspecting Americans are related after tracing their ancestry back to the 17th century. Hold the presses on that one.

At any rate, CNN also apparently thinks Mareen Duvall is a female, referring to her as "she" in the article. Both Cheney and Obama are descendants of Mareen Duvall, a French Huguenot who settled in Maryland. Duvall was a male. Minor little detail there.

Cheney apparently is also descended from Maryland immigrant Richard Cheney.

Oh wow. My Thomas Chaney (1750s-1856 Bedford County Pennsylvania) is supposedly descended from the same Richard.

The Bedford County history says my Thomas Chaney was a noted hunter in early years. There is no record of my Thomas accidentally shooting any humans though.

"The Gipper" dug up for a DNA test

CNN and several news outlets are reporting that former Notre Dame athlete George Gipp, who inspired the rallying cry "Win one for the Gipper," was exhumed recently for DNA tests. Gipp died in 1920.

A relative of Gipp's requested the test, but reasons were not immediately clear.

Kinda makes me think about being cremated ;-)

Editing the census...

The entry for two-year old Noe Gorsuch in Harlem Township, Delaware County, Ohio, contains an editorial comment apparently made after the returns were submitted. Someone has written in a very small hand "Noah?" by the name, apparently wondering if the intent was Noah Gorsuch instead of Noe. This child appears in household entry 669 for Thomas Gorsuch.

Interestingly enough, entry for household 667 in the same township also contains a Noe and this entry has no such comment wondering if the child was really Noah.

Reminder for Genealogy Users of Ebay

Many genealogists use ebay to make a variety of purchaes. Keep in mind when buying books that you may be bidding on a book that is still in print. Find out what the publisher is charging for the book before you bid. I have seen several occasions where a bidder ends up paying MORE for the book on ebay than they would have had they purchased the book directly from the publisher.

I ususally try and find the book for sale somewhere else online and then use that to base my bid--assuming of course that the book is still in print.

Save your extra genealogy money for copies ;-)

More Revolutionary Pensions At Footnote.com

Footnote.com is now indicating that they have digitized 86% of the Revolutionary War Pensions from the National Archives. I've already found a few relatives in this wonderful database, but I'm still waiting for Tennessee...but most states have already been added.

Those wanting to see samples can view pages from the file of Elam Blain here.

You can find your own ancestors in the Revolutionary War pension files at Footnote.com

World Vital Records

Just in case you were not aware...World Vital Records is having a special offer through October 8th.
This current offer at World Vital Records includes two years of membership and a copy of RootsMagic for $49.95. World Vital Records has added some census images and is working on adding more of these materials to their site--indexes are forthcoming as well. They are adding a variety of databases to their site and their data may complement nicely other databases to which you subscribe or those to which you have access at your local library.

Those unaware of the materials World Vital Records offers can get a listing all databases on their site.

Disappearing Ancestors in Census Records

My "Tip from the Pro" which appeared in last week's Ancestry World Journal.

Disappearing Ancestors in Census Records

You have found your ancestor in the 1820 and 1830 censuses, but he
cannot be located in the 1840 census. What can you do? There are
several approaches, but one idea is to locate his 1820 and 1830
neighbors in the 1840 census and see if your ancestor is nearby with
his name woefully misspelled or written in a barely legible fashion.
It is possible that your ancestor moved out of state; locating those
1820 and 1830 neighbors in that "new" location may allow you to find
your ancestor living there among them.

Of course, it is always possible that your ancestor is dead in 1840
and not enumerated at all. And there is always the chance that if he
is living with one of his grown children in 1840 that the grown child
is listed as the head of the household. In this case, the ancestor is
there, but just one of the "tic" marks for an older family member.

Early Bird Registration Discount on Salt Lake Research Trip

We are offering a $50 early bird registration discount on our research
trip to Salt Lake City, Utah, in May of 2008. Regular price is $250,
but early registrants can sign up for $200. Trip planning begins with
registrants as soon as deposit and registration form is received.
Planning for a week at the Family History Library is something best
done slowly over time, not at the last minute. This is especially true
for those who have never been to the library before. Organization of
your research materials takes some time as does adequate planning.

The registration price includes my help and consultations (both before
the trip and at the library), help with using online databases at the
library, morning presentations, and Sunday morning brunch. For more
information on the trip our website

http://www.rootdig.com/slctrip.html

has more information.
Or I can be reached at mjnrootdig@gmail.com

George Drollette--Secretary to US Chinese Ambassador

As mentioned in an earlier post, I requested papesr from George Drollette from the National Archives. The package arrived this week and most of the information in the package consisted of letters of recommendation for Drollette to become Edwin H. Conger's secretary while Conger was Ambassador to China. There are also recommendations for a promotion for Drollette, but it is unclear if Drollette ever received the promotion. I need to determine if there are other records besides the ones I received from the Archives.

Drollette's wife wrote several letters in support of his promotion. Apparently he was in China for at least three years without his wife and child. His child, Elmore Drollette, appears in the 1910 census with his maternal grandparents in Indiana.

More work needs to be done. We'll post additional details as we get them.

Librarian Position at the Allen County Public Library

There is a genealogical library position open at the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Keep in mind that while the ACPL may be a dream location for many, working there is a job and has certain requirements.

From the website posting:

"...you must possess an ALA-accredited master of library science degree with knowledge of genealogical librarianship acquired through appropriate undergraduate or graduate course work in history, archives, and genealogy. Previous genealogical research experience and one year’s library experience are desired..."

Those who are interested can visit the Library's job openings page directly:
http://www.acpl.lib.in.us/hr/index.html

World Vital Records adds US Census Records

World Vital Records has announced the addition of census images to their pay-for site.

Census images 1790-1880 are currently on the site and indexes are apparently in the works. According to the site, images are free for ten days after their intial release. World Vital Records will be adding the census images through 1930, including indexes. This is a nice option for those who need the census records and not some of the other records that are on other online sites. A subscription to World Vital Records is currently $49.95 a year. Might be time to ask Santa for an early present.

Auction Houses that won't sell

The headline appeared on a news website:

"Auction houses that won't sell"

Does it mean auction houses have things they will not sell or does it mean you can auction your own home if your own home does not sell?

The latter was the intent.

Make certain your genealogical writing is clear as well. If something can be interpreted in more than one way, rephrasing is probably necessary. Creating ambuigity is never a good thing for the genealogist.

Back from Las Vegas

I enjoyed my time in Las Vegas presenting for the Clark County Genealogical Society's conference this past weekend. I had a great time and the group from Clark County was really nice to work with.

Some of the links mentioned in the lectures will be listed here again for those who were unable to get them during the presentations:

European Research:
http://www.rootdig.com/european2.html

http://www.rootdig.com/eurpoean.html

Other Links:

http://www.usgenweb.org/

http://boards.ancestry.com/

http://www.familysearch.org/

For those that asked about our research trip to Salt Lake City, Utah next May--there is more information here and an update is in the works.

Thanks to Henry for my tour of the Hoover Dam. That was quite a spectacle as well.

Electonic Version of Elizabeth Shown Mills' Evidence Explained

In case your bookshelf just does not have room to handle the latest tome from Elizabeth Mills, never fear.

Footnote.com has just announced the release of the electronic version of Elizabeth Shown Mills' new book Evidence Explained.

Those genealogists who wish to cite their sources and leave future generations of genealogists an idea of where they got their information would be well-served by using Mills' book as a guide to citation creation. And all genealogists should wish to cite their sources. Actually citation should be much more than a wish. It is a virtual mandate.

Footnote is currently offering the electonic edition for $24.95. Price may change, but the need for citation does not!

And electonic versions don't take up desk space...that leaves more room for those paper copies you never got scanned.

Friends on the Farm Reviewed

My great-aunt self-published a book of stories about growing up on her parents farm in Hancock County, Illinois. I am chargined to admit I have not yet read all of it (my Mother kept it so that when Aunt Ruth came to visit, she could sign it for me), but the parts I read were interesting and were told in Aunt Ruth's usual humorous way. She pretty much writes the way she talks and I could almost hear her telling the stories as I read them. You can't do that with all books you read. Of course, knowing some of the people she wrote about doesn't hurt either.

Friends on the Farm has been reviewed by Illinois Times and the review of Aunt Ruth's book is positive. I got a chuckle out of the cow named "Three." I omit the discussion of the name deriviation from this blog, but farm kids or former farm kids, probably already have a good idea where that name came from.

You can buy Aunt Ruth's book on Amazon.com

Proof of the Pension is in the Reading...

My latest article has been published on Ancestry.com's blog.

The Proof of the Pension is in the Reading went live sometime today. It discusses a Revolutionary War Pension file that provided numerous clues about a family's life in the early nineteenth century. The pension proves the family's migration from New Jersey into Pennsylvania and eventually into Ohio. And there's much more.

We've posted a few images from this pension file on our website. The family of Elam and Katherine Blain has been an interesting one to research and descendants are welcome to fire off an email to me as my wife is a descendant of the family.

Where Will Your Stuff Go?

Every so often the "genealogical clause" to add to your will makes the rounds on the internet. While such an addendum that specifies where your genealogical materials are to be placed is not a bad idea, there are several things worth remembering:

• Libraries, archives, and historical collections find space to be at a premium. It costs money to property store and maintain collections. Unorganized material, stacks of photocopies, undocumented family group charts are not highly desireable and just because your will says "give it to the blah blah library" does not mean blah blah library has to take it. Of course, if you leave a sizeable donation to blah blah library that might increase the chances they take it.
• Frankly, the attorney and your executor might not care too much what happens to your "stack of papers" and filing cabinets. They will be concerned about real assets, money and any personal items of value and personal items that family members squabble over. Even if your will says your papers are to be donated somewhere, they may end up being donated to the local dump.
  

But my will says that "thus and so" should happen to my papers. To be honest, once your will is being probated, you are dead. You have no control.

What to do?

Work on preserving your information NOW. Work on sharing your information NOW.

Write a documented biography of one ancestor and submit it to a local genealogical society newsletter for publication. Write up a set of parents and their children, documenting every fact, relationship, and date you can using reasonable standards of documentation. Submit that for publication in a local newsletter or quarterly. Most of these county publications go begging for material to publish and this way you have at least preserved SOMETHING even if writing the WHOLE BOOK proves to be a larger task than you can accomplish.

And remember. Most of these genealogical society publications go to quite a few libraries and may even end up being microfilmed. This way you have preserved part of your information. There are other ways to preserve your information to be certain. The key is to actively work on preservation BEFORE you leave this life. Don't wait on someone else to do it for you after you are gone.

1865 Illinois Census Online Transcription-Hamilton County

The 1865 Hamilton County, Illinois, Census has been transcribed at posted online at the Hamilton County, ILGenWeb site.

Actual 1865 census images for the entire state can be viewed at HistoryKat.

Partial Index to 1865 Cook County, Illinois Census

Molly Kennedy over at mollx.com is working on an index to the names in the 1865 Illinois State Census. These are the wards she has completed currently are Ward 1 Ward 2 Ward 3 Ward 4. More are in progress (Molly also offers a variety of record searches in Illinois records as well).

The 1865 Illinois State Census is online at HistoryKat (which offers a variety of online records at a reasonable annual price that can be viewed whenever the mood strikes).

Information on 1865 Illinois State Census From Illinois State Archives

Those wishing to know more about the 1865 Illinois Census can find more on the Illinois State Archives website. There is a partial index at the Illinois State Archives, but this index is not online.

The 1865 Illinois State Census images are available online at HistoryKat--here you can browse the actual images. The census is head of household only and in the case of most rural counties the lack of an index is not a significant problem if the township or area of residence is known with some degree of precision. Using the census is easier if the researcher has access to a township map for the counties under study.

We'll be posting the results from my searches in the Adams County, Illinois, 1865 census over the next few days.

1885 Colorado Census

I've found my 3rd great-grandfather's sister living with her son and his family in Denver, Arapahoe County, Colorado, in the 1880 census.

L. U. Albers is listed as a merchant in the image shown here which is a partial copy from the 1880 Census (page 157A of Enumeration District 7). The family had only lived in Colorado a few years as all the children, including the youngest who was two years old, were listed as being born in Illinois.

Antje Albers, shown in the second image, is listed as L. U.'s 69 year old mother. Antje's maiden name was Antje Ehmen, born in 1811 in Wrisse, Ostfriesland, Germany. Her brother Johann Goldenstein (1814-1891) was my third great-grandfather. He remained in Wrisse and did not emigrate.

Historykat has released the 1885 census for Colorado and my next goal is to try and find her in that record.