Adams County 1901--the Dirks farm has grown

Moving forward to 1901, I found Bernard Dirks (as B. Dirks) owning 138 acres in Honey Creek, Adams County, Illinois, as shown here in section 35 of that township. His son, Bernard Dirks, Jr., owned 60 acres in section 36.

And of course, I made a copy of the title page so I know from where I obtained the information.

Adams County Illinois 1872 Map

This map is for sections 35 and 36 in Honey Creek Township, Adams County, Illinois, in 1872. The 40 acre plot in the northeast quarter of the northwest quarter of section 35 is supposed to be B. Dirks, actually Bernard Dirks.

Make certain when using these maps at Ancestry.com that you get the source as well. Simply saying "1872 Adams County Plat Book" is not an accurate title, nor is it a complete bibliographic entry. Take the time to look on the site for the title page, usually obtained by searching for the county and the year the book was published. It was too hard to locate the title page for this one. This is one drawback to how the maps are on the site--one has to be a little more vigilant to get adequate documentation.

Ancestry's 1908-1922 Hancock County, Illinois Map

Ancestry.com recently posted a collection of county platbooks on their site. A wonderful source and very helpful to those of us with rural ancestors.

There appears however, to be a problem with the maps for Hancock County, Illinois. The site indicates there is a 1908 and a 1922 map included on the site. The title pages make me think it is the same map as do the several township maps I compared.

I think the maps are from 1922 instead of 1908. Speaking from memory, I know there is a early 1920s plat book of Hancock County. Also there are two of my ancestors who should be listed as landowners in any 1908 platbook and they are not listed.

1870 era immigrant trunk

I've had this trunk for a while and am still trying to locate Altje on the passenger manifest when she immigrated.

Altje was born in 1848 in Wrisse, Ostfriesland, Germany, the daughter of Johann Luken Jurgens Goldenstein and his wife Tjode Anna Focken Tammen.

Altje Goldenstein was married to Hinrich Schuster on 28 August 1870 in Adams County, Illinois.





She has not been located on the 1870 census, but Hinrich is apparently enumerated in 1870 in Northeast Township, working as a hired man in the household of Habbe Osterman. It is possible that Altje immigrated after the date of the census and married Hinrich upon her arrival.

The destination listed on the trunk is "Keokuk Junction. Ills"---a reference to the town now known as Golden, Illinois.

Altje was a sister to Foche (Frank) Goldenstein, my great-great-grandfather

Back from Saratoga Springs-20 Oct 2007

(note: this post somehow got lost in cyberspace, so I'm reposting it today).

I enjoyed my time with the Heritage Hunters from Saratoga Springs New York this past weekend. Ruth Anne from the group was gracious enough to take me on an extended tour of the area, including the Saratoga National Historical Site and other sites in and around the area. There is a lot of history there and I learned first hand how the group has been working on preserving names of Revolutionary era soldiers and other information from the colonial era and how they are also ever vigilant in their efforts to preserve cemeteries and other local historic sites.

And my hosts graciously picked me up at 4:00 a.m. Sunday morning to take me back to the Albany airport. Now that is dedication.

Habbens at Castle Garden and Ancestry

This is the entry for the Habben family at http://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.

Looking for a Speaker?

I am currently working on my 2008 and 2009 travel and speaking calendar. There are still several open dates on my travel schedule.

My lectures are entertaining, relaxed, yet educational and informative. There is no getting up and reading the handout and lectures are up-to-date and reflective of the latest research methodology. Handouts are always intended to be more than adequate to reduce the amount of time attendees take notes. Those attending the workshop are encouraged to ask questions between sessions, at lunch (at least after I eat), and after we are done.

For questions about having me present to your group, send me an email at mjnrootdig@gmail.com and we can go from there.

Upcoming Speaking Engagements-Michael John Neill

I will be speaking or presenting at the following conferences at workshops over the next several months:

San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society 3 November 2007
DuPage County Genealogical Society 23 February 2008
Galesburg, Illinois, Genealogy Computing Week 3-8 March 2008
Ohio Genealogical Society Conference 19 April 2008
Salt Lake City Research trip 13-21 May 2008
Allen County Public Library Researth trip 28 May-1 June 2008

Each link contains more information about workshop, conference, or sponsoring organization. If you are unable to get your questions answered on the site, email them, or drop me an email at mjnrootdig@gmail.com.

That blob on the manifest makes all the difference

This is part of the manifest for the Ernst Moritz Arndt which landed in New Orleans on 13 June of 1853.

There is a reasonable chance that the 53 year old Andreas Schollmeyer is my wife's ancestor of the same name. There is only one problem: the tear in the manifest. The entry before Andreas Schollmeyer appears to be that of Frederich Schollmeyer and his family (including wife Catherine and children Nicodemus, Dorothe, and Elisabeth). The problem is that one transciber thinks that the Schollmeyers are from "Lohr" which is the village of residence which is partially shown in the upper right corner of the first image.

The second image contains a larger view of the "Lohr" above the Schollmeyer's town of origin and the column for the destination. I think that the blob is large enough that it easily could cover another location.

The column for destination (which contains "New Orleans") in the entry for the family before the Schollmeyers, clearly contains something other than "New Orleans" and does not contain ditto marks in the column for Frederick (the third line in the image shown). I think it might be "Iowa" for reasons we'll announce in a future entry.

Schulmeyers in Beberstedt, Germany

On last year's trip to Salt Lake, one of the things I finally located was the 1840 christening for Elizabeth Schulmeyer in Beberstedt, Germany.

We had known for some time that her father was Andreas as he was living with Elizabeth's family in Davenport, Scott County, Iowa in the 1860 and 1870 census. We did not have the name of Elizabeth's mother. Here in the christening entry (which was split into three parts) is the name of her mother Brigitte Schilling.

Scanning the microfilm was infinitely easier than other copying processes. Of course, scanning the "title" page of the record (also shown in this post) was an integral part of tracking where I obtained the information.



I also like to write down notes I take while making digital images of the microfilm. Those notes I then take to one of the book scanners in the library. That image goes in the same folder as my digital scans from the microfilm. I make notes about what image numbers are from what record, what year, etc. In many cases European church records have no page numbers and these notes help me keep track of what is actually on each image. My notes always contain the name of the film to prevent confusion as well and I try and scan them as soon after creating the images from microfilm as soon as possible.

I really enjoy using the scanners while I am at the Family History Library, but one has to stay organized or your files can become extremely unorganized.

Separating Delayed Twins

I'm not certain why, but the page of three Chicago birth certificates is one of the most popular on my site.

One of the certificates is shown in this posting, for Lillian Apgar, born 2 March 1910 in Chicago with her birth being registered on 3 March 1931. Her sister's birth certificate was a delayed one as well. Her other sisters's birth was never recorded and the younger brother is the only child whose certificate was recorded shortly after the actual birth.

There's an article I posted on my site some time ago analyzing these three certificates and summarizing why I think daughter 3 never had a certificate.

My wife is a descendant of this family and I would love to hear from anyone else researching the family. Of course, she descends from the one who has no birth certificate.

How was Habben read on the 1867 manifest?

The name was read as "Walelsen." The image in this post shows how the last name appears on the actual record.

Our earlier post today regarding the Habben family's manifest from 1867 indicated I was having difficulty finding the same entry on Ancestry.com in their index. After some creative searching, I discovered the name was read by the indexers at Ancestry as "Walelsen." I can see it now that I know what they thougth it was. Of course, it looks like "Habben" to me, but that's because I already know what it is.

Compiled Virginia Civil War Confederate Records

Footnote has completed digitizing the Compiled Service Records for Virginia during the American Civil War.

The image shown here is one of the cards for John W. Sledd which indicates he spent some time at the hospital in Richmond.

This image has been reduced for faster loading, but the actual images on footnote are high quality and print nicely.

These records are currently searchable by name of soldier on Footnote.com.

Finding a manifest a second time

This is part of the 21 Oct 1867 arrival manifest for the Union which landed in New York City.

The names are intended to be:

• Mimke Habben
• Antje Habben
• Trientje Habben
• L[ubbe] Habben
• Jasper Habben
• H.
• John
• M.
• J.
• Ger.
• Inft.

The names are a little "off" from what they actually are, but they are very close considering.

I actually located the reference several years ago using the Germans to America series--which included the last name spelled as "Habben." I am trying to find the family in Ancestry.com's indexes and so far have struck out. I'll keep trying and post a followup message on how these names appear in their database.

Taking Notes When Photographing Stones

I wish I had taken better notes when I was taking photographs of tombstones a few years ago at the Buckeye Cemetery in southern Hancock County, Illinois.

I can read most of the inscription just fine:

Elizabeth

daughter of

J. & E.

Rampley

Died

Aug 24 1855

Aged

16 Yrs ?? ds.

Can't read the number of days and think it might be a "9." I probably could have read it at the cemetery when I was there.

Leaving out the details on a death certificate

You have to love a death certificate like this one from Mercer County, Illinois. The place of birth for Sarah Smith is listed as "Franklin County." No state is given. One might think it is Franklin County, Illinois, but it is not. The actual county is in Ohio.

Sarah was actually the daughter of Archibald and Lucinda (Wickiser) Kile who migrated to Mercer County, Illinois in the late 1840s.

Can You Read it? (not one of mine...)

Nancy from the Gen-Newbie mailing list was having difficulty reading the back of this photograph, so I offered to post it here for her.

Anyone able to read it or having a guess can post a reply below.

Thanks.

Getting Ready for San Antonio

I am in the final stages of getting ready for the workshop I'll be presenting for the San Antonio Genealogical and Historical Society this upcoming weekend. More information can be found on the society's website.



I'll be presenting on World War 1 and 2, Female Ancestors, Brick Walls, and Newspapers. Readers of the blog or the Ancestry World Journal columns are welcome to come up and introduce themselves after the workshop.

Picture of Nancy Newman Rampley (1846-1923)

I don't really have a favorite ancestor, but one has to admire Nancy. Her Civil War widow's pension application was rejected at least four times after her husband's death and she kept reapplying--until they sent a special examiner to take special testimony in her case. She eventually got her pension in the early 1900s.

She even wrote her congressman when her raise in her pension was slow in coming after it had been voted in by Congress.

Nancy was born near Milroy, Rush County, Indiana 8 July 1846, the daughter of William and Rebecca (Tinsley) Newman. She married Riley Rampley in 1867 at her parent's home near Breckenridge, Hancock County, Illinois. She died in West Point, Illinois in 1923 and is buried with Riley in the Buckeye Cemetery in Walker Township, Hancock County, Illinois.

Nancy is my great-great-grandmother.

Trautvetter Portraits

The image to the left is a photograph of oil portraits paited of George (1798-1871) and Sophia Derle Trautvetter (1808-1877). George was a native of Bad Salzungen, Thuringen, Germany and Sophia was born nearby.

They immigrated to Rocky Run Township, Hancock County, Illinois in 1853. George returned to Germany and is buried there. Sophia is buried in the Bethany Cemetery Cemetery in Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois, next to her son John Michael.

George and Sophia are my 3rd great-grandparents.

Annual ACPL Research Trip May 2008

We have set the dates for the annual Family History Research trip to the Allen County Public Library in Ft. Wayne, Indiana:

28 May - 1 June 2008

In the next few weeks, we will be posting our brochure which will contain fees and other registration information. We always have a great time at the library and get a good amount of research accomplished as well.

Folks joining us from the St. Louis area can ride the bus to Ft. Wayne. Those joining us from other areas, pay a lower fee and make their own transportation arrangements.

More information is available at http://www.rootdig.com/acpltrip.html
Our trip blog is at http://www.rootdig.com/labels/acpltrip.html

We'd love to have you join us.

Census Searching Reminders

All of us at one point in time or another have difficulty locating someone in a census. Juliana Smith just posted my article on Ancestry's blog with a list of census searching reminders. Feel free to post your own suggestions at the bottom of the post.

The article can be viewed here on Ancestry.com's blog.

Minor Naturalizations and Smith Article

We discussed minor naturalizations today in the workshop in St. Charles. This is the link to the article that was not in the handout:

http://www.ancestry.com/learn/library/article.aspx?article=10391&print=1

This is the link to the article by Marian Smith on Women and Naturalization that we also discussed:

http://www.archives.gov/publications/prologue/1998/summer/women-and-naturalization-1.html

Article On Levi Rhodes discussed in St. Charles

We discussed at the St. Charles workshop today an article on tracking Levi Rhodes from Tennessee into Missouri. The article unfortunately did not make the handout. The article is online here:

http://www.rootdig.com/adn/crossing_state_line.html

There is also a four part series here on analyzing pre-1850 census records:

http://www.rootdig.com/chaneythomas/

US Civil War Pensions to be digitized

For Immediate Release October 23, 2007

National Archives and the Genealogical Society of Utah (GSU)Announce Digitizing Partnership

Washington, D.C.

Archivist of the United States Allen Weinstein and Wayne Metcalfe, vice president of the Genealogical Society of Utah,today announced a five-year partnership agreement to digitize case files of approved pension applications of widows of Civil War Union soldiers from the National Archives.

GSU has many years of experience microfilming historical records at the National Archives and throughout the world and in recent years has moved to providing digital capture and publishing services. Digitization makes possible unprecedented access to the unique historic documents in the custody of the National Archives.This partnership will begin with a pilot project to digitize, index,and make available the first 3,150 of the pension files.

Upon successful completion of the pilot, GSU, doing business as FamilySearch, in conjunction with Footnote.com, intends to digitize and index all 1,280,000 Civil War and later widows' files in the series. These records, of great interest to genealogists and others, are currently available only at the National Archives Building in Washington, D.C.The widows' pension application files, a rich source of information about ordinary American citizens of the time, include supporting documents such as affidavits, depositions of witnesses, marriage certificates, birth records, death certificates, and pages from family bibles."

"For a number of years we have had a very productive relationship with FamilySearch," said Professor Allen Weinstein. "This agreement expands our relationship to enable online access to some of the most popular and voluminous records in our holdings. It is an exciting step forward for our institutions and for the American people," he added."There is an unbelievable treasure trove of genealogical information housed in the records of the National Archives; the vast majority of which genealogy enthusiasts have never seen," said Wayne Metcalfe."The growing digital collection and indices that will stem from this relationship will be a priceless resource for countless family historians and researchers."

FamilySearch will make the digitized materials available for free through http://www.familysearch.org/ and in 4500 family history centers worldwide, or on a subscription-based website operated by a third party,subject to National Archives approval. They will also be available at no charge in National Archives' research rooms in Washington, DC, and regional facilities across the country. In addition, FamilySearch will donate to the National Archives a copy of all the digital images and the associated indexes and other metadata that they create.This agreement is one of a series of agreements that the National Archives has reached or will reach with partners to digitize portions of its holdings.

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Michael's Comment:
I've known this was coming for several months---needless to say I am extremely excited that these fragile records will be preserved and that a public announcement can be made!