Genea-Musings

Monday, July 21, 2014

Participating in the FamilySearch Worldwide Indexing Event - and DearMYRTLE's GeneaSleepOver

The FamilySearch Indexers did it today - they had over 66,000 individuals who indexed at least one batch, and many did more than one batch. The last I heard, over 3 million records were indexed, and over 500,000 were arbitrated.

For my part, I did three batches of Obituaries - one batch from Pennsylvania, and two from Texas so far. These were small batches, only five records in each, and only one batch had more than one name in each record. I will probably do more as time goes on.

Did you watch some or all of the DearMYRTLE's GeneaSleepOver Hangouts On Air on Google+, and archived at YouTube? This was a 24-hour event, starting at 5 p.m. PDT on Sunday night, and Pat Richley-Erickson and Russ Worthington went through the night into Monday, and are still going strong, with a varying panel, until 5 p.m. on Monday.

There was a discussion in the 9:30 a.m. to 11 a.m. PDT time (in the third video (c) of the series) comparing media attachment and source citations in RootsMagic (Pat and me), Family Tree Maker (Russ Worthington), Legacy Family Tree (Tessa Keough) and Ancestral Quest (Claire Brisson-Banks).

Here are links to the archived videos on YouTube:

1) GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (a):

2) GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (b):

3) GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (c):

4) GeneaSleepOver: Worldwide Indexing Event - Video (d):

During this 24-hour period, Pat and the panel tried to do some indexing every hour, demonstrating how to do it and discussing the data entry process.

You can read all the comments from these four Hangouts On Air on DearMYRTLE's Google+ Community - https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104382659430904043232.

Pat Richley-Erickson and Russ Worthington did yeoman duty doing this over a 24-hour period. Thank you Pat and Russ for your dedication, knowledge and effort to help the genealogy community. I hope they sleep well tonight!

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Review: Genealogy at a Glance: Court Records

The Genealogical Publishing Company in Baltimore has published another in its series of "Genealogy at a Glance" laminated research guides - this time for Court Records by Wendy Bebout Mitchell.

This "Genealogy at a Glance" booklet has four laminated pages on one 11" x 17" paper (folded). It is 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 description of the Court Records booklet includes:

Court records are invaluable in genealogical research, but they are decentralized and difficult to locate. Probate records, as one example, are located in over 3,000 separate county courthouses. They are among the most important records for genealogical research because they identify names, dates, residences, and family relationships, yet there is considerable difficulty in finding them and exploiting their contents. The American court system is complicated, and the challenge for genealogists is to understand the court system in order to locate the relevant records.

You could make a lifetime’s study of the American court system, but if your goal is family history research, this Genealogy at a Glance outline will provide an indispensable shortcut, guiding you through the major types of court records that are crucial in your research—probate records, for example, naturalization records, land records, marriage and divorce records, tax records—in short almost every type of record that helps to identify family relationships. The main thing you will learn is that county courthouses generally contain the records of most interest to genealogists, and therefore this guide offers invaluable tips for finding and accessing records at the county courthouse level.

Like all Genealogy at a Glance outlines, this one also offers guidance on the principal supplementary record sources, provides a list of the best online resources, and identifies the major repositories, all the while dealing with a complex subject in the simplest way possible.

The booklet has these subjects:

* Contents

* Quick Facts

* Overview

* Getting Started

* Major Types of Court Records

* Building a Knwledgeable Base

* Sources

** Intact County Court Registers

** Published versus Original Digitized or Microfilm

** Lost, Destroyed, or Misplaced Court Records

** Online Records

** Indexes

* Major Repositories

This booklet is designed primarily for the person who is not an expert, or has little experience, on finding Court Records of their ancestors. It provides guidance and excellent ideas to understand the basics of conducting court record research, with details of the different types of records that might be accessed - probate, civil, criminal, equity and other legal cases.

For someone like me that teaches and talks about genealogy a bit, it is invaluable because I can pull it out and provide some guidance to my student or colleague interested in the subject.

The beauty of these "Genealogy at a Glance" booklets 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, plus postage and handling. You can order it through the Genealogical Store, or use the link for the Court Records booklet and click on the "Add to Cart" link. I recommend buying these at seminars and conferences where they are offered in order to avoid the shipping costs.

I have reviewed several similar works in recent years:

* Genealogy at a Glance: Old Southwest Genealogy Research

* Book Review: Genealogy at a Glance - Family History Library Research

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/review-genealogy-at-glance-court-records.html

Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2014.

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.

Amanuensis Monday - Post 227: 1867 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from William Lewis Estate to R. Smith

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

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

The subject today is an 1867 deed in the Taylor County, Iowa deed books for the estate of William Lewis selling land in Taylor County to R. Smith.

The transcription of this deed record is:

[page 60]

Lewis Estate to R. Smith

01 Know all men by these presents that whereas on the

02 5th day of Feb 1867 Leonard Lewis filed in the offices

03 of the Clerk of the District Court of Taylor County Iowa

04 his petition praying the partition of the following described

05 real estate, to wit. The North East quarter of Section No

06 Twenty three the north half of the south west quarter

07 of Section No twenty two and the west half of the South

08 east quarter of Section No Twenty one all in Township

09 No. Sixty Eight north in Range No Thirty three west

10 containing Three three Hundred and twenty acres more

11 or less and Situated in the County of Taylor and

12 State of Iowa. And whereas at the March term of

13 1867 of said Court a decree was made that partition

14 thereof be made and J C Ray S P Bristo and Thomas

15 Brock were appointed referees to make partition of

16 Said land and whereas at the September term of

17 1867 said referees made report to said Court that

18 partition thereof could not be made without mate-

19 rial prejudice and an order was of Said term made

20 for the sale thereof and whereas the said referees

21 did on the 24th of December 1867 by virtue of

22 and in accordance with the Decree of said Court did

23 sell the west half of the north East quarter of Section

24 No Twenty three in Township No Sixty Eight north of

25 Range No Thirty three west. T[o] R. Smith for the

26 sum of Two Hundred and Twenty dollars he being

27 the highest and best bidder therefor and whereas

28 said referees were refered to sell said premises

29 and take one half cash in hand and one half

30 to be paid in one year from day of Sale to be secured

31 by Mortgage upon the premises sold and to make

32 and deliver to the purchaser thereof a good and suffi-

33 cient deed of conveyance for Said Land. Now

34 therefore in consideration of the foregoing premises

35 and of the sum of Two Hundred and Twenty dollars

36 aforesaid J C Ray S P Bristo and Thomas Brock

37 referees so aforesaid do hereby sell and convey unto

38 the said R Smith his heirs and assigns forever

39 all of the right title and interest of the heirs of

40 Wm Lewis in and to land last above described

41 to have and to hold the same to him his heirs

42 and assigns forever.

[page 61]

43 witness our hands this 24th day of Dec 1867

44 { Revenue Stamp } J C Ray }

45 S P Bristow } Referees

46 T H Brock }

47 State of Iowa

48 County of Taylor } SS On this 24th day of Dec 1867

49 before me the undersigned Notary Public in and for

50 the County and State aforesaid personally appeared

51 J C Ray S P Bristow and Thomas Brock Referees as aforesaid to me pers-

52 onally Known to be the identical persons whose

53 names are affixed to the foregoing conveyance as

54 grantors and Severally acknowledged the execution

55 of the same to be his voluntary act and deed

56 Witness my hand and Seal done in Bedford

57 Iowa day and year last aforesaid.

58 { Notarial Seal} S T McCann

59 Notary Public

60 I certify that the foregoing is a true and and correct

61 copy of the original Deed as filed for Record on

62 the 26th day of Dec A D 1867

63 Daniel Underwood

64 Recorder

65 Examined and approved in open Court this

66 24th day of March A D 1868

67 James G Day

68 Judge 3d District

69 Iowa

70 This above deed was not approved till after

71 the Record was made the approval being recorded

72 March 26th A D 1868 D Underwood

73 Recorder

The source citation for this deed is:

Taylor County, Iowa, "Taylor County, Iowa, deed records, 1855-1953; index, 1855-1902", "Deed Records (Land) v. J (1867-1869) v. K-L (1867-1870)," Volume K, pages 60-61 (stamped), Deed of William Lewis Estate to Ranslow Smith, 1867; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,633.

I think that this is the earliest deed in the records for Ranslow Smith buying land in Taylor County, Iowa. Obviously, I need a scorecard to keep track of all of these deeds - I have about 30 of them all from this one county.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/amanuensis-monday-post-227-1867-deed-of.html

Sunday, July 20, 2014

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 13 to 19 July 2014

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

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

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

* Photo Duplication Requests on FamilySearch -- Plus a Little Bit About Legacy and Evernote and Follow Up to Photo Duplication Requests to FamilySearch by Diane Gould Hall on the Michigan Family Trails blog. Diane highlights this free feature of FamilySearch, plus how she deals with the requests and results. And she got them in four days!

* Copyright and Microfilm by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist blog. Judy answers a reader's question about who owns the copyright of images on microfilm.

* Reflections From MAAGI 2014 by Angela Walton-Raji on the My Ancestor's Name blog. Angela recounts the highlights of the recent weeklong Midwest African-American Genealogy Institute in St. Louis.

* Who Owns the Stories of Our Ancestors? by James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog. It's a great question. Read the comments too.

* Moonwalking With Our Ancestors by Tammy Hepps on the Treelines blog. Tammy delves into how we remember things.

* Creating an Ancestor Timeline on Pinterest by Thomas MacEntee on the Geneabloggers blog. Thomas offers his process to use Pinterest to create a timeline for an ancestor or family.

* It Was "Take Your Daughter to the Library" Week by Cari Taplin on the Genealogy Pants blog. Cari's daughter was a big help at the Family History Library, and learned a lot too.

* Family Fun Days - Have You Had Yours? by Lorine McGinnis Schulze on the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog. I wish I was in Lorine's family.

* Consider the Possibilities by Nancy Messier on the My Ancestors and Me blog. Nancy has a disappearing ancestor and ponders what research to do next.

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

* NN Genealogy Things You Need to Know This Morning, Sunday, 13 July 2014, Monday, 14 July 2014; Tuesday, 15 July 2014; Wednesday, 16 July 2014; Thursday, 17 July 2014; Friday, 18 July 2014, and Saturday, 19 July 2014 by Caroline M. Pointer on the 4YourFamilyStory.com blofg.

* Monday "Muse"-ings for 14 July 2014 by Eowyn Langhoff on the WikiChicks blog.

* Blog Posts and News Stories for Genealogists, July 18, 2014 by Michael J. Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.

* Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for July 18, 2014 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog.

* Friday Finds -- 07/18/14 by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie's Genealogy & History Hub blog.

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

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

Did I miss a great genealogy blog post? Tell me! I am currently reading posts from over 1530 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/best-of-genea-blogs-13-to-19-july-2014.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Saturday, July 19, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Where Were They 100 Years Ago?

It's Saturday Night -

time for more Genealogy Fun!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1) Determine where your ancestral families were on 19 July 1914 - 100 years ago.

2) List them, their family members, their birth years, and their residence location (as close as possible). Do you have a photograph of their residence from about that time, and does the residence still exist?

3) Tell us all about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

Here's mine:

* My grandparents Frederick W. Seaver (born 1876) and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (born 1882) resided at 290 Central Street in Leominster, Massachusetts with their children: Marion (born 1901), Evelyn (born 1903), Ruth (born 1907), Frederick W (born 1911, my father), and Edward R. (born 1913). I have recent pictures of this residence, which still stands in Leominster.

* My great-grandparents Frank W. Seaver (born 1852) and Hattie (Hildreth) (born 1857) Seaver resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Massachusetts with my great-great-grandmother Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (born 1834). I have a 1910 picture of this house, plus recent photographs, which still stands in Leominster.

* My great-grandfather Thomas Richmond (born 1848) resided in Putnam, Connecticut, perhaps at 6 Church Street. I don't have a picture of that residence.

* My great-grandparents Henry Austin Carringer (born 1853) and Della (Smith) Carringer (born 1862) resided at 2105 30th Street in San Diego, California with their son, my grandfather Lyle L. Carringer (born 1891). Della's mother, Abbie A. (Vaux) Smith (born 1844), lived with them. I have many pictures of this residence, which now stands at 2115 30th Street..

* My great-grandparents Charles Auble (born 1849) and Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (born 1868) resided at 767 14th Street in San Diego, California with their daughter, my grandmother Emily Kemp Auble (born 1899). I have one picture of this residence, which was demolished many years ago.

So I have 14 direct ancestors living at this time, 100 years ago.

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

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday - LNU (New Jersey > New York)

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

I am in the 7th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1021 who is Hester LNU (1720-1798) [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through only one generation in this LNU family line is:

1. Randall J. Seaver (1943-living)

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

6. Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
7. Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977)

14. Charles Auble (1849-1916)
15. Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952)

30. James Abraham Kemp (1831-1902)
31. Mary Jane Sovereen (1841-1874)

62. Alexander Sovereign (1814-1907)
63. Elizabeth Putman (1820-1895)

126. John Putman (1785-1863)
127. Sarah Martin (1792-1860)

254. Mulford Martin (1763-????)
255. Betsey Rolfe (1766-????)

510. Ephraim Rolfe (1743-1818)
511. Sarah Campbell (1746-1838)

1020. Jonathan Rolph, born before 30 August 1714 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 08 July 1791 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States. He was the son of 2040. Moses Rolfe and 2041. Mary Hale. He married about 1737 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
1021 Hester LNU, born about 1720; died 29 September 1798 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.

Children of Jonathan Rolph and Hester are:

i. Esther Rolph, born about 1738 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died about 1740 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
ii. Isabell Rolph, born about 1740 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 1740 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
iii. Ephraim Rolfe, born 1743 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 27 May 1818 in Ithaca, Tompkins, New York, United States; married Sarah Campbell about 1762 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
iv. Martha Rolph, born about 1746 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
v. Elizabeth Rolph, born about 1752 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
vi. Jonathan Rolfe, born 1754 in probably Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 13 February 1830 in Steuben, New York, United States; married (1) Patience Coon 13 May 1776 in Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; born about 1756 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died about 1789 in Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; married (2) Elsie Coon 11 January 1790 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; born 1769 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 29 May 1848 in Steuben, New York, United States.
vii. Moses Rolfe, born 1756 in Perth Amboy, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States; died 05 October 1832 in Alabama, Genesee, New York, United States; married Jane about 1776 in New Jersey, United States; born Abt. 1759 in New Jersey, United States; died 04 January 1837 in Alabama, Genesee, New York, United States.

There may be other children in this family.

Hester may not be them other of all of the children above - some online trees list a 1728 birth in France, and a 1746 marriage to Jonathan Rolph, for her.

I have no clue what the maiden surname of Hester (or Esther) LNU is. Apaprently, no one else does either - at least on Ancestry Member Trees, FamilySearch Family Tree, Geni World Tree, or MyHeritage trees.

The information for this Rolfe family was obtained from:

Frederick G. Rolfe, The Early Rolfe Settlers of New England, Volume I, (Baltimore, Md. : Gateway Press, Inc., 1995), accessed on FamilySearch Books (https://books.familysearch.org/).

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/surname-saturday-lnu-new-jersey-new-york.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Friday, July 18, 2014

Seavers in the News - Post 6: Almost Finding James T. Seaver's Parents

While searching for interesting tidbits in Mocavo.com databases about Seaver persons, I ran across an article concerning James T. Seaver, Acting Master of the U.S. Steamer Philippi in the Civil War. There were two reports - the first is the letter to the Secretary of War by Rear Admiral D.G. Farragut, which is transcribed in Seavers in the News - James T. Seaver, Master of a Civil War Vessel - Post 1, and the second was the report of James T. Seaver about this incident, shown in Post 2. I found an article in a book about the court-martial of James and wrote about it in Seavers in the News -- James T. Seaver, Master of a Civil War Vessel - Post 3.

The court-martial ended the Naval career of James T. Seaver. Then I wondered if he had a family, and who his parents were. The answers first came in the U.S. Census - see Seavers in the News - Post 4: Finding James T. Seaver in the U.S. Census. There were more answers in Vital Records - see Seavers in the News - Post 5: Finding James T. Seaver in Massachusetts Vital Records. Finally, I wondered who his parents were. I had a clue in the previous post from James T. Seaver's marriage and death records. Can I find birth, marriage and death records, and census records, and parent's names for his parents?

1) My first search for James H. Seaver (or James N. Seaver?) and/or wife Rachel (or Racheal) B. Seaver was in the 1850 U.S. Census. I found who I think is Rachael B. Seaver in the 1850 U.S. Census living in Gloucester, Massachusetts:

Rachael B. Seaver is residing with the Samuel Sayward family. She is age 43, born in Massachusetts. She may be boarding with this family, or may be related to either Samuel Sayward or his wife Caroline C. Sayward, age 41.

Note that there is no spouse listed for Rachael B. Seaver. Had he died by 1850? Was he a mariner not in the United States at this time? Were they separated or divorced? A search for many possible names using first name, middle initials, and Seaver surname variants showed no candidates that I did not already have in my database with a family in another location.

2) At least I knew that Rachael B. Seaver was alive in 1850, so there may be a death record in Massachusetts vital records for her. There were "Suggested Hints" on Ancestry.com for these records. I easily found what I think is the correct record:

The extracted information from this record for Rachel B. Seaver in Boston vital records is:

* Rachel B. Seaver, died 8 July 1857, age 50 years, 4 months. She was a widow, and died of cancer. Her parents were Adna and Rachel Bates.

The age at death implies a birth in March 1807. I searched Ancestry.com for a birth record, but did not find one. A search on AmericanAncestors.org resulted in a baptism in the Cohasset Vital Records book for Rachel Briggs Bates on 14 June 1807, daughter of Adna Bates Jr.

4) I looked in the two "External Databases" on AmericanAncestors.org for matches with both Rachel and James Seaver, and found a genealogy gem in the 19th Century U.S. Newspapers collection - an obituary:

Note that it says that she was the widow of James N. Seaver, so N. is probably the correct middle initial for her husband.

I did not find any article in these two newspaper databases for James N. Seaver in Boston or Massachusetts.

5) I struggled to find a birth, marriage or death record for the father of James T. Seaver - James N. Seaver. I estimated that the father James N. Seaver was born in the 1790 to 1810 time period (based on James T. Seaver's birth in 1832, and Rachel's birth in about 1807), perhaps in Boston, Massachusetts. I found none.

6) I looked in my database for James Seaver/Sever candidates, and found one - a James Seaver, born about 1804, probably in Boston, to Nathaniel and Hannah (Loker) Seaver. I had no spouse for this James Seaver, and no death date. The William Blake Trask article in NEHGR Volume 26, and the Jesse Montgomery Seaver typescript, names him as their oldest son, and notes that he died unmarried. The book says this about the father, Nathaniel Seaver (1753-1827):

"...resided in Boston and was in shipping business for many years; merchant; joined First Church at Roxbury, 9/19/1799, owner of pew No. 74, lower floor, Fifth Meeting House."

I found three baptism records for children of Nathaniel and Hannah (Loker) Seaver in the Boston Church Records book, available on AmericanAncestors.org, but James was not included.

One of the sons of Nathaniel and Hannah (Loker) Seaver was Horace Seaver (1810-1889), who was the longtime editor of The Investigator newspaper in Boston (the Rachel Seaver obituary noted above was in The Investigator). If James N. Seaver was the son of Nathaniel and Hannah (Loker) Seaver, and the brother of Horace Seaver, then the obituary is for Horace's sister-in-law. That's pretty thin evidence, isn't it?

7) There are many resources that I have not investigated yet, but most of them are inaccessible to me, being either in manuscript form in Boston or another repository, or on Family History Library microfilm.

In summary, I have not conclusively identified parents of James N. Seaver, husband of Rachael B. (Bates) Seaver and father of James Thomas Seaver, the former acting Master of the U.S.S. Philippi. I do have this one lead...

I think that I will keep James N. Seaver, the husband of Rachel Bates and father of James T. Seaver, separate from James Seaver, the son of Nathaniel and Hannah (Loker) Seaver, for the time being.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/seavers-in-news-post-6-almost-finding.html

Contribute to the "Why Join a Society?" Survey

Gail Dever, on her Genealogy a la Carte blog, has created a "Why Join a Society?" survey. She notes:

What are the most important factors that make you decide to join a genealogy society? Do you join for the lectures? To meet other genealogists? To have access to resources? Member discounts? Webinars? Volunteer opportunities?

Please take this survey about why you join a genealogy society. It should take only a couple of minutes. Results will be posted soon after the survey closes Sunday, July 20.

Please visit her blog to click on the link to the survey: http://genealogyalacarte.ca/?p=3937

You can click on any number of about 40 different reasons to join a genealogy society. I selected 10 of them.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/07/contribute-to-why-join-society-survey.html

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 29: #36, Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857)

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks" in her blog post Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog. Here is my ancestor biography for week #29:

Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857) is #36 on my Ahnentafel List, and is my 3rd great-grandfather. He married Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857) in 1810.

I am descended through:

* their son, #18 Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)who married #19, Sophia Newton (1834-1923) in 1852.

* their daughter, #9 Harriet Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920) who married #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922) in 1874.

* their son, #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942), who married #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) in 1900.* their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), in 1942.

* their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

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

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

* Name: Zachariah Hildreth [1–12]
* Sex:   Male
* Father:   Zachariah Hildreth (1754-1828)
* Mother: Elizabeth Keyes (1759-1793)


* Alternate Name: Zacheus Hildreth [13]

2) INDIVIDUAL FACTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

* Birth: 10 April 1783, Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [1-3]
* Census: 1 June 1820 (age 37), Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [13]
* Census:   1 June 1830 (age 47), Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [5]
* Census:   1 June 1840 (age 57), Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [6]
* Census:   1 June 1850 (age 67), Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [7]
* Occupation:   1 June 1850 (age 67), farmer; Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [14]
* Census:   1 June 1855 (age 72) Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [8]
* Occupation: 22 January 1857 (age 73), cooper; Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [10]
* Death:   22 January 1857 (age 73), of consumption; Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [9-10]
* Burial:   after 22 January 1857 (after age 73), New Cemetery, Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [11]
* Probate: 17 February 1857 (age 73), Administration granted; Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States [12]

3) MARRIAGES/CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

* Spouse 1: Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857)
* Marriage: 21 October 1810 (age 27), Townsend, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States [4, 14-15]

* Child 1: Aaron Hildreth (1811-1884)
* Child 2:   Clarissa Hildreth (1814-1819)
* Child 3: James Hildreth (1817-1892)
* Child 4:   Clarissa Hildreth (1820-1852)
* Child 5:   Elizabeth Hildreth (1822-1910)
* Child 6:   Milo Hildreth (1824-1893)
* Child 7: Moses Hildreth (1828-1893)
* Child 8: Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)
* Child 9:   Harriet Augusta Hildreth (1835-1850)

4) NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

Zachariah Hildreth was born in Townsend, Massachusetts,[1-3] the fourth child of Zachariah and Elizabeth "Betsy" (Keyes) Hildreth, who were married on 1 September 1777 in Townsend. The Townsend, Massachusetts town record book includes the birth of Zachariah Hildreth[2]:

"Aaron son of Zachariah and Elizabeth Hildreth born Oct 30th 1778
...
Zachariah Son of Do born April 10th 1783."

The Townsend town vital record book provides the marriage intention record for Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell as[14]:

"1810 Sept. 5th rec'd of Mr. Zachriah Hildreth Jr. and Miss Hannah Sartell of this Town, with their intention of Marriage"

The Townsend town vital office record book also provides the marriage record for Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell as[15]:

"Return of Marriages of Rev'd David Palmer and as follows:
...
October 21 [1810] Zachariah Hildreth Jnr to Hannah Sartell"

A list of the family of Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell was found in a Bible owned by the Northborough Historical Society.[4] The "Milo Hildreth Family Bible Records" shows the following:

Zachariah Hildreth married Hannah Sawtelle Oct-21-1810

Zachariah Hildreth born April 10th-1783 died Jan 22d 1857 Agd 73-9-12
Hannah Sawtelle Nov 6-1789 Jan 13th 1857 " 67-2-7

The list of children includes:

* Aaron Hildreth March 11th 1811 died June 11th 1884 Agd 73-3
* Clarissa Hildreth Aug 18th 1814 " Sept 16th 1819 Agd 5-0-29
* James Hildreth May 3d 1817 " April 13th 1892 - 74-11-10
* Clarissa Hildreth Jan 24th 1820 " July 24th 1852 agd 32-6-0
* Elizabeth Hildreth April 26 1822
* Milo Hildreth Aug 17th 1824
* Moses Hildreth Dec 27th 1828
* Edward Hildreth April 30th 1831
* Harriet Augusta Hildreth July 25th 1835 " July 7th 1850 Agd 14-4-1

In the 1820 U.S. Census, the Zacheus Hildreth Jr. family resided in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[13] The household included:

* two males under age 10
* one male aged 26 to 45
* one female under age 10
* one female aged 26 to 45.

In the 1830 U.S. Census, the Zachariah Hildreth family resided in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[5] The household included:

* one male under age 5
* one male age 5 to 9
* one male age 10 to 14
* one male age 15 to 19
* one male age 20 to 29
* one male age 40 to 49
* one female age 5 to 9
* one female age 10 to 14
* one female age 40 to 49.

In the 1840 U.S. Census, the Zachariah Hildreth family resided in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[6] The household included:

* one male age 5-9
* one male age 10-14
* one male age 20-29
* one male age 50-59
* one female under age 5
* one female age 15-19
* one female age 20-29
* one female age 40-49.

In the 1850 U.S. Census, the Zachariah Hildreth family resided in Townsend, Middlesex County, Massachusetts.[7] The family included:

* Zachariah Hildreth, age 61, male, a farmer, $1000 in real property, born Massachusetts
* Hannah Hildreth, age 57, female, born New Hampshire
* Harriet A. Hildreth, age 14, female, born Massachusetts, attended school.

The death record for Zachariah Hildreth states that he was a cooper, aged 73, and a widower when he died of consumption in Townsend MA on 22 January 1857.[10] He was born in Townsend Massachusetts, the son of Zachariah and Betsy Hildreth.

The Townsend Vital Records book contains a burial record of Zachariah Hildreth in New Cemetery. The record says for the family group[11]:

Hildreth, Clarissa, d. Zachariah & Hannah, Sept. 16, 1820,a. 5y. 29d.
Hildreth, Harriet A., July 7, 1850, a. 14y. 11m., 12d.
Hildreth, Hannah, w. Zachariah, Jan. 13, 1857, a. 67y.
Hildreth, Zachariah, Jan. 22, 1857, a. 73y.

Milo Hildreth was appointed administrator of the estate of Zachariah Hildreth of Townsend Massachusetts.[12] A court of probate was held at Charlestown on 17 February 1857 at which the following memorial was read:

The Memorial of "Milo Hildreth" of "Northborough" in said county "Worcester", Respectfully represents That "Zachariah Hildreth" who last dwelt in "Townsend" in said county of Middlesex within "two" months last died intestate, possessed of goods and estate remaining to be administered, leaving "no" widow and "6" children, "a child of a deceased that undersigned being his heirs-at-law desiring that your Memorialist should be appointed administrator of the estate of said deceased."

That no creditor is willing to administer on said estate. That the said Memorialist is ready to give Bond, with sufficient sureties, for the due performance of said trust. Wherefore your Memorialist prays that he may be appointed Administrator on the estate of said deceased, in manner and form as the law in such case provides.

/signed/ "Milo Hildreth"

The undersigned being all the Parties interested in the foregoing Petition, desire the same may be granted.

/signed/ "Aaron Hildreth" "Joseph Chaffin" "Elizabeth Chaffin"
"Moses H. Hildreth" "Edward Hildreth"

The estate of Zachariah Hildreth was appraised by Joel Emery, Daniel Spaulding, and Ralph Ball on 10 February 1857 to be $65.24.

5) SOURCES

1. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), "Townsend Births, Marriages and Deaths," page 98 (penned, image 163 of 1351), Zachariah Hildreth entry.

2. Henry C. Hallowell (editor), Vital Records of Townsend, Massachusetts (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1992), page 276, Zachariah Hildreth birth entry.

3. Townsend, Massachusetts, Certificate of Birth, Zachariah Hildreth, 10 April 1783; Town Clerk's Office, Townsend, Mass. (certificate dated 12 January 1995).

4. Richard C. Fipphen, "Bible Records - Northborough Historical Society," The Mayflower Descendant, Vol. 35, No. 2 (July 1985), page 157, Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtelle entry.

5. 1830 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Townsend town, page 265, Zachariah Hildreth household; indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M19, Roll 67.

6. 1840 United States Federal Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, population schedule, Townsend; Page 204, Zachariah Hildreth household, indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M704, Roll 190.

7. 1850 United States Federal Census, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, population schedule; Townsend town, Page 312, Zachariah Hildreth household, indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 796.

8. "Massachusetts State Census, 1855," indexed database and digital image, FamilySearch.org (https://www.familysearch.org), Middlesex County, Townsend, image 16 of 31, dwelling #1, family #1, Zachariah Hildreth household.

9. Massachusetts, Town Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com, "Townsend Births, Marriages and Deaths," Page 98, on image 163, Zachariah Hildreth's birth entry.

10. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," indexed database and digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Deaths: Volume 112, Page 173, Townsend, 1857; Zachariah Hildreth death entry.

11. Henry C. Hallowell (editor), Vital Records of Townsend, Massachusetts, page 355, New Cemetery, Townsend, Mass., Zachariah Hildreth burial entry.

12. "Probate Records 1648-1924 (Middlesex County, Massachusetts)," 886 FHL US/CAN Microfilms, Zachariah Hildreth of Townsend, Probate Packet 34,181, accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,481,276.

13. 1820 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Townsend, Page 569, Zacheus Hildreth household; indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M33, Roll 51.

14. Henry C. Hallowell (editor), Vital Records of Townsend, Massachusetts, page 62, Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell marriage intention entry.

15. Townsend, Massachusetts, Certificate of Marriage, Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell, 21 October 1810; Town Clerk's Office, Townsend, Mass. (certificate dated 12 January 1995).

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