SCGS Genealogy Jamboree News and App

The 2013 Genealogy Jamboree is just around the corner, June 7th to 9th, at the Los Angeles Marriott Burbank, 2500 Hollywood Way, Burbank. The Family History and DNA conference is held on Thursday, June 6.

The Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree blog has several announcements today:

*  Jamboree: Class Selection Survey Now Available

*  Free Webinar on June 1 - Sneak Peek at Jamboree

*  #SCGS2013 Genealogy Jamboree App Now Available!

*  Jamboree:  Ancestry Will Scan Your Documents FREE! #SCGS2013

Today, May 24th, is the last day for Jamboree Registration and for reservations for special event breakfasts, lunches and dinners.  It ends at midnight PDT, 24 May.

Walk-in registration will open at 7:00 a.m. for the DNA conference on June 6. Walk-in registration for Jamboree will be open at 12:00 noon Friday and at 8:00 a.m. Saturday and Sunday. Registrations are available for each day, and for the three-day Jamboree.

To register online:
DNA and Family History Conference
SCGS Current and New Members 
SCGS Nonmembers 

Here are some screen shots of the 2013 Jamboree App:

1)  The Dashboard:

There are icons for My Schedule, Exhibitors, Maps, Classes, Speakers, Show Documents, Photo Gallery, Videos, Twitter, Friends, Attendees, Downloads, Facebook, LinkedIn and SCGS Library.

I don't have any classes on My Schedule yet, so i'll show that later.

The only Map available to date is a local street map.  I expect that a map of the classrooms and the exhibit hall will be added.

There are several Show documents available.

There are no entries yet in the Photo Gallery, Videos, Friends, or Downloads areas yet.

2)  The "Exhibitors" icon leads to an alphabetical list of exhibitors:

Clicking on one of them reveals contact information about each exhibitor:

I can click on the "Visited" button after I visit Denise at her booth.

3)  The "Classes" icon on the Dashboard leads me to a choice between "Browse by Day" or "Browse by Track:"

I chose "Browse by Day" and went to Friday, and saw the list of classes available by time, class number, presenter, and class title:

Clicking on a Class, more information is provided:

One interesting item I don't recall seeing is the "Class Notes" button on the class item above - I can tap right into the class notes area o my iPhone or Samsung tablet.

However, the class location is not provided yet.  I hope that it will be!

4)  I added information to My Profile (in the "Friends" or "Attendee" icon, I can't recall!), and was soon added to the list of "Attendees:"

What's missing?  There's no "Official Bloggers" list this year, but if bloggers highlight their posts on Twitter they should be found by Jamboree attendees with the App.

The 2013 Jamboree App seems to be updated on a regular basis.

I need to add the "My Schedule" items (I filled out the class schedule survey this week) and then I'll post the classes that I hope to attend each day.  I also need to add the App to my tablet.

The SCGS Genealogy Jamboree starts two weeks from today - I sure hope to see many Genea-Musings readers and genea-bloggers there!  I'm really looking forward to it.  Linda and I will come on Thursday afternoon on the Amtrak train, and return on Sunday evening to San Diego.  I am not attending the Family History and DNA Conference on Thursday.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/scgs-genealogy-jamboree-news-and-app.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Follow-Up Friday - Helpful and Interesting Reader Comments

This week's helpful and interesting, and sometimes challenging, reader comments (and my brilliant repartee) include:

1)  On Dear Randy - How Do I Research My German Ancestors? (posted 21 May 2013):

*  Annick commented:  "You gave very good advice to Dieter. I am in the same boat, but I am from France with NO one on this side of the pond either. My family doesn't really want to cooperate, so I had to fend for myself. I have found lots of leads on Geneanet (great suggestion), I have searched for blogs like yours in French for tips and tricks on how to research in France over the internet, I have gone to each of the "departements" official sites where I know I have ancestors and searched in their on line records (I am sure the Lander in Germany has some too), I have a world subscription at Ancestry.com which was very disappointing (over $300 for a total of 25 documents with no hope of finding more), I have paid for a membership in the genealogical society of the department where I have the most ancestors and plan on doing it again in another where I have found some leads (advise I got from numerous American genealogy blogs). And I have downloaded loads of great French Google books for FREE to improve my knowledge of my country's history to allow me to place my folks in the proper context. I am learning so much about the past, if not so much about my family, but this makes me happy anyway and it certainly gives a workout to my brain."

*  bgwiehle offered:  "Your correspondent has 3 major advantages: he knows the language (which helps immensely with older texts and handwriting), he has lived and was schooled in Germany (will be familiar with German geography, history and civil procedures), and he is now in the US (some record-access restrictions in Germany are not applied when looking at the same records in the USA, esp. FamilySearch microfilms).

"Hopefully he has contacts and will find someone with knowledge of his family's origins a couple of generations back. Without a starting place, finding records will be like looking for the proverbial needle. There have been MAJOR population movements in the last 150 years that complicate people's origins in Germany - from the late industrial revolution to the two World Wars to the end of the Iron Curtain and more recent times. Assuming from his query for German ancestors that his family is not Polish, Russian, Turkish, etc. within recent memory (or obvious surname), they might still have been displaced from some other region in Europe.

"Most of the resources you mentioned will be helpful to orient a beginner genealogist. Once past that point, they focus on English-speaking, usually US, descendants of the German immigrants. Even in Crista Cowan's talk on German research last week, the focus was on searching all the US records first - censuses, then naturalizations, then passenger lists, and finally in Germany itself, maybe. Not helpful to Dieter, the new immigrant himself.

"Correction to your point 3): It should not be necessary to subscribe to the World Deluxe subscription at Ancestry.com if only German records are needed - subscribe at the German site, Ancestry.de

"A MAJOR German website that was omitted from your blog post, is GenWiki [http://wiki-de.genealogy.net/Hauptseite], which has its own mailing lists, family trees (Ortsfamilienbücher & Gedbas), links to regional genealogical societies and many, many other resources. Many of the sub-domains have multiple language options."

*  Ernie Thode said:  "I would also suggest the metasearch site

http://meta.genealogy.net/ to get 10 different databases at once, including, among other things, Ortsfamilienbücher (local heritage books), submitted family research, and directories (Adressbücher). This is the metasearch site for the GenWiki that bwiehle mentions, kind of a one-stop shopping site. This is available in both German and English."

*  Gary Fredericksen noted:  "Great suggestions. I would like to suggest two additional basic sources - 1) Google "Genealogy Research Germany (or any other country) and 2) review what is on Cyndislist. Both of these give good starting places in addition to what you gave."

*  Jeff Hodge said:  "I just want to point out one of the FamilySearch instructional videos (Randy's list #2). On the second page of that link is a couple of excellent courses in German handwriting. It really helped me with some Bible records figuring out person's names, dates, places, and terms (marriage, etc)."

*  Anonymous commented:  "If one lives in San Diego County, the San Diego Genealogy Society has a German interest group that meets the 3rd Wednesday of the month, 1:00 at the Family History Center in Mission Valley. Next meeting is June 19. Also Ancestry.com just posted a new video on YouTube about German research."

*  Bobbie offered:  "I have found good connections on http://www.genealogienetz.de/genealogy.html and  http://www.geneanet.org

"There are a number of German genealogy groups in the US, that may be of some help."

My comments:  THANK YOU all (and I'm sure that Dieter thanks you too!) for all of the great suggestions and commentary.  What a wonderful example of crowd sourcing when the geneablogger has no clue... I completely forgot about Cindy's List!  One thing I tried to do for my list was to make it as generic as possible - for most of the items on my list, you could plug in another country in place of "Germany" and get a decent start on researching in that country.

2)  On Ancestry.com Changes Search Results Page Format (16 May 2013):

*  Nancy Marty noted:  "At the moment, I'm frustrated with Ancestry.com's new search format. I had saved a census record several months ago and wanted to go back to see the page before and after it. When I entered the person's name for that census year, it first told me there were too many results to list. Then I added the city, etc. and it couldn't find any results! When I looked closely at my saved document, I noticed the name, Schaufert, didn't have the 'c' in it. Previously, Ancestry would have included that in the results. I had to spell it the same way for it to be included in the results. I checked and nowhere did I have an exact box checked. And the new format didn't give me a column on the right with suggestions of other records for this person. I loved that! So far, I can't say I like the new format and the results of the searches I've done tonight."

My comment:  I think that you could have found your previously found record by going to the Shoebox on the Ancestry home page and clicking the "Downloaded and printed records" tab.  A "Best Practice" might be to save every record you want to keep to the Shoebox.  It's just one more click and could save you lots of time searching for it again.  

I don't believe that Ancestry has changed the search algorithms recently, only the search box on the home page.  The "Search" tab fields and settings are "sticky," meaning they are set the way you had them the last time you used them.  It's possible that your earlier search used settings somewhat different than when you tried recently.

*  Sharon said:  "The only way I use Ancestry.com is with 'old search.'"

*  Diva Donna commented:  "I'd been able, thru some huge luck, save a search from the really old search page that I continued to use.  I've hated every new search they've come up with.

Now, the only link I had saved, won't bring back that old page, & this new one is worse then the last!  It was so much easier for me to find people in the old search!"

My comment:  "Old Search" is still there, and still works well, at least on the standard Ancestry site (perhaps not on the Ancestry Library Edition site).  You have to go to the "Search" tab, and in the upper right-hand corner, just below the menu ribbon, in very small print, is the "Go to Old Search" link.  The "Old Search" home page even has an "Exact matches only" check box.

My guess is (and I have no inside information about this) that Ancestry will eventually discard "Old Search" and everyone will have to use "New Search" (which will then be the next "Old Search" when another search algorithm set is introduced).  I don't see any benefit to the current "Old Search" and use the "New Search" with all of its' bells and whistles to find my ancestors.

3)  On Surname Saturday - WHEELER (England > Colonial Massachusetts) (18 May 2013):

*  T asked:  "How do you make the name collage? I would love to do this as a wall hanging for my family."

My response:  I did the name collage on http://www.wordle.net.  I made the different name sizes by putting 5 entries for some, down to one entry for others.

4)  On Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of Moses Barber (1652-1733) of South Kingstown, R.I. (16 April 2012):

*  Susan Cline asked:  "Here's a question for all you knowledgeable people. Daughter of Moses Barber and Susannah West was Dinah Barber who married Edward Wilcox in 1716. Born was Martha Wilcox abt 1722 in Westerly, RI. She married Daniel Burdick, 1746 in Stonington, CT. Died in No. Stonington 1815. No record of birth in Westerly Town Hall. No record of marriage in Stonington, and no record of death in North Stonington. Not mentioned in her father's will. Does anyone know anything about Martha Wilcox Burdick? Need for Mayflower connection to George Soule."

My comment:  Perhaps someone will read your question and have an answer.  Unfortunately, the "Silver Book" for George Soule (#3 in the Mayflower Families Through Five Generations series) doesn't carry the Moses Barber/Susannah West descendants forward.  

5)  Thank you to all of my readers, and especially to those that make comments on my posts that are helpful, interesting and challenging.   I learn a lot from them!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/follow-up-friday-helpful-and_24.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Wish List for Legacy Family Tree 8

I asked for reader comments in When Will Legacy Family Tree Version 8 be Available? (posted 20 May 2013) and received several email and several blog comment responses.  They included:

1)  Bobbie (in comments) offered:  "Many of us still have to create written genealogies from our data. I've got a huge one to do. I use Legacy Family Tree because it provides real footnotes that will renumber and can be moved as I edit the text. However what won't change is the numbering system. I want the ability to stop following lines by removing the individuals and have the genealogy renumber itself. Is that too much to ask?"

My comment:  An example of what Bobbie would like to have would be useful.  

2)  Jasia said:  "I'm not much interested in Legacy version 8. What I'm interested in is a mobile app from Legacy that runs on Android!"

My comment:  And I would like a FREE one that runs on both Android and iOS.

3) Sholom offered several ideas in email:

* The ability to calculate non-direct blood relations are terrific!  But there is no option to print out such a relation that makes any sense.

My comment:  Sholom illustrates his first point with an example from his database:  "Donald Alvey Wallace [752]: John Thomas Van Hart [128637]'s 1st cousin twice removed's husband's 1st cousin 6 times removed's husband's wife's husband's 6th great-grandnephew."  The report goes up and down several lines in one straight line list of relationships.  The bottom line for me is, that the two persons are not related by blood assuming the research is complete and correct.

* The option to include "old style" or "new style" dates

* The keyword "say" before a date (was born "say 1750"); the keyword "probably" before a date; handling the keyword "between" in a better manner for dates.

My comment:  I would like to be able to type the word "say" rather than "about" for a date, since that seems to be the modern terminology for a date guess in the periodical and book literature (e.g., NGSQ, NEHGR, TAG).

Legacy seems to allow some words for dates - about, between, probably, possibly, maybe, after - but not others.  "Say" changes to "Est" and "estimated reverts to "Est".

* Handling counties that change jurisdiction better.  E.g.,  Eaton (now Wyoming) County, Pennsylvania -- the program gacks and tells me "there is no such county named 'Eaton (now Wyoming)' in Pennsylvania.

* Is there any reason why "tags" are limited to 10?

* The ability to footnote a date of birth (or any event), and place of that event, separately.  There are times when I have one source for the date, and another source for the place.

My comment:  I totally agree, and highly recommend that this be included.

4)  My own ideas and suggestions:

*  It appears to me that Legacy does not have a Description field for places that could be used for cemeteries, hospitals, addresses, etc.  It also "loses" those descriptions when it imports a GEDCOM file with descriptions.

*  Legacy creates Evidence! Explained quality sources pretty well.  I hope that they "sign on" to the FHISO effort to standardize data transfer between software programs, online trees, and other sites.  

*  It appears to me that Legacy checks only County creation dates, and doesn't check Territory/Province/State creation and change dates, or Country name changes (e.g., German states before 1871).  There are towns that have changed names also.  I don't know how best to implement this, but it's one of the problems that I'm bothered about, since I've chosen to use modern geolocations which include modern names of towns, cities, counties, states, provinces, countries, etc.

I don't think I want to be entering my colonial place names like Sholom suggests - my classic one is Raby (now Brookline), no county (now Hillsborough), Province of New Hampshire (now New Hampshire), British America (now United States).  Perhaps the software companies can add a table of some sort for each location that has a list of the correct jurisdictions between two dates, and then pick the correct jurisdiction to print based on the event date.  An alternative would be to permit users to add historical jurisdictions and then link them to a modern place name and location.  My stopgap is to note the record repository and historical jurisdiction in my notes.

*  It is difficult to find out how to create and print some reports.  For instance, a Relationship Chart that shows how two persons are related can be created by going to Tools > Relationship Calculator > select two persons to create chart > select Print button to see the chart.  That works, but it is not in the Reports menu.  The directions are in the Help menu.

*  I would love to see the capability to create a book or a report (with an index and table of contents) with embedded word processor Field codes.  That way, the user could edit the resulting report or book (e.g., do what Bobbie wanted - eliminate extraneous families from the work) and the table of contents and index would adjust in the word processor.  

*  The Research Guidance features needs to be updated.  For instance, in the Preliminary Survey list, there are only six Lineage-Linked databases listed, and none of them are newer than ten years old.  In the Suggested Sources, many more resources are now online (e.g., the Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915).  

*  The Source, Information and Evidence Quality should be added to the Source Detail box following the Evidence! Explained guidelines.  However, I really like the Surety Level feature and wouldn't want to see that disappear.

*  I would like to see color coding of family lines, and have them be available in reports and charts.  I would also like to see more use of color on the standard charts - e.g., the pedigree chart.

*  Synchronize with FamilySearch Family Tree such that names, dates, places, events, sources, notes, images, etc. can be added easily.  

4)  We don't want much, do we?  The fact is that Legacy Family Tree has so many features that it is almost impossible for an advanced user to remember them all, and it's impossible for a new or casual user to remember them all.  The Help button is my friend.

If readers want to contribute more suggestions to Legacy Family Tree for Version 8, please add them to comments to this post and I'll add them to the wish list above.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/wish-list-for-legacy-family-tree-8.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

U.S. Military Records FREE on FindMyPast from 24 to 27 May

FindMyPast has announced that their United States Military Records collections will be FREE to access between 24 May and 27 May for registered users (not subscribers, but you do have to register).  The email announcement that I received said:

"In honor of Memorial Day on May 27, and in remembrance of all who died while serving our country, findmypast.com will offer its collection of US and International military records for free in the days leading up to national observance.

"With more than 26 million US and International military records available, findmypast.com is encouraging people to explore and learn about the heroic efforts of their ancestors this Memorial Day. Record sets such as ‘Draft Registration Cards,’ ‘Casualties Returned Alive,’ ‘POWs’ and others will offer a captivating glimpse into the lives and experiences of our veteran ancestors.

"The US and International military records will be available free of charge starting at midnight EDT on Thursday, May 23 until midnight EDT on Monday, May 27. Anyone can access the records by registering for free at findmypast.com."

I wondered what record collections were included, so I went to the FindMyPast.com home page and followed the links to the Military collections and found this page:

On the left side, there is a box that lists the collections in the U.S. Military Service and Conflict Records:

 I entered the surname "Seaver" (no variants) in the search field, and clicked on the blue Search button.  There were 341 matches (two screens shown):

Right in the middle of the matches was a link about results found in US and world newspapers.  Those are not just military records - they are for a general surname search.

 In order to see the search results, I had to register or sign in. I signed in, since I have a paid subscription.  I clicked on the first match on the list, and saw the Korean War Casualty File record transcription for Edward J. Seaver:

What about the "International" part of the Military record collections?  I went to the "Search records" tab, selected "Military service & conflicts" and searched for "Smith."  I then selected the "Record set" "Show filter" button, and saw a list of military record collections:

Since I have a current FindMyPast subscription, I can access those collections.  I can't tell if a non-subscriber can access them.  When I did my initial search (not signed in), I did not see the International matches (there were 6).

These record collections provide an opportunity for researchers to access Military records for free for a limited time period.

My attitude is that everybody should be applying the Forrest Gump Principle of Genealogy Research - ""Genealogy research is like a box of chocolates - you never know what you're going to find, but you have to look everywhere your 'genealogy gem' might be hiding."

The URL to this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/us-military-records-free-on-findmypast.html

copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1850 U.S. Census Record for Albert White Household

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 treasure today is the 1850 United States Census record for the Albert White household in Killingly town, Windham County, Connecticut:

The Albert H. White household:

The extracted information for the Albert H. White household, enumerated on 14 September 1850:

*  Albert H. White - age 23, male, a Farmer, real property worth $1200, born Gloucester RI
*  Harriet A. White - age 14, female, born Gloucester RI
*  Maranda White - age 46, female, born Gloucester RI.

The source citation for this 1850 U.S. census entry is:

1850 United States Federal Census, Windham County, Connecticut, population schedule, Killingly town; page 351 (stamped), dwelling #444, family #492, Albert H. White household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 51.

To put this census entry into context, Jonathan White, the husband of Miranda (Wade) White and father of Albert and Harriet, died on 19 April 1850 in Killingly.  He and Miranda were also the parents of Henry White, born in 1824, who we visited last week in Treasure Chest Thursday - 1850 U.S. Census Record for Henry White Family.  

The only obvious errors I see in this census entry are:

*  the spelling of their birthplace - "Glocester" should be "Glocester."
*  Miranda's birthplace may actually be Foster RI (according to a county history book and her parents

I found it interesting that the real estate value was assigned to Albert and not to Miranda.

This is the only record I have for Miranda's approximate age - if she's 46 in this census record, then she was born in 1803 or 1804.  A state history book provides her birth date as 25 June 1804.

Miranda (Wade) White died before this census was enumerated, on 27 August 1850.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/treasure-chest-thursday-1850-us-census_23.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Found Newspaper Articles for Linda's Parents in 1937 in San Francisco

I wondered if any of the online newspaper collections had articles about my wife's parents marriage, or the deaths of her grandfathers, in the San Francisco area.

I checked the GenealogyBank collection for San Francisco newspapers, and noted that they have the San Francisco Chronicle from 1/1/1937 to 12/31/1942.  I did find an engagement article, a marriage application notice, a marriage license notice, and a wedding announcement article in 1937.

The engagement article (dated 10 January 1937):

2)  The Marriage Application notice (dated 1 September 1937):

3)  The Marriage License notice (8 September 1937):

4)  The wedding announcement article (dated 10 October 1937):

The picture is not of my mother-in-law...nor did they "...slip away to Reno..."

The transcription of the article is:


"Young Couple United in Marriage

"Miss Edna May Schaeffner became the bride of Mr. Lee Severt Leland on Saturday, September 11, at Trinity Episcopal Church.

"The bride wore the traditional wedding gown of white satin designed with a train and a lace yoke and collar.  She carried a shower bouquet of orchids, gardenias and lilies of the valley.  Her long tulle veil was held in place by a wreath of orange blossoms.

"Miss Barbara Frahm was the maid of honor and Mrs. S. Blair Mertes was the matron of honor.  They were dressed alike in blue taffeta and carried shower bouquets of talisman roses.  Little Jean Mertes, the flower girl, was in a frock of pink taffeta and carried a basket of pink sweet peas.

"Mr. Al Girot was the best man and the ushers were Mr. Don Armour and Mr. Kenneth Hagist.  After the ceremony, a reception was held at the home of the bride."

5)  Unfortunately, I found no articles about the deaths of Paul F. Schaffner in 1934 (not in Chronicle issues available), or Severt O. Leland in 1940 (not found in Chronicle).

6)  It's always a good idea to check the coverage of every newspaper on the list before you search for a name.

7)  Fold3 has a great collection of the San Francisco Chronicle from the 1860s until 1923.  I've found quite a few articles about the Schaffner, McKnew and other San Francisco families who are my wife's ancestors.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/found-newspaper-article-for-lindas.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Military Records FREE on MyHeritage Through 28 May

MyHeritage announced today that records in their Military record collections will be available FREE through Tuesday, 28 May.  See the MyHeritage Blog post Memorial Day: Free Access to Military Records.

I wondered what record collections are in the Military list on MyHeritage (and on WorldvitalRecords).  I went to the MyHeritage site, and selected the "Research Tab," and the "Military" link.  That opened a search box, and I entered "Smith" as the surname so I could see the list of record collections.  When the results appeared, I clicked on the "Summary" tab to see the list of collections.  There were 219.496 results in 1,431 collections (only two screens below):

The first 11 record collections listed are:

*  World War II Army Enlistment
*  Service Records of Confederate Soldiers
*  Air Force Register Abstracts
*  British Militia Attestations Index, 1886-1910
*  U.S. World War II Prisoners of War, 1941-1945
*  Korean War Casualties, 1950-1957
*  World War II Reserve Corps Records
*  Revolutionary War Pension Records
*  Record of the Massachusetts Volunteers, 1861-1865, Volume 1
*  U.S. Army Casualties, 1961-1981
*  Vietnam Casualties, 1956-1998

There are many more collections listed, but you can see only a list of 100 collections on the "Summary" tab for some reason.

Of course, most of us would not perform a search for "Smith."  I did an exact search for Isaac Seaver and received 7 matches:

I have not seen several of those exact matches, and will spend some time today exploring them to see if they apply to my Isaac Seaver (1823-1901).

In my opinion, there are enough military record collections on MyHeritage, and researchers should consider using this FREE opportunity to search for military records for their ancestors.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/military-records-free-on-myheritage.html

copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Disclosure:  I have a complimentary Premium Plus family tree subscription, and a complimentary Data subscription, to MyHeritage, which I greatly appreciate.  This does not affect my objectivity in evaluating the MyHeritage products.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 257: A Young Edward R. Seaver

I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they aren't Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I am incapable of having a wordless post.

Here is a photograph from the Seaver/Richmond family photograph collection passed to me by my cousin Laura in 2008: 

According to the caption below the photo in the album, this is a photograph of Edward Richmond Seaver (1913-2004), my father's younger brother. They were sons of Frederick W. and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.

My estimate is that he is about age 3 in this photograph, so it was taken in the 1916-1917 time frame.

The setting is probably somewhere near Leominster, Massachusetts.  It may be a park or a rural area where the family visited or went hiking.  

I received this photo, as a digital image, in 2008 from my cousin Laura, who is a great-granddaughter of Grace (Richmond) Shaw, sister to my grandmother, Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver.  Laura had some pictures of our Seaver family that I did not have (because Bessie sent them to Grace), and kindly shared them with me.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-257.html

Copyright (c) 2013) Randall J. Seaver

Dear Randy - How Do I Research My German Ancestors?

On my post MyHeritage Record Matches Keep Delivering News! (dated 4 April 2013), reader Dieter commented:

"I am born in Germany, but came to the US just 15 years ago. Trying to build my family tree is very difficult, because every search I put in relates to US findings only.  I have no family members, who immigrated to the States, can anybody help/advice me, how to get info about German ancestors?"

Dear Dieter,

I do not have any experience with researching German records, either online or in repositories, so I cannot give you first-hand advice.

However, whenever I do not know much about genealogy records or research in a locality, I try to consult published material.  My advice:

1)  Consult the FamilySearch Research Wiki for articles about German records and research in German repositories.  For instance:

*  This link provides a list of articles about "Germany" genealogical research
*  The main article titled "Germany" provides an overview, and online help links
*  FamilySearch currently has 50 record collections with "Germany" in the title
*  The "German Research Websites" wiki page lists many online education and record links

2)  There are 16 video courses on German research on the FamilySearch Learning Center.  See the list for "Germany" here.

3)  There are 99 databases on Ancestry.com with the word "Germany" in them.  You will need a World Deluxe subscription to access them.

4)  The Germany GenWeb Project has links for databases, resources, list of German states, Maps, Ship Lists, Kingdom of Prussia, and Map of Civil Registration.  The list of German states includes links to GenWeb pages for those states.

5)  There are mailing lists, with queries from researchers, and responses from other researchers, for Germany and each one of its states.  And more.  See the list at http://boards.rootsweb.com/localities.ceeurope.germany/mb.ashx.  On the message boards, you can search for a place or surname to see if others have discussed the topic.

6)  If you know where your parents were born, lived, and died (and grandparents too), then you have a start.  If not, then you need to start with your parents (ask them for information if they are still alive, or obtain marriage and death records if they are deceased), and research back one generation at a time, searching for records and family information.  Each record you find may provide clues for more records.

7)  Do you have siblings still in Germany?  If so, do they have records, papers, photographs, etc. about your parents, grandparents, and earlier ancestors?  If not, do you have cousins who are children or grandchildren of siblings of your parents?

8)  There may be online family trees that include your deceased ancestors - the two largest online family trees for western Europe are ( I think!) at MyHeritage and GeneaNet.  There may be some Germany-specific online trees that I am unaware of.

You will have to work through the above websites one by one, carefully gleaning information that will help you.  You may find that there are some online databases with German records, but it's likely that you will have to search for records at repositories in Germany.

I would welcome advice from readers who know more about German research than I do, and I probably missed some obvious resources.  Please comment on this blog post, and I hope that Dieter will see them.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/dear-randy-how-do-i-research-my-german.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Review: "Tracing Your Colonial American Ancestors" Special Magazine

While at the National Genealogical Society 2013 Conference in Las Vegas, I visited the Moorshead Publishing (Internet Genealogy, Family Chronicle and History Magazine) exhibit.  Ed and Rick are great genealogy friends, and gifted me with a copy of one of their excellent special magazines - "Tracing Your Colonial American Ancestors," written by David A. Norris.

The publicity for this magazine says:

"Many Americans can trace at least part of their ancestry back to people who lived in the colonial era.  Each of the original American 'Thirteen Colonies' was unique, and within them, the counties and towns had their own distinctive characteristics.  Fortunately for the genealogist today, the Internet, libraries, archives, books, and microfilm are all available to help find and understand family history information from the colonial era.  I hope that this guide will provide useful ideas and tips for the reader who is digging into the fascinating history of this time."

The Table of Contents for this 84 page special magazine is:

*  page 6 - Colonial Newspapers
*  page 12 - Maps of Colonial America
*  page 15 - Revolutionary War Records
*  page 18 - Births, Marriages & Deaths
*  page 24 - The New Calendar

*  page 26 - Passenger Ship Records
*  page 30 - Tax Rolls & Colonial Censuses
*  page 34 - Militia Records
*  page 38 - Colonial Money
*  page 45 - Colonial Court Records

*  page 50 - The French and Indian Wars
*  page 58 - Indentured Servants
*  page 64 - Voting & Poll Books
*  page 66 - Political Committees
*  page 69 - Probate and Land Records

*  page 73 - Colonial Weights & Measures
*  page 77 - Brands, Ear Marks & Strays
*  page 81 - Predator Bounty Records

Each of these articles discusses the topic in general terms, and often describe online or repository records with information.  In addition, there is a web page (http://www.internet-genealogy.com/Colonial_Extra.htm) listing published and digital record sources of the colonial era, with a state-by-state listing.

The "Tracing Your Colonial American Ancestors" special magazine can be ordered here for $9.95 plus $4.50 shipping (PDF download is $8.95).  Other magazines and books can be ordered through their Book Store.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/review-tracing-your-colonial-american.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Disclosure:  I was provided a copy of this special magazine and was asked to review it.  The gift does not affect my objective evaluation of this magazine.

Tuesday's Tip - "Mondays with Myrt" Hangouts on Air on Google+ and YouTube

This week's Tuesday's Tip is:  Participate in the almost weekly "Mondays With Myrt" family history discussions on Google Plus or watch them on the DearMYRTLE YouTube Channel.

Pat Richley-Erickson, fondly known to many genealogists as DearMYRTLE, is one of the pioneers in communicating with researchers using technology - from AOL to blogs to webinars to Hangouts on air - she has been there.  Currently, Pat is doing "Hangouts On Air" using the Google+ feature, and the resulting "Hangouts On Air" are archived on the DearMYRTLE YouTube Channel.

The "Hangout on Air" feature on Google+ can have up to 10 persons on the panel - each using their own webcam, and can be shown on the screen and can speak (through their microphone) to the people watching the "Hangout on Air."  Pat controls everything from her computer, and her cousin, geneablogger Russ Worthington, helps her stay on track and monitors the comments from the Google+ Community.  I have been a panelist on several of the "Mondays With Myrt" and have enjoyed the experience, and hope that I've contributed some useful ideas and tips.

If you don't want to be on the panel of 10 people, or the panel has 10 members already, you can still watch the "Hangouts On Air" live from the DearMYRTLE's YouTube Channel with only a slight delay (seconds).  Any number of persons can watch the "Hangout On Air" on the YouTube Channel.

You can sign up to be a member of the Google+ DearMYRTLE Community (https://plus.google.com/u/0/communities/104382659430904043232).  Here is what it looks like (two screens shown):

When Pat is going to have a "Hangouts On Air," she posts to the Google+ Community the link to JOIN (as a panelist) the "Hangout On Air."  Once the "Hangout On Air" has started, she posts the link, in the same post stream, to WATCH the "Hangout On Air."  Or, a watcher can go to the DearMYRTLE YouTube Channel and find the active video and watch it there.  Watchers can make comments on the Google+ Community post stream for the "Hangout On Air" and the panelists will often answer or discuss the questions.

Here is a screenshot of a recent "Hangout On Air" from the DearMYRTLE YouTube Channel:

Here is the most recent "Mondays with Myrt" Hangout On Air video from 13 May 2013.  We discussed the NGS Conference during the first part of the Hangout:



I encourage you to watch the archived episodes of "Mondays With Myrt" to see what you've missed, and to try to "tune in" to them when they are scheduled.

The next "Mondays With Myrt" Hangout is on Monday, 3 June, at 12 noon EDT, 11 a.m. CDT, 10 a.m. MDT, 9 a.m. PDT, etc.  Pat updates the calendar on www.GeneaWebinars.com on a regular basis.

You do need to be registered on Google+ (it's free), and be part of the DearMYRTLE's Genealogy  Community to JOIN or to comment.  You can WATCH on the YouTube Channel without being on Google+.

This is a collaborative educational opportunity - with discussions of genealogy news, tips and techniques offered by a number of people.  It's also a lot of fun.  It's like watching a panel of people at a conference discussing genealogical topics of interest.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/tuesdays-tip-mondays-with-myrt-hangouts.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

When Will Legacy Family Tree Version 8 be Available?

I've heard for almost a year through the grapevine that Legacy Family Tree Version 8 was coming, and it may be announced very soon - probably early June.

My clue was:  the Southern California Genealogical Society Genealogy Jamboree list of sessions on Friday, 8 June:

There it is, in the 1:30 p.m. to 2:30 p.m. list of presentations:

FR005 - Geoff Rasmussen - DEMO: "What's New in Legacy Family Tree 8."  Learn about all the great new features in Legacy's newest release - version 8.

Cool, I love new software versions.  Hopefully, they will give a price break for an upgrade from Version 7.5 to Version 8.

I have no clue just what new features will be included in Version 8.  Can anything be really new in this day and age?  I can think of one item:

*  Synchronize with FamilySearch Family Tree (rather than New FamilySearch)

That's it - I'm not very imaginative.

What NEW features would you like to have on Legacy Family Tree Version 8?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/when-will-legacy-family-tree-version-8.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Massachusetts Land Records, 1620-1986 Available on FamilySearch - Digital Microfilm

One of the NEW record collections that appeared today on the FamilySearch collection list is the Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986.  There are records from all 14 counties, but not all counties have records up to 1986.

Here is the process I used to find a deed for my ancestor, Isaac Seaver (1823-1901):

1)  On the Page for the Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986, you have to click on the "Browse through 5,766,135 images" link:

2)  Clicking on the "Browse" link opens the "Waypoint" page for the 14 counties:

3)  On the screen above, I clicked on "Worcester" to get to the County records.  This provided the list of all of the record books available for Worcester County:

I wondered how late the Deed Indexes extended.  The screen below shows that the Deed Index extends to 1889:

Then I wondered what the date for the latest Deed Book was - shown in the screen below to be 1866, with Volume 716:

3)  The next step is to find your target person in the Grantee (obtained the land) and Grantor (granted the land) Deed Indexes.  I knew that Isaac Seaver was born in 1823, so he could buy land in about 1844, so I selected the Grantee Deed Index for the 1840-1889 time period, that contained the surname Seaver.

In order to find the page with your target person, you start on Image 1, and then have to guess the approximate image number in the Deed Index Book.  I call this the "guess, guess again and find" process.  After several guesses (there were 555 images in the selected Deed Index Book), and then going page by page, I found it on image 295:

I wrote down the information for all of the Isaac Seaver persons.  My Isaac Seaver (1823-1901) was known as "Isaac Seaver 3d" all of his life - he was the third adult Isaac Seaver in Westminster, Massachusetts.  I decided to look for the 1847 deed for Isaac Seaver 3d from Samuel A. Monroe in Gardner - it is on Deed Volume 429, page 137.

4)  Rather than using the Back button, I clicked on the "bread crumb trail" above the image - I picked the "Worcester" link because I want to find Deed Book 429.  When I got to the list of record books, I scrolled down and selected "Deeds 1847-1848 vol 428-429."

It opened on Image 1 (of 684), and I did the "guess, guess again and find" process to get to page 137 in Volume 429.  It was on Image 415:

Scrolling down the page, there is the deed where Samuel A. Monroe granted 50 acres of land in Gardner to Isaac Seaver 3d for $900.  Isaac had married Juliet Glazier in 1846 and they had a child in September 1847.

5)  I saved the deed images (it continues on page 138) to my computer Ancestor Files, and now need to transcribe them.

6)  A source citation for this deed, found on FamilySearch, is:

Massachusetts, "Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 20 May 2013), "Worcester County, Deeds, 1847-1848, Volumes 418-419," image 415 of 684, in Volume 429, Page 137, Isaac Seaver deed in Gardner, Mass. from Samuel A. Monroe, 1847.

There are no shortcuts to using this process - you have to find the Deed Index for your person, and note the Deed Volume and Page number, then find the Deed on the noted page.  

This is similar to what a researcher would do using microfilm at the Family History Library, or a local Family History Center.  It is somewhat faster at the FHL or FHC (because scrolling a microfilm takes less time than clicking links and waiting for images to load, but it costs more to obtain it there.  At home, this is essentially FREE "digital microfilm" for researchers, available any day at any hour at our convenience.  

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/massachusetts-land-records-1620-1986.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of John Kenyon (1647-1732) of Westerly, R.I.

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 probate file of John Kenyon (1647-1732) of Westerly, Rhode Island.  John Kenyon married --?-- Mumford (ca 1657 - before 1732) in about 1690, and they had seven children:

*  John Kenyon (1682-1735), married Elizabeth Remington (1686-1747)
*  James Kenyon (1685-1774), married Sarah Gardiner (1688-????)
*  Enoch Kenyon (1688-1781) married (1) Sarah Eldred (1684-????) and (2) Ann Auchmundy (1710-????)
*  David Kenyon (1693-1772) married Mary Sanford (1702-1761)
*  Jonathan Kenyon (1695-1767) married Sarah Rogers (1697-????)
*  Joseph Kenyon (1697-1766) married Marcy --?-- (1690-1764)
*  Samuel Kenyon (1699-1724)

John Kenyon, yeoman of Westerly RI, died testate, having written a will dated 12 June 1732, which was proved on 26 June 1732.  The will reads (transcribed by Randy Seaver from the "Westerly (RI) Town Council and Probate Records," Volume 2, 1731-1745, pages 18-19 (hand numbered), accessed on FHL Microfilm 0,930,805, difficult to read the handwriting in places):


"In the Name of God, Amen, the 12 day of June 1732:  I John Kinyon of Westerly in Kings County in the Colony of Rhoad Island & Providence Plantations in Newengland, yeoman, being Very Sick & Weak in Body but of Right mind & Memory Thanks Be given to God.  Therefore Calling unto mind the Mortality of my Body & Knowing that it is Appointed for all men once to Die, Do make & ordain this my Last will & Testament that is to say - principally (?) & first of all I Give & Recommend my Soul into the Hands of God that gave it & my Body I Recommend to the Earth to be Buried in Decent Christian Burial at the Discression of my Executor Hereafter Named & as touching such worldly Estate wherewith it hath pleased God to bless me in this Life I Give Demise & Dispose of the Same in the following manner.

"First of all I will that all Those Debts & Duties that I do owe in Right or Concience to any manner of Person of Persons whatsoever shall be well & Truly Contacted & paid or Ordained to be paid in Convenient Time after my decease by my Exec^r hereafter named.

"Item  I Give & Bequeath to my Beloved Son John Kinyon Ten pounds to be Raised & Levied Out of my Estate within one year after my decease.

"Item  I Give & Bequeath to my Beloved son James Kinyon Ten pounds to be Raised & Levied Out of my Estate within one year after my decease.

"Item  I Give & Bequeath to my Beloved son Enoch Kinyon Ten pounds to be Raised & Levied Out of my Estate within one year after my decease.

"Item  I Give & Bequeath to my Beloved son David Kinyon Ten pounds to be Raised & Levied Out of my Estate within one year after my decease.

"Item  I Give and Bequeath to my Beloved son Jonathan Kinyon, whom I likewise Constitute make & Ordain my Sole Exec^r of this my Last will & Testament, all my Moveable Estate by him fully to be Possessed & Enjoyed, He paying to each of my Sons Before Named the Sum of money Willed & Bequeathed to Them and I Do utterly Disallow Revoake & Disannull all & Every other former Testaments wills Legacies & Bequests made by me in any way Before Named Willed & Bequeathed. Ratifying & Confirming This & no Other to be my Last will & Testament ???? whereof I have herewith Sett my Hand & Seale the Day & year above Written.

...................................................... The mark of John K Kinyon  (seal)

"Signed Sealed published pronounced & Declared
by the sd Jno Kinyon to be his Last will &
Testament in the Presence of us the Subscribers
John Hall
the mark of Sam^l Larkin
Sam^ll Wilbore"

On 26 June 1732, the subscribers made an oath that they witnessed John Kinyon sign and seal this last will and testament, and that he was in perfect and sane mind and memory when he did so to the best of their knowledge.

The inventory of the moveable estate of John Kinyon was taken by James Addams Junior and John Moxsie.  It is difficult to read some of the entries, but the total is 189 pounds, 8 shillings.  The inventory was accepted by the Town Council on 26 June 1732.

On 26 June 1732, Jonathan Kinyon was ordered to act as executor of the last will and testament of his father and to administer the estate according to the laws of the colony.

John Kenyon had seven sons, and bequeathed to only five of them.  The last son, Samuel, died before the will was written.  What happened to the sixth son, Joseph Kenyon?  He's not mentioned in the will at all.  Did he not exist?  Did he die before 1732?  Was he provided for by his father before the father died?  The likelihood is that Joseph Kenyon died before his father died, and left no issue.  In that case, the information I have about his death date is wrong.

I descend through the first son, John Kenyon who married Elizabeth Remington.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2013/05/amanuensis-monday-probate-records-of_20.html

Copyright (c) 2013, Randall J. Seaver