Welcome to my genealogy blog. Genea-Musings features genealogy research tips and techniques, genealogy news items and commentary, genealogy humor, San Diego genealogy society news, family history research and some family history stories from the keyboard of Randy Seaver (of Chula Vista CA), who thinks that Genealogy Research Is really FUN!
Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2006-2024.
The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by Date Updated during the period from 20 to 26 July 2024:
The ADDED and Updated collections include:
* U.S., Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from the United States. The records are dated between the 1600s and the present.
* UK and Ireland, Find a Grave® Index, 1300s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from the United Kingdom and Ireland. The records are dated between the 1300s and the present.
* Canada, Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Canada. The records are dated between the 1600s and the present.
* Australia and New Zealand, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Australia and New Zealand. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present.
* Sweden, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Sweden. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present.
* Norway, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Norway. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present.
* Mexico, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Mexico. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present.
* Germany, Find a Grave® Index, 1600s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Germany. The records are dated between the 1600s and the present.
* Italy, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Italy. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present.
* Brazil, Find a Grave® Index, 1800s-Current; indexed records without record images, Updated 7/25/2024. This database contains an index to cemetery and burial details posted on Find a Grave® from Brazil. The records are dated between the 1800s and the present.
* North Carolina, U.S., Birth Indexes, 1800-2000; indexed records with record images, Updated 7//22/2024. This database is an index to almost 7 million births occurring in the State of North Carolina, USA, between 1913 and 2000.
* UK and Commonwealth, Law Examination Records, 1836-1948; indexed records with record images, Updated 7/18/2024. This collection contains registries of those who sat for their law exams from the United Kingdom and countries belonging to the Commonwealth between 1836 and 1948.
* Aberdeenshire, Scotland, Poor Law Applications and Registers, 1818-1923; indexed records with record images, ADDED 7/18/2024. This collection contains records relating to the relief of people living in poverty in the historic counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, and Kincardineshire, Scotland.
By my count, there were 1NEW record collection ADDED this past week, per the list above. There are now 33,537 collections available as of 26 July,an INCREASE of1 from last week.
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Disclosure: I pay for an All-Access subscription from Ancestry.com. In past years. Ancestry.com provided a complimentary All Access subscription, material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and hosted events and meals that I have attended in Salt Lake City.
Please note that all Comments are moderated so they may not appear immediately.
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
Agnes Bell "Aggie" Smith was born 26 February 1868 in Rolling Prairie, Dodge County, Wisconsin, the 4th child and 3rd daughter of Devier James and Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith.[1-2] The Devier J. Smith family Bible records the birth as "Agnes Bell Smith, Feb. 26th 1868."[1] Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith's family papers record the same information.[2]
The family soon moved to Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa. Agnes Bell Smith died there and the family Bible has the entry "Agnes Bell Smith, April 26th 1870."[3] Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith's family papers record the same information.[4]
Agnes Bell "Aggie" Smith was buried in Bedford Cemetery in Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa.[5]The inscription says:
"Aggie
Dau of
D. J. & A. A. Smith
Died
April 23, 1870
Aged 2 yrs 2 months"
SOURCES:
1. unknown, Devier J. Smith, 1889-1920, Devier J. Smith Family Bible [loose pages of Birth, Marriages, Death and Note Pages] (no publication information), Births: Agnes Bell Smith entry, 26 February 1868; originals privately held by Randall J. Seaver, 1154 Via Trieste, Chula Vista CA 91911, 1988.
2. Smith/Carringer Family Correspondence (Loose Letters, 1888–1902), Abigail (Vaux) Smith list of family births and deaths, Agnes Bell Smith birth entry, 26 February 1868; originals privately held by Randall J. Seaver, 1154 Via Trieste, Chula Vista CA 91911, 1988.
3. unknown, Devier J. Smith, 1889-1920, Devier J. Smith Family Bible [loose pages of Birth, Marriages, Death and Note Pages], Deaths, Agnes Bell Smith entry, 26 April 1870.
4. Smith/Carringer Family Correspondence, Abigail (Vaux) Smith list of family births and deaths, Agnes Bell Smith death entry, 26 April 1870.
5. Find A Grave, indexed and imaged, (https://www.findagrave.com), Bedford Cemetery, Bedford, Iowa, Agnes Bell "Aggie" Smith (1868-1870) memorial #55813425.
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Lucian H. "Lutie" Smith was born 16 June 1875 in Bedford, Taylor County, Iowa, the 5th child and 2nd son of Devier James and Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith.[1-2] The Devier J. Smith family Bible records the birth as "Leutie H. Smith, June 18th 1875."[1] Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith's family papers record the same information.[2]
The family soon moved to Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas. Lucian H. Smith died there and the family Bible has the entry "Leutie H. Smith, March 19th 1878."[3] Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith's family papers record the same information.[4]
Lucian H. "Leutie" Smith was buried in Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Concordia, Cloud CounKansas.[5]The inscription says:
"Our Little
LUTIE
Son of D.J.
and A.A. Smith
Died
Mar. 19 1878
Aged
[stone broken]"
SOURCES:
1. unknown, Devier J. Smith, 1889-1920, Devier J. Smith Family Bible [loose pages of Birth, Marriages, Death and Note Pages] (no publication information), Births: Leutie H. Smith entry, 18 June 1875; originals privately held by Randall J. Seaver, 1154 Via Trieste, Chula Vista CA 91911, 1988.
2. Smith/Carringer Family Correspondence (Loose Letters, 1888–1902), Abigail (Vaux) Smith list of family births and deaths, Lucian H. Smith birth entry, 18 June 1875; originals privately held by Randall J. Seaver, 1154 Via Trieste, Chula Vista CA 91911, 1988.
3. unknown, Devier J. Smith, 1889-1920, Devier J. Smith Family Bible [loose pages of Birth, Marriages, Death and Note Pages], Deaths, Leutie H. Smith entry, 19 March 1878.
4. Smith/Carringer Family Correspondence, Abigail (Vaux) Smith list of family births and deaths, Lucian H. Smith death entry, 19 March 1878.
5. Find A Grave, indexed and imaged, (https://www.findagrave.com), Pleasant Valley Cemetery, Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas, Lutie Smith (1875-1878) memorial #96353655.
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Agnes Bell "Aggie"Smith (1868-1870) was my great-grandaunt, the sister of my great-grandmother, Abbie Ardell "Della" (Smith) Carringer (1862-1944).
Lucian H. "Lutie"Smith (1875-1878) was my great-granduncle, the brother of my great-grandmother, Abbie Ardell "Della" (Smith) Carringer (1862-1944).
Two deaths of small children in one family must have been heartbreaking and profoundly sad for the parents and three older siblings.
I have posted over 500 genealogical sketches of my ancestors back through the 7th great-grandparents and a number of close relatives - see the list in 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies.
This "52 Relatives" theme is a weekly series to document the lives of siblings of my ancestors with relatively short genealogical sketches, including important events, and with source citations. These relatives lived and died within a family structure, and deserve a genealogical sketch - they were integral parts and important persons in the lives of my ancestral families. I will post the sketches on my Ancestry Member Tree, WikiTree, and in the FamilySearch Family Tree.
Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
These essential new records make building the English and Welsh branches of your family tree easier than ever. We've also added over 360,000 pages to our newspaper collection.
We updated our National Burial Index for England & Wales records this week, adding 17,656 records from the English county of Herefordshire. These useful new transcriptions cover 230 years, so if your ancestor was buried in Herefordshire between 1582 and 1812, their name may just appear.
But that's not it for the National Burial Index for England & Wales. We also added 21,174 burial records from Powys in Wales. These new additions span from 1513 to 1851.
To round off our trio of burial record updates we have 351 additions to the Greater London Burial Index. These new records are from the Latymer Upper School in Hammersmith and cover 1914-1918 and 1939-1945. These new records may reveal key information about the deaths of ancestors who lived in the capital during either of the world wars.
366,562 brand new pages were added to our newspaper collection this Findmypast Friday, bringing our total page count up to a mind-boggling 81 million.
Two new titles - the Banbridge Leader and the Shropshire Star - joined the archive. We also updated 15 of our existing publications, with new pages from across England and Scotland. Here's everything we've added to our newspaper collection this Findmypast Friday.
Would you like to discover the rich tapestry of Britain's history through old newspapers? Whether you're a history lover or a genealogy enthusiast, our new Facebook community is a space where you can immerse yourself in the captivating world of Britain's printed history.
Join us today to explore and celebrate the fascinating stories that have shaped our nation.
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Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.
Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
I haven't used Perplexity as an AI tool for genealogy research much to date - it is Free or Pro ($) to use. Thomas MacEntee mentioned it in his recent presentation to the San Diego Genealogical Society, so I got around to trying it out today.
I wondered if Perplexity could find out information on the Internet about a specific person, and be able to synthesize the information into a report.
My research subject was my 4th great-grandfather Martin Carringer (1758-1835), so I crafted this prompt:
"Please create a biography from published sources of Martin Carringer (1758-1835), likely son of Henrich and Rosina Carringer, husband of Mary Houx, and father of a number of children. He lived in Pennsylvania and settled in Mercer County in 1796. He served in the Revolutionary War. Tell me about his military service, settling in Mercer County, land records, probate records, and the names and lifespans of his children."
The response was:
Martin Carringer was born around 1758, likely in Pennsylvania to parents of German heritage. While his parentage is not definitively known, it's possible he was the son of Henrich "Henry" Carringer and Rosina, based on circumstantial evidence.Martin served as a private in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment during the Revolutionary War. Records show he served from May 4 to May 31, 1781, in a detachment transporting provisions for troops to Pittsburgh. He received pay for 61 days at one shilling per day.In 1785, Martin married Maria Magdalena Hoax (also known as Mary Houx) in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The couple had several children:
Johann Jacob Carringer (1785-1865)
Maria Elisabetha Carringer (1789-1850)
Katharine Carringer (1792-after 1860)
George Carringer (1795-1870)
Calli Carringer (1797-before 1810)
Heinrich Carringer (1800-1881)
Soloman Carringer (1802-after 1820)
Joseph Carringer (1805-1869)
In 1796, Martin Carringer moved his family to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where he was one of the early settlers. He established a farm in Sandy Creek township, which later became part of Perry township.Martin wrote his will on March 3, 1830, which was proved on February 4, 1835, in Mercer County. In his will, he bequeathed to his son Henry 150 acres "laid off the east end of the plantation" and to his son George "the residue of the aforesaid plantation".Martin Carringer died on January 25, 1835, in Sandy Creek township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Kelso Cemetery, located on private land south of Wolf Road and about 0.2 miles east of Fredonia Road in Perry township. His tombstone reads "Martin Carringer departed this life January 25, 1835 in the 80th year of his age".Martin's Revolutionary War service and his role as an early settler in Mercer County are noted in several historical accounts. He is mentioned prominently in the "History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania," published by Brown, Runk & Co in Chicago.
I then asked"can you describe his Revolutinoary War Service in more detail?"
Here is the response:
Based on the search results, Martin Carringer's Revolutionary War service can be described in more detail as follows:Martin Carringer served as a private in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment during the Revolutionary War. His service record includes several specific periods:
From May 4 to May 31, 1781, he served in a detachment of four men under Sergeant Robert Porter, transporting provisions for troops down the river to Pittsburgh. He received pay for 61 days at one shilling per day.
From June 1 to July 31, 1781, he continued serving in the same detachment, boating forage and provisions on the Monongahela River to Pittsburgh. Again, he was paid for 61 days at one shilling per day.
In October 1781, he served in the same detachment and was paid one shilling per day. The receipt for this period was signed "Martin Carringer, Priv. 8th Penna Rgt."
In February, March, and April of 1783, he was on the roll of Captain John Clark's company in a detachment from the Pennsylvania line commanded by Lt. Col. Stephen Bayard.
Martin Carringer enlisted from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on September 4, 1776. His name appears on the list of soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line who were entitled to receive donation lands. The record indicates he was awarded 200 acres as a private.For his service, Martin Carringer was officially listed as a Pennsylvania Revolutionary War pensioner on June 19, 1824, when he was 75 years old. He applied for his pension on April 12, 1824, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 65.Additionally, Martin Carringer applied for a Bounty Land Warrant in 1827, which was presented to the Treasury on April 17, 1827, by U.S. Senator William Marks. He was awarded 100 acres of land.It's worth noting that there are some discrepancies in the spelling of his name in various records, appearing as "Martin Cariger," "Martin Callinger," and "Martin Carringer" on different documents.
And another query: "can you more fully describe the land records and probate records?"
And the response was:
Land Records
Martin Carringer received several land grants as a result of his service in the Revolutionary War. Notably, he was awarded 200 acres of donation land under Warrant No. 941, located in District No. 5 in what is now Perry Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. This land was surveyed on October 3, 1785, by Benjamin Lodge, D.S., and was initially described as being in Westmoreland County.After moving to Mercer County around 1795 or early 1796, Martin Carringer established a farm. Historical records indicate that he built a cabin on his land shortly after arriving. The farm remained in the Carringer family for several generations. In his will, Martin bequeathed 150 acres of the plantation to his son Henry and the remaining portion to his son George.Additionally, Martin Carringer applied for and received a Bounty Land Warrant in 1827, which entitled him to 100 acres of land located in Township 8, Range 6 in the U.S. Military District of Ohio, specifically in the southern part of Holmes County, Ohio.
Probate Records
Martin Carringer's will was written on March 3, 1830, and was proved on February 4, 1835, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. The will provides detailed instructions for the distribution of his estate:
To his son Henry, he bequeathed 150 acres from the east end of the plantation.
To his son George, he left the remainder of the plantation.
The probate records confirm that Martin Carringer's estate included significant land holdings, which were divided among his children according to his wishes. The probate process also involved the inventory and appraisal of his personal property, which would have been typical for estates of that period.
Children and Their Lifespans
Martin Carringer and his wife, Maria Magdalena "Mary" Houx, had several children. The names and lifespans of their children are as follows:
Johann Jacob Carringer (1785-1865)
Maria Elisabetha Carringer (1789-1850)
Katharine Carringer (1792-after 1860)
George Carringer (1795-1870)
Calli Carringer (1797-before 1810)
Heinrich Carringer (1800-1881)
Soloman Carringer (1802-after 1820)
Joseph Carringer (1805-1869).
These records provide a comprehensive view of Martin Carringer's life, his contributions during the Revolutionary War, his settlement in Mercer County, and the legacy he left through his land and family.
My final prompt was: "can you weave all of this information with the source links into one response without dropping anything?"
And it did, and put headings on the different paragraphs, and had the source links too. Here is the final product:
Martin Carringer (1758-1835): A Revolutionary War Veteran and Pioneer Settler
Early Life and Family BackgroundMartin Carringer was born around 1758, likely in Pennsylvania, to parents of German heritage. While the exact details of his parentage are not definitively known, it is possible that he was the son of Henrich "Henry" Carringer and Rosina, based on circumstantial evidence.Revolutionary War ServiceMartin Carringer served as a private in the 8th Pennsylvania Regiment during the Revolutionary War. His service record includes several specific periods:
From May 4 to May 31, 1781, he served in a detachment of four men under Sergeant Robert Porter, transporting provisions for troops down the river to Pittsburgh. He received pay for 61 days at one shilling per day.
From June 1 to July 31, 1781, he continued serving in the same detachment, boating forage and provisions on the Monongahela River to Pittsburgh. Again, he was paid for 61 days at one shilling per day.
In October 1781, he served in the same detachment and was paid one shilling per day. The receipt for this period was signed "Martin Carringer, Priv. 8th Penna Rgt."
In February, March, and April of 1783, he was on the roll of Captain John Clark's company in a detachment from the Pennsylvania line commanded by Lt. Col. Stephen Bayard.
Martin enlisted from Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania, on September 4, 1776. His name appears on the list of soldiers of the Pennsylvania Line who were entitled to receive donation lands. For his service, Martin Carringer was officially listed as a Pennsylvania Revolutionary War pensioner on June 19, 1824, when he was 75 years old. He applied for his pension on April 12, 1824, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, at the age of 65. Additionally, Martin applied for a Bounty Land Warrant in 1827 and was awarded 100 acres of land.Marriage and FamilyIn 1785, Martin married Maria Magdalena "Mary" Houx in Westmoreland County, Pennsylvania. The couple had several children:
Johann Jacob Carringer (1785-1865)
Maria Elisabetha Carringer (1789-1850)
Katharine Carringer (1792-after 1860)
George Carringer (1795-1870)
Calli Carringer (1797-before 1810)
Heinrich Carringer (1800-1881)
Soloman Carringer (1802-after 1820)
Joseph Carringer (1805-1869)
Settling in Mercer CountyIn 1796, Martin Carringer moved his family to Mercer County, Pennsylvania, where he was one of the early settlers. He established a farm in Sandy Creek township, which later became part of Perry township. Historical records indicate that he built a cabin on his land shortly after arriving. The farm remained in the Carringer family for several generations.Land RecordsMartin received several land grants as a result of his military service. Notably, he was awarded 200 acres of donation land under Warrant No. 941, located in District No. 5 in what is now Perry Township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. This land was surveyed on October 3, 1785, by Benjamin Lodge, D.S., and was initially described as being in Westmoreland County. Additionally, he received 100 acres of land in the southern part of Holmes County, Ohio, through a Bounty Land Warrant in 1827.Probate RecordsMartin Carringer's will was written on March 3, 1830, and was proved on February 4, 1835, in Mercer County, Pennsylvania. The will provides detailed instructions for the distribution of his estate:
To his son Henry, he bequeathed 150 acres from the east end of the plantation.
To his son George, he left the remainder of the plantation.
The probate records confirm that Martin Carringer's estate included significant land holdings, which were divided among his children according to his wishes. The probate process also involved the inventory and appraisal of his personal property, which would have been typical for estates of that period.Death and LegacyMartin Carringer died on January 25, 1835, in Sandy Creek township, Mercer County, Pennsylvania. He was buried in Kelso Cemetery, located on private land south of Wolf Road and about 0.2 miles east of Fredonia Road in Perry township. His tombstone reads "Martin Carringer departed this life January 25, 1835 in the 80th year of his age".Martin's Revolutionary War service and his role as an early settler in Mercer County are noted in several historical accounts. He is mentioned prominently in the "History of Mercer County, Pennsylvania," published by Brown, Runk & Co in Chicago.This biography captures the key aspects of Martin Carringer's life, including his military service, family, settlement in Mercer County, land records, and probate details.
That's enough for now, but you can see that it searches the Internet for information to help create the biographical sketch. Of course, I, and other researchers, have written books, newspaper articles and blog posts about this person. But, you never know what it may find!
If it doesn't find information about your subject, but you have the subject in your family tree, Perplexity (and other AI tools) can take a set of notes or a timeline to write a genealogical sketch for you, but more information rather than less is best! Just copy and paste it into the Perplexity search box.
Note that Perplexity can:
Put source links after many of the statements, although when I copy them into Blogger they are invisible, but if you click in the blank space you can see the source document on the Internet!
Find images online for the person (if available).
Respond to requests for more information about specific issues.
Offer possible questions for more information.
Can summarize everything but you have to ask for the summary and the source links.
Can copy your chat segments to put into a word processor, and provides the source links.
Saves the chat for some period of time, and you can add onto it.
This took about 10 minutes to complete the prompt and responses.
I doubt that this works for published books or newspaper articles, unless they have been published on the Internet by someone other than a record provider. In the above responses, one of the sources was WikiTree, and one was for my article on Scribd, plus several of my blog posts including one from last week).
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Copyright (c) 2024, Randall J. Seaver Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.
Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
