Monday, November 7, 2011
Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 - Post 19: Creating U.S. Census Source Citations
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See all posts in this series at Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 Compendium.
One of my major criteria for selecting a "preferred" genealogy management program is the ease in creating source citations. I want to demonstrate the source citation creation process in Family Tree Maker 2012 in a number of posts for several different types of records, both for my own education and, hopefully, to help others navigate this fairly complex process.
One of the most cited types of historical record sources for American researchers is the United States Federal Census. Family Tree Maker has two basic types of U.S. census source templates - those created by "Census Year and Location," or those created by "Census Year." We will look at both options in this post. For this post, I'm going to create a source citation for the 1900 U.S. Census record for my great-grandfather, Frank W. Seaver (1852-1922) residing in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
Here is Frank's "Person" screen in the "People" workspace in FTM 2012, and I clicked on the Add ("+") button on the right side of the "Individual and Shared Facts" panel to Add a Census Fact, and scrolled down to the Census Fact:
I clicked on "Census" and the program added a "Census" Fact to the Fact list, and I entered the date and location for the Fact in the right-hand panel (with the person's name):
The program filled those items into the Fact as I typed them. In the screen above, I wanted to add a Source citation for this Fact, so I clicked on the down arrow next to the "New" button in the "Source" tab, and the dropdown menu gave me the choice of "Add New Source Citation" or "Use Existing Source Citation." If I had already created a 1900 U.S. Census source citation, I could click on the "Use" item and try to find it in a list of master source citations. I decided to select "Add New Source Citation" so I could demonstrate how to do it the first time.
Now we'll do it two different ways:
1) By "Census Year and Location"
From the screen above, after I click on the "Add New Source Citation," the "Add Source Citation for Census for ..." screen opens, and on the screen I click on the "New" button, and the "Add Source" screen opens and I click the "More" button, and see a list of master template groups:
The choice of a template group is obvious in this case, I'm going to choose the "Census Records" group. I then choose a "Category" item of "Digital Images" and the Template "Population Schedule - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year and Location)." Those are shown in the screen above.
I click on the "OK" button, and see the "Add Source" screen with the Source Template for "Population Schedule - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year and Location)." The template fields are (with my entries):
* Census Year: 1900
* State: Massachusetts
* County: Worcester
* Publication Number: T623 [note - this is the NARA microfilm publication number]
* Film Roll Number: 692 [note: this is the NARA roll number for this microfilm publication with the specific census entry]
* Website title: Ancestry.com
* Database publisher: Ancestry.com
* Publisher location: Provo, Utah, USA
* Database year: 2002 [note: this is the year the database became available]
* URL: http://www.ancestry.com
* comments: [left blank]
Here is the "Add Source" template filled in with the above information:
I clicked the "OK" button and then added information to the "Add Source Citation for Census of ..." screen, including:
* Citation detail: Leominster, Enumeration District 1645, Sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), Dwelling 258, Family 371, Frank W. Seaver household
The resulting Source Citation screen is:
When I click on the "Reference Note" tab on the screen above, I can see the created source citation for this specific Fact:
The Reference Note created by FTM 2012 is:
1900 U.S. census, population schedule, Worcester, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District 1645, Sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), Dwelling 258, Family 371, Frank W. Seaver household; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 692; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).
A Full Reference Note crafted using Evidence! Explained (page 240), or the QuickSheet: Citing Ancestry.com Databases and Images, for Census Images in online databases, this entry would be:
1900 U.S. census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule,, Leominster, Enumeration district (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, p. 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2009), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 692.
As you can see, there is a significant difference in the order of the elements of the source citation. The way I entered the citation details differed slightly from the EE model also.
Note that a researcher would have to create a unique source citation for each Census Roll in a specific Census Year. If a researcher had persons on 20 different microfilm rolls in the 1900 census, s/he would have to create 20 different master sources to accommodate each microfilm roll.
2) By "Census Year"
The second way to enter Census source citations is to choose this "Census" "Digital images" "Template" from the dropdown menu in the third screen above, or by entering a Keyword into the "Source template" field in the "Add source" screen instead of clicking on "More"
In the "Add Source" screen, I entered the Keyword "cen" (you need at least three letters) into the "Source template" field and the list of the different templates appeared. I picked "Population Schedules - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year)" on the list shown below:
I clicked on "OK" and the "Add Source" screen with the "Population Schedules - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year)" template appeared. The fields for this template, and my entries included:
* Census year: 1900
* Publication number: T623
* Website title: Ancestry.com
* Database publisher: Ancestry.com
* Publisher location: Provo, Utah, USA
* Database year: 2002
* URL: http://www.ancestry.com
* comments: [left blank]
The "Add Source" template looked like this:
I clicked on "OK" and then entered data into the fields of the "Add Source citation..." screen:
* Citation details: Roll 692, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, Page 264, dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver household
* Citation text: In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Seaver family was renting the house. The family included:
* Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
* Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
* Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living, born MA, father born ME, mother born MA
The "Add Source Citation" screen looked like this:
For this source citation, with the citation text included, I left the box for "Include citation text in reference note" checked. If I didn't want the citation text included, I can uncheck the box.
The Reference Note tab for this source citation is shown below
The Reference Note for this specific source citation is:
1900 U.S. census, population schedule, NARA microfilm publication T623, Roll 692, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver household. In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Seaver family was renting the house. The family included:
* Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
* Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
* Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living, born MA, father born ME, mother born MA; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).
Without the citation text included, the Reference Note is:
1900 U.S. census, population schedule, NARA microfilm publication T623, Roll 692, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).
For comparison purposes, here is the source citation for this Fact crafted from Evidence! Explained (page 240):
1900 U.S. census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule,, Leominster, Enumeration district (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, p. 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2009), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 692.
As you can see, the elements of the source citation are significantly different, although all of the elements are included. Note that I put the Roll number as the first item in the citation detail just so it would follow the NARA microfilm number. With this type of source template, the user has to include the county and state in the Citation Detail, along with the other detail items.
In addition, when the citation text is included in the source citation (as shown in the last screen above), it follows the citation detail, and the rest of the source is added after the citation text.
It is clear to me that Family Tree Maker 2012 does not follow the letter of the Evidence! Explained templates, although all of the template elements are included.
I really prefer the "(by Census Year)" as a Master Source because I can create only one Master Source for each year. I really don't like the way the Citation Text information "runs on" in the middle of the source citation.
This has been a longer post than I anticipated due to the complexity of the source citation creation process, and the two different choices for source templates for a specific year.
See all posts in this series at Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 Compendium.
One of my major criteria for selecting a "preferred" genealogy management program is the ease in creating source citations. I want to demonstrate the source citation creation process in Family Tree Maker 2012 in a number of posts for several different types of records, both for my own education and, hopefully, to help others navigate this fairly complex process.
One of the most cited types of historical record sources for American researchers is the United States Federal Census. Family Tree Maker has two basic types of U.S. census source templates - those created by "Census Year and Location," or those created by "Census Year." We will look at both options in this post. For this post, I'm going to create a source citation for the 1900 U.S. Census record for my great-grandfather, Frank W. Seaver (1852-1922) residing in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.
Here is Frank's "Person" screen in the "People" workspace in FTM 2012, and I clicked on the Add ("+") button on the right side of the "Individual and Shared Facts" panel to Add a Census Fact, and scrolled down to the Census Fact:
I clicked on "Census" and the program added a "Census" Fact to the Fact list, and I entered the date and location for the Fact in the right-hand panel (with the person's name):
The program filled those items into the Fact as I typed them. In the screen above, I wanted to add a Source citation for this Fact, so I clicked on the down arrow next to the "New" button in the "Source" tab, and the dropdown menu gave me the choice of "Add New Source Citation" or "Use Existing Source Citation." If I had already created a 1900 U.S. Census source citation, I could click on the "Use" item and try to find it in a list of master source citations. I decided to select "Add New Source Citation" so I could demonstrate how to do it the first time.
Now we'll do it two different ways:
1) By "Census Year and Location"
From the screen above, after I click on the "Add New Source Citation," the "Add Source Citation for Census for ..." screen opens, and on the screen I click on the "New" button, and the "Add Source" screen opens and I click the "More" button, and see a list of master template groups:
The choice of a template group is obvious in this case, I'm going to choose the "Census Records" group. I then choose a "Category" item of "Digital Images" and the Template "Population Schedule - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year and Location)." Those are shown in the screen above.
I click on the "OK" button, and see the "Add Source" screen with the Source Template for "Population Schedule - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year and Location)." The template fields are (with my entries):
* Census Year: 1900
* State: Massachusetts
* County: Worcester
* Publication Number: T623 [note - this is the NARA microfilm publication number]
* Film Roll Number: 692 [note: this is the NARA roll number for this microfilm publication with the specific census entry]
* Website title: Ancestry.com
* Database publisher: Ancestry.com
* Publisher location: Provo, Utah, USA
* Database year: 2002 [note: this is the year the database became available]
* URL: http://www.ancestry.com
* comments: [left blank]
Here is the "Add Source" template filled in with the above information:
I clicked the "OK" button and then added information to the "Add Source Citation for Census of ..." screen, including:
* Citation detail: Leominster, Enumeration District 1645, Sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), Dwelling 258, Family 371, Frank W. Seaver household
The resulting Source Citation screen is:
When I click on the "Reference Note" tab on the screen above, I can see the created source citation for this specific Fact:
The Reference Note created by FTM 2012 is:
1900 U.S. census, population schedule, Worcester, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District 1645, Sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), Dwelling 258, Family 371, Frank W. Seaver household; NARA microfilm publication T623, roll 692; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).
A Full Reference Note crafted using Evidence! Explained (page 240), or the QuickSheet: Citing Ancestry.com Databases and Images, for Census Images in online databases, this entry would be:
1900 U.S. census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule,, Leominster, Enumeration district (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, p. 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2009), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 692.
As you can see, there is a significant difference in the order of the elements of the source citation. The way I entered the citation details differed slightly from the EE model also.
Note that a researcher would have to create a unique source citation for each Census Roll in a specific Census Year. If a researcher had persons on 20 different microfilm rolls in the 1900 census, s/he would have to create 20 different master sources to accommodate each microfilm roll.
2) By "Census Year"
The second way to enter Census source citations is to choose this "Census" "Digital images" "Template" from the dropdown menu in the third screen above, or by entering a Keyword into the "Source template" field in the "Add source" screen instead of clicking on "More"
In the "Add Source" screen, I entered the Keyword "cen" (you need at least three letters) into the "Source template" field and the list of the different templates appeared. I picked "Population Schedules - United States, 1880-1930 (by Census Year)" on the list shown below:
* Census year: 1900
* Publication number: T623
* Website title: Ancestry.com
* Database publisher: Ancestry.com
* Publisher location: Provo, Utah, USA
* Database year: 2002
* URL: http://www.ancestry.com
* comments: [left blank]
The "Add Source" template looked like this:
I clicked on "OK" and then entered data into the fields of the "Add Source citation..." screen:
* Citation details: Roll 692, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, Page 264, dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver household
* Citation text: In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Seaver family was renting the house. The family included:
* Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
* Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
* Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living, born MA, father born ME, mother born MA
The "Add Source Citation" screen looked like this:
For this source citation, with the citation text included, I left the box for "Include citation text in reference note" checked. If I didn't want the citation text included, I can uncheck the box.
The Reference Note tab for this source citation is shown below
The Reference Note for this specific source citation is:
1900 U.S. census, population schedule, NARA microfilm publication T623, Roll 692, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver household. In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The Seaver family was renting the house. The family included:
* Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
* Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
* Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
* Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living, born MA, father born ME, mother born MA; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).
Without the citation text included, the Reference Note is:
1900 U.S. census, population schedule, NARA microfilm publication T623, Roll 692, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster, Enumeration District (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, Page 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com).
For comparison purposes, here is the source citation for this Fact crafted from Evidence! Explained (page 240):
1900 U.S. census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, population schedule,, Leominster, Enumeration district (ED) 1645, sheet 16-A, p. 264 (stamped), dwelling 258, family 371, Frank W. Seaver; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 21 April 2009), citing National Archives microfilm publication T623, roll 692.
As you can see, the elements of the source citation are significantly different, although all of the elements are included. Note that I put the Roll number as the first item in the citation detail just so it would follow the NARA microfilm number. With this type of source template, the user has to include the county and state in the Citation Detail, along with the other detail items.
In addition, when the citation text is included in the source citation (as shown in the last screen above), it follows the citation detail, and the rest of the source is added after the citation text.
It is clear to me that Family Tree Maker 2012 does not follow the letter of the Evidence! Explained templates, although all of the template elements are included.
I really prefer the "(by Census Year)" as a Master Source because I can create only one Master Source for each year. I really don't like the way the Citation Text information "runs on" in the middle of the source citation.
This has been a longer post than I anticipated due to the complexity of the source citation creation process, and the two different choices for source templates for a specific year.
Labels: Census Records, FamilyTreeMaker, genealogy software, Source Citation
Amanuensis Monday - the Will of John Heald (1611-1662) of Concord MA
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Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:
"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the will of John Heald (1611-1662) of Concord, Massachusetts, who died testate on 24 May 1662. He married Dorothy --?-- (perhaps Royle? 1615-1694) in 1636 in England, and they had nine children - John Heald (1637-1689), Hannah Heald (1639-1689), Timothy Heald (1641-1689), Dorcas Heald (1645-1650), Gershom Heald (1647-1717), Dorothy Heald (1649-1674), Thomas Heald (1652-1725), Isaac Heald (1656-1717) and Israel Heald (1660-1738).
John Heald died testate, and his probate records are in Middlesex County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, Probate Packet #11,053 (image copies of original papers accessed on FHL Microfilm 0, 397,091). His will reads:
"I, John Heald of Concord in County of Middlesex in Massachusetts Collony, being sick in body but of perfect mind and memory, I do make this my Last Will and Testament in manner and form following: first i commit my soule into the hands of the lord my gratious God in Jesus Christ resting upon his free grace that he will receive it to his mercye and my body to the Earth to be decently buryed therin; believing the ressurection thereof at the Last Day, and hoping that both soule and body shall bee glorified together with my blessed redeemer forever;
"Also for the outward estate which god hath given me; my three eldest children that is to say John my eldest son and Timothy and my daughter Hannah having received their portions of my estate; I do here by give and bequeth to my five younger children; to each of them the sum of thirteen (13) pounds six shillings and eight pence to be payed unto the said children by my loving wife Dorothy or her assigns when the foresaid children shall come to the age of twenty and one years or at their marriage; and the rest of my estate be it more or less I do herby give it to my said wife to dispose of as she shall think good excepting one suit of cloaths which I give to my eldest son John, and my great coat to my son Timothy: and a wastcoat to my daughter Hannah; Also I do hereby appoint and constitute my said beloved wife Dorothy, the sole executrix of this my last will and testament.
"In wittnes wherof I doe herto set my hand and seal this ninteenth day of April one thousand six hundred sixty two.
.................................................................................. (signed) John Heald
Wittnesses herof
John Flynt (signed)
Ephraim Flynt (signed)
Thomas Brown (signed)
Attested, Simon Willard (signed)"
The will was proved by the Court on 18 June 1662 by Clerk Thomas Danforth.
An inventory of the estate of John Heald was taken by Robert Meriam, George Wheeler and Thomas Brooks on 31 May 1662, which shows an estate of 141 pounds, 1 shilling and debts of 1 pound to be paid, leaving a net estate of 140 pounds, 1 shilling.
Because John Heald died relatively young at age 51, he left five minor children. His will named only son John, daughter Hannah and son Timothy, and requested his wife Dorothy to give money (13 pounds, six shillings) to each of the five minor children when they reached the age of 21, or at the time of their marriage.
My ancestry is through daughter Dorothy Heald (1649-1674), who married Jonathan Prescott (1645-1721), and their son Samuel Prescott (1674-1758).
Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:
"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the will of John Heald (1611-1662) of Concord, Massachusetts, who died testate on 24 May 1662. He married Dorothy --?-- (perhaps Royle? 1615-1694) in 1636 in England, and they had nine children - John Heald (1637-1689), Hannah Heald (1639-1689), Timothy Heald (1641-1689), Dorcas Heald (1645-1650), Gershom Heald (1647-1717), Dorothy Heald (1649-1674), Thomas Heald (1652-1725), Isaac Heald (1656-1717) and Israel Heald (1660-1738).
John Heald died testate, and his probate records are in Middlesex County (Massachusetts) Probate Records, Probate Packet #11,053 (image copies of original papers accessed on FHL Microfilm 0, 397,091). His will reads:
"I, John Heald of Concord in County of Middlesex in Massachusetts Collony, being sick in body but of perfect mind and memory, I do make this my Last Will and Testament in manner and form following: first i commit my soule into the hands of the lord my gratious God in Jesus Christ resting upon his free grace that he will receive it to his mercye and my body to the Earth to be decently buryed therin; believing the ressurection thereof at the Last Day, and hoping that both soule and body shall bee glorified together with my blessed redeemer forever;
"Also for the outward estate which god hath given me; my three eldest children that is to say John my eldest son and Timothy and my daughter Hannah having received their portions of my estate; I do here by give and bequeth to my five younger children; to each of them the sum of thirteen (13) pounds six shillings and eight pence to be payed unto the said children by my loving wife Dorothy or her assigns when the foresaid children shall come to the age of twenty and one years or at their marriage; and the rest of my estate be it more or less I do herby give it to my said wife to dispose of as she shall think good excepting one suit of cloaths which I give to my eldest son John, and my great coat to my son Timothy: and a wastcoat to my daughter Hannah; Also I do hereby appoint and constitute my said beloved wife Dorothy, the sole executrix of this my last will and testament.
"In wittnes wherof I doe herto set my hand and seal this ninteenth day of April one thousand six hundred sixty two.
.................................................................................. (signed) John Heald
Wittnesses herof
John Flynt (signed)
Ephraim Flynt (signed)
Thomas Brown (signed)
Attested, Simon Willard (signed)"
The will was proved by the Court on 18 June 1662 by Clerk Thomas Danforth.
An inventory of the estate of John Heald was taken by Robert Meriam, George Wheeler and Thomas Brooks on 31 May 1662, which shows an estate of 141 pounds, 1 shilling and debts of 1 pound to be paid, leaving a net estate of 140 pounds, 1 shilling.
Because John Heald died relatively young at age 51, he left five minor children. His will named only son John, daughter Hannah and son Timothy, and requested his wife Dorothy to give money (13 pounds, six shillings) to each of the five minor children when they reached the age of 21, or at the time of their marriage.
My ancestry is through daughter Dorothy Heald (1649-1674), who married Jonathan Prescott (1645-1721), and their son Samuel Prescott (1674-1758).
Labels: Amanuensis Monday, My genealogy research, Probate Records
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Best of the Genea-Blogs - 31 October to 5 November 2011
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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 the genealogy carnivals, or other 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:
* Witches, Halloween and Genealogy by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on the Nutfield Genealogy blog.
Heather reviews the situation in Salem in 1692. My ancestor, Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, was one of the victims.
* 5 Ways to Manage Your Blog (or Blogs) by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. Michael notes that it's National blog Writing Month, and has suggestions for genealogy bloggers to create and publish content.
* Changes to the Public Death Master File (DMF) and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) by Steve Danko on Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve provides information about changes to the SSDI that may affect all of us.
* Do you understand source citations? by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. I agree 100%!
* Using Your Smartphone for Genealogy by James Tanner on the FamilySearch Tech Tips blog. James summarizes what's available for genealogists on both Apple iOS and Android smart phones.
* The Mystery of the Non-Duplicate Duplicates by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Mr. AI explains why two indexes of the same information are different, and how they got that way, and why we should consult the original source.
* Why Genealogy Institutes? Part I by Christy Fillerup on the Living Ancestors blog. Christy reports on learning styles and why learning institutes succeed.
* Will My Genealogy Research Ever Be Done? by Lee R. Drew on the Family History with the LineageKeeper blog. Um, I don't think so...and Lee tells us why he doesn't either.
* Crossing the Pond: Finding Immigrant Origins by Susan Farrell Bankhead on Susan's Genealogy Blog. Susan provides an excellent list of possible resources to find immigrant origins.
* Carnival of Genealogy, 111th Edition edited by Jasia on the Creative Gene blog. There are 12 entries to this carnival on the subject of Autumn Weddings. Enjoy!
* 10 Things I’ve Learned About Genealogy by Diane Boumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog. Diane lists her ten things - what have you learned? Tell her.
* Genealogy: Why family research? by Schelly on the MyHeritage Blog. Schelly shares results from a Canadian survey taken in 1994. Share your reasons in a comment on the post.
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:
* Monday Morning Mentions by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.
* Monday's Link Roundup by Dan Curtis on the Dan Curtis ~ Professional Personal Historian blog.
* Follow Friday: This Week’s Favorite Finds by Jen on the Climbing My Family Tree blog.
* Follow Friday Gems - 11-04-11 by Deb Ruth on the Adventures in Genealogy blog.
* Genealogy News Corral, Oct. 31-Nov. 4 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.
* Week In Review by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
I encourage readers to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Google Reader, 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 1060 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.
Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here
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 the genealogy carnivals, or other 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:
* Witches, Halloween and Genealogy by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on the Nutfield Genealogy blog.
Heather reviews the situation in Salem in 1692. My ancestor, Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, was one of the victims.
* 5 Ways to Manage Your Blog (or Blogs) by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. Michael notes that it's National blog Writing Month, and has suggestions for genealogy bloggers to create and publish content.
* Changes to the Public Death Master File (DMF) and the Social Security Death Index (SSDI) by Steve Danko on Steve's Genealogy Blog. Steve provides information about changes to the SSDI that may affect all of us.
* Do you understand source citations? by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. I agree 100%!
* Using Your Smartphone for Genealogy by James Tanner on the FamilySearch Tech Tips blog. James summarizes what's available for genealogists on both Apple iOS and Android smart phones.
* The Mystery of the Non-Duplicate Duplicates by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Mr. AI explains why two indexes of the same information are different, and how they got that way, and why we should consult the original source.
* Why Genealogy Institutes? Part I by Christy Fillerup on the Living Ancestors blog. Christy reports on learning styles and why learning institutes succeed.
* Will My Genealogy Research Ever Be Done? by Lee R. Drew on the Family History with the LineageKeeper blog. Um, I don't think so...and Lee tells us why he doesn't either.
* Crossing the Pond: Finding Immigrant Origins by Susan Farrell Bankhead on Susan's Genealogy Blog. Susan provides an excellent list of possible resources to find immigrant origins.
* Carnival of Genealogy, 111th Edition edited by Jasia on the Creative Gene blog. There are 12 entries to this carnival on the subject of Autumn Weddings. Enjoy!
* 10 Things I’ve Learned About Genealogy by Diane Boumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog. Diane lists her ten things - what have you learned? Tell her.
* Genealogy: Why family research? by Schelly on the MyHeritage Blog. Schelly shares results from a Canadian survey taken in 1994. Share your reasons in a comment on the post.
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:
* Monday Morning Mentions by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.
* Monday's Link Roundup by Dan Curtis on the Dan Curtis ~ Professional Personal Historian blog.
* Follow Friday: This Week’s Favorite Finds by Jen on the Climbing My Family Tree blog.
* Follow Friday Gems - 11-04-11 by Deb Ruth on the Adventures in Genealogy blog.
* Genealogy News Corral, Oct. 31-Nov. 4 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.
* Week In Review by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
I encourage readers to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Google Reader, 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 1060 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.
Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here
Labels: BestofGeneaBlogs, genealogy blogs
Saturday, November 5, 2011
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - The Ancestry.com YouTube Channel
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Hey genea-peeps, it's SATURDAY NIGHT! - time for more GENEALOGY FUN!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) visit the Ancestry.com YouTube Channel (which has 98 videos now) at http://www.youtube.com/user/AncestryCom.
2) Watch one of these four videos:
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Search with Ancestry Anne with Anne Mitchell
** Ancestry.com LIVE: One Question with the Barefoot Genealogist with Crista Cowan
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Lorraine's 5 Tips for Online Grave Digging with Lorraine Bourne
** Ancestry.com LIVE: How do I use newspapers on Ancestry.com to find out more about my ancestors? with Crista Cowan
3) Go up to the YouTube search field and enter "genealogy" and your surname in the search field. What results do you get? Are there any videos of interest on that list, even if they're not about your surname? Did you watch one of the videos?
4) In the YouTube search field, enter "genealogy" and the name of one of your favorite genealogists. What results do you get? Did you watch one of the videos?
5) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a status Ine in Facebook, a Twitter tweet, or a stream item on Google Plus.
Here's mine:
1) Did that.
2) I watched "How Do I Use Newspapers..." with Crista Cowan and learned that the Los Angeles Times obituaries are in the Historical Newspapers, Births, Marriages and Death Announcements" collection. I didn't know that, and will use that tip soon.
3) I entered "genealogy" and "seaver" in the YouTube search box, and the first match was the interview I did with Lisa Louise Cooke at the 2009 Jamboree in Burbank. There was one other match, for Lisa's video about "Our Summer Vacation a Wild Genealogy Story." That was excellent, funny and short.
4) I entered "genealogy" and "shown mills" in the YouTube search box (looking for Elizabeth Shown Mills videos) and was rewarded with a list of 25 matches. I watched "We Are All Cousins."
5) Done!
I did not know that the NGS videos were also on YouTube, and I will add them to my list of weekend genealogy fun items.
Hey genea-peeps, it's SATURDAY NIGHT! - time for more GENEALOGY FUN!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) visit the Ancestry.com YouTube Channel (which has 98 videos now) at http://www.youtube.com/user/AncestryCom.
2) Watch one of these four videos:
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Search with Ancestry Anne with Anne Mitchell
** Ancestry.com LIVE: One Question with the Barefoot Genealogist with Crista Cowan
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Lorraine's 5 Tips for Online Grave Digging with Lorraine Bourne
** Ancestry.com LIVE: How do I use newspapers on Ancestry.com to find out more about my ancestors? with Crista Cowan
3) Go up to the YouTube search field and enter "genealogy" and your surname in the search field. What results do you get? Are there any videos of interest on that list, even if they're not about your surname? Did you watch one of the videos?
4) In the YouTube search field, enter "genealogy" and the name of one of your favorite genealogists. What results do you get? Did you watch one of the videos?
5) Tell us about it in a blog post of your own, in a comment to this blog post, or in a status Ine in Facebook, a Twitter tweet, or a stream item on Google Plus.
Here's mine:
1) Did that.
2) I watched "How Do I Use Newspapers..." with Crista Cowan and learned that the Los Angeles Times obituaries are in the Historical Newspapers, Births, Marriages and Death Announcements" collection. I didn't know that, and will use that tip soon.
3) I entered "genealogy" and "seaver" in the YouTube search box, and the first match was the interview I did with Lisa Louise Cooke at the 2009 Jamboree in Burbank. There was one other match, for Lisa's video about "Our Summer Vacation a Wild Genealogy Story." That was excellent, funny and short.
4) I entered "genealogy" and "shown mills" in the YouTube search box (looking for Elizabeth Shown Mills videos) and was rewarded with a list of 25 matches. I watched "We Are All Cousins."
5) Done!
I did not know that the NGS videos were also on YouTube, and I will add them to my list of weekend genealogy fun items.
Labels: Genealogy Fun, Genealogy Video, SNGF
Surname Saturday - PRESCOTT (England > Massachusetts)
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It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 289, who is Dorothy PRESCOTT (1702-1772), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]
My ancestral line back through four generations of PRESCOTT families (ancestors in blue) 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)
18. Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)
19. Sophia Newton (1834-1923)
36. Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857)
37. Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857)
72. Zachariah Hildreth (1754-1828)
73. elizabeth Keyes (1759-1793)
144. Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784)
145. Elizabeth Prescott (1734-1812)
288. James Hildreth, born 23 December 1698 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 25 February 1761 in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 576. Ephraim Hildreth and 577. Anna Moore. He married 20 December 1721 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
289. Dorothy Prescott, born 1702 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 03 September 1774 in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
Children of James Hildreth and Dorothy Prescott are: Oliver Hildreth (1723-1793); Rebecca Hildreth (1726-1785); Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784); Anna Hildreth (1730-????); Dorothy Hildreth (1733-1735); Dorothy Hildreth (1736-1782); Amos Hildreth (1738-1807); Lucy Hildreth (1742-1763); Samuel Hildreth (1745-1748).
578. Samuel Prescott, born 1674 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States; died 25 July 1758 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He married 05 May 1698 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
579. Esther Wheeler, born 01 December 1678 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died before 19 August 1756 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 1158. John Wheeler and 1159. Sarah Larkin.
Children of Samuel Prescott and Esther Wheeler are: Esther Prescott (1699-????); Dorothy Prescott (1702-1772); Amos Prescott (1705-????); Mary Prescott (1708-????); Mary Prescott (1710-????); Dorcas Prescott (1712-????); Abigail Prescott (1718-????); Rebecca Prescott (1719-????); Dinah Prescott (1725-????).
1156. Jonathan Prescott, born about 1645 in probably Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States; died 05 December 1721 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He married 03 August 1670 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.
1157. Dorothy Heald, born 16 October 1649 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 08 October 1674 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 2314. John Heald and 2315. Dorothy Royle.
Children of Jonathan Prescott and Dorothy Heald are: child Prescott (1671-1671); Jonathan Prescott (1672-1672); Samuel Prescott (1674-1758).
2312. John Prescott, born about 1604 in probably Lancashire, England; died December 1681 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. He married 11 April 1629 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.
2313. Mary Gawkroger, born before 07 February 1613 in Sowerby, Yorkshire, England; died 1674 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 4626. Abram Gawkroger alias Platts and 4627. Martha Riley.
Children of John Prescott and Mary Gawkroger are: Mary Prescott (1630-1716); child Prescott (1631-1631); Martha Prescott (1632-1656); child Prescott (1634-1634); John Prescott (1635-1635); Sarah Prescott (1637-1727); Hannah Prescott (1639-1697); Lydia Prescott (1641-1712); John Prescott (1643-1718); Jonathan Prescott (1645-1721); Jonas Prescott (1648-1723).
There are many sources of information about the English ancestry and New England life of John Prescott. In my opinion, the most authoritative work is from the book:
MaryLovering Holman, The Ancestry of Colonel John Harrington Stevens and his wife Frances Helen Miller, Concord NH : Rumford Press, 1948.
One line of the John Prescott family was treated in the book:
Joan S. Guilford, The Ancestry of Dr. J.P. Guilford, Sheridan Psychological Services, Inc., 1990, Volume 1.
I suspect that there will be many readers that are descended from John Prescott, but not too many that are descended from Jonathan and Samuel Prescott.
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 289, who is Dorothy PRESCOTT (1702-1772), one of my 6th-great-grandparents. [Note: The 6th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]
My ancestral line back through four generations of PRESCOTT families (ancestors in blue) 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)
18. Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)
19. Sophia Newton (1834-1923)
36. Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857)
37. Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857)
72. Zachariah Hildreth (1754-1828)
73. elizabeth Keyes (1759-1793)
144. Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784)
145. Elizabeth Prescott (1734-1812)
288. James Hildreth, born 23 December 1698 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 25 February 1761 in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 576. Ephraim Hildreth and 577. Anna Moore. He married 20 December 1721 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
289. Dorothy Prescott, born 1702 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 03 September 1774 in Westford, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
Children of James Hildreth and Dorothy Prescott are: Oliver Hildreth (1723-1793); Rebecca Hildreth (1726-1785); Zachariah Hildreth (1728-1784); Anna Hildreth (1730-????); Dorothy Hildreth (1733-1735); Dorothy Hildreth (1736-1782); Amos Hildreth (1738-1807); Lucy Hildreth (1742-1763); Samuel Hildreth (1745-1748).
578. Samuel Prescott, born 1674 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States; died 25 July 1758 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He married 05 May 1698 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
579. Esther Wheeler, born 01 December 1678 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died before 19 August 1756 in Acton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 1158. John Wheeler and 1159. Sarah Larkin.
Children of Samuel Prescott and Esther Wheeler are: Esther Prescott (1699-????); Dorothy Prescott (1702-1772); Amos Prescott (1705-????); Mary Prescott (1708-????); Mary Prescott (1710-????); Dorcas Prescott (1712-????); Abigail Prescott (1718-????); Rebecca Prescott (1719-????); Dinah Prescott (1725-????).
1156. Jonathan Prescott, born about 1645 in probably Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States; died 05 December 1721 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He married 03 August 1670 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.
1157. Dorothy Heald, born 16 October 1649 in Concord, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 08 October 1674 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 2314. John Heald and 2315. Dorothy Royle.
Children of Jonathan Prescott and Dorothy Heald are: child Prescott (1671-1671); Jonathan Prescott (1672-1672); Samuel Prescott (1674-1758).
2312. John Prescott, born about 1604 in probably Lancashire, England; died December 1681 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. He married 11 April 1629 in Halifax, Yorkshire, England.
2313. Mary Gawkroger, born before 07 February 1613 in Sowerby, Yorkshire, England; died 1674 in Lancaster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 4626. Abram Gawkroger alias Platts and 4627. Martha Riley.
Children of John Prescott and Mary Gawkroger are: Mary Prescott (1630-1716); child Prescott (1631-1631); Martha Prescott (1632-1656); child Prescott (1634-1634); John Prescott (1635-1635); Sarah Prescott (1637-1727); Hannah Prescott (1639-1697); Lydia Prescott (1641-1712); John Prescott (1643-1718); Jonathan Prescott (1645-1721); Jonas Prescott (1648-1723).
There are many sources of information about the English ancestry and New England life of John Prescott. In my opinion, the most authoritative work is from the book:
MaryLovering Holman, The Ancestry of Colonel John Harrington Stevens and his wife Frances Helen Miller, Concord NH : Rumford Press, 1948.
One line of the John Prescott family was treated in the book:
Joan S. Guilford, The Ancestry of Dr. J.P. Guilford, Sheridan Psychological Services, Inc., 1990, Volume 1.
I suspect that there will be many readers that are descended from John Prescott, but not too many that are descended from Jonathan and Samuel Prescott.
Labels: My genealogy research, Surname Saturday
Friday, November 4, 2011
Review: "Genealogy at a Glance: English Genealogy Research"
The Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore has published another in its series of "Genealogy at a Glance" laminated research guides - this time for English Genealogy Research, by Paul Milner.
This "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet has four laminated pages on one 11" x 17" paper (folded). They are designed to give the user the basic elements of genealogy research in the allotted space. They provide an overview of the facts a researcher needs to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with research in the subject.
The English Genealogy Research "Genealogy at a Glance" folder has these subjects:
* Contents list
* Quick Facts about England
* English Emigration Background - Passenger Lists
* Unlocking English Family History - Surnames, Paleography, Dates
* Basic Record Sources -- Civil Registration, Parish Registers, Diocesan Records, Probate Records, Census Returns
* Supplementary Sources - Printed Sources, Archives, Libraries and Societies
* Major Online Resources - Commercial Websites, Free Websites
This booklet is designed primarily for the person who is not an expert, or has no experience, in English research - a researcher with expertise would rely on quality published books with in-depth knowledge about the resources available. Reference books, online databases and websites for each topic are cited in the text.
For someone like me that teaches and talks about genealogy a bit, they are invaluable because I can pull them out and provide some guidance to my student or colleague interested in the subject.
The beauty of these "Genealogy at a Glance" folders is that they are very light and portable in a briefcase or laptop case. They are fixtures in my research case.
This four-page laminated booklet costs $8.95. You can order it through the http://www.genealogical.com/ Store, or use the link for the English Genealogy Research booklet and click on the "Add to Cart" link.
I reviewed several similar works in Book Review: Genealogy at a Glance: "How-To" Series (French-Canadian, Scottish and Irish) and Book Review: "Genealogy at a Glance: German Genealogy Research."
Disclosure: Genealogical.com contacted me recently and asked me to provide a review of this booklet. They mailed me a review copy for my personal use as remuneration for this review.
This "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet has four laminated pages on one 11" x 17" paper (folded). They are designed to give the user the basic elements of genealogy research in the allotted space. They provide an overview of the facts a researcher needs to know in order to begin and proceed successfully with research in the subject.
The English Genealogy Research "Genealogy at a Glance" folder has these subjects:
* Contents list
* Quick Facts about England
* English Emigration Background - Passenger Lists
* Unlocking English Family History - Surnames, Paleography, Dates
* Basic Record Sources -- Civil Registration, Parish Registers, Diocesan Records, Probate Records, Census Returns
* Supplementary Sources - Printed Sources, Archives, Libraries and Societies
* Major Online Resources - Commercial Websites, Free Websites
This booklet is designed primarily for the person who is not an expert, or has no experience, in English research - a researcher with expertise would rely on quality published books with in-depth knowledge about the resources available. Reference books, online databases and websites for each topic are cited in the text.
For someone like me that teaches and talks about genealogy a bit, they are invaluable because I can pull them out and provide some guidance to my student or colleague interested in the subject.
The beauty of these "Genealogy at a Glance" folders is that they are very light and portable in a briefcase or laptop case. They are fixtures in my research case.
This four-page laminated booklet costs $8.95. You can order it through the http://www.genealogical.com/ Store, or use the link for the English Genealogy Research booklet and click on the "Add to Cart" link.
I reviewed several similar works in Book Review: Genealogy at a Glance: "How-To" Series (French-Canadian, Scottish and Irish) and Book Review: "Genealogy at a Glance: German Genealogy Research."
Disclosure: Genealogical.com contacted me recently and asked me to provide a review of this booklet. They mailed me a review copy for my personal use as remuneration for this review.
Labels: book reviews, genealogy resources, Online resources, UK/Ireland Resources
Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 - Post 18: Creating a Vital Record Register Source Citation
...
See all posts in this series at Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 Compendium.
One of my major criteria for selecting a "preferred" genealogy management program is the ease in creating source citations. I want to demonstrate the source citation creation process in Family Tree Maker 2012 in a number of posts for several different types of records, both for my own education and, hopefully, to help others navigate this fairly complex process.
I worked through a Vital Records Certificate (on paper) source citation in Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 - Post 17: Creating a Vital Record Certificate Source Citation.
The next set of citations of significant interest to me is Vital Records Register information in online databases (e.g., on Ancestry.com, American Ancestors, etc.).
I'm going to work with my great-grandfather's birth, which occurred on 6 June 1852 in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. His birth record is in the Birth register created by the Massachusetts State Archives, and is in an online searchable database at www.AmericanAncestors.org. I want to create a source citation for that Birth Register entry.
1) Here is the "Person" page in the "People" workspace for my great-grandfather:
In the screen above, in the right-hand panel for the Person, and in the "Source" tab, I clicked on the down arrow next to the "New" link, and selected "Add New source citation" from the dropdown menu.
2) The "Add source citation for ..." window opened, and I clicked on the "New" button (far left), and the "Add source" window opened, and then I clicked on the "More" button to get to the list of Source Templates, shown below:
The most logical Source Template group for a Birth Register is the "Local and State Records - Registrations, Rolls and Vital Records." I chose "State-Level Records" in the Category field and then "Vital Records Register" in the Template field. However, I found no specific template for an online database - either lists or images - in this Source Template group.
3) The "Vital Records Register" source template opened and I filled in the Source information as best I could, considering there are no fields for an online database. The data I entered was:
* State or Country: Massachusetts State Archives
* Agency/creator: [I left this blank after a trial didn't work well]
* Record series: "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910"
* Source repository: New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org),
Here is the screen for my entries into this source template:
I clicked "OK" on the screen above.
4) The "Edit source citation" window appeared with the source title and Repository filled in, and I entered this into the Citation Detail field:
* Citation detail: entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198
Here is the completed "Edit source citation for ..." window:
5) The completed "Reference Note" source citation screen shows:
The resulting Source Citation for this birth register record using the only Source Template group that references vital records is:
Massachusetts State Archives, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910", entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198; New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org).
That does not come very close to the Evidence! Explained model for an online searchable image database of state vital records registers. The website information should be after the database title, the website title should be italicized, there was no field for access date, and the comma after 1910 should be within the quote mark. That is nitpicking, I know, but the nitpicks add up eventually, and the fewer things that have to be edited, the better..
Here is my interpretation of the EE model, from pages 467-469 of EE (First Edition) applied to my specific source citation:
Massachusetts State Archives, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910," database, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org, accessed 21 January 2010); entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198.
I searched all of the other Source Template groups for online database templates that I could use, and the closest I could get to the EE example was in the "Archives and Artifacts" Source Template group, in the "Archived Material" Category and the "Digital archive" Template. The resulting source citation looks like this:
"Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910", New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198.
The only things missing are, I think, the words "online database" and the access date. I entered "online database" into the "Collection format" field, but it did not print out in the source citation for some reason. I can add it to the Owner/creator line and it works. The access date issue is more difficult to fix, since it may vary for each source citation using this template.
While I was working with this, in the "Add source" window, I accidentally entered the word "online" in the field for "Source template" and saw a list of source template groups:
These are also Source Templates, but there is no obvious Source Template for an online vital records register database, similar to those common on Ancestry.com or AmericanAncestors.org. I didn't know that this set of generic (I think) source templates was available. I keep learning!
Did I miss something obvious for this type of record source? If so, will someone please tell me which Source Template group, Category and Template to use?
If I didn't miss it, I recommend that Family Tree Maker developers add an "Online Archive" or "Online Database" Template to the "Local and State Records - Registrations, Rolls and Vital Records" Source Template Group categories. Your customers will appreciate it.
The confusion over which source template to use, which took over two hours of my time today, for this particular source type adds to the conclusion that I made months ago to use Free-form Master source citations rather than the Source Templates in the genealogy software programs. However, to do that I have to learn how to create each type of Master Source. The Source Templates, and Evidence! Explained, are useful for that task.
See all posts in this series at Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 Compendium.
One of my major criteria for selecting a "preferred" genealogy management program is the ease in creating source citations. I want to demonstrate the source citation creation process in Family Tree Maker 2012 in a number of posts for several different types of records, both for my own education and, hopefully, to help others navigate this fairly complex process.
I worked through a Vital Records Certificate (on paper) source citation in Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 - Post 17: Creating a Vital Record Certificate Source Citation.
The next set of citations of significant interest to me is Vital Records Register information in online databases (e.g., on Ancestry.com, American Ancestors, etc.).
I'm going to work with my great-grandfather's birth, which occurred on 6 June 1852 in Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts. His birth record is in the Birth register created by the Massachusetts State Archives, and is in an online searchable database at www.AmericanAncestors.org. I want to create a source citation for that Birth Register entry.
1) Here is the "Person" page in the "People" workspace for my great-grandfather:
In the screen above, in the right-hand panel for the Person, and in the "Source" tab, I clicked on the down arrow next to the "New" link, and selected "Add New source citation" from the dropdown menu.
2) The "Add source citation for ..." window opened, and I clicked on the "New" button (far left), and the "Add source" window opened, and then I clicked on the "More" button to get to the list of Source Templates, shown below:
The most logical Source Template group for a Birth Register is the "Local and State Records - Registrations, Rolls and Vital Records." I chose "State-Level Records" in the Category field and then "Vital Records Register" in the Template field. However, I found no specific template for an online database - either lists or images - in this Source Template group.
3) The "Vital Records Register" source template opened and I filled in the Source information as best I could, considering there are no fields for an online database. The data I entered was:
* State or Country: Massachusetts State Archives
* Agency/creator: [I left this blank after a trial didn't work well]
* Record series: "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910"
* Source repository: New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org),
Here is the screen for my entries into this source template:
I clicked "OK" on the screen above.
4) The "Edit source citation" window appeared with the source title and Repository filled in, and I entered this into the Citation Detail field:
* Citation detail: entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198
Here is the completed "Edit source citation for ..." window:
5) The completed "Reference Note" source citation screen shows:
The resulting Source Citation for this birth register record using the only Source Template group that references vital records is:
Massachusetts State Archives, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910", entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198; New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org).
That does not come very close to the Evidence! Explained model for an online searchable image database of state vital records registers. The website information should be after the database title, the website title should be italicized, there was no field for access date, and the comma after 1910 should be within the quote mark. That is nitpicking, I know, but the nitpicks add up eventually, and the fewer things that have to be edited, the better..
Here is my interpretation of the EE model, from pages 467-469 of EE (First Edition) applied to my specific source citation:
Massachusetts State Archives, "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910," database, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org, accessed 21 January 2010); entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198.
I searched all of the other Source Template groups for online database templates that I could use, and the closest I could get to the EE example was in the "Archives and Artifacts" Source Template group, in the "Archived Material" Category and the "Digital archive" Template. The resulting source citation looks like this:
"Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910", New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), entry for Frank Walton Seaver, 6 June 1852; citing Medfield, Norfolk County Births, 1852, Volume 64, Page 198.
The only things missing are, I think, the words "online database" and the access date. I entered "online database" into the "Collection format" field, but it did not print out in the source citation for some reason. I can add it to the Owner/creator line and it works. The access date issue is more difficult to fix, since it may vary for each source citation using this template.
While I was working with this, in the "Add source" window, I accidentally entered the word "online" in the field for "Source template" and saw a list of source template groups:
These are also Source Templates, but there is no obvious Source Template for an online vital records register database, similar to those common on Ancestry.com or AmericanAncestors.org. I didn't know that this set of generic (I think) source templates was available. I keep learning!
Did I miss something obvious for this type of record source? If so, will someone please tell me which Source Template group, Category and Template to use?
If I didn't miss it, I recommend that Family Tree Maker developers add an "Online Archive" or "Online Database" Template to the "Local and State Records - Registrations, Rolls and Vital Records" Source Template Group categories. Your customers will appreciate it.
The confusion over which source template to use, which took over two hours of my time today, for this particular source type adds to the conclusion that I made months ago to use Free-form Master source citations rather than the Source Templates in the genealogy software programs. However, to do that I have to learn how to create each type of Master Source. The Source Templates, and Evidence! Explained, are useful for that task.
Labels: FamilyTreeMaker, genealogy software, Online resources, Vital Records
Follow Friday - This Weekend's Genealogy Fun
...
Here are my recommendations for some Genealogy Fun this weekend:
1) Listen to Geneabloggers Radio tonight (Friday night, 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. MT and 6 p.m. PT) hosted by Thomas MacEntee. This week's topic is "Copyright and Genealogy – Yours, Mine and Ours." The special guests include:
* Dick Eastman, author and founder of Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter who will discuss the current problem of copyright violations when it comes to blog posts and content.
* Jonathan Bailey of the Plagiarism Today site will be with us to discuss resources available for learning more about copyright law and dealing with content theft.
* Attorney, genealogist and blogger James Tanner of the Genealogy’s Star blog will help us understand some of the intricacies of US copyright law and how it applies to your genealogy research.
2) Listen to the FGS Radio - My Society show on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT, 12 noon MT, 11 a.m. PT) is on hiatus this week. It will return on Saturday, 12 November.
3) Check out the recent FREE Webinars on:
* Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents, by Marian Pierre-Louis (Legacy Family Tree, free until 14 November)
* Watching Geoff Live: Cemeteries, by Geoff Rasmussen (Legacy Family Tree, free until 7 November)* Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, by Drusilla Pair (Legacy Family Tree)
* Exploring FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com by their founder, Paul Allen. (Legacy Family Tree)
* "Newspapers for Genealogists: Using GenealogyBank.com to document every day of your ancestors' lives" with Tom Kemp. (Legacy Family Tree)
* "Organizng for Success" with Karen Clifford (Legacy Family Tree)
* "The Power of DNA in Unlocking Family Relationships," with Ugo Perugo (Legacy Family Tree)
* "Leveraging the Power of "We": a Watershed Event in Discovering Where to Find Your Ancestors (Research Wiki, Research Courses, and FamilySearch Forums)," with Michael Ritchey (Legacy Family Tree).
* RootsMagic Webinars (all free) available at http://www.rootsmagic.com/Webinars/
* National Genealogical Society (NGS) Videos (some are free to view) at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/videos_online
* Thomas MacEntee's Explorinars, including:
** Easy Website Creation (free to view).
** Evernote - Easy Note Taking UPDATED (free to view)
** Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups (free to view)
* Ancestry.com's YouTube Channel has 98 items on it now, including (free to view):
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Search with Ancestry Anne with Anne Mitchell
** Ancestry.com LIVE: One Question with the Barefoot Genealogist with Crista Cowan
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Lorraine's 5 Tips for Online Grave Digging with Lorraine Bourne
** Ancestry.com LIVE: How do I use newspapers on Ancestry.com to find out more about my ancestors? with Crista Cowan
4) Respond to my Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, posted on www.geneamusings.com soon after 12 noon Pacific time (that's 1900 GMT for those who understand time zones).
5) Go to a local genealogical society program. I'm not going to any local society this weekend, but you might want to check out what's offered in your area.
6) Go to a local or close repository with genealogy and family history material. Do some research in traditional resources or order FamilySearch microfilms online with original source records.
7) Do some online research in the latest record collections at:
* FamilySearch (free, https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list),
* Ancestry ($$, http://www.ancestry.com/cs/reccol/default),
* Fold3 ($$, www.fold3.com),
* WorldVitalRecords ($$, www.WorldVitalRecords.com),
* American Ancestors ($$, www.AmericanAncestors.org),
* GenealogyBank ($$, www.GenealogyBank.com),
* Archives ($$, www.Archives.com)
8) Add content (names, dates, places, notes, images, sources, etc.) to your genealogy software program. I still have two inches of paper collected from my vacation, and more from before that, and will try to enter some of it into my database this weekend.
9) Spend time with your family doing fun things. We are still recovering from two weekends ago...where we made some great family history. Your turn!
10) Go to a local cemetery and clean stones, take gravestone pictures, or transcribe epitaphs for your local society, for Find-a-Grave, or a similar online service.
Whatever you decide, please tell us about your genealogy endeavors on a social network or in a blog post. You never know when your experiences may stimulate or encourage others to do useful genealogy work.
Here are my recommendations for some Genealogy Fun this weekend:
1) Listen to Geneabloggers Radio tonight (Friday night, 9 p.m. ET, 8 p.m. CT, 7 p.m. MT and 6 p.m. PT) hosted by Thomas MacEntee. This week's topic is "Copyright and Genealogy – Yours, Mine and Ours." The special guests include:
* Dick Eastman, author and founder of Eastman’s Online Genealogy Newsletter who will discuss the current problem of copyright violations when it comes to blog posts and content.
* Jonathan Bailey of the Plagiarism Today site will be with us to discuss resources available for learning more about copyright law and dealing with content theft.
* Attorney, genealogist and blogger James Tanner of the Genealogy’s Star blog will help us understand some of the intricacies of US copyright law and how it applies to your genealogy research.
2) Listen to the FGS Radio - My Society show on Saturday (2 p.m. ET, 1 p.m. CT, 12 noon MT, 11 a.m. PT) is on hiatus this week. It will return on Saturday, 12 November.
3) Check out the recent FREE Webinars on:
* Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents, by Marian Pierre-Louis (Legacy Family Tree, free until 14 November)
* Watching Geoff Live: Cemeteries, by Geoff Rasmussen (Legacy Family Tree, free until 7 November)* Let Your Voice Be Heard in the Digital Conversation, by Drusilla Pair (Legacy Family Tree)
* Exploring FamilyLink.com and WorldVitalRecords.com by their founder, Paul Allen. (Legacy Family Tree)
* "Newspapers for Genealogists: Using GenealogyBank.com to document every day of your ancestors' lives" with Tom Kemp. (Legacy Family Tree)
* "Organizng for Success" with Karen Clifford (Legacy Family Tree)
* "The Power of DNA in Unlocking Family Relationships," with Ugo Perugo (Legacy Family Tree)
* "Leveraging the Power of "We": a Watershed Event in Discovering Where to Find Your Ancestors (Research Wiki, Research Courses, and FamilySearch Forums)," with Michael Ritchey (Legacy Family Tree).
* RootsMagic Webinars (all free) available at http://www.rootsmagic.com/Webinars/
* National Genealogical Society (NGS) Videos (some are free to view) at http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/videos_online
* Thomas MacEntee's Explorinars, including:
** Easy Website Creation (free to view).
** Evernote - Easy Note Taking UPDATED (free to view)
** Facebook Pages vs. Facebook Groups (free to view)
* Ancestry.com's YouTube Channel has 98 items on it now, including (free to view):
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Search with Ancestry Anne with Anne Mitchell
** Ancestry.com LIVE: One Question with the Barefoot Genealogist with Crista Cowan
** Ancestry.com LIVE: Lorraine's 5 Tips for Online Grave Digging with Lorraine Bourne
** Ancestry.com LIVE: How do I use newspapers on Ancestry.com to find out more about my ancestors? with Crista Cowan
4) Respond to my Saturday Night Genealogy Fun challenge, posted on www.geneamusings.com soon after 12 noon Pacific time (that's 1900 GMT for those who understand time zones).
5) Go to a local genealogical society program. I'm not going to any local society this weekend, but you might want to check out what's offered in your area.
6) Go to a local or close repository with genealogy and family history material. Do some research in traditional resources or order FamilySearch microfilms online with original source records.
7) Do some online research in the latest record collections at:
* FamilySearch (free, https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list),
* Ancestry ($$, http://www.ancestry.com/cs/reccol/default),
* Fold3 ($$, www.fold3.com),
* WorldVitalRecords ($$, www.WorldVitalRecords.com),
* American Ancestors ($$, www.AmericanAncestors.org),
* GenealogyBank ($$, www.GenealogyBank.com),
* Archives ($$, www.Archives.com)
8) Add content (names, dates, places, notes, images, sources, etc.) to your genealogy software program. I still have two inches of paper collected from my vacation, and more from before that, and will try to enter some of it into my database this weekend.
9) Spend time with your family doing fun things. We are still recovering from two weekends ago...where we made some great family history. Your turn!
10) Go to a local cemetery and clean stones, take gravestone pictures, or transcribe epitaphs for your local society, for Find-a-Grave, or a similar online service.
Whatever you decide, please tell us about your genealogy endeavors on a social network or in a blog post. You never know when your experiences may stimulate or encourage others to do useful genealogy work.
Labels: Genealogy Fun, Radio/Podcast Shows, Webinars and Bloginars
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 - Post 17: Creating a Vital Record Certificate Source Citation
...
See all posts in this series at Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 Compendium.
One of my major criteria for selecting a "preferred" genealogy management program is the ease in creating source citations. I want to demonstrate the source citation creation process in Family Tree Maker 2012 in a number of posts for several different types of records, both for my own education and, hopefully, to help others navigate this fairly complex process.
I'm going to work with my grandfather's birth, which occurred on 9 October 1876 in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. I received a Birth Certificate from the Town Clerk of Leominster back in 1996 via postal mail. I want to create a source citation for that Birth Certificate. I already had two other source citations for his birth, but they were from the state vital records register, which is not an original source.
1) Here is the "Person" page in the "People" workspace for my grandfather:
In the "Individual and Shared Facts" panel (the largest panel above), the "Birth" Fact is highlighted, and in the "Person's name" panel on the right, in the "Fact" "Source" tab, the two existing sources are shown.
2) I want to add a new source for this "Fact," so I click on the "New" button in the "Fact" "source" tab area and select "Add new source citation." The "Add source citation for ..." window opens:
3) In the blank "Add source citation for..." window, I clicked the "New" button, and saw the "Add source" window, and then clicked on the "More" button to get to the "Select source template" window:
In the screen above, I selected "Local and State Records - Registrations, Rolls and Vital Records" group, then selected "Local Records" from the "Category" drop-down menu, and then selected "Vital Records Certificate" from the "Template" drop-down menu.
4) I clicked OK, and the "Add Source" window had the "Source template" and "Source repository" fields had entries (although the "Repository" said "None"):
Note in the screen above, that FTM 2012 provides hints as to what to add to the template fields.
5) I entered this information in the template fields:
* State or country: Massachusetts
* County: [I left it blank]
* Local jurisdiction: Leominster
* Record series: Birth Certificates
* Source repository: Town Clerk's Office, Leominster Mass. (50 Main Street, Leominster MA)
* Call number: [blank]
* Comments: [blank]
Here is the completed source template:
6) I clicked the "OK" button on the screen above and was back to the "Add source citation for Birth of ..." window with the "source title" and "source repository" fields filled in. The next step is to add the "Citation detail" - so I looked at the Birth Certificate and entered:
* Citation detail: Volume 16, Page 155, Fred Walton Seaver entry, 1876 (certified 9 September 1996)
* Citation text: [blank]
Here is a view of the completed Source citation template:
Note at the top of the "Add source citation for ..." window that there are tabs for "Source," "Reference Note," "Media" and "Notes."
7) I clicked on the "Reference Note" tab and saw:
The resulting "Reference Note" is:
Leominster, Massachusetts, Volume 16, Page 155, Fred Walton Seaver entry, 1876 (certified 9 September 1996); Town Clerk's Office, Leominster Mass. (50 Main Street, Leominster MA).
If I want to Edit this citation, then I can double click on the highlighted source, or click on the Pencil icon on the Fact Source row of icons, and edit the fields on either the "Edit source" or "Edit source citation" templates.
This process is fairly complicated (meaning there's a lot of clicks, and the "next move" is not always obvious) so there is a learning curve, but it seems to create excellent source citations, at least for this record type.
The source citation creation process for a Marriage or Death Certificate would entail creating a separate "Master Source" each of them, but the process used above would be identical.
UPDATED 4 November:
Russ Worthington commented:
"What's nice, if you add another Fact, and select Use Existing, the LAST Citation will already be selected for you. So, for example, if you want that Citation on the Name, or any other information on that Birth Certificate, you can just enter the New Fact or select an Existing Fact, then click on Source (new), but click the down arrow just to the right, and select Use Existing.
"You can move quickly through the various Facts that you might want to use that SAME citation on.
"Just a word a caution here. Watch the Check Mark to the right of the Citation Text box to make sure that you want to use the Citation Text or not use the Citation Text."
Thanks, Russ, for the added explanations about options. I learned something!
See all posts in this series at Exploring Family Tree Maker 2012 Compendium.
One of my major criteria for selecting a "preferred" genealogy management program is the ease in creating source citations. I want to demonstrate the source citation creation process in Family Tree Maker 2012 in a number of posts for several different types of records, both for my own education and, hopefully, to help others navigate this fairly complex process.
I'm going to work with my grandfather's birth, which occurred on 9 October 1876 in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. I received a Birth Certificate from the Town Clerk of Leominster back in 1996 via postal mail. I want to create a source citation for that Birth Certificate. I already had two other source citations for his birth, but they were from the state vital records register, which is not an original source.
1) Here is the "Person" page in the "People" workspace for my grandfather:
In the "Individual and Shared Facts" panel (the largest panel above), the "Birth" Fact is highlighted, and in the "Person's name" panel on the right, in the "Fact" "Source" tab, the two existing sources are shown.
2) I want to add a new source for this "Fact," so I click on the "New" button in the "Fact" "source" tab area and select "Add new source citation." The "Add source citation for ..." window opens:
3) In the blank "Add source citation for..." window, I clicked the "New" button, and saw the "Add source" window, and then clicked on the "More" button to get to the "Select source template" window:
In the screen above, I selected "Local and State Records - Registrations, Rolls and Vital Records" group, then selected "Local Records" from the "Category" drop-down menu, and then selected "Vital Records Certificate" from the "Template" drop-down menu.
4) I clicked OK, and the "Add Source" window had the "Source template" and "Source repository" fields had entries (although the "Repository" said "None"):
Note in the screen above, that FTM 2012 provides hints as to what to add to the template fields.
5) I entered this information in the template fields:
* State or country: Massachusetts
* County: [I left it blank]
* Local jurisdiction: Leominster
* Record series: Birth Certificates
* Source repository: Town Clerk's Office, Leominster Mass. (50 Main Street, Leominster MA)
* Call number: [blank]
* Comments: [blank]
Here is the completed source template:
6) I clicked the "OK" button on the screen above and was back to the "Add source citation for Birth of ..." window with the "source title" and "source repository" fields filled in. The next step is to add the "Citation detail" - so I looked at the Birth Certificate and entered:
* Citation detail: Volume 16, Page 155, Fred Walton Seaver entry, 1876 (certified 9 September 1996)
* Citation text: [blank]
Here is a view of the completed Source citation template:
Note at the top of the "Add source citation for ..." window that there are tabs for "Source," "Reference Note," "Media" and "Notes."
7) I clicked on the "Reference Note" tab and saw:
The resulting "Reference Note" is:
Leominster, Massachusetts, Volume 16, Page 155, Fred Walton Seaver entry, 1876 (certified 9 September 1996); Town Clerk's Office, Leominster Mass. (50 Main Street, Leominster MA).
That looks pretty good to me - it identifies the location, the record book that the record was found by the town clerk, identifies the person's name, when the certificate was obtained, and the location of the repository.
It compares favorably with the "First Reference Note" item on page 456 of Evidence! Explained (First Edition) under "City Certificates & Registrations."
8) Back on Frederick Walton Seaver's "Person" page, I noted that a third source citation had been added to the source list for the Birth Fact:
If I want to Edit this citation, then I can double click on the highlighted source, or click on the Pencil icon on the Fact Source row of icons, and edit the fields on either the "Edit source" or "Edit source citation" templates.
This process is fairly complicated (meaning there's a lot of clicks, and the "next move" is not always obvious) so there is a learning curve, but it seems to create excellent source citations, at least for this record type.
The source citation creation process for a Marriage or Death Certificate would entail creating a separate "Master Source" each of them, but the process used above would be identical.
UPDATED 4 November:
Russ Worthington commented:
"What's nice, if you add another Fact, and select Use Existing, the LAST Citation will already be selected for you. So, for example, if you want that Citation on the Name, or any other information on that Birth Certificate, you can just enter the New Fact or select an Existing Fact, then click on Source (new), but click the down arrow just to the right, and select Use Existing.
"You can move quickly through the various Facts that you might want to use that SAME citation on.
"Just a word a caution here. Watch the Check Mark to the right of the Citation Text box to make sure that you want to use the Citation Text or not use the Citation Text."
Thanks, Russ, for the added explanations about options. I learned something!
Labels: FamilyTreeMaker, genealogy software, Source Citation, Vital Records
Marian's "Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents" Webinar
...
I had the pleasure of watching the Legacy Family Tree webinar presented on Wednesday by Marian Pierre-Louis titled "Brick Walls: Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents." This webinar is free to watch until 14 November 2011, and I encourage all of my readers to watch it. Go to http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Webinars.asp and scroll down to the Archived Webinars and click on the "Watch Now" button.
The description of this webinar is:
"Join Marian Pierre-Louis as she cracks the long-standing brick wall surrounding Nathan Brown's parents (Geoff Rasmussen's brick wall). Marian will share the analysis process she used to find Nathan's parents. Certain techniques, which you can apply to your own research, can be used to unravel difficult genealogical problems. Follow that up with primary documents to confirm the relationships and the mystery is solved. At the end Marian will reveal - live - a big surprise about Geoff Rasmussen's ancestry based on this new information. Legacy Family Tree webinars host, Geoff Rasmussen, will undoubtedly be in a great mood, so there will likely be some fantastic door prizes given away. This is one webinar you will not want to miss."
In this one hour presentation, Marian demonstrated how rich the trove of New England records are, how to search for persons with a common surname, how to pursue a "reasonably exhaustive search" for records of an elusive ancestor, and how to analyze direct and indirect evidence and resolve evidence conflicts. At the end, she listed three research goals to further prove the parentage of Nathan Brown.
The record types that Marian displayed included town vital records, land records, probate records, cemetery records, census records and town maps from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. These are fairly "rich" record sets - not totally complete, but much more complete than records in many other states. All of them are available in either the local or county repositories (town hall, courthouse, archives, etc.) or on microfilm (obtained from the Family History Library or available at the New England Historic Genealogical Society or another large repository).
Marian used online resources as finding aids for records available for these localities, but had to visit repositories to obtain the records that were most critical to solving the research problem. Further research to prove the relationships will strongly depend on original source records rather than online indexes and databases. This was probably the most important message in the presentation - that you have to consult records that are not available online.
I wasn't surprised by many of the comments made during the webinar (transmitted via the chat function), and on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus, that marveled at the use of indirect evidence to solve brick wall problems, as if it was a new concept to many researchers. This type of research presentation is commonplace in the scholarly journals (e.g., National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), New England Historical and Genealogical Register (NEHGR), The American Genealogist(TAG)). However, "most" genealogy researchers don't read those publications, and therefore are not exposed to the concepts of the Genealogical Proof Standard and its application.
One result of this webinar was that I found that Geoff Rasmussen, the creator of Legacy Family Tree software, is a distant cousin of mine - we share at least Chad Browne and Caleb Carr, early Rhode Island colonists, and probably several more.
I had the pleasure of watching the Legacy Family Tree webinar presented on Wednesday by Marian Pierre-Louis titled "Brick Walls: Cracking the Case of Nathan Brown's Parents." This webinar is free to watch until 14 November 2011, and I encourage all of my readers to watch it. Go to http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/Webinars.asp and scroll down to the Archived Webinars and click on the "Watch Now" button.
The description of this webinar is:
"Join Marian Pierre-Louis as she cracks the long-standing brick wall surrounding Nathan Brown's parents (Geoff Rasmussen's brick wall). Marian will share the analysis process she used to find Nathan's parents. Certain techniques, which you can apply to your own research, can be used to unravel difficult genealogical problems. Follow that up with primary documents to confirm the relationships and the mystery is solved. At the end Marian will reveal - live - a big surprise about Geoff Rasmussen's ancestry based on this new information. Legacy Family Tree webinars host, Geoff Rasmussen, will undoubtedly be in a great mood, so there will likely be some fantastic door prizes given away. This is one webinar you will not want to miss."
In this one hour presentation, Marian demonstrated how rich the trove of New England records are, how to search for persons with a common surname, how to pursue a "reasonably exhaustive search" for records of an elusive ancestor, and how to analyze direct and indirect evidence and resolve evidence conflicts. At the end, she listed three research goals to further prove the parentage of Nathan Brown.
The record types that Marian displayed included town vital records, land records, probate records, cemetery records, census records and town maps from Massachusetts, Rhode Island and Connecticut. These are fairly "rich" record sets - not totally complete, but much more complete than records in many other states. All of them are available in either the local or county repositories (town hall, courthouse, archives, etc.) or on microfilm (obtained from the Family History Library or available at the New England Historic Genealogical Society or another large repository).
Marian used online resources as finding aids for records available for these localities, but had to visit repositories to obtain the records that were most critical to solving the research problem. Further research to prove the relationships will strongly depend on original source records rather than online indexes and databases. This was probably the most important message in the presentation - that you have to consult records that are not available online.
I wasn't surprised by many of the comments made during the webinar (transmitted via the chat function), and on Twitter, Facebook and Google Plus, that marveled at the use of indirect evidence to solve brick wall problems, as if it was a new concept to many researchers. This type of research presentation is commonplace in the scholarly journals (e.g., National Genealogical Society Quarterly (NGSQ), New England Historical and Genealogical Register (NEHGR), The American Genealogist(TAG)). However, "most" genealogy researchers don't read those publications, and therefore are not exposed to the concepts of the Genealogical Proof Standard and its application.
One result of this webinar was that I found that Geoff Rasmussen, the creator of Legacy Family Tree software, is a distant cousin of mine - we share at least Chad Browne and Caleb Carr, early Rhode Island colonists, and probably several more.
Labels: genealogy education, Genealogy proof standard, genealogy resources, genealogy software, New England, Webinars and Bloginars
Treasure Chest Thursday - a 61st Wedding Anniversary Celebration
...
It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.
This week's "Treasure" is a newspaper report of the 61st wedding anniversary celebration of Augustus and Mary Ann (Allard) Brigham in 1901 in Worcester, Massachusetts, as reported in the Worcester Daily Spy newspaper on 10 November 1901 (accessed on GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com):
The transcribed article is:
SURPRISE FOR AGED COUPLE
---------------
Relatives and Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Augustus Brigham Plan and Execute a Celebration of Their Wedding Anniversary
---------------
WEDDED LIFE SPANS 61 HAPPY YEARS
---------------
Mr. Brigham's Comrades in the Grand Army Remembered Their Associate and Among the Warmest Congratulations were Those from the Boys of '61
Mr. and Mrs. Augustus Brigham of 51 Abbott Street celebrated the 61st anniversary of their wedding yesterday.
The celebration took the form of a surprise party for the couple, and the day will be long remembered by both of them. Sergt. Brigham is 80 years old and his wife is 78. He is, with one exception, the oldest Grand Army man in the city.
A daughter, Mrs. Hanry L. Engley, who lives with her husband and daughter, Miss Rosa, at 1 Cottage Street, conceived the plan of giving her father and mother a surprise that would be the event of their lives on the occasion of their 61st wedding anniversary. Mrs. Engley is an invalid, and it was decided to have the celebration at her home. Mr. and Mrs. Brigham were invited to spend the afternoon and meet a friend or two at the Cottage Street residence. they came unconscious of the plans and the great surprise in store for them.
On arriving at the home of their daughter they were greeted, not by a few, but by a crowd of friends and acquaintances who gathered to congratulate them on the passing of the day.
The couple were met by their son, J. Augustus Brigham, and Mrs. Brigham of Spencer, Mrs. Sophia Hildreth of Leominster, Miss Hattie Brigham of Leominster, Mr. and Mrs. Adam Shandelmayer of Springfield, Orlando Engley of West Medway and many others from Fitchburg and Newton.
There was a reception from 3 o'clock until 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and refreshments were served to the guests under the direction of Miss Rosa Engley, assisted by Miss Mertie Webber and Miss Edith Grosvenor. At Thursday night's meeting of George H. Ward Post. Information had quietly been given concerning the surprise, and Grand Army men went to the house in squads to congratulate their old comrade and his wife and wish them many more celebrations of their wedding anniversary.
Letters were read from Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Newton, residing at Albany, Vt., extending congratulations and containing a substantial sum and from Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence of Lowell also containing money. Mr. Newton is a half-brother of Mr. Brigham, also a veteran of the war, and is blind by reason of his services for the Union.
The reception was informal and was a complete surprise to Mr. Brigham. In addition to the Grand Army visitors, the aged couple were congratulated by delegations from the Woman's Relief corps, from Maple Lodge of Odd Ladies and from Trinity Church, of which both are members. There were two anniversary cakes prepared, one for Mr. and Mrs. Brigham and another one for the guests. They were made by Miss Rosa Engley. The only two children of the guests of honor, Mrs. Engley and J. Augustus Brigham of Spencer were kept busy telling tales of their father's upright and eventful life.
Augustus Brigham was born in Sterling, but has lived in Worcester for more than 40 years with the exception of a brief period spent in Boylston. He enlisted in the Twenty-first Massachusetts Volunteers, Company E, in 1861, for three years, and went to the front from Boylston, where he was at that time. A son, Henry F., now dead, enlisted and endured service with him. Mr. Brigham was quickly promoted to corporal, but at the battle of Roanoke Island, where Gen. Burnside's army charged through the swamps, he became ill from the effects of disease contracted in the marshes, and was invalided home. His services were rewarded by prompt promotion and he was made a sergeant during his illness.
As soon as health had been partially restored, Sergt. Brigham decided to enlist again, but his two sons, J. Augustus and Oren W., aged 17 and 15, respectively, bothered him because they determined to follow their father to the front. He resolved to respect their patriotic wishes and get them sworn in. He did so with some shame and hesitation, alleging that J. Augustus was 20 and Oren W. was 18 years of age. Since that time, it is said, he has never told a lie. Father and sons enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, Company F, and served until the close of the war in detached service in defense of Washington. After the war Mr. Brigham returned to Worcester and resumed work at his trade.
Mr. and Mrs. Brigham are both wonderfully preserved for their years. The former never wore glasses and is able to read as well as anybody without artificial aid. Mrs. Brigham attends to all the duties of her home and gets about in a manner that would do credit to one much younger.
The reception was continued between the hours of 7 and 9 o'clock last night, when a number of friends of the couple called to pay respects.
Augustus was a step-brother to my second great-grandmother, Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (1834-1923), whose father was Thomas J. Newton, the second husband of Sophia (Buck) Brigham (1797-1882).
This article provided quite a bit of biographical detail about the life of Augustus Brigham,. which I have added to him in my genealogy database. One of my hopes is that, by publishing information about Augustus, a descendant of Augustus Brigham will contact me for further information, and perhaps has family papers or records about the family, including Thomas J. Newton, the second husband of Sophia (Buck) (Brigham) (Newton) Stone, and the father of Thomas J. Newton (1832-1915) of Albany, Vermont and Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (1834-1923).
I have a list of ten children for Augustus and Mary Ann (Allard) Brigham, and was surprised to read in this article that only two were living in 1901. I need to find marriage and death records for these children.
It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.
This week's "Treasure" is a newspaper report of the 61st wedding anniversary celebration of Augustus and Mary Ann (Allard) Brigham in 1901 in Worcester, Massachusetts, as reported in the Worcester Daily Spy newspaper on 10 November 1901 (accessed on GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com):
The transcribed article is:
SURPRISE FOR AGED COUPLE
---------------
Relatives and Friends of Mr. and Mrs. Augustus Brigham Plan and Execute a Celebration of Their Wedding Anniversary
---------------
WEDDED LIFE SPANS 61 HAPPY YEARS
---------------
Mr. Brigham's Comrades in the Grand Army Remembered Their Associate and Among the Warmest Congratulations were Those from the Boys of '61
Mr. and Mrs. Augustus Brigham of 51 Abbott Street celebrated the 61st anniversary of their wedding yesterday.
The celebration took the form of a surprise party for the couple, and the day will be long remembered by both of them. Sergt. Brigham is 80 years old and his wife is 78. He is, with one exception, the oldest Grand Army man in the city.
A daughter, Mrs. Hanry L. Engley, who lives with her husband and daughter, Miss Rosa, at 1 Cottage Street, conceived the plan of giving her father and mother a surprise that would be the event of their lives on the occasion of their 61st wedding anniversary. Mrs. Engley is an invalid, and it was decided to have the celebration at her home. Mr. and Mrs. Brigham were invited to spend the afternoon and meet a friend or two at the Cottage Street residence. they came unconscious of the plans and the great surprise in store for them.
On arriving at the home of their daughter they were greeted, not by a few, but by a crowd of friends and acquaintances who gathered to congratulate them on the passing of the day.
The couple were met by their son, J. Augustus Brigham, and Mrs. Brigham of Spencer, Mrs. Sophia Hildreth of Leominster, Miss Hattie Brigham of Leominster, Mr. and Mrs. Adam Shandelmayer of Springfield, Orlando Engley of West Medway and many others from Fitchburg and Newton.
There was a reception from 3 o'clock until 5 o'clock in the afternoon, and refreshments were served to the guests under the direction of Miss Rosa Engley, assisted by Miss Mertie Webber and Miss Edith Grosvenor. At Thursday night's meeting of George H. Ward Post. Information had quietly been given concerning the surprise, and Grand Army men went to the house in squads to congratulate their old comrade and his wife and wish them many more celebrations of their wedding anniversary.
Letters were read from Mr. and Mrs. Thomas J. Newton, residing at Albany, Vt., extending congratulations and containing a substantial sum and from Mr. and Mrs. Lawrence of Lowell also containing money. Mr. Newton is a half-brother of Mr. Brigham, also a veteran of the war, and is blind by reason of his services for the Union.
The reception was informal and was a complete surprise to Mr. Brigham. In addition to the Grand Army visitors, the aged couple were congratulated by delegations from the Woman's Relief corps, from Maple Lodge of Odd Ladies and from Trinity Church, of which both are members. There were two anniversary cakes prepared, one for Mr. and Mrs. Brigham and another one for the guests. They were made by Miss Rosa Engley. The only two children of the guests of honor, Mrs. Engley and J. Augustus Brigham of Spencer were kept busy telling tales of their father's upright and eventful life.
Augustus Brigham was born in Sterling, but has lived in Worcester for more than 40 years with the exception of a brief period spent in Boylston. He enlisted in the Twenty-first Massachusetts Volunteers, Company E, in 1861, for three years, and went to the front from Boylston, where he was at that time. A son, Henry F., now dead, enlisted and endured service with him. Mr. Brigham was quickly promoted to corporal, but at the battle of Roanoke Island, where Gen. Burnside's army charged through the swamps, he became ill from the effects of disease contracted in the marshes, and was invalided home. His services were rewarded by prompt promotion and he was made a sergeant during his illness.
As soon as health had been partially restored, Sergt. Brigham decided to enlist again, but his two sons, J. Augustus and Oren W., aged 17 and 15, respectively, bothered him because they determined to follow their father to the front. He resolved to respect their patriotic wishes and get them sworn in. He did so with some shame and hesitation, alleging that J. Augustus was 20 and Oren W. was 18 years of age. Since that time, it is said, he has never told a lie. Father and sons enlisted in the Fourth Massachusetts Heavy Artillery, Company F, and served until the close of the war in detached service in defense of Washington. After the war Mr. Brigham returned to Worcester and resumed work at his trade.
Mr. and Mrs. Brigham are both wonderfully preserved for their years. The former never wore glasses and is able to read as well as anybody without artificial aid. Mrs. Brigham attends to all the duties of her home and gets about in a manner that would do credit to one much younger.
The reception was continued between the hours of 7 and 9 o'clock last night, when a number of friends of the couple called to pay respects.
Augustus was a step-brother to my second great-grandmother, Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (1834-1923), whose father was Thomas J. Newton, the second husband of Sophia (Buck) Brigham (1797-1882).
This article provided quite a bit of biographical detail about the life of Augustus Brigham,. which I have added to him in my genealogy database. One of my hopes is that, by publishing information about Augustus, a descendant of Augustus Brigham will contact me for further information, and perhaps has family papers or records about the family, including Thomas J. Newton, the second husband of Sophia (Buck) (Brigham) (Newton) Stone, and the father of Thomas J. Newton (1832-1915) of Albany, Vermont and Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (1834-1923).
I have a list of ten children for Augustus and Mary Ann (Allard) Brigham, and was surprised to read in this article that only two were living in 1901. I need to find marriage and death records for these children.
Labels: GenealogyBank, Newspaper/Obituary listings, Treasure Chest Thursday
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
U.S. Veterans Affairs BIRLS Death File, 1850-2010, on Ancestry.com
...
Ancestry.com has added this database to their list. The database description says::
"This index contains birth and death dates for more than 14 million veterans who served during the years 1800–2010.
"What’s in the Records
The BIRLS (Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem) Death File is a Veterans Benefits Administration database that lists the names of deceased individuals who had received benefits from the Veterans Administration while they were alive. These include veterans who received educational benefits and veterans’ survivors who applied for benefits. Details listed in the index can include
I searched for my grandfather's record. Here's the Search form for the database:
I entered only a surname - "Carringer" in the search field (with Exact Matches checked) and received four matches:
My grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer, was at the top of the list. Here is the record for him:
The data shown is:
Name: Lyle Lawrence Carringer
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 2 Nov 1891
Death Date: 5 Nov 1976
SSN: 553109373
Enlistment Date 1: 7 May 1917
Release Date 1: 29 Apr 1919
Note that there is only the index record, with no image. There are several very useful bits of information in that record. I don't think I knew his enlistment date or his release date from the U.S. Marines.
I also input "Seaver" in the Search field, and saw 247 matches. My father was number 10 on the list:
This record has only his name, gender, SSN, birth date and death date. Unfortunately, it does not list his enlistment date or release data for his United States Navy service. It also has an error - it lists his birth date as 26 May 1893 - it was really 15 October 1911. I think that is an input error, since he died 26 May 1983.
This database provides useful data for U.S. military veterans - including the Social Security Number (which is also the military ID number, I think). A researcher could use that number to obtain military service records and/or the Social Security SS-5 Application.
UPDATED 4 November:
Reader Geolover commented:
"This database has an extremely high number of data-entry errors as to dates of birth (especially) and death. Some men were born and died the same day, many supposedly born 1845 or before, served in WWI or WWII and died after the 1960s.
"There are no Civil War pensioners in the database."
Ancestry.com has added this database to their list. The database description says::
"This index contains birth and death dates for more than 14 million veterans who served during the years 1800–2010.
"What’s in the Records
The BIRLS (Beneficiary Identification Records Locator Subsystem) Death File is a Veterans Benefits Administration database that lists the names of deceased individuals who had received benefits from the Veterans Administration while they were alive. These include veterans who received educational benefits and veterans’ survivors who applied for benefits. Details listed in the index can include
- name
- gender
- birth date
- death dates
- cause of death (unknown, natural, combat, other)
- branch(es) of service
- enlistment date(s)
- release date(s)
I searched for my grandfather's record. Here's the Search form for the database:
I entered only a surname - "Carringer" in the search field (with Exact Matches checked) and received four matches:
My grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer, was at the top of the list. Here is the record for him:
The data shown is:
Name: Lyle Lawrence Carringer
Gender: Male
Birth Date: 2 Nov 1891
Death Date: 5 Nov 1976
SSN: 553109373
Enlistment Date 1: 7 May 1917
Release Date 1: 29 Apr 1919
Note that there is only the index record, with no image. There are several very useful bits of information in that record. I don't think I knew his enlistment date or his release date from the U.S. Marines.
I also input "Seaver" in the Search field, and saw 247 matches. My father was number 10 on the list:
This record has only his name, gender, SSN, birth date and death date. Unfortunately, it does not list his enlistment date or release data for his United States Navy service. It also has an error - it lists his birth date as 26 May 1893 - it was really 15 October 1911. I think that is an input error, since he died 26 May 1983.
This database provides useful data for U.S. military veterans - including the Social Security Number (which is also the military ID number, I think). A researcher could use that number to obtain military service records and/or the Social Security SS-5 Application.
UPDATED 4 November:
Reader Geolover commented:
"This database has an extremely high number of data-entry errors as to dates of birth (especially) and death. Some men were born and died the same day, many supposedly born 1845 or before, served in WWI or WWII and died after the 1960s.
"There are no Civil War pensioners in the database."
Labels: Ancestry.com, Military records, Online resources
Today is "Gramp's" 120th Birthday
...
My grandfather, Lyle Lawrence Carringer, was born 120 years ago today, on 2 November 1891 to Henry Austin and Della (Smith) Carringer in San Diego, California. He saw so much in his lifetime of 85 years, and enjoyed almost every minute of it, often expressing awe and wonder at nature, engineering feats and science. I believe that he had a wondrous life.
Lyle was over-protected as a boy because his parents had lost a baby boy in 1889. His parents built a house on 30th Street in San Diego and owned most of the block. He learned from the school books of his parents - the McGuffey's readers and almanacs - and attended school, graduating from San Diego High in 1914.
Here is a picture of Lyle as a boy of 4. Check out the hair and the outfit.
Like most people of the time, he had his own account book to tally his income and his expenses. Four of these books still exist - from about 1920 to about 1945. In them, he counted the eggs collected from the henhouse and sold, the daily expenses at the grocery store, his income and bank deposits, the trials, tribulations and expenses of driving and maintaining the car (tires were very fragile, and the roads were terrible), and details of where they drove and with whom they visited. The details are fascinating - to me, at least. On the home block, there was always plenty to do. More houses were built for rental, and his parents house was moved from the corner to the center of the block in 1927. Repairs to the homes and rentals were endless, furniture was bought, sold or scrapped, gardens were put in and tended. I have rental agreements, rent receipts, home repairs and appliance purchases for the years 1940 to 1975.
After his parents died in 1945, Lyle inherited the whole set of property. They moved into his parents home and sold the second home and the vacant lots on the south end of the block (which was our ball field playground). With these proceeds, they bought a small parcel of land on Point Loma with a postcard view of San Diego Bay. They built a home on the lot and moved into it in 1951. This home became our Christmas haven - since it had a fireplace, and we spent many happy Christmas Eves snug in our makeshift beds waiting for Santa to visit us. We loved visiting "Gram" and "Gramp."
Gramp took us fishing down on the Bay, out to the end of Point Loma to visit the lighthouse, and explore the tidepools, or we climbed the hills and explored the canyons near their house. He had always collected stamps and had many overseas correspondents. He went monthly to the Post Office to buy sheets of new stamps, and often gave plate blocks and single stamps to my brothers and I for our collections.
Lyle finally retired in 1961 after 55 years at Marstons, and settled into his retirement. He still came over to the 30th Street property and worked on the buildings and the gardens. And to see his daughter's family and to talk to his grandsons - to hear about their education and exploits and dreams. He was so proud that his daughter and grandson had attended and graduated from college.
Here is a photo of Lyle and Emily in about 1970.
He succumbed in 1976 to colon cancer, and his dear Emily joined him soon after. Their deaths pained me, but became the catalyst that made me examine my own life and beliefs, and firmed up my life's goals.
We always called him "Gramp" and we always went over to "Gram and Gramps house." I think my mother called him Dad and my father called him Lyle.
His legacy was threefold. One was financial - the real estate holdings that he built up over his lifetime provided a decent retirement for him and for my parents, and an excellent inheritance for my brothers and I. More importantly, the legacy of kindness, love, thrift, and happiness provided a wonderful example to his grandsons. Lastly, there was the wonderful stash of family history material - papers, books, photos, movies, memories.
I miss him greatly. I wish that I could have him back for just a month or so - to ask him questions, to hear more about his family, his life and experiences, to thank him for loving me and molding me and providing the impetus to study genealogy and family history.
My grandfather, Lyle Lawrence Carringer, was born 120 years ago today, on 2 November 1891 to Henry Austin and Della (Smith) Carringer in San Diego, California. He saw so much in his lifetime of 85 years, and enjoyed almost every minute of it, often expressing awe and wonder at nature, engineering feats and science. I believe that he had a wondrous life.
Lyle was over-protected as a boy because his parents had lost a baby boy in 1889. His parents built a house on 30th Street in San Diego and owned most of the block. He learned from the school books of his parents - the McGuffey's readers and almanacs - and attended school, graduating from San Diego High in 1914.
Here is a picture of Lyle as a boy of 4. Check out the hair and the outfit.
Lyle was curious and inquisitive, and as a boy and teen he explored San Diego and environs on foot or on his bicycle, and on the trolley that ran down 30th Street to downtown. He started working at age 15 as an errand boy at Marston's a downtown department store, and learned how business worked.
As a young man, he stood 5 foot 7 inches and weighed 123 pounds dripping wet. So, he enlisted in the United States Marines in 1917, but never got out of San Diego, serving at the PX in Balboa Park. He had met, and then married in 1918, Emily Kemp Auble and they soon had a baby - my mother, Betty, who was an only child. Soon, they built a house on the same block as his parents and settled in, with Emily's mother, a widow. The book case in the home was full of popular novels, travel stories, popular magazines and the ever-present encyclopedia. Lyle progressed at Marston's and eventually became the head accountant and the paymaster for the store.
Here is a picture of Lyle, Emily and Betty in 1919.
Like most people of the time, he had his own account book to tally his income and his expenses. Four of these books still exist - from about 1920 to about 1945. In them, he counted the eggs collected from the henhouse and sold, the daily expenses at the grocery store, his income and bank deposits, the trials, tribulations and expenses of driving and maintaining the car (tires were very fragile, and the roads were terrible), and details of where they drove and with whom they visited. The details are fascinating - to me, at least. On the home block, there was always plenty to do. More houses were built for rental, and his parents house was moved from the corner to the center of the block in 1927. Repairs to the homes and rentals were endless, furniture was bought, sold or scrapped, gardens were put in and tended. I have rental agreements, rent receipts, home repairs and appliance purchases for the years 1940 to 1975.
Excursions to Balboa Park, La Jolla, the beach, Tijuana, or the mountains were weekly occurrences. There were cousins in Whittier and they often visited them, stopping at Knotts Berry Farm in Garden Grove for dinner. The family took several long road trip vacations - going all the way to Victoria BC one year - and the journal tells all about it (where they stopped, who they visited, how much things cost, etc.) - fascinating!
My mother married in 1942, and I was born in 1943, my first brother in 1946, and my second brother in 1955. My father went into the Navy in 1944 and my mother and I moved back in with her parents. My grandparents doted on me, told me stories, took me places, and let me explore my little world. My grandfather had a movie camera, and I have many 8 mm films of my early childhood (which I need to convert to DVD). I believe I got my love of history, geography and family from my grandparents - nurtured in my early life by time spent with them.
This is a picture of Lyle and his grandson in 1945 - obviously happy to be so high up in the world.
After his parents died in 1945, Lyle inherited the whole set of property. They moved into his parents home and sold the second home and the vacant lots on the south end of the block (which was our ball field playground). With these proceeds, they bought a small parcel of land on Point Loma with a postcard view of San Diego Bay. They built a home on the lot and moved into it in 1951. This home became our Christmas haven - since it had a fireplace, and we spent many happy Christmas Eves snug in our makeshift beds waiting for Santa to visit us. We loved visiting "Gram" and "Gramp."Gramp took us fishing down on the Bay, out to the end of Point Loma to visit the lighthouse, and explore the tidepools, or we climbed the hills and explored the canyons near their house. He had always collected stamps and had many overseas correspondents. He went monthly to the Post Office to buy sheets of new stamps, and often gave plate blocks and single stamps to my brothers and I for our collections.
Lyle finally retired in 1961 after 55 years at Marstons, and settled into his retirement. He still came over to the 30th Street property and worked on the buildings and the gardens. And to see his daughter's family and to talk to his grandsons - to hear about their education and exploits and dreams. He was so proud that his daughter and grandson had attended and graduated from college.
Here is a photo of Lyle and Emily in about 1970.
He succumbed in 1976 to colon cancer, and his dear Emily joined him soon after. Their deaths pained me, but became the catalyst that made me examine my own life and beliefs, and firmed up my life's goals.
My grandfather was the most moral, studious and intelligent man I've ever known. He spoke quietly, listened well, even to his loudmouth grandsons, and enjoyed good humor. He never lost his sense of awe and wonder.
During his life, he witnessed and experienced - either in person or via newspapers and TV - the development of the automobile, the movie camera, running water and toilets in the home, the washing machine, dishwasher, and refrigerator, dirt streets to interstate highways, telegraph to radio and television, barren scrub land to Balboa Park, the San Diego Zoo and Palomar Observatory, gliders to airplanes to blimps and rocket ships, Sputnik to the moon landing, war (Spanish-American, WW I, WW II, Korean, Vietnam), peace, boom times, recession and depression times, 16 Presidents, a 58 year marriage, the birth and growth of a daughter and three grandsons. It was a wondrous life.
The best thing he ever did, perhaps intentionally or perhaps subconsciously, was to spend endless time with his family - wife, daughter, grandsons and friends - telling them stories, listening to their stories, hopes and dreams, playing board or card games, and encouraging everyone he met to be a good person - to be the best they could be.
We always called him "Gramp" and we always went over to "Gram and Gramps house." I think my mother called him Dad and my father called him Lyle.
His legacy was threefold. One was financial - the real estate holdings that he built up over his lifetime provided a decent retirement for him and for my parents, and an excellent inheritance for my brothers and I. More importantly, the legacy of kindness, love, thrift, and happiness provided a wonderful example to his grandsons. Lastly, there was the wonderful stash of family history material - papers, books, photos, movies, memories.
I miss him greatly. I wish that I could have him back for just a month or so - to ask him questions, to hear more about his family, his life and experiences, to thank him for loving me and molding me and providing the impetus to study genealogy and family history.
Labels: Carringer Research, Family Stories
