Should "Best of the Genea-Blogs" Be a Weekly Flipboard Magazine?

My weekly Best of the Genea-Blogs blog post on Sundays has been a fixture for almost seven years (my, how time flies!), but it's always been essentially text with links to my selected blog posts from over 1,500 genealogy bloggers.  This is basic curation - find something, link to it, perhaps comment on it, let others read it.

I've been experimenting with different forms of presentation - especially Flipboard magazines, which is available on the Internet and on mobile devices.  I really like Flipboard as a visual curator - and I can select what I want to show in my magazines.

So today I decided to make a Flipboard magazine for last week's Best of the Genea-Blogs - the week of July 20-26, 2014.  The Flipboard magazine is at https://flipboard.com/section/best-of-the-genea-blogs---july-20-26%2C-2014-beLke3.

Here is the cover page:

Don't click on the image, it's not a live link!

Maybe I need a sexier image on the Best Of the Genea-Blog post?  I'll work on that!

Using the right and left arrows on the side of the Flipboard magazine pages, the reader can scroll through the pages in the magazine.  For instance, here is the second page of the magazine:

By clicking the + sign next to my name under the title of each image, the reader can go to the specific blog post.  That's good.  As you can see, there is an image associated with each webpage in the magazine.

But I have a problem with this concept.  I didn't write these blog posts, Wayne Shepheard and Thomas MacEntee did.  The URL given is to their blogs, but my name is under the title of the posts.  Granted, if the URL is short enough, the bloggers name might be next to it, which is good.  The image is not my image, either.  What do you think?  Are these copyright violations?  If so, whose violation is it - mine or Flipboard's?

Would you read a Flipboard magazine of the Best of the Genea-Blogs if I did this every week?  How about a Flipboard magazine for:

*  Each week's posts on Genea-Musings?  

*  Research and photos for each ancestral family, or a special person?

*  For genealogical society activities?

It takes maybe 30 minutes to put one together with 20 to 25 links.  Is this something that would interest your genealogical society members?  Or your Facebook friends?  Or your family members? Or to pass via email to your genealogy buddies? Or not?

I would like your opinion on this - would you like this to happen?  Or do you not care?  Is this a way to reach younger genealogists, to document research activities, or to reach family members?

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Do Search Engines Provide What You Request?

I've been working on adding facts and source citations for my Seaver, Carringer and Vaux persons in my RootsMagic database, hoping that the information might help somebody else, plus enrich my database with the information.  In earlier years, I have added extractions from census records to the Notes, including source notes in the Notes, but I don't have many of them input as specific Facts in my database(either Residence or Census - I usually use Census, because it's more than a Residence).

In the process, I've been searching for persons in U.S. census records on Ancestry.com so that I can provide a decent source citation for an entered Fact.  But, there are times when an Ancestry.com search does not find what I expect to find, and that is frustrating.  Why does this happen?

The simple answer is that "What I searched for didn't match what was indexed."  That obviously applies for names (since spelling was highly variable), but I just ran across a problem that explains a lot of what I experience, and will change how I search for records.

Here's an example:  I wanted to find and source the 1850, 1860, 1870 and 1880 U.S. census records for Sampson Seaver (1830-????), born in New York, who resided in Day, Saratoga County, New York.  

My usual practice for someone like this is to go to the "Search" tab, with the "Advanced Search" fields, and use wild cards for names, add the birth year with a range, and add the state as a birth place, all restricted to Exact.  Here is my initial search screen:

When I searched for this person, I got these results:

It has the 1850, 1870 and 1880 U.S. census records, but not the 1860 census.  I wonder why?

I clicked on the 1850 U.S. Census match, and the record summary shows me:

Look there - the "Suggest Records" list on the right shows links to the 1860, 1870 and 1880 U.S. census records.  I clicked on the 1860 U.S. census link, and saw the record summary:

The spelling of the name is correct, the birth year is within the range I specified.  Why wasn't it in the Search results?

I clicked to "View original image" and the census page with the Sampson Seaver entry opened.  I also clicked on the "Index" link at the bottom left of the image page to see the indexed information:

There is Sampson Seaver, spelled correctly, with 1830 as an estimated birth year, but no birth place was indexed for him.  When you look at the census page, you can see that there is no entry in the Birth place field for Sampson Seaver.  Therefore, there was no index entry for Sampson, or for anyone else on the page without a positive indicator in the Birth place field.

So, the search I performed provided some of the correct matches - they just didn't meet all of my expectations.  If I had not checked the Birth location as "Exact," then it would have been found with my search.

Perhaps I need to not use the Birth location field, or mark it as not "Exact."  That works, but returns more matches, most of them not the right person.

An alternative would be to mark the Event field as "Any Event," and remove the "Exact" check for the year and the Location fields.  When I do that, I get all four U.S. census records, plus an 1870 Agricultural Census record, and more matches than I had before since I removed the birth year exactitude -- It found records without a birth year.  The wild cards in the name fields worked - they reduced the number of matches.

So, you can teach an old genealogist new tricks.  I think that I will change my "usual" search methods and perhaps I'll find more pertinent records for persons in my database.

I do like and appreciate the "Suggested Records" feature - it made this an easy way to find the 1860 U.S. census record, and it sparked my curiosity as to why the search didn't find the 1860 record.

This indicates, once again, that it really matters what the user puts in the search fields, and how the different filter boxes (the "Exact" year, the location filter, etc.) are selected.  My earlier conclusion was correct - the simple answer is that "What I searched for didn't match what was indexed."

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

WikiChicks Genealogy News Network Launches

The WikiChicks have been busy - they started a Genealogy News Network (GNN) this week - you can see the announcement at http://www.wikichicks.wiki/2014/07/press-release-wikichicks-genealogy-news.html.

And they've added a new chick - Gena Philibert-Ortega.  You can read the interview with Gena at  http://www.wikichicks.wiki/2014/07/wikichick-wednesday-spotlight-our.html.

So now there are three official WikiChicks, all of whom are accomplished genealogy writers, speakers and researchers.

As part of the WikiChicks GNN, there are almost daily posts about genealogy stories, events and research tips.  The GNN announcement notes:

"WikiChicks’ goal is to share information of interest to genealogists daily via popular social media sources, including Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Flipboard, and Storify."

There is also a WikiChicks Google+ page at  https://plus.google.com/u/0/112320915027756027874/posts

I looked at three different Flipboard magazines on their list:

*  WikiChicks GeneaPicks ~ Events (19 articles today)

*  WikiChicks GeneaPicks ~ Research (37 articles today)

*  WikiChicks GeneaPicks ~ News (51 articles today)

It appears that these are being updated on a regular basis.  Frankly, I'm glad they're doing this so that I don't do it...

Inquiring minds want to know:

*  Are there more WikiChicks in our future?  Will there be a WikiClutch?

*  How long will they keep up the daily GNN posts and weekly interviews?

*  Will the WikiChicks have an exhibit at conferences?  Will they have special T-shirts?

*  Will there be a WikiChicks YouTube channel?

*  Will we see Google+ Hangouts on Air and webinars from the WikiChicks?

The possibilities are endless, aren't they?  

If you are not reading the WikiChicks blog yet, then you should be!  Put them in your Favorites, or in your Feedly (or other) blog reader, or subscribe to their email feed (is there one?  There should be!  I didn't see one).

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

  

Our Christmas 1977 Family Picture -- Post 318 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

I am posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they aren't "Wordless" - I am incapable of having a wordless post!

Here is a photograph from the Seaver/Carringer family photograph collection from my 40 years of photo albums, boxes and piles of family photographs:

This is a photograph of our little family at Christmas time in 1977, seated in our living room of our current home in Chula Vista.  From the left, there is lovely Linda in her long dress, darling 1-year old Tami held firmly in place by my right arm, lively 3-year old Lori held firmly in place by Linda's left arm, and lucky Randy.  The girls have matching dresses on.  I am wearing one of those '70s flowery shirts with reddish corduroy (?) pants.

We're all smiling or laughing!  How did that happen?  Someone is off to the left making funny faces, I think, probably one of my brothers.  This was the last Christmas without a beard...just sayin'!

The gold and red couch is still there, but the wall decor now has a metal sculpture of the Golden Gate Bridge that spans the entire wall.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/christmas-1977-family-picture-post-318.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

3-2-1 Cite! Challenge for July - FamilySearch Indexing

DearMYRTLE is challenging readers to participate in her monthly 3-2-1 Cite! Project.  This month the challenge is described in 3-2-1 CITE! - FamilySearch Indexing Challenge.  The challenge is to:

"Using the resources at FamilySearch Indexing, participants are to:

3 - review 3 possible projects
2- submit 2 batches
1 - write 1 paragraph about your impressions
CITE! All sources, including your 'personal knowledge" as the source for the paragraph you write."

Okay, 'm game, and since I did some indexing (albeit poorly!) during the 24-hour challenge, I decided that the only way to improve at it is to do more.  So here are my responses to the challenge.

The three projects I chose were:

*  Texas Obituaries, 1980-2014 (Part B)
*  Arkansas, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1940-1945 (Part B)
*  U.S., Illinois, Chicago - Catholic Church Records, 1833-1910 (Part A)

The latter was already partially completed, and in Latin, so I returned it.

Here are some notes about the two batches I completed and submitted:

1.  Texas Obituaries, 1980-2014 -- these were from 2012, and typed, but sometimes the type was unclear.  There were only five obituaries in the batch, but usually there were ten to twelve other names in the obituary.

2.  Arkansas World War II Draft Registration Cards -- this was a strange batch, because the directions said:

 "For the Given Names and Surnames, Index the information in the boxes labeled Person Who will always Know Your address.  The principal names were previously indexed in a separate project.  After the additional fields are indexed they will be added to the published index."

Okay...but there are inex fields for the Place of Birth (Town, County, State), the Person Who Will always Know Your Location, and their location (Town, County, State).  I decided to fill in all of the index fields, reasoning that "they wouldn't have put the fields in the indexing project unless they wanted them indexed."

There were 25 draft registration cards in this batch, with 8 fields to fill in.  I completed and submitted this batch:

My impressions?  I like that the batch of Texas obituaries had more persons in the obituary - the ones I did previously usually had only the deceased person's name and death date.  That was easy, this was more difficult.  I was unsure if I should assume a married surname for the spouse of someone named in the obituary (e.g., "sister Susan Weems and husband Gary").  I did it anyway, rather than obsess over it.  The Arkansas draft registration cards had several formats, with the birth place information in different locations, and often without a County name provided.  Should I look up the town on Google and add the County to the field?  I did for some of them.  So I'll only be half wrong.

A source citation for this experience?  For the blog post?  Or for the batches reviewed?  I'll do the blog post:

Randall J. Seaver, “3-2-1 Cite! Challenge for July - FamilySearch Indexing,” blog post, Genea-Musings, http://www.geneamusings.com, personal experience in FamilySearch indexing, 29 July 2014..

If that's not good enough, i'm sure someone with more knowledge will tell me!  Hopefully, they will be more definitive in the requirements.

I haven't seen many entries for this challenge - I hope that my genea-blogging colleagues will participate and share their experiences and opinions.  There are two days left in July!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/3-2-1-cite-challenge-for-july.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Finding the Taylor County, Iowa Properties of Devier J. Smith

I've been transcribing land deeds of my second great-grandfather, Devier J. Smith (1839-1894), in Taylor County, Iowa in my weekly Amanuensis Monday series.  I summarized all of the deeds in  Organizing the Taylor County, Iowa Land Deeds of Ranslow Smith and Devier J. Smith (posted 22 July 2014).

In the process, I identified the properties that Devier J. Smith held deeds between 1867 and 1875 in Taylor County, using the Federal Land terminology (Township, Range, Section, Aliquot part) as:

*  Township 68 North in Range 34 West, Section 23, Southwest quarter

*  Township 67 North in Range 33 West, Section 18, part of Lot 3

*  Township 67 North in Range 34 West, Section 11, Southeast quarter of Southwest quarter

*  Township 67 North in Range 34 West, Section 14, Northeast quarter of Northeast quarter

*  Township 69 North in Range 34 West, Section 7, South 72 acres of Southwest quarter

Now I want to find out where these properties were.  I've used the Earthpoint.us Township and Range website before, which creates a file readable by Google Earth, which then "flies" to the specific section and draws a box around it.

On the Earthpoint.us Township and Range Search by Description page (http://earthpoint.us/TownshipsSearchByDescription.aspx), I entered the Township number, Range number, and section number into the search fields for the first location on the list above:

When I clicked on the "Fly To On Google Earth" button, a file was downloaded to my computer.

When I click on that file to open it on my computer, Google Earth (a free program already on my computer) opened with a picture of the Earth, and then Google Earth "flew" (zoomed in) to the specific section in the defined township and range.  Here is the Google Earth image for the first location on the list:

The purple box around Section 23 in Township 68N and Range 34W is shown above.  The section is just north of the present town of Bedford in Taylor County, Iowa.

I did the same thing for all five of the locations on the list above.  Here is an overview of all five property locations:

I believe that Devier J. Smith's family resided on the Township 68N, Range 34W, Section 23 property.  The Southwest quarter of this section is outlined in red on the image below:

A look at the Google Map for this area helps me figure out how to get there:

The southwest quarter land appears to be bounded by highway 148 (Bent Street) on the west and highway 2 (Pollock Blvd) on the south.  The Taylor County Historical Museum is just across the street on the northwest corner of that intersection.  I wonder if they have any information about my second great-grandfather Devier J. Smith?

I've done a similar exercise for Devier's adoptive father, Ranslow Smith (1805-1873).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/finding-taylor-county-iowa-properties.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday's Tips - Use Facebook to Find, Join and Contribute to Genealogy Interest Groups

This week's Tuesday's Tip is to use Facebook, the uber social networking site, to find, join and contribute to Genealogy interest groups.

The Family Tree Magazine article on the 101 Best Genealogy Websites for 2014 included Facebook in the "Best Social Media Websites" listing, saying:

"Don't think the king of all social media merits a place on a genealogy website list? Download the 118-page "Genealogy on Facebook" PDF file containing 3,800 links. Everybody from the Association of Professional Genealogists to the WorldCat library database to us here at your favorite genealogy magazine has a Facebook page these days. We're beginning to think that Mark Zuckerberg fella might be onto something." 

The link for the 118-page "Genealogy on Facebook" PDF File caught my eye - and it's FREE to download.  When you click on the link, you go to a page on the www.socialmediagenealogy.com website to download the PDF.  The PDF link is   http://moonswings.files.wordpress.com/2014/04/genealogy-links-on-facebook-april-2014.pdf.

Did I mention that this PDF is free? Katherine R. Willson did a lot of curation to put this together!  Thank you, Katherine!

As you can see, the list is divided into states.  The California list is over three pages long, and highlights repositories, genealogical and historical societies, and research groups.

After the State listings are listings by topics.  Here is the top of the Blogs/Bloggers listing:

There are many pages with Surname groups also:

But there are no groups for my Seaver, Carringer and Vaux surnames.  Maybe I'll start one!

Needless to say, you should be able to find a genealogy interest group to suit your needs.  Check it out!

These Facebook groups and pages are the "new mailing lists" for genealogy contacts and research.  The beauty of them is that many people read them daily, and contributors can interact publicly or privately with their colleagues on Facebook.  Contributors can add media (photos, audio, video) or link to web sites and blog posts with more information.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/tuesdays-tips-use-facebook-to-find-join.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Family Tree Magazine Highlights Best 101 Genealogy Websites for 2014

Family Tree Magazine has been highlighting their "Best Genealogy Websites" lists for 15 years now.

The list for 2014 is out - see http://familytreemagazine.com/article/101-best-websites-2014:

There are links to each category:

• Best Big Genealogy Websites
• Best US Genealogy Websites
• Best Military Genealogy Websites
• Best Social Media Websites for Genealogy
• Best Mapping Websites for Genealogy
• Best Genealogy News Websites
• Best Tech Tools for Genealogy
• Best Canadian Genealogy Websites
• Best Historic Newspapers Websites
• Best Websites for Vital Records
• Best African-American Genealogy Websites
• Best State Genealogy Websites
• Best Websites for Immigrant Research
• Best UK & Irish Websites
• Best Continental European Genealogy Websites

Each category has a list of websites selected by the Family Tree Magazine staff.  for instance, here is the top of the Best Big Genealogy Websites page:

The websites listed in each category are listed alphabetically.  A paragraph describing the website is provided.

This is an excellent reference list for researchers.  Of course, it only pertains to online resources, and not on repository resources.

Now I'm wondering what sites, besides Genea-Musings, were left off the list.  What do you think should be on the list that isn't on the list?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/family-tree-magazine-highlights-best.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Creating a "Problem List" in RootsMagic 6

I've added quite a few records to my RootsMagic database in the past year, and I know that I make typographic errors when I type - they're unavoidable.  I don't know what my error rate is, but it's probably in the 1 to 5% range.  If I make 1,000 entries, that means I may have 10 to 50 errors, or perhaps even more.  Database data entry may be even more error-prone, with dates and unfamiliar place names.

I decided that I should make a "Problem Report" for my RootsMagic database in its current form.

In RootsMagic 6, you can create a "Problem List" from the Tools > Problem Search > Problem List menu:

That opens up the "Problem Search" window where the user can select the problems to look for.

As you can see, I chose:

*  Individuals without sex entered
*  Birth before parent's marriage
*  Birth before parent's birth
*  Birth after mother's death
*  Age at death should be less than 110 years
*  Mother's age should be between 14 and 50.

I clicked the "OK" and the "Problem List" was quickly generated:

I decided to "Save" the list as a PDF file so that I could have it open while I tried to fix all of my errors.

For those six problem types, there were 9 pages - about 350 potential "problems."  With over 42,600 persons and about 130,000 events, "only" 350 problems comes out to be about 0.8% per person.

I corrected quite a few - especially those that were obvious (no sex given, obvious year errors, etc.).  I did more research for all of the Mother under age 14 and over age 50 problems, and corrected what I could feel confident in (many of my dates are "about year" dates).

I didn't do much for most of the "Parents married after person's birth" problems - I checked those that were over age 53 or so.  In some cases, for instance, a child born after a mother's death, a little research showed that a husband had a second wife, who I added to the database.

This was a productive two hours - I wish I had done it a month ago when I uploaded as new Ancestry Member Tree.  Oh well - next time!  We'll see if anyone can find the obvious mistakes in my database!

I know that I didn't catch them all - but I fixed quite a few of the really obvious erroneous mistakes.  As always, my genealogy database is a work in progress!

Have you checked for problems in your genealogy software database or online family tree?  You might want to - just to see if you have some of these types of problems in your family tree.

If you use another genealogy database program (e.g., Legacy Family Tree, Family Tree Maker, Reunion, Family Historian, GRAMPS, etc.), can your program do this type of report?  If so, please show us the process in your own blog posts.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/creating-problem-list-in-rootsmagic-6.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

CVGS Program on Wednesday, July 30th - Donna Bradley on Native-American Genealogy

The next Chula Vista Genealogical Society program meeting:

WEDNESDAY, July 30th PROGRAM MEETING

from 12 noon to 2 p.m.

At Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library (365 F Street) Auditorium

Donna Bradley: “How Do I Prove My American Indian Genealogy?”

How do you find evidence and prove that your ancestor is a Native-American?  The presentation will discuss how to find records of Native-Americans in the census, in books, in government documents, as well as on the Indian Rolls. 

Donna Bradley is an author, historian, genealogist and Native-American.  She has been a professional genealogist for over 25 years and is a member in good standing with the APG (Association of Professional Genealogists).  Donna has written many articles, given many lectures and taught genealogy throughout Southern California.  Although she specializes in Native-American ancestry, she is very proficient in American and various international bloodlines.  

Donna is an Honored Member of “The Worldwide Who’s Who Registry of Executives, Professionals and Entrepreneurs” as a business owner, author and professional genealogist. 

 Her first book, Native Americans of San Diego County, was published in 2009 and she is currently working on another book which she hopes to have published in 2014.  She resides in the mountains of Southern California with her husband, having retired from over 30 years as a medical administrator, and parenting 29 foster children as well as her own daughters.

The doors to the Auditorium will be open at 12 noon, the meeting will start with a short business meeting at about 12:15 p.m., and the presentation should start after 12:30 p.m.  There will be snacks and drinks available before and after the meeting provided by CVGS members.  This meeting is free for all attendees.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/cvgs-program-on-wednesday-july-30th.html

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - Post 228: 1868 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from Devier J. Smith to Ranslow Smith

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is an 1868 deed in the Taylor County, Iowa deed books for Devier J. Smith selling land to Ranslow Smith:

The transcription of this deed is (handwritten text in italics, form fields underlined):

01                                            RECORD OF DEEDS

02                                   Devier J. Smith to Ranslow Smith

03 Know all Men by these Presents:

04 That   we Devier J. Smith and Abbie Smith his   

05      wife     

06 of the county of    Taylor   and State of    Iowa    , in consideration of the

07 sum of    Five Hundred      Dollars

08 in hand paid by     Ranslow Smith     

09                                of Taylor    County   , and State of

10     Iowa     do hereby Sell and convey unto the said   Ranslow Smith upon    

11   conditions hereinafter Stated     

12 the following described premises, situated in the County of    Taylor   and State of Iowa, to wit:

13 The undivided half of the South west quarter of Section

14 Twenty three in Township Sixty Eight north of Range

15 Thirty four west, upon the following conditions, to wit,

16 during the natural life of the said Ranslow Smith and

17 after the death of Ranslow Smith then the said premises

18 as above described, Shall revert back to the said Devier

19 J. Smith as his heirs provided Said Ranslow Smith leaves

20 no widow or heirs then the said Devier Smith or his heirs

21 is to pay said widow Five Hundred dollars for them in

22 trust in said premises.

23 and   we    hereby covenant with the said    Ranslow Smith    

24                                                                                        

25                                    that    we     hold said premises by good & perfect title, that   we   

26 have good right and authority to Sell and Convey the same; that they are free and clear of all liens and incum-

27 brances whatsoever, and   we   covenant to Warrant and Defend the said premises against lawful claims of

28 all persons whomsoever; and the said   Abbie Smith    hereby relinquishes

29 her right of dower in and to the above described premises.

30 Signed this    2nd    day of      March  A D    186 8.

31 IN PRESENCE OF

32 {cts                          cts }                                  Devier J. Smith

33 {50  Revenue Stamp  50 }                                 Abbie A Smith     

34 STATE OF IOWA     }  SS

35 TAYLOR COUNTY  }

36                                        On this   2nd    day of    March    186 8, before me

37                      Clerk of the District Court                   

38 within and for said County, personally came    Devier Smith & Abbie Smith    

39    his wife                      

40 personally to me known to be the identical person s whose name s   are   affixed to the above instrument as grantor s 

41 and acknowledged the same to be   their   voluntary act and deed.

42 {  Clerks    }   In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name, and affixed my official

43 {   Seal      }   Seal at   Bedford   on the date last above written.

44                                                                              L J Smith   

45                                                                               Clerk         

46 I certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of

47 the original Deed as filed for Record on the 2nd day of March

48 A D 1868.                                             Daniel Underwood

                                                                 Recorder

The source citation for this Deed is:

Taylor County, Iowa, "Taylor County, Iowa, deed records, 1855-1953; index, 1855-1902", "Deed Records (Land) v. M-N 1869-1872 v. O (to p. 311) 1872-1873," Volume M, page 80 (stamped), Deed of Devier J. Smith to Ranslow Smith, 1868; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,634.

This deed is between my second great-grandparents, Devier J. and Abbie A. (Vaux) Smith and Devier's father, Ranslow Smith.  Devier purchased the southwest quarter of Section 23 on 10 December 1867 from Tobias and Robert Denny.  Ranslow and his wife sold it back to Devier on 16 September 1869 for $500.  This may have been a way to put capital in the hands of Devier for a period of time, perhaps to start a business or buy livestock.  Devier owned the other half of the southwest quarter of Section 23 at the time.  

I created a table of all of the Ranslow Smith and Devier J. Smith deeds in Taylor county, Iowa - it is in Organizing the Taylor County, Iowa Land Deeds of Ranslow Smith and Devier J. Smith (posted 22 July 2014).  However, it is not in a date order, it was in my photograph order.  I have since put it into date order and will be methodically going through from early date to late date as I post these deed transcriptions.  This way, I can figure out which piece of land was owned at what period of time by which person.  

The URL for this post is:   http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/amanuensis-monday-post-228-1868-deed-of.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 20 to 26 July 2014

Hundreds of genealogy and family history bloggers write thousands of posts every week about their research, their families, and their interests. I appreciate each one of them and their efforts.

My criteria for "Best of ..." are pretty simple - I pick posts that advance knowledge about genealogy and family history, address current genealogy issues, provide personal family history, are funny or are poignant. I don't list posts destined for daily blog prompts or meme submissions (but I do include summaries of them), or my own posts.

Here are my picks for great reads from the genealogy blogs for this past week:

*  FREE Genealogy Books -- Read the Fine Print and Don't Get Duped! by Thomas MacEntee on the Geneabloggers blog.  Thomas stopped just in time...and found it really free on Google Books.

*  Using Old Maps by Wayne Shepheard on the Discover Genealogy blog.  Wayne shares al ist of websites with historical maps of the British Isles.

*  5th Unlock the Past Cruise -- The Pre-Cruise Days and -- The First Couple of Days by Alona Tester on the LoneTester HQ blog.  Alona shares her travel, sightseeing and cruise experience.

*  Genealogy Tips from the "Who Do You Think You Are? Premiere with Cynthia Nixon by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.  Diane provides a summary of useful research tips from the first episode.

*  Survey Results Indicate Genealogists Join Societies for Camaraderie and Survey Results: The Comments Provide Additional Insight by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.  Gail published her results of her survey about genealogical societies.

*  The Genealogical Research Institute of Pittsburgh, 2014 by Diane McLean Boumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog.  Diane summarized her GRIP experiences.

*  Where's Harry?; The Missing Link and In the Service of Our Country by Jacqi Stevens on A Family Tapestry blog.  Jacqi is still seeking what happened to Harry Sullivan...and is it the right Harry?  I love serial blog posts like this one.

*  Helen, Part VII:  Another Strukel by Michael Lacopo on the Hoosier Daddy? blog.  Michael describes the later life of his grandmother, Helen.

*  Column: One Tree by Yvette Hoitink on the Dutch Genealogy blog.  Yvette muses about the FamilySearch Family Tree.

*  A Baker's Dozen of Favorite Genealogy Websites by Lorine McGinnis Schulze on the Olive Tree Genealogy Bog.   Lorine categorized them in Everything, American, Canadian and International lists.

*  GRIP 2014: Leading With DNA by Harold Henderson on the Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog.  Harold summarizes the DNA course at GRIP.

These genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week:

*  Whaddya Miss? Tuesday, July 22, 2014; Wednesday, July 23, 2014; Thursday, July 24, 2014; Saturday, July 26, 2014 by Tami Osmer Glatz on the WikiChicks blog.

*  Friday Finds - 07/25/14 by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie's Genealogy & History Blog.

*  Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for July 25, 2014 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog.

*  This Week's Creme de la Creme by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.

*  Saturday Serendipity (July 26, 2014) by John D. Tew on the Filiopietism Prism blog.

Readers are encouraged to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Feedly, another RSS feed, or email if you like what you read. Please make a comment to them also - all bloggers appreciate feedback on what they write.

Did I miss a great genealogy blog post? Tell me! I am currently reading posts from over 1540 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/best-of-genea-blogs-20-to-26-july-2014.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver 

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun- Play Ahnentafel Roulette

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

 It's Saturday Night again - 

time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!): 

1) What year was one of your great-grandfathers born?  Divide this number by 80 and round the number off to a whole number. This is your "roulette number."

2) Use your pedigree charts or your family tree genealogy software program to find the person with that number in your ancestral name list (some people call it an "ahnentafel" - your software will create this - use the "Ahnentafel List" option, or similar). Who is that person, and what are his/her vital information?

3) Tell us three facts about that person in your ancestral name list with the "roulette number."

4) Write about it in a blog post on your own blog, in a Facebook status or a Google Stream post, or as a comment on this blog post.

5) NOTE:  If you do not have a person's name for your "roulette number" then "spin" the wheel again - pick a great-grandmother, a grandfather, a parent, a favorite aunt or cousin, yourself, or even your children!  Or pick an ancestor!

Here's mine:

1)  One of my great-grandfathers was Henry Austin Carringer, born in 1853.  Dividing 1853 by 80 gives me a "Roulette" number of 23 (rounded off).  

2)  Number 23 in my "Ancestor Name List" (i.e., Pedigree Chart) is Amy Frances Oatley (1826-1864), who married Henry White (1824-1885) in 1844 in Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut.

3)  Three facts about Amy Frances Oatley:

*  Amy was born in 1826 in South Kingstown, Rhode Island to Jonathan Oatley and Amy Champlin.  She had 13 siblings.

*  Amy died on 12 November 1864 in Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut, at age 36.

*  Amy had six children with Henry White - Ellen Frances White (1845-1916), Julia E. White (1848-1913), Emily Elizabeth White (1849-1939), Henry J. White (1853-1919), female White (1858-1858), and Frederick J. White (1860-????).

4)  I did!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-play.html

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday - WILSON (England > colonial Massachusetts)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  

I am starting the 8th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1025 who is Hannah WILSON (1647-1722) [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through two generations in this WILSON family line is:

1. Randall J. Seaver

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)

8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)

16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)

32. Benjamin Seaver (1791-1825)
33. Abigail Gates (1797-1869)

64. Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816)
65. Martha Whitney (1764-1832)

128.  Norman Seaver (1734-1787)
129.  Sarah Read (1736-1809)

256. Robert Seaver (1702-1752)
257.  Eunice Rayment (1707-1772)

512.  Joseph Seaver (1672-1754)
513.  Mary Read (1680-????)

1024.  Shubael Seaver, born 31 January 1640 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 18 January 1730 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 2048. Robert Seaver and 2049. Elizabeth Ballard.  He married  07 February 1668 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.
1025.  Hannah Wilson, born before 02 May 1647 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 13 February 1722 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of Shubael Seaver and Hannah Wilson are:
*  Robert Seaver (1670-????)
*  Joseph Seaver (1672-1754), married 1700 Mary Read (1680-????)
*  Hannah Seaver (1674-????), married 1724 Patrick Gregory.
*  Abigail Seaver (1677-????), married 1705 Edmund Cole (1675-????).
*  Shubael Seaver (1679-1757), married 1704 Abigail Twelves (1677-????).
*  Thankful Seaver (1684-????), married 1705 Richard Mowear (1680-1766).

2050.  Nathaniel Wilson, born before 02 August 1621 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England; died 17 September 1692 in Newton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 4100. Isaac Wilson and 4101. Susan Holgate.  He married 02 April 1645 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.
2051.  Hannah Craft, born about 1628 in England; died 17 August 1692 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 4052. Griffin Craft and 4053. Alice.

Children of Nathaniel Wilson and Hannah Craft are:
*  child Wilson (1646-1646)
*  Hannah Wilson (1647-1722), married 1668 Shubael Seaver (1640-1730)
*  Susanna Wilson (1650-1725), married 1673 Thomas Gill (1649-1725).
*  Nathaniel Wilson (1653-1721), married (1) 1680 Hannah Jackson (1660-1690); (2) 1693 Elizabeth Osland (1668-1715).
*  Joseph Wilson (1656-1710), married 1685 Deliverance Jackson (1657-1716).
*  Benjamin Wilson (1656-1706), married 1677 Sarah (1658-1689).
*  Isaac Wilson (1658-1720), married 1685 Susanna Andrews (1659-????).
*  Mary Wilson (1661-1729), married 1682 Thomas Oliver (1660-1715).
*  Abigail Wilson (1663-1746), married 1687 Edward Jackson (1652-1727).
*  Samuel Wilson (1666-????), married 1696 Experience Trowbridge (1675-1705).

References with information about this Nathaniel Wilson family include:

Clarence Almon Torrey, "The English Ancestry of Nathaniel Wilson," The American Genealogist, Volume 17 (1947), pages 227-230.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/surname-saturday-wilson-england.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver