I Know Who Is In That Picture Taken Nearly 30 Years Before My Birth

Most of us have photographs taken before we were born that we can identify the people in. Of course, some of that identification will be because we've only seen pictures of those people before.

I identified the people in this picture, even though two of them I never met.

The two boys in the front are Roger Neill (standing) and Pat Neill (being held). My father is in the background being held by his mother, Ida (Trautvetter) Neill. Fannie (Rampley) Neill is sitting on the porch and Charlie Neill is standing holding Pat. The three boys are grandsons of Charlie and Fannie--Ida is their daughter-in-law.

I could tell the boy standing was my uncle and after a little bit of looking I realized who was being held by Charlie. That's my grandmother standing in the back and there's only one other baby who would logically be in the photograph--my Dad. These three were the oldest grandchildren of my great-grandparents and figuring out who was who really was not all that difficult.

I recognize my grandmother from knowing her and having seen other pictures. Charlie and Fannie I recognize from having seen other pictures. The fact that I can see my own father in Charlie's face isn't proof, but it was an interesting thing for me to note.

"Looks like a relative" is not adequate for identification.

It pays to proofread: As soon as I posted this image, I realized I left off the state in which the picture was taken. To me the state was obvious, but obviously that will not be obvious to others.

1721 Items in the Kitchen

This is part of the inventory of the estate of Samuel Sargent which was filed in 1721 in Middlesex County, Massachusetts. Part of the difficulty in analyzing any of records of this type is getting through the handwriting. This part of the inventory was of items "In the Cetchen[kitchen]" 

How many can you read?

Part of the inventory of Samuel Sargent, Middlesex County, Mass., estate files, Estate 19896, obtained on microfilm through the Family History Library

 One thing about reading estate inventory items is that some of the words used are the same as today and that can help us in determining how certain letters were written in parts of the document where we may not have a good idea of what the word is.

Two More of Ira's 1870 Family "Located"

Using the word located is a little strong--as these two people have not actually been located in the 1870 census, but since they've been found in 1871 in Ontario, we'll see why it's likely they were not in the United States in 1870.

This is the 1871 census entry from Ontario, Canada for Charlotte (Landon) Cummings--half-sister of Ira Sargent (my elusive 1870 census ancestor). A short analysis of the enumeration follows related to my attempts to find Ira in 1870.

Ancestry.com's source is listed as: Source Citation: Year: 1871; Census Place: Sombra, Bothwell, Ontario; Roll: C-9894; Page: 40; Family No: 144.

The date of the 1871 Canadian Census was 2 April 1871. George Cummings is listed as having been born in Ontario (the "O" in the birth place column) eight month before the census date. This would mean that the parents (actually at least the mother) was in Ontario in March or so of 1870 when George was born (according to this census). Given that the family was in Ontario on the census date eight months later, it seems likely that they were in Ontario when the United States census was taken for 1870.

There's nothing in this enumeration to indicate that Asa Landon was in Canada at the time of the 1870 United States census, but it seems probable.

Summary:

Ira's half-sister Charlotte is almost certainly in Ontario in 1870 and his step-father Asa Landon is likely in Ontario then as well. Ira's half-brother Edwin Landon has not yet been located. Two of Ira's four sisters are in Davis County, Iowa in 1870 and one ten-year old child of Ira's oldest sister Emmar has been located as a ten year old boy living in Lancaster County, Nebraska. It's highly likely that Emmar is somewhere near Lancaster County as she marries there a year later. Sister Minerva Sargent has still not been located in 1870, but she's likely somewhere in southern Iowa as she marries in Wapello County, Iowa, in 1870.

It doesn't seem likely that Ira went to Canada with his Landon kin in 1870 or so only to return in Davis County to marry in October of 1870. I'm not certain how much more time I'll spend looking for him in 1870, but writing up the search and working on it has not necessarily been a bad thing for me to do.

A Few Thoughts on Our Blog Philosophy

For those who are new to this blog, we'll post a little bit about my philosophy on this blog. Those who have been viewing for a while are probably aware of most of these things and can probably pass on the rest of this post.

In-progress research. 

There is a school of thought that any type of "publishing" should be relatively finished. I'm not a member of that school as far as blogs are concerned. In-progress research is fine as long as it's written clearly, has a point, and can serve as some sort of illustration. It's also important to point out that the research is very much in-progress and that conclusions are temporary and may need to be revised. 

Citations

I don't include "complete" citations in blog posts--at least not usually. However, there is usually enough information in the blog post for a reasonable reader to discern from where the information was actually obtained. Readers who think this amount of detail has been left out are free to post comments or email me and I'm happy to include more detail if I've accidentally left something out. 

Press Releases

I don't include information from press releases in blog posts. Ever. If your company or organization has a site, book, etc. that you think may interest me, you are free to email me that information. If I use it in my own research and find it helpful, I'll mention it. Otherwise I don't. Don't bother sending me "suggested text" to use in a blog post. If your book or item covers an area in which I have no interest, the chance I write about it is virtually zero. This blog is about my research. 

Content

I only write about and research the ancestors and extended family of my children. That includes twenty states and eight countries in Western Europe and rural and urban areas--although I do tend to focus on the rural families. That's enough to keep me busy.

It does not matter how "neat" the site or service is. If it's not related to one of my areas of research or families, it's not going to be mentioned. While we love traffic to our blog, we don't write blog posts just to generate traffic.

Suggestions

Suggestions for content are welcome and can be sent to me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com. I do get behind, so please be patient. 

My Ira Sargent 1870 Census Problem

Finding Ira Sargent in 1870 may require more than just looking for him. It is very possible that if he was enumerated, he is near one of his family members. This includes his siblings and his step-father, Asa Landon. and his two half siblings. This post summarizes what is known about them relevant to their 1870 census location and was done for our Genealogy Tip of the Day readers on Facebook who asked for a few more details. Sources are not included in this post.

Siblings:

Emmar

Emmar has not been located in 1870. She was born around 1839 in Canada. In 1856 she married James Pollard in Iowa and should be enumerated as Emma(r) Pollard in 1870. She married Robert Ross in 1871 in Lancaster County, Iowa, and may not have been living with James Pollard in 1870. Her son Thomas Pollard is believed to have been enumerated in Lancaster County, Nebraska (page 181 stamped upper left, family/dwelling 868, George Aiken household), as a ten year old "cattle herder."

Lucretia

Lucretia was married in 1866 in Davis County, Iowa, to Frederick Price. They are living in 1870 in Soap Creek Township, Davis County, Iowa (page 7).

Martha

Martha was married in 1867 in Davis County, Iowa, to William Bell. They are living in 1870 in Soap Creek Township, Davis County, Iowa (page 5).

Minerva

Minerva was born around 1848 (in Illinois) and married John Strobel in Iowa in 1876.

Step-father and half siblings:

Asa Landon-step-father

Asa was born between 1798 and 1809 in New York or Canada. He cannot be located in the 1870 census and it is possible that by 1870 he was in Canada as it is known that he returned to Canada sometime after the 1860 census where he is enumerated in Christian County, Missouri.

Edwin Thomas Landon-half-brother

Edwin was born about 1850 in Illinois.He cannot be located in 1870 and also moved to Canada after the 1860 census.

Charlotte Roxanna Landon-half-sister

Charlotte ("Roxie") was born about 1853 in Illinois. She cannot be located in 1870 and moved to Canada/Michigan after the 1860 census.

September 2013 Organizing Genealogical Information Class

Deadline extended..

September 2013 Class

Need to grow your research skills this summer? Consider taking our homework-optional class! If you have registered you should have received your welcome message--email me at mjnrootdig@gmail.com if you did not. Previous registrants for other sections who need to enroll in this section should email me for login information. Register via this link

Organizing Genealogical Information:

A Short Course

With Michael John Neill

(scroll down for specific schedule)

Organizing information is an important part of genealogical research—perhaps more important than the actual research. This short course (only 4 sessions) is intended to provide the students with exposure to a variety of ways to organize information with an emphasis on problem-solving. The course will consist of four lectures (topics and schedule below), problem assignments, virtual follow-up discussions, group discussion board interaction, and student submission of work (optional). There is no assigned grade—you get from this what you put into it. Students will also be able to share their work and ideas with other students.

Citation of sources is important, but presentations will not focus on citation theory.

This time the course will be presented a little bit differently. Students will be able to download the lecture and view it at their convenience--ideally all on the same day that the download link is sent to registered students.

Course registration is only $30 for this run of the course. Class size is limited to 30 to encourage group interaction. Attendees will need to register 24 hours before the class starts. If you registered for a previous session and were not able to actively participate--email me to be put in this series at no charge.

• Assignment/Study 1—Charts, Charts, and More Charts (we will discuss a variety of charts and table to organize your information and your searches—all students work on same problem
• Assignment/Study 2—4 Step Research Process (we will discuss a four-step process to research organization)—pick your own problem
• Assignment/Study 3— Constructing Families from pre-1850 Census (discuss of how to ascertain family structure from pre-1850 US census records)---all work on same problem
• Assignment/Study 4— Problem Solving Chart (problem-solving techniques not discussed in previous lectures)– pick your own problem

Register via this link.

Lecture downloads:

• 16 September
• 23 September
• 30 September
• 6  October

Discussions:

• 19September 4  PM Central
• 26 September 4  PM Central
• 3 October  4  PM Central
• 10 October  4  PM Central

Lectures and discussions will be via GotoMeeting.

Register via this link

Or use this webpage:

http://rootdig.blogspot.com/2013/09/dont-miss-out-on-our-september-few.html

Grandma or Grandpa Always Said

Here are a few of my favorite quotes from deceased family members. I don't have specific citations for them, which is something I should do. The last one is printed in a family history of the Ufkes family. The first one is consistent with what I know about my grandfather and the middle three are ones I heard personally--but don't remember the specific date.

• "Be tight with your money." I have no memory of my Grandfather Neill, but family tradition has it that he was pretty conservative in spending his money. So he may never have actually said this exact phrase, but it's pretty consistent with what I've been told about him.
• "Don't get too big for your britches." I heard my Grandmother Neill say this on numerous occasions. Of course, it was never told to me directly.
• "These are the good old days." Granddad Ufkes would say this when someone was complaining about how things were better in the past. 
• "The Senior Citizens is for old people." My Great-grandmother Ufkes said this in her late eighties when someone suggested she start going to the local senior center and eat lunch instead of cooking for herself.
• "He who does not work will have as much as he weighs." This is the English translation of a phrase used in a letter Johann F. H. Ufkes wrote in 1869 to his family in Wiesens, Ostfriesland, Germany, to let them know he had arrived safely at his destination.

In addition to documenting what you can prove on paper, consider adding sayings to your collection of material as well. If the saying is something you "remember" from years past, make it clear that you're relying on your not-so-recent memory. The quotes provide insight that documents might not.

Webinar and Blog Updates Email

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Grandma Neill Would Have Been 103 Today

Today would have been my Grandma Neill's 103rd birthday.

There's a genealogical lesson in Grandma's place of birth. She insisted she was born in Tioga, Hancock County, Illinois, but she wasn't. A variety of contemporary records (including her birth certificate and christening record) indicate she was born in nearby Wythe Township. The difference in geography is small and I never argued with Grandma about it when she was alive. Her father was born near Tioga and that's where the Trautvetters were "from" and that's why Grandma assumed she was born there. In fact, any record where she provided her place of birth will indicate she was born in Tioga. Her birth certificate though, indicated she was born "Baby Girl Trautvetter" on 1 September 1910 in Wythe Township, Hancock County, Illinois, to George and Ida (Sargent) Trautvetter.

Ida (Trautvetter) Neill, 1910-1994, taken near north of Carthage, Hancock County, Illinois, probably late 1980s.

The picture in this post looks like it was taken before Grandma had her first stroke, but I'm not certain. Given the clothes she is wearing, she must have been going or just returning from somewhere. The picture was taken in her yard south of the house (Illinois Highway 94 is in the background--that orange sign is for the "no passing zone"). The house is no longer standing and the maple tree which was near where she was standing was cut down a week ago.

Grandma stopped school after the 8th grade and "worked out" for neighboring families near Loraine, Adams County, Illinois, where her family lived. The family moved there when Grandma was small, but now that I think about it, I'm not certain when they actually moved to the farm near Loraine [I seem to think that Grandma graduated from 8th grade in Hancock County, which would mean they moved to Loraine sometime after that]. Grandma stayed home to help take care of her father after he had a series of strokes before he eventually died in 1934. A year later at the age of 25, she married my 32-year old grandfather Cecil Neill in Keithsburg, Mercer County, Illinois. They returned to their respective homes until the spring of 1936 when they "went to housekeeping" on a rented farm near Plymouth, Hancock County, Illinois. A few years later, they purchased the farm north of Carthage where this picture was taken. Grandpa died in 1968 and I have no memories of him. Grandma babysat my brother and I while our mother taught school. We were always admonished not to play in the front yard for fear we would get hit by a car "on the slab."  We next entered or left the house by the front door for the same reason.

I remember Grandma turning 70 and thinking she was old. Now I realize just how long ago that was.

Grandma remained on the farm until her death there in July of 1994. She and Grandpa are buried east of West Point, Hancock County, Illinois, in the West Point Cemetery near other members of the Neill family.

Rest in Peace, Grandma.

My 1870 Census Problem

On Genealogy Tip of the Day's Facebook page, we got to discussing "missing" people in the 1870 census. Here is a summary of one of my people I cannot find in the 1870 census. This post is somewhat "informal" and off-the-cuff. If clarifications are needed, we'll put those in red if this post is updated. This post is sans-citations--the census records are easily located online at FamilySearch and Ancestry.com.

About Ira

Ira Sargent (or Ira William Sargent) was born about 1843 in Ontario, Canada, to Clark and Mary (Dingman) Sargent. The Sargents moved to Winnebago County, Illinois, where Clark died before Mary (Dingman) Sargent married Asa Landon in the late 1840s. The Landons left Illinois for Iowa by the 1856 census in Iowa and were in Christian County, Missouri, by 1860.

1850 Owen, Winnebago County, Illinois Census

• Asa Landon, aged 41, male, farmer, $400 real estate, born Canada
• Mary Landon, aged 39, female, born Canada
• Emma Landon, aged 10, female, born Canada
• Lucretia Landon, aged 8, female, born Canada
• Ira Landon, aged 6, male, born New York
• Martha Landon, aged 4, female, born Illinois
• Minerva Landon, aged 2, female, born Illinois
• Edwin Landon, aged 3/12, male, born Illinois
• Nelson Witesall, aged 25, male, born Canada

The family is enumerated in 1856 in Davis County, Iowa

1860 Census, Benton Township, Christian County, Missouri

• Asa Landon, aged 62, male, farmer, New York
• Luxesy, aged 18, female, born New York
• Martha, aged 16, female, born Canada?
• Ira[nn?], aged 14, female, born Illinois
• [Mariana?], aged 12, female, born Illinois
• Edwin [T?], aged 9, male, born Illinois
• Roxey, aged 7, female, born Illinois

In October of 1870, in Davis County, Iowa, Ira Sargent married Ellen Butler--as indicated in the county marriage records. Asa Landon and his two biological children left Missouri and headed to Michigan and Ontario in theh 1860s. The Sargent children remained in the United States with Ira's sisters marrying in Davis County, Iowa, in the early 1880s. By 1880, Ira is in Warsaw, Hancock County, Illinois, and he remains in Hancock-Adams County, Illinois, area for the remainder of his life.

He most likely is in or near Davis County, Iowa, in 1870, but cannot be located. There are other Ira Sargents in Iowa in 1870 but they are not the Ira of this post.

FamilySearch-Maine and Indiana Materials

The following are showing as "new" or "updated" since our last post about FamilySearch:


Maine, State Archive Collections, 1718-1957

Indiana, Naturalization Records and Indexes, 1848-1992

Accurately Searching for my Ordinary Ancestors

Genealogy is not a mad rush towards Charlemagne. It is a slow path, filled with frontier brush, Southern sweat, and New England winters. Instead of leading to castles and mansions, that path often leads to one-room cabins, coal miner's shacks, and urban tenements. And it leads to the people who made the fabric of this nation, either by harvesting it in the fields, weaving it in the mills, selling it the general store, or saving to earn the money to purchase it.

And that's just fine with me.

The obsession with celebrity leads some to ask "what famous person am I related to?" or "what celebrity is my umpteenth cousin?"

The obsession with research leads others to ask who were my great-grandparents? What impacted their lives? What historical events beyond their control shaped them in ways that I can't really imagine? And what records did those people leave behind to give me some glimpse into their lives?

Ralph, Nellie, and Cecil Neill--about 1911--near Stillwell, St. Albans Township, Hancock County, Illinois--probably taken on whatever farm Charlie Neill (their father) was renting. The author's grandfather is on the right.

Not in an Instant

The search for those records can take a lifetime, even in the era of the internet. It's not just about the search for some obscure document that makes a connection or finding as much material as possible. Genealogy is not the accumulation of capital. It is about stitching documents together, fleshing out the unwritten clues in the records, and weaving the written and the unwritten together into a story that is based upon sound research, sound methodology and yet is engaging to the reader. The difficulty for those who strive to accurately document their heritage is that many of those who lived their lives outside the bright glow of fame do not always leave the amount of records that makes telling their story easy.

Family of George and Ida (Sargent) Trautvetter, taken approximately 1920. The family was living in the vicinity of Tioga and Loraine, Illinois.The author's grandmother is on the far right.

Accuracy Matters

Family history research is about being as accurate as possible--not so much because that's the right way to do it (which it is), but because telling our ancestors' stories accurately honors their lives. Sloppy and hasty research, thirty-second conclusions, and mere data collection with the intent of "getting as much as we can and as far back as we can" does a disservice to those who came before us, even the ancestors whose lives are ones we may choose not to emulate. Would we not want our own stories told as accurately as possible? Would you want someone in one hundred years confusing you with your deadbeat cousin of the same name whose never worked a day in his life, been arrested more times than he has fingers and has children with women in three different time zones?

Alvin, Leroy and John H. Ufkes--taken on Fred Ufkes farm east of Basco, Hancock County, Illinois, probably late 1930s The author's grandfather is on the right..

Let's Be Royal

Some researchers desire to make that royal connection and establish their family tree back to the ancient royal houses of Europer. That's never been my interest. My interest is in making connections that are as accurate as possible. Does that mean I have a few relatives born in the 1840s that are my "brick walls" and for whom I may never find out much more? Yes.

Oh Darn. They Were All Farmers

I hear people lamenting their "farming" ancestors and how their ancestors are all boring, etc. To adequately research my farming ancestors, I have had to learn about state and federal laws, historical trends, migration patterns, women's rights, agricultural practices, naming patterns, sociological trends, and historical details for more locations than I can count.  Sometimes I'm glad my ancestors are all somewhat homogeneous as it cuts the learning curve.

Will your descendants think you, your occupation and your lifestyle are boring and not worthy of any study at all?

There are no boring ancestors--just researchers who've not yet gone beneath the surface.

FamilySearch Update: NY Marriages and Baltimore Arrivals From 1950s

The following databases have been updated on FamilySearch since our last update:

New York, County Marriages, 1908-1935

Maryland, Baltimore, Airplane Passenger and Crew Lists, 1954-1957

Is Evidence Derived?

According to the BCG Standards Manual (page 8):

"Evidence is derived from appropriate, effective data analysis and correlation..."

I'm not certain I agree with the use of the word "derived" as it relates to evidence. Evidence is information obtained from sources and used in the creation of a proof argument. I understand that. The analysis and correlation of evidence is a part of the proof argument, but evidence needs to be in a form that is as true to the original as possible, given the occasional limitations one faces when transcribing, abstracting or extracting information from sources. The correlation and analysis is a part of the argument and reasoning that goes into the proof argument and the writing of that proof argument.

Evidence is extracted or abstracted from a source, but the analysis and correlation should be part of the proof not a part of the evidence.

To me when something is "derived," it is somehow altered, changed, or modified. I don't like to change evidence. I may change what my conclusions are. I may change my proof argument. I may alter my reasoning. The evidence should not change. The analysis might.

It seems to me that saying something to the import that the decision of whether to include certain information as evidence in a proof argument stems from effective data analysis and correlation. It just seems that the word "derive" is a little strong or has a connotation that "choose" does not.

Or am I missing something?

Source:

Board for Certification of Genealogists (Washington, D.C.). 2000. The BCG genealogical standards manuall. Orem, Utah: Ancestry Pub.

Do Databases Evaporate at FamilySearch?

As of today (3:50 pm Central Time), there are a total of 743 database collections in the United States section of FamilySearch:

I don't take a screen shot every day, but I do look at the list on a very regular basis so that I can post updates.

For some reason, I seem to remember that there were 744 collections for the longest time. The ending digits of "44" are "stuck in my head."

Am I wrong? Or were there only 743 collections?

I'm going to have to take more screen shots.

Troutfetter Said Leibo Had No Gun

It seems the Trautvetter/Troutfetter family is involved in more than their fair share of shenanigans. We've written before about Philip Troutfetter whose exploits in the late 1890s covered two continents. His brother also was partially involved in a Colorado shooting a few years later. Fortunately the brother was not the victim or the shooter.

Election Day can bring out the worst in people and that's what happened in Goldfield, Colorado, on Election Day of 1908--November 8th.  A man was shot and killed and W. L. Troutfetter was hanging around nearby and assisted the victim after he was shot.

The case came to trial a few weeks later and Troutfetter is mentioned in a newspaper account of one of the day's events at the trial.

"The most important testimony introduced  by the state today was that of Paul North, an attorney formerly at Goldfield, Colo., but now of Rocky Ford; that of Mrs. Linder and that of W. L. Troutfetter, cashier of the allied railroad lines...Troutfetter said that Leibo did not have a gun in his hand when picked up after being shot."

Taken from the Denver Rocky Mountain News, 23 November 1909, page 7.

I'm not certain how much I will research this trial as Troutfetter's involvement seems minimal, but it is possible that the transcript of Troutfetter's testimony may provide some brief biographical information about him. There's a good chance the testimony contains at least his age and his residence at the time of the trial. In some situations those details may be clues--and the newspaper provided the name of his employer.

Searches of newspaper sites, such as  Genealogybank.com  may turn up unexpected items, that if you think about them, may in turn lead to additional information..

Updated on FamilySearch: Seattle Passenger Lists

This is showing as having been updated since our last update:


Washington, Seattle, Passenger Lists, 1890-1957

Are You Relying on Google Alerts to Do Your Work?

I posted a blog entry "How Good Are Google Alerts" on my Search Tip of the Day blog, but I thought I'd mention it here also as I know there are some who rely on Google's "alerts" to notify them of a variety of things, including when others have used key phrases that appear in their writing.

Based upon my experience with the search discussed, I'm wondering if some of us might not be relying too much on Google to do our work for us. The obituaries and death notice mentioned in the blog post were easily located by performing Google searches, so the pages were ones that could be found by Google. I've got the search term (trautvetter) spelled correctly in my search alerts and it was spelled correctly in the pages that never appeared in my emailed alerts that I receive daily.

I know that many of my fellow genealogists use the alerts to find new genealogical material and that others use the alerts to receive notifications when their copyrighted material has been posted on another blog. And there are others who have Google alerts set up so that they can see when they've been mentioned on another blog or website.

Despite the reason, I'm wondering if the alerts really work the way we think that they should? Or are they not finding everything?

I don't have an answer...but if you are relying totally on Google alerts to "do your work," you might want to think again.

Including Identification Details

I really like this picture of my great-grandparents and their two youngest children. Unlike many photographs I have, it doesn't seem staged--the clothes are on the line, after all. And the daughter seems to be shooting her father a funny type of look. 

But identifying the picture got me to thinking...

I'm still toying with ways to include "metadata" with pictures. I realize that when creating graphics files there are other ways to include details such as those I've written in black on this document without putting them on the actual image itself.  One concern I see is that not all users of graphic images readily access such metadata and some may inadvertently bypass it entirely.

Genealogists who are not necessarily adept with their computer skills may simply copy and paste the image into their own graphics program or genealogical software--thus bypassing any "metadata" that is not an "immediate" part of the image and unintentionally overlooking key information.

Who is in the picture is important, but I'm starting to become convinced that some of the "chain of provenance" and "how" we know who is in the picture or where it is taken is important too--just as important. There are many pictures on the internet that are identified, but if one simply "copied and pasted it," how does one know if the identification was correct?

And if the image gets saved without any identifying information, then it's just an old picture of some dead people.

Getting Negative About Evidence

The word "negative" can be confusing when applied to evidence. Negative evidence is "evidence" because it is something we expected to find and did not. The word "negative" is used in the sense of "not finding evidence" that we expect to find.

"Negative evidence" does not mean evidence that indicates something did not happen.

A statement in a court case that "Elizabeth Jones never lived in Missouri" is not considered "negative evidence." A "negative" word in a statement (such as "never") does not make that statement negative evidence. In fact, this statement would actually be considered direct evidence that Elizabeth never lived in Missouri ("direct" because it explicitly states she never lived in Missouri).

 "Negative evidence" does not mean evidence of a "negative" event (eg. a record that indicates your ancestor was an axe-murderer).

The nature of the event or item has nothing to do with whether evidence is considered to be negative. 

What Is Negative Evidence?

Negative evidence is not found. It is the fact that information is "unfound" that makes the evidence negative. A very simple example would be a person who appears regularly in  personal property tax lists for a county from 1828 until 1842. He also appears in the 1830 and 1840 federal census records for that county. Searches of personal property tax records after 1842 fail to locate him in the county and he is not enumerated in the 1850 census there either. There are no death records for the time period and an estate or probate file cannot be located.

His failure to appear in these records would be "negative evidence" indicating he was not living in that county after 1842.  The "negative" is not because he is "not" living...it's negative because he's not listed in records we would expect him to be listed in if he were living in the county, particularly when he was listed in those records before 1842.

His failure to be listed does not mean he's dead. He could simply have moved. One needs to be careful when making statements based upon the fact that someone does not appear in a series of records. 

My Blogs and Newsletter

For those of you who did not know, this is not my only genealogy blog. Here's list with the links. Enjoy!

• Daily Genealogy Transcriber
• Genealogy Tip of the Day
• Rootdig
• Genealogy Search Tip

You can subscribe to any of the above blogs for free.

My how-to newsletter Casefile Clues is also available by subscription, but there is a charge.

Abandoning the Grands and the Greats

Writing is about being clear and sometimes terms are not as clear as we would like. Terms can be especially confusing when describing family members. Degrees of cousinship are often confusing to genealogists, but the "aunts" and "uncles" often bring about more confusion. Many people confuse, misuse, misunderstand, and misinterpret the terms "Grand Aunt," "Great Aunt," "Great-Grand Aunt," etc. that I am very close to not using the terms in my writing. 

The use of these various descriptors is done in an attempt to make the relationship clear. I'm afraid that in most cases, it really does not do that. 

Which is more clear to the reader and explains the relationship more precisely, "My Grand Aunt Nellie (Neill) Shanks" or "My Grandfather Neill's sister, Nellie (Neill) Shanks." I'm starting to think that the second phrasing, while containing more words and slightly more cumbersome, is a more precise description of the relationship. "My Great-grand Uncle Chris Ehmen" is not quite as clear as saying "My Great-grandmother Habben's brother Chris Ehmen." The second phrasing seems more precise to this reader and actually naming the great-grandmother by name would be even more specific, "My Great-grandmother, Tjode (Goldenstein) Habben's brother Chris Ehmen." My Great-grand Uncle Chris Ehmen" does not really describe the relationship of Ehmen to me--which great-grandparent was he a sibling to?

Writing needs to be about clarity and relationships in genealogical writing need to be stated precisely. I'm not certain "grand" and "great" as modifiers for aunt and uncle do that.

Any thoughts?

Can Ancestry.com Tell Us What the Changes Are?

Is it too much to ask Ancestry.com to indicate what is "new" about a database on their search page for that database?

This image is a screen shot of the "New records on Ancestry.com" that appeared on their main website at approximately 9:00 a.m. central time today. The underlined database is the one I searched.

It would be nice if the search page for these "updated" databases had a list of when updates had been made and briefly what those updates were (enhanced images, index improvements, additional records, etc.). It is a waste of time to be told a database is "new" or "updated" and then have no way to easily determine what is "new" or "updated" about this database.

I know this database is not completely new because when I searched it for my grandfather's brother the record indicated I had already linked it to his entry in my online tree at Ancestry.com. Here is the screen shot.

Readers will have to take my word that I didn't link the record two seconds before creating this post, but I assure you that I did not. I've not actually linked records to my tree in ages and only did it in preparation for a presentation. I don't usually bother with any linking of records to my "online tree."

It would make it easier for me to use the Ancestry.com site if the search page contained a brief description of what's been changed to a database when it's listed as "new" or "updated." This database is not new as I've used it before today. The changes do not need to be veiled in mystery or buried in a blog post on their website.

Of course, Ancestry.com knows I'll keep subscribing whether they make these changes or not.

And maybe that's part of the problem.

Haste Makes Waste and "How" Do I Know?

This post began with an error.

In my original haste to post this picture to another website, I incorrectly identified one of the children. The back of the original had the individuals identified, but when I was placing the names on the image I relied on my memory. The older lady in the picture I correctly identified as Nancy Jane (Newman) Rampley. She was the only person in the picture that I never actually met. The young lady on the right was her granddaughter, Nellie (Neill) Shanks (my grandfather Neill's sister). As I looked at the picture, the resemblance of the boy to my Grandfather Neill's brother Ralph was striking--striking enough that I incorrectly identified the young boy in the picture as Ralph.

The only problem was that the boy in the picture was not Ralph Neill. It was his younger brother Herschel L. Neill.

And I knew that. There were four children in the Neill family into which Ralph, Nellie and Herschel were born. Nellie was born in 1910, Herschel in 1912 and Ralph was older than them both. The boy in the picture is clearly younger than Nellie and, in my haste to post the image, I identified him as the wrong child in the family. But this is not a post about the pitfalls of hastily compiling information or identifying people in pictures.

The error was unintentional and the individuals have been correctly identified. But it got me to thinking. How do we know the identity of individuals in pictures we obtain on the internet? And, better yet, how to we track that knowledge when we do have it?

There is metadata associated with this picture of which most of us are aware:

• when it was taken
• who was in it
• who likely took it
• where it was taken

With the exception of who likely took the picture, genealogists are pretty good about the importance of who is in the picture, when it was taken and where it was taken. Usually we are not so concerned about who took the picture. 

But there is more about the picture that we need to record in some way:

• how did I get the picture?
• how did I identify the individuals in the picture?
• how certain am I that these individuals are who I think they are?

In this case, the picture was identified on the back by Nellie (Neill) Shanks. The identification of Nellie as the identifier was based upon the handwriting and the fact that she was in possession of the picture upon her death. She would have been old enough to remember the individuals in the picture and might even have remembered the fact that the picture was taken. That information is just as important as who is in the picture. 

The identification of people in pictures is more than just "who" is in the picture. It is also "how" that picture was identified.  

Passenger Lists Updated on FamilySearch

These passenger lists are showing as having been updated since our last FamilySearch update was posted:

New York, New York Passenger and Crew Lists, 1925-1942

Louisiana, New Orleans Passenger Lists, 1820-1945