Saturday, December 20, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Make a Surname Christmas Tree

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 
 It's Saturday Night again - 
time for some more Genealogy Fun!!




Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.  

Leslie Ann had a post on her Ancestors Live Here blog last year titled Wordless Wednesday -- Surname Christmas Tree which I thought was a great idea for an SNGF challenge on a Surname Saturday.  Are you game?

1)  Go see Leslie Ann's post, and figure out how you could make something similar to hers or to mine below.  

2)  Make your Surname Christmas Tree using your ancestral surnames - there's no limit on the number of surnames - and decorate your tree as you wish.  

3)  Show us your Surname Christmas Tree and tell us how you made it in a blog post of your own, in a Facebook post or in a Google+ post.

Here's mine:


Here's how I did it:

*  I used my word processor to add the surnames in an approximate tree shape.
*  I colored the surnames green for the tree and brown for the trunk.
*  I went to Google Images and looked for tree ornaments to decorate my tree, saved them, and inserted them into the word processing page.  
*  I saved the word processing page as a PDF file.
*  I opened the PDF file, reduced the magnification, and used the Winsdows Snipping Tool to create a JPG image.
*  I added the JPG image as above.

It did take me over an hour to create...I have over 10 generations of ancestral surnames on the tree above.  I hope I didn't spell any names wrong!

I showed you mine, now please show me yours!  

Thank you, Leslie Ann, for a great SNGF idea!


Coyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday -- KENDALL (England to colonial Massachusetts)

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


I am in the 8th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1071 who is Ruth KENDALL (!675-1730) 
[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through four generations in this KENDALL family line is:


1. Randall J. Seaver

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

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

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

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

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


66.  Nathan Gates (1767-1830)
67.  Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855)

132.  Simon Gates (1739-1803)
133.  Susannah Reed (1745-1833)

266.  Nathan Reed (1719-1802)
267.  Susannah Wood (1724-1784)

534.  Josiah Wood (1687-1753)
535.  Ruth Walker (1692-1752)

1070.  John Walker, born 02 July 1665 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 29 April 1699 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 2140. Samuel Walker and 2141. Sarah Reed.  He married 9 November 1691 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
1071.  Ruth Kendall, born 17 February 1675 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 29 July 1730 in Hopkinton, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of John Walker and Ruth Kendall are:
*  Ruth Walker (1692-1752), married 1710 Josiah Wood (1687-1753)
*  Edward Walker (1694-1787), marred 1718 Esther Pierce (1696-1761).

2142.  Thomas Kendall, born 10 January 1649 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 25 May 1730 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married  1673 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
2143.  Ruth Blodgett, born 28 December 1656 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 18 December 1695 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 4286. Samuel Blodgett and 4287. Ruth Eggleton.

Children of Thomas Kendall and Ruth Blodgett are:
*  Ruth Kendall (1675-1730), married (1) 1691 John Walker (1665-1699); (2) 1700 Henry Walker (1679-????).
*  Thomas Kendall (1677-1771), married 1701 Sarah Cheever (1686-1761).
*  Mary Kendall (1681-1760), married 1699 Joseph Whitmore (1671-1720).
*  Samuel Kendall *1682-1764), married (1) 1706 Elizabeth Pierce (1688-1742); (2) 1751 Mehitable Parker (????-1755).
*  Ralph Kendall (1685-1753), married 1707 Abigail Carter (1690-????).
*  Eleazer Kendall (1687-1767), married (1) 1712 Hannah Howe (1683-1761); (2) 1767 Sarah (1706-????).
*  Ephraim Kendall (1690-1728), married 1712 Judith Walker (1691-1742).
*  Jane Kendall (1692-1778), married 1712 Joseph Russell (1685-1763).
*  Jabez Kendall (1692-1725), married 1716 Rebecca Parker (1692-????).
*  child Kendall (1695-1695).

4284.  Francis Kendall, born about 1617 in Norfolk, England; died 09 May 1708 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 8568. Henry Kendall and 8569. Gabriel Armstrong.  He married 24 December 1644 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
4285.  Mary Tidd, born before 23 November 1620 in Hertford, Hertfordshire, England; died 20 May 1676 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 8570. John Tidd and 8571. Margaret.

Children of Francis Kendall and Mary Tidd are:
*  John Kendall (1646-1732), married (1) 1668 Hannah Bartlett (1643-1681); (2) 1681 Elizabeth Comey (1662-1701); (3) 1701 Eunice Brooks (1655-1732).
*  Thomas Kendall (1649-1730), married (1) 1673 Ruth Blodgett (1656-1695); (2) 1696 Abigail Rayner (1648-1716).
*  Mary Kendall (1651-1722), married 1669 Israel Reed (1642-1711).
*  Elizabeth Kendall (1653-1713), married (1) 1675 Ephraim Winship (1643-1696); (2) 1698 Joseph Pierce (1647-1713).
*  Hannah Kendall (1655-1706), married William Green (1653-1717).
*  Rebecca Kendall (1658-1690), married 1678 Joshua Eaton (1653-1717)
*  Samuel Kendall (1660-1749), married (1) 1683 Rebecca Mixer (1662-1691); (2) 1692 Mary Locke (1666-????).
*  Jacob Kendall (1661-1744), married (1) 1683 Persis Heywood (1664-1694); (2) 1695 Alice Hassell (1665-????).
*  Abigail Kendall (1666-1734), married 1686 William Reed (1662-1718).


Information about these Kendall families was obtained from:

*  Mary Lovering Holman, The Ancestry of Colonel John Harrington Stevens and his wife Frances Helen Miller (Concord, N.H., Rumford Press, 1948).

*   Helen Schatvet Ullman, A Mills and Kendall Family History, American Ancestry and Descendants of Herbert Lee Mills and Bessie Delano Kendall (Boston, Mass. : Newbury Street Press,  2002).

*  Various Massachusetts town vital record books.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver






Friday, December 19, 2014

New or Updated Ancestry.com Databases - 13 to 19 December 2014

The following databases were added or updated on Ancestry.com during the period from 13 December to 19 December 2014 (not all new or updated databases are indexed or have images).

*  New Zealand, Birth Index, 1840-1950; indexed database, no images, updated 12/19/2014

*  New Zealand, Death Index, 1848-1964; indexed database, no images, updated 12/19/2014

*  New South Wales, Australia, Colonial Secretary's Papers, 1788-1856; indexed database with images, updated 12/19/2014

*  Web: Gloucestershire, England, Overseers Index, 1615-1888; indexed database, no images, NEW 12/1/2014

*  Caltagirone, Catania, Italy, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1861-1943 (in Italian); not indexed, browse images, NEW 12/18/2014

*  Messina, Messina, Italy, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1939 (in Italian); not indexed, browse images, NEW 12/18/2014

*  Summit County, Ohio, Coroner's, Hospital and Cemetery Records, 1882-1947; not indexed, images only, NEW 12/18/2014

*  Web: UK, Coal Mining Accidents and Deaths Index, 1700-1950; indexed database, no images, NEW 12/18/2014

*  Web: United Kingdom, Women's Royal Air Force Index, 1918-1920; indexed database, no images, NEW 12/18/2014

*  Surrey, England, Electoral Registers, 1832-1945; indexed database with images, updated 12/18/2014

*  El Salvador, Civil Registration Records, 1836-1910 (in Spanish); indexed database with images, updated 12/18/2014

*  Eastern Cape, South Africa, Estate Files, 1962-1971; not indexed, browse images, NEW 12/16/2014

*  Canada, Canadian National Railway Immigrant Records, 1937-1961; indexed database with images, updated 12/16/2014

*  Australia Birth Index, 1788-1922; indexed database, no images, updated 12/16/2014

*  Sweden, Church Records, 1500-1941 (in Swedish); indexed database with images, updated 12/16/2014

*  New Zealand, Who's Who in New Zealand and the Western Pacific, 1908, 1925, 1938; indexed database with images, NEW 12/16/2014

*  Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1963; indexed database with images, updated 12/15/2014

*  Canada, City and Area Directories, 1819-1906; indexed database with images, updated 12/15/2014
*  Trieste, Trieste, Italy, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1924-1939 (in Italian); indexed database with images, NEW 12/14/2014

The recently added or updated page on Ancestry.com is http://www.ancestry.com/cs/reccol/default.

The complete Ancestry.com Card Catalog is at  http://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx.  There are 32,529 databases available as of 19 December, an increase of 9 over last week. 

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/new-or-updated-ancestrycom-databases-13.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


FindMyPast Announces Start Your Family Tree Week 2014/15 and Inaugural FindMyPast Tree Awards

I received this press release from FindMyPast today:

=======================================

FINDMYPAST ANNOUNCES START YOUR FAMILY TREE WEEK 2014/15 & INAUGURAL FINDMYPAST TREE AWARDS


·         The week is full of competitions, expert insights, useful print-outs and much more

·         Launch of inaugural Findmypast Tree Competition to award exciting prizes across multiple categories

·         Prizes include Findmypast subscriptions, magazine subscriptions, exclusive sessions with genealogists and much more

·         Findmypast Hints has been launched to help beginners get started with their family trees quickly and easily

·         Over 7.6 million new records released today, including over 90,000 Revolutionary War Pensions and many more records from across the world to be released to launch Start Your Family Tree Week on 26th December

 London, UK. 19 December, 2014. Findmypast, the leading British family history site, has announced this year’s Start Your Family Tree Week will be held from 26th December 2014 to 1st January 2015.

The seven-day event will provide getting started guides, expert insights, useful print-outs and resources, and a wealth of family history prizes.

Findmypast will also be launching its first ever Findmypast Tree Awards – a contest for the best family tree built or uploaded to Findmypast. Four winners across four categories will be selected by an expert panel of judges and will be awarded a selection of prizes.

Findmypast’s Start Your Family Tree Week will include something for everyone, from beginners to expert genealogists.


 New development: Findmypast’s Hints

In advance of Start Your Family Tree Week, Findmypast has just launched the beta version of Hints on family trees. 

From now on, as users add to their family tree Hints will sift through millions of records to identify matches, instantly suggesting relevant historical records and potential new relations. This development not only helps users find new information, but has been carefully designed to make it easy for new users to start their trees, and to make it simple to review and add new facts.

Findmypast’s Hints currently provides matches from their birth, baptism, marriage, death, and burial records across the UK, US, Ireland, and Australia. In the near future, Hints will also be provided to the many other record sets within Findmypast. Hints for an individual are activated when their information is updated in your family tree.  


 Millions of record sets to be released

To launch Start Your Family Tree Week, Findmypast will be releasing millions of records from around the world. These include over 90,000 Revolutionary War pension records, 6.5 million of birth, marriage and death records from New South Wales, Australia, 60,000 Devon Social and Institutional Records from the 18th and 19th centuries, thousands of court, asylum and burial records from Yorkshire, fascinating Scottish records.

The United States, Revolutionary War Pensions date from the early 19th century when the United States began issuing pensions to military veterans from various early conflicts.  Most pensions are for veterans of the Revolutionary War and their families although pension applications for veterans of the Barbary and Indian can be found. 

Visit our dedicated Findmypast Friday page to find out more.

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The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 51: #58, William Knapp (1775-1856)

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post Challenge:  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  Here is my ancestor biography for week #51:

William Knapp (1775-1856) is #58 on my Ahnentafel list, my third great-grandfather.  He married in about 1804  to #59 Sarah Cutter (1785-1878).

William Knapp (1775-1856) gravestone, Newton, N.J.
(c) Russ Worthington (used by permission)

I am descended through:

*  their daughter, 
#29 Sarah Knapp (1818-1????), who married #28, David Auble (1817-1894), in 1844.
*  their son, #14 Charles Auble (1849-1916) who married #15 Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952) in 1898.
*  their daughter, #7 Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977) married, #6 Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)in 1918. 
* their daughter, #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), who married Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) in 1942.
*  their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

 =====================================================

1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):


*  Name:                     William Knapp[1–7]   
*  Sex:                         Male   
  
2)  EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Birth:                      1775, Dutchess, New York, United States[1]   
*  Census:                   1 June 1830 (about age 55), Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States[3]   
*  Census:                   1 June 1840 (about age 65), Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States[4]   
*  Census:                   1 June 1850 (about age 75), Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States[5]   
*  Occupation:            1 June 1850 (about age 75), Shoemaker; Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States[5]   
*  Death:                     16 June 1856 (about age 81), Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States[1,6-7]
*  Burial:                    after 16 June 1856 (after about age 81), Old Newton Burial Ground, Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States[6–7]   
  
3)  MARRIAGES AND CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Spouse 1.:               Sarah Cutter (1785-1878)   
*  Marriage:                about 1804 (about age 29), probably Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States[2]   

*  Child 1:                  Joseph C. Knapp (1805-    )   
*  Child 2:                  Samuel C. Knapp (1806-1852)   
*  Child 3:                  Cyrus C. Knapp (1809-1872)   
*  Child 4:                  Catharine Knapp (1810-1894)   
*  Child 5:                  Benjamin Knapp (1811-1857)   
*  Child 6:                  Charles C. Knapp (1813-1888)   
*  Child 7:                  Hannah Maria Knapp (1816-1903)   
*  Child 8:                  Sarah G. Knapp (1818-1900)   
*  Child 9:                  William Knapp (1823-1860)   
*  Child 10:                Manning M. Knapp (1825-1892)   
*  Child 11:                Elsie M. Knapp (1831-1903)   
  
4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):   

William Knapp was born in the 1775 time frame, probably in what was then Durtchess County, New York, according to his death record.  He was age 81 at death on 16 June 1856.[1]  The 1850 U.S. census lists his age as 75, born in New York,[5] which computes to a birth in about 1775.

The parents of William Knapp are not known.  The records of Dutchess County, New York  are very sparse for this time period.  A search of available vital records indicate there were many Knapp families in Dutchess County in the 1770-1790 time period.  Review of the 1790 U.S. census shows many Knapps in southeastern New York.

The books Supplement to the Nicholas Knapp Genealogy by Alfred Averill Knapp, published in 1956, and  Nicholas Knapp Genealogy by Alfred Averill Knapp, published 1953, lists William as the son of Shubel and Rebecca (Mead) Knapp, listing his birth date as 1786.  This is surely erroneous, since the 1850 census lists his age as 75 and his death record in the Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey vital records say he was age 81, born in Dutchess County, New York.  

William Knapp married Sarah Cutter in about 1804, probably in Woodbridge, New Jersey where Sarah Cutter was born and raised.[2]  They had 11 children,  born between 1805 and 1831, all of whom reached adulthood, and all but one married.  The Supplement mentioned above provides some of the data on the children of William and Sarah (Cutter) Knapp.

Data in Catherine Knapp's 1894 obituary indicates that William Knapp was one of the first settlers of Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey, and had a very extensive acquaintance.  He was a Justice of the Peace for many years, and resided on Spring Street on the property later owned by Moses McCollum.  The Knapps were among the earliest members of the Newton Methodist Episcopal Church, and with others of that faith, worshiped in barns and other places most convenient, traveling sometimes six or seven miles to service.  This was before the members were sufficiently numerous to build and worship in an edifice of their own.

Several newspaper articles naming William Knapp were published in the Sussex Register newspaper (available in the "Newspaper Clippings from the Sussex Register"  database on Ancestry.com) in the 1822 to 1829 time period, including:

1)  September 1822, page 10:

*A horse and wagon stolen from William Knapp, on a forged order."

2)  Title page, (1825) June:

" 13. A.C. Potwine goes to New York to remain as buyer of goods for store in Newton.  The firm has engaged William Knapp to make morocco shoes, and the drugs and medicines sold are inspected by Dr. Hedges."

3)  November 1829, page 20:

"14. Edward Stewart advertises sale of houses, including two-story stone house he occupied, 400 yards from Court house on Hamburg road, (Water Street) lately built; a frame house adjoining; a two story house on Spring street on one of the Conover lots, a house and lot on Liberty street, opposite Barnabus Carter's; half of the house and lot occupied by William Knapp, which was built by Hugh McMahan, and situated on Spring street, adjoining Zephaniah Luce Lot."

In the 1830 U.S. Census, the William Knapp family resided in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey).[3]  The household included:

*  1 male aged 0 to 5 years
*  1 male aged 5 to 10 years
*  2 males aged 15 to 20 years
*  1 male aged 50 to 60 years.
*  1 female aged 0 to 5 years
*  2 females aged 10 to 15 years
*  1 female aged 20 to 30 years
*  1 female aged 40 to 50 years.

In the 1840 US Census, the William Knapp family resided in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey.[4]  The household included:

*   one male aged 15 to 20
*  one male aged 60 to 70
*  one female aged 5 to 10
*  one female aged 15 to 20
*  one female aged 50 to 60.

In the 1850 US Census, this family resided in Newton township, Sussex County, New Jersey.[5]  The household included:

*  William Knapp -- age 75, male, a shoemaker, $800 in real property, born NY
*  Sarah Knapp, age 66, female, born NJ
*  Catherine Knapp, age 40, female, born NJ
*  Elsey Knapp, age 19, female, born NJ

William Knapp was a member and treasurer of the Harmony Mason Lodge in Newton in 1852, according to an 1888 article about the lodge.

His death record is in the Newton, Sussex, New Jersey vital records.[1]  The death record for William Knapp includes this information:

*  Date of Death:  June 16 1856 
*  Name of Decedent:  William Knapp
*  Sex:  Male*  Married or Single:  Married
*  Age:  81
*  Occupation:  Shoemaker
*  Place of Death:  Newton N.J.
*  Place of Birth:  Dutchess Co. N.Y.
*  Names of Parents:  [blank]
*  Cause of Death:  Old Age
*  Date of Making Record:  June 16 1856

An 1860 plat map of Newton NJ shows a house of W. Knapp near the southwest corner of Adams Street and Spring Street in Newton.

William Knapp and his wife, Sarah Knapp, are buried in the Old Newton Burial Ground  in Newton, Sussex County,  NJ.[6-7]  The cemetery is located behind properties on Main and Halsted Streets, with access by a driveway between the properties at 77 and 79 Main Street in Newton.  The inscription on the gravestone says:

WILLIAM KNAPP
DIED
June 16, 1856
In his 80th Year AEt.
Icis vigo.

There are no probate records for William Knapp in the Sussex County, New Jersey Estate Index, 1804-1974 (accessed on FamilySearch.org).

5)  SOURCES

1. New Jersey, Records of births, marriages, and deaths of New Jersey, 1848-1900, Volume AF, 1848-1867 (Sussex County)., page 655, William Knapp entry, accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,584,582.

2. Dr. Benjamin Cutter, The History of the Cutter Family of New England  (Boston, Mass. : 1871).

3. 1830 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Sussex County, New Jersey, Newton township, page 222, William Knapp household; indexed database, Ancestry.com (www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M19, Roll 82.

4. 1840 United States Federal Census, Sussex County, New Jersey, population schedule, Newton township; Page 54, William Knapp household; indexed database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M704, Roll 260.

5. 1850 United States Federal Census, Sussex County, New Jersey, population schedule, Newton township, page 137, dwelling #454, family #486, William Knapp household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 464.

6. A Record of the Inscriptions on the Stones in the Old Cemetery - Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey, typescript (Newton, NJ : n.p., n.d., on shelf at Sussex County Library), William Knapp entry, unnumbered page.

7. Jim Tipton, indexed database, Find A Grave (http://www.findagrave.com), Old Newton Burial Ground, Newton, N.J., William Knapp memorial #14259582.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-51-58.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Thursday, December 18, 2014

FGS Conference, RootsTech Conference and the Family History Library - a Win-Win-Win For Me

I love attending conferences, and I love to do research at the Family History Library - so the joint FGS/RootsTech 2015 Conferences in Salt Lake City are a win-win-win for me.

When I attend a conference in Salt Lake City, I usually devote one day for research at the Family History Library.  I figure I can always go back during the conference if I absolutely have to find that one record that I really need, especially if I know the microfilm number or book/periodical call number.

So how do I prepare to visit the Family History Library for my one day, and what am I looking for?  My usual attitude is "look for records that you can only find at the Family History Library!"  These are usually microfilmed records - especially land and probate records for my ancestral families.  Sometimes, I search for books on the shelf for specific surnames, or books and periodicals for specific places.  I don't use the FHL computers much, except to look up microfilm numbers or call numbers for specific book or periodicals.

To prepare for the FHL visit, I go through the To-Do items in my RootsMagic program.  I double check the existing To-Do list items to make sure that their status are up-to-date (open, completed, etc.).  If I'm missing microfilm numbers or call numbers, I try to add them using the online FHL Catalog.  Then I go through my ancestral families one-by-one, looking for items to add to the To-Do list, and add them.

Last year, I found, photographed, or copied to a flash drive, quite a few documents.  I summarized the "finds" in RootsTech 2014 - Day 1 - I Went to the Library!  The 2014 "finds" were highlighted in my Amanuensis Monday and Treasure Chest Thursday posts throughout the year on Genea-Musings. Once I transcribe and source these documents, I add them to my RootsMagic database.  In essence, the FHL visit "feeds" my RootsMagic database and Genea-Musings.  Another win-win!!

What am I looking for this year?  Here's a partial list:

1)  Search Andrew County, Missouri Deed indexes for Ranslow Smith and Devier J. Smith; find and photograph the deeds if some are listed.

2)  Search Sussex County, New Jersey Deed indexes for Abel/Able, Auble names; find and photograph deed index pages and specific deeds for John Auble (1757-1818), John Auble (1780-1831), Anna Auble (1787-1860), David Auble (1817-1894).  

3)  Search Sussex County, New Jersey Deed indexes for William Knapp (1775-1856) and Sarah Knapp (1784-1878).  Find and photograph deed index pages and specific deeds.

4)  Search Mercer County, Pennsylvania Deed indexes for Daniel Spangler (1781-1851), Elizabeth Spangler (1796-1863), and Cornelius Feather (1777-1853).  Find and photograph deed index pages and specific deeds.

5)  Search for Probate records of James Richmond (1821-1912) in Putnma, Windham County, Connecticut.  Find and photograph probate records.

6)  Search for Probate records of John Seaver (1771-1853) in Bristol county, Massachusetts.  Find and photograph probate records.

7)  Search Killingly, Connecticut Deed indexes for Jonathan White (1804-1850) and Henry White (1824-1885).  Find and photograph deed index pages and specific deeds.

8)  Search Washington County, Iowa Deed indexes for David J. Carringer (1828-1902).  Find and photograph deed index pages and specific deeds.

9)  Search Vigo County, Indiana Deed indexes for David Auble (1817-1894) and Sarah Auble (1818->1900).  Find and photograph deed index pages and specific deeds.

10)  Search South Petherton Parish Registers for Vaux, Laver, Palmer, Axe, etc. for baptism, marriage and burial records.  

There are many more To-Do list items for the FHL - I recently added many more the last time I looked through the resources I have for my ancestral families.  My history is that my list is always too long, and I come home with things to do next year from the current list.  That's OK - I'll be back, I think.  Maybe I'll do a week-long tour one of these years.

Here is the To-Do list in RootsMagic by topic:



Hmmm, I haven't prioritized that list much!  I should do that!  I should also make the list titles consistent with either the person's name first or the record name first.  I prefer the record name, I think.

Here is the first page of the printed To-Do List at the Family History Library (selected all items at the Family History Library):



That would be 16 pages - with every task I want to do at the FHL.  

I will probably try to use a form like that shown in A Workbook for My Visit to the Family History Library by Diane Boumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog last week.  This makes more sense - I can prioritize the forms, and they will be easier to use than the long To-Do list above.  I won't make a Workbook for them, however.

So, going to a conference in Salt Lake City is a win-win proposition for me!  I look forward to my day at the Genealogy Mecca.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/fgs-conference-rootstech-conference-and.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

NOTE:  I am an FGS Official ambassador, but I don't receive any benefits for being one.


Crestleaf Publishes "How Are We Related?" Family Relationship Chart

The Crestleaf blog has published a colorful Family Relationship Chart - see Are You My Relative? Family Relationship Chart and Infographic.

Crestleaf has kindly permitted me to publish the Infographic on my blog:


Two caveats on using the chart:

*  While some of the headings name only one gender or the other (e.g., Aunt or Uncle), they really apply to persons of both genders.

*  The male and female icons used in the chart (Self, Child, Sibling, Aunt, Uncle, cousin, etc.) represent both males and females.  The relationships are the same whether they are male or female.

These are minor complaints, but there may be people who are offended.  The intent is, I think, to show relationships without cluttering up the chart with more icons or more words.

Readers can go to the Crestleaf blog and download the chart, save the file on their computer, and then print it out, for their own personal use.

I think that this graphic is the best one I've seen to use to explain relationships between family members.

Another relationship chart was recently published by Lifehacker - see http://lifehacker.com/second-cousins-once-removed-and-more-explained-in-1661572056

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/crestleaf-publishes-how-are-we-related.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 244: Marriage Record of Nathan Gates and Abigail Knowlton

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.

The treasures today are the  1790 marriage records of Nathan Gates and Abigail Knowlton in Gardner and Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts:

There are at least three pertinent records:

1)  The marriage intentions record from the Gardner Town Records:


A snip of the marriage intentions record:


The transcription of this record is:

"Nathan Gates of Gardner and Abigail Knowlton
of Westminster Weare Enterd May 9th 1790"

The source citation for this entry is:

Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2014), Gardner, Publishments, page 2 (image 2 of 45), Nathan Gates and Abigial Knowlton intentions.

The Gardner Vital Records book also has an entry for this date, noting "intentions.":

2)  The Westminster Vital Records book record:


The snip of the marriage record is:


 The transcription of this record is:

"Nathan [Gates] and Abigail Knowlton, June 17, 1790"

The source citation for this record is:

Systematic History Fund, Vital Records of Westminster, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (Worcester, Mass.: F.P. Rice, 1908), Marriages, page 142: Nathan Gates and Abigail Knowlton entry.

3)  The Westminster town record of the marriage:


The snip of the record is:


The transcription of the marriage record is:

"June 19 1790   Nathan Gates of Gardner to Abigail Knolton of Westmin."

The source citation for this record is:

Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 December 2014), Westminster, Court Records, with Births, Marriages and Deaths, page 282 (penned, image 146 of 177), Nathan Gates and Abigail Knolton entry.

In summary, I have a marriage intentions record in Gardner (home of Nathan Gates) for 9 May 1790;  I also have marriage records in Westminster (home of Abigail Knowlton) for 17 June 1790 (published vital records book) and for 19 June 1790 (handwritten town records).  

Which marriage entry should I use in my database?  I have entered separate events for the Marriage Intentions on 9 May 1790 in Gardner and the Marriage on 19 June 1790 in Westminster.  I chose the latter because the record with that date that I have is handwritten, and therefore was entered nearer to the event than the 1908 publication of the Westminster Vital Records book with the 17 June 1790 date.  However, I don't know if the handwritten entry is the Original Source - there may be an earlier town record book entry at the time of the event.  The difference is only two days, so this is not a significant difference in my judgment.

Nathan Gates (1767-1830) and Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855) are my fourth great-grandparents, through their daughter, Abigail Gates (1797-1867) who married Benjamin Seaver (1791-1825) in 1817.


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver