Saturday, November 21, 2009

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Who is Your MRUA?

Hey, genies, it's Saturday Night, time for some Genealogy Fun!!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it (where's my Mission Impossible music...drat, lost it), is:

1) Who is your MRUA - your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? This is the person with the lowest number in your Pedigree Chart or Ahnentafel List that you have not identified a last name for, or a first name if you know a surname but not a first name.

2) Have you looked at your research files for this unknown person recently? Why don't you scan it again just to see if there's something you have missed?

3) What online or offline resources might you search that might help identify your MRUA?

4) Tell us about him or her, and your answers to 2) and 3) above, in a blog post, in a comment to this post, or a comment on Facebook or some other social networking site.

Here's mine:

Number 26 on my Ahnentafel List is Devier James Lamphear Smith. I don't know who his parents are - they are Numbers 52 and 53 on my Ahnentafel List. Here are the vital records, and a synopsis of what I know about Devier's parentage:

Devier James Lamphere alias Smith was born 07 May 1839 in Henderson, Jefferson County, NY, and died 01 May 1894 in McCook, Red Willow County, NE. He married Abigail A. Vaux 04 April 1861 in Rolling Prairie, Dodge County, WI, daughter of Samuel Vaux and Mary Underhill. She was born 28 October 1844 in Aurora, Erie County, NY, and died 11 September 1931 in San Diego, San Diego County, CA.

Based on the available personal, public and government records, this person was born with the name Devier James Lamphere, probably in Jefferson County, New York. His birth parents have not been identified to date. He was adopted by Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith before 1843, when the Smith family moved from Jefferson County, New York to Dodge County, Wisconsin.


My hypotheses are that (1) Devier's father had the surname Lamphere (and variants) or (2) that his mother, with the surname Lamphere, had him out of wedlock and gave him up for adoption.

I have written extensively about my search for the birth parents, ostensibly named Lamphere/Lamphear/Lamphier/Lamfear or Lanphere/Lanphear/Lanphier/Lanfear or any other reasonable spelling of the surname, in Jefferson County, New York in the 1840 time frame. One of my posts, which links to others, is Finding Lamphears in Jefferson County, NY - Post 3.

In my search, I have exhausted the court records in Jefferson County NY that are available on FHL Microfilm, the history books, the online databases, the land record indexes, etc. I've also exhausted the Dodge County, Wisconsin records available on FHL Microfilm and online databases. That leaves unfilmed, unindexed, non-digitized records that might be found in historical societies, genealogical societies, local libraries, and state archives, and private collections.

I've sort of let this problem lapse in recent months since I'm stymied for what to do next. I think that my next step is to search for a marriage record and for newspaper articles in Dodge County, Wisconsin that might name Devier's birth parents, especially around the time that he married in 1861 and when he legally changed his name on 21 March 1866. A lady in Dodge County has offered to do these searches for a fee and I haven't written the check yet. I need to! Hope springs eternal!

If anyone has other research ideas, I would love to hear them!

Surname Saturday - HILDRETH

It's Surname Saturday, and I am working down my Ahnentafel List to highlight each surname in order of appearance. Of course, these lists start with female ancestors and then quickly go to the patrilineal line of those female ancestors.

Today's surname is HILDRETH - a fine English name with a long New England history from the immigrant, Richard Hildreth who settled in Cambridge and then Chelmsford MA in the 1600s.

My Ahnentafel numbers with my direct line to Richard Hildreth (one of my 9th great-grandfathers) are:

1. Randall J. Seaver

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)

8. Frank Walton Seaver (1851-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth, born 28 November 1857 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA; died 29 November 1920 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA. She married Frank Walton Seaver 14 December 1874 in Keene, Cheshire County, NH. He was born 06 June 1852 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA, and died 27 November 1922 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA.

18. Edward Hildreth, born 30 April 1831 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 26 April 1899 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA. He married 19. Sophia Newton 25 December 1852 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA.
19. Sophia Newton, born 14 September 1834 in Springfield, Windsor County, VT; died 29 August 1923 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA. Children of Edward Hildreth and Sophia Newton are:
...9......i. Hattie Louise Hildreth, born 28 November 1857 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA; died 29 November 1920 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA; married Frank Walton Seaver 14 December 1874 in Keene, Cheshire County, NH.
..........ii. Clarence Edward Hildreth, born 24 May 1874 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA; died 21 February 1878 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA.

36. Zachariah Hildreth, born 10 April 1783 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 22 January 1857 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA. He married Hannah Sawtell 21 October 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
37. Hannah Sawtell, born 06 November 1789 in Brookline, Hillsborough County, NH; died 13 January 1857 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA. Children of Zachariah Hildreth and Hannah Sawtell are:
.......... i. Aaron Hildreth, born 11 March 1811 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 11 June 1884 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Sophia Adams 09 April 1833 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; born 02 June 1809 in Lunenberg, Middlesex County, MA; died 14 November 1893 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... ii. Clarissa Hildreth, born 18 August 1814 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 16 September 1819 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... iii. James Hildreth, born 03 May 1817 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Nancy Jane Shattuck 26 August 1840 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; born 26 May 1815 in Bedford, Middlesex County, MA; died 29 November 1898 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA.
.......... iv. Clarissa Hildreth, born 24 January 1820 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 24 July 1852 in Mt. Vernon, NH; married Samuel Dana Baldwin 15 May 1840 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; born 04 October 1817 in Greenfield, NH; died 19 February 1885 in Nashua, Hillsborough County, NH.
.......... v. Elizabeth Hildreth, born 26 April 1822 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married (1) David C. Wilder 20 March 1844 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; born 21 December 1822 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 02 October 1851 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married (2) Joseph Chaffin 26 March 1856 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; born 13 March 1807 in Harvard, Worcester County, MA.
.......... vi. Milo Hildreth, born 17 August 1824 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA (Bible); died 03 June 1893 in Portland, Cumberland County, ME; married Frances Jane Hooker 31 December 1846 in North Brookfield, Worcester County, MA; born 01 February 1828 in North Brookfield, Worcester County, MA; died 27 March 1896 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA.
.......... vii. Moses Hildreth, born 27 December 1828 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 25 June 1893 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA; married Lurenia Amanda Whitcomb 22 June 1853 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA; born 28 August 1833 in Boston, Suffolk County, MA; died 12 December 1910 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA.
.. 18 ...viii. Edward Hildreth, born 30 April 1831 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 26 April 1899 in Leominster, Worcester County, MA; married Sophia Newton 25 December 1852 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA.
.......... ix. Harriet Augusta Hildreth, born 25 July 1835 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 07 July 1850 in Northborough, Worcester County, MA.

72. Zachariah Hildreth, born 13 January 1754 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 17 March 1828 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA. He married Elizabeth Keyes 01 September 1777 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.
73. Elizabeth Keyes, born 08 April 1759 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 06 August 1793 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA. Children of Zachariah Hildreth and Elizabeth Keyes are:
.......... i. Aaron Hildreth, born 30 October 1778 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... ii. Elizabeth Fletcher Hildreth, born 04 June 1780 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 02 September 1792 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... iii. Hannah Hildreth, born 10 September 1782 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 15 November 1848 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Levi Sherwin 24 April 1800 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA; born 29 March 1773 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA.
..36.... iv. Zachariah Hildreth, born 10 April 1783 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 22 January 1857 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Hannah Sawtell 21 October 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... v. Lucy Hildreth, born 18 July 1785 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 01 March 1865 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Samuel Scales 17 April 1806 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA.
.......... vi. Patty Hildreth, born 16 May 1787 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Stephen Scales 29 March 1810 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA.
.......... vii. Fanny Hildreth, born 22 August 1789 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 12 October 1865 in Northampton, Hampshire County, MA; married Josiah Spaulding 25 May 1817 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA; born 14 April 1795 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; died May 1853 in Northampton, Hampshire,.
.......... viii. Nabby Hildreth, born 16 April 1791 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 18 April 1791 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... ix. James Hildreth, born 17 July 1793 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; died 09 October 1797 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.

144. Zachariah Hildreth, born 28 December 1728 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA; died 18 April 1784 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA. He married Elizabeth Prescott 12 April 1753 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.
145. Elizabeth Prescott, born 15 September 1734 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 01 May 1812 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA. Children of Zachariah Hildreth and Elizabeth Prescott are:
.. 72..... i. Zachariah Hildreth, born 13 January 1754 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 17 March 1828 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married (1) Elizabeth Keyes 01 September 1777 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married (2) Abigail Hart About 1794 in prob. Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... ii. Elizabeth Hildreth, born 18 October 1755 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 13 March 1803 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Samuel Richardson 27 May 1784 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 14 September 1756 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 13 December 1837 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... iii. Hannah Hildreth, born 31 January 1758 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 04 January 1836 in Sterling, Worcester County, MA; married Timothy Hildreth 15 March 1777 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; died About 1817 in Sterling, Worcester, MA.
.......... iv. Timothy Hildreth, born 10 April 1760 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... v. Esther Hildreth, born 10 April 1760 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Thomas Brown 07 May 1791 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 06 March 1755 in Billerica, Middlesex, MA.
.......... vi. James Hildreth, born 07 March 1762 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 01 January 1789 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... vii. Lucy Hildreth, born 18 January 1764 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 06 May 1845 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married William Whiting 17 December 1786 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born About 1761 in of Westford, Middlesex, MA; died 19 April 1828 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... viii. Jonas Hildreth, born 25 June 1766 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 14 January 1808 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Deliverance Johnson 10 May 1794 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born About 1767 in MA; died 01 March 1839 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ix. Ruth Hildreth, born 08 May 1768 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 20 February 1829 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Abel Hildreth 24 November 1802 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 26 March 1766 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; died 27 May 1842 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... x. Edy Hildreth, born 03 November 1771 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 16 September 1819 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... xi. Jesse Hildreth, born 22 September 1773 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 22 April 1840 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Olive Fletcher 24 March 1801 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 28 February 1775 in Shirley, Middlesex, MA; died 23 April 1857 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... xii. Mehitable Hildreth, born 24 September 1775 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 17 June 1819 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married (1) Seth Hildreth April 1797 in Townsend, Middlesex, MA; born About 1775; died 25 September 1801 in MA; married (2) Joseph Adams 03 November 1805 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born in of Littleton, Middlesex, MA.

288. James Hildreth, born 23 December 1698 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA; died 25 February 1761 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA. He married Dorothy Prescott 20 December 1721 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA.
289. Dorothy Prescott, born 1702 in Acton, Middlesex County, MA; died 03 September 1774 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA. Children of James Hildreth and Dorothy Prescott are:
.......... i. Oliver Hildreth, born 11 July 1723 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA; died February 1793 in Townsend, Middlesex County, MA; married Anna Blaisdell 26 October 1744 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 03 March 1726/27 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ii. Rebecca Hildreth, born 31 March 1726 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA; died 1785 in Littleton, Middlesex County, MA; married James Dutton 28 June 1750 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 05 May 1721 in Billerica, Middlesex, MA; died 1807 in Littleton, Middlesex, MA.
..144.... iii. Zachariah Hildreth, born 28 December 1728 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA; died 18 April 1784 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Elizabeth Prescott 12 April 1753 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... iv. Anna Hildreth, born About 1730 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... v. Dorothy Hildreth, born 18 January 1732/33 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 12 October 1735 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... vi. Dorothy Hildreth, born 26 August 1736 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 14 June 1782 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Pelatiah Fletcher 13 January 1757 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 03 May 1727 in Middlesex, MA; died 23 February 1807 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... vii. Amos Hildreth, born 01 November 1738 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 28 September 1807 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Priscilla Hildreth 21 May 1765 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; born 10 September 1742 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; died 12 May 1810 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... viii. Lucy Hildreth, born 28 March 1742 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 09 October 1763 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Aaron Parker 09 July 1763 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ix. Samuel Hildreth, born 20 January 1744/45 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; died 17 July 1748 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA.

576. Ephraim Hildreth, born 1654 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA; died 05 April 1731 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA. He married Anna Moore 08 October 1686 in Stow, Middlesex, MA.
577. Anna Moore, born 08 October 1666 in Lancaster, Worcester County, MA; died 08 April 1760 in Littleton, Middlesex County, MA. Children of Ephraim Hildreth and Anna Moore are:
.......... i. Ephraim Hildreth, born 28 October 1687 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ii. Joseph Hildreth, born 22 February 1688/89 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 17 November 1764 in Westford, Middlesex, MA; married Deliverance Barrett; born 24 February 1689/90 in Concord, Middlesex, MA; died 03 March 1776 in Westford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... iii. Richard Hildreth, born 17 April 1691 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... iv. James Hildreth, born 19 April 1692 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 11 December 1696 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... v. Ebenezer Hildreth, born 22 May 1696 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died Aft. 1762 in MA; married Sarah Swallow 13 December 1719 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; born 23 July 1698 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died Aft. 1762 in MA.
.. 288 ..vi. James Hildreth, born 23 December 1698 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA; died 25 February 1761 in Westford, Middlesex County, MA; married Dorothy Prescott 20 December 1721 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... vii. Jonathan Hildreth, born About 1701 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 17 March 1752 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married (1) Hannah Spaulding 05 December 1725 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; born 07 October 1712 in prob. Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 16 May 1737 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married (2) Hannah Spaulding 13 June 1738 in Concord, Middlesex, MA; died 04 November 1758 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... viii. Anna Hildreth, born 03 September 1705 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 24 February 1784 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married John Butterfield 10 December 1721 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; born 12 January 1697/98 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 08 January 1766 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ix. Thomas Hildreth, born 25 September 1707 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 07 October 1707 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... x. Jacob Hildreth, born 18 July 1709 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married Abigail Harwood 18 October 1730 in Dunstable, Middlesex, MA; born 09 April 1710 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... xi. David Hildreth, born 16 August 1711 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.

1152. Richard Hildreth, born About 1605 in ENGLAND; died 23 February 1692/93 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA. He married Elizabeth About 1645 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA.
1153. Elizabeth, born About 1625 in ENGLAND; died 03 August 1693 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA. Children of Richard Hildreth and Elizabeth are:
.......... i. Elizabeth Hildreth, born 21 September 1646 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA; died Aft. 06 April 1691 in MA; married John Stevens 15 December 1664 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 06 April 1691 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ii. Sarah Hildreth, born 08 August 1648 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA; died Aft. 07 October 1679 in MA; married David Stone 31 December 1674 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 21 August 1679 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA.
.......... iii. Mary Hildreth, born About 1650 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA; died 17 December 1730 in Canterbury, CT; married Jacob Warren 21 June 1667 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; born in of Weymouth, MA; died Bef. 1723 in Canterbury, CT.
..576... iv. Ephraim Hildreth, born 1654 in Cambridge, Middlesex, MA; died 05 April 1731 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married (1) Dorothy Barnes 11 June 1685 in Stow, Middlesex, MA; married (2) Anna Moore 08 October 1686 in Stow, Middlesex, MA.
.......... v. Abigail Hildreth, born About 1656 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married Moses Parker 19 June 1684 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 12 October 1732 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... vi. Persis Hildreth, born 08 February 1658/59 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 22 February 1697/98 in Canterbury, CT; married Samuel Cleaveland 23 May 1682 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; born 09 June 1657 in Woburn, Middlesex County, MA; died 12 March 1735/36 in Canterbury, CT.
.......... vii. Joseph Hildreth, born 16 April 1658 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 28 January 1705/06 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married Abigail Wilson 25 February 1683/84 in Woburn, Middlesex, MA; born 08 August 1666 in Woburn, Middlesex County, MA; died 27 November 1747 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA.
.......... viii. Thomas Hildreth, born 01 February 1660/61 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 28 May 1662 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA.
.......... ix. Isaac Hildreth, born 20 July 1663 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; died 15 April 1730 in Chelmsford, Middlesex, MA; married Elizabeth Wilson 12 November 1685 in Woburn, Middlesex, MA; born 06 August 1668 in Woburn, Middlesex County, MA; died 04 January 1742/43 in Chelmsford, Middlesex County, MA.

I wonder how many people will comment on this post saying that they are a distant cousin of mine? I would love to hear from patrilineal descendants of Aaron, James, Milo or Moses Hildreth, son of Zachariah and Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth. They would be Y-DNA testing candidates for my 7-generations of Hildreths.

I noticed that I have all of my "shorthand sources" (I think - didn't see any when I scanned thel ist above) out of this particular line - I've been working on putting sources into the source field in Family Tree Maker 16 and out of the vital record location fields.

This may be the longest one of these that I do in this format. These Hildreth's married fertile women and had many children, at least up to Edward Hildreth, Hattie's father.

Friday, November 20, 2009

Using the DAR GRS - Ancestors and Descendants

My post on DAR Genealogical Research System provides information about the Revolutionary War soldier in the Ancestors section and about the line on the DAR application in the Descendants sections.

I thought I would walk you through the process to get to both sections:

From the Genealogical Research System page on the DAR website, the user can click on the image or the link that says "Click Image to Open GRS." The tabs on the left-hand sidebar shown below don't actually go to the GRS, only the paragraphs on this particular web page.



After clicking on the small image above, this search screen appears in a new window:



On the Search screen, the user must input either the Ancestor's Last Name, the Ancestor's first name, or the Ancestor's Number. I put "Seaver" in the Last Name field and hit "Search" and received 19 matches:

The screen above lists the soldiers and the brief summary of their service. There are two icons to the right of their name - one for the Revolutionary War Ancestor's full record (a soldier icon), and the other for the Descendants Records (a family tree icon).

I scrolled down and found a Moses Seaver that looked interesting, so I clicked on his Ancestor's record:


The Ancestor's Record lists the soldier's name, the service summary, a section for his Residence, a listing of his Spouse(s), and a listing of the Associated Applications and Supplementals.

I clicked on the Descendants Record icon to the right of his name, and this page appeared:

The Descendants Record lists the approved line of descent from the Revolutionary War soldier. In many cases, including this one, several recent generations are restricted from view. However, the generations that are shown provide, for the lineage person from each generation, the father, mother, their birth dates and birth places, their death dates and death places, and their marriage date and marriage place.

Note that the Search box above finds only the Revolutionary War soldier, not the descendants of the soldier. If you click on the "Descendants" tab, the search field there will find the descendants.

The screen shot for the Ancestor search above show a "Simple Search;" there is an "Advanced Search" tab that permits you to filter by Rank, Residence and Pension Number. The "Advanced Search" box for Descendants is different - the user can add spouse, death date and location, etc.

Each search result has a warning (in pink in the last screen shot) that says:

"This listing does not constitute proof of lineage. It is an index to find the most appropriate DAR application to order and cannot be used in place of a record copy. For more information about application record copies,
click here."

A user can click on the link to the Record Copy page and order the application (but not the supporting documentation for the application), for a $10 fee, for the specific line desired.

In many cases, this information is not available in any other online record, or in offline vital records databases. Much of this information was probably obtained from privately held family records.

I was able to add data to several people in the Seaver lines from this database today. I still have more to do, plus the other surnames and Revolutionary War soldiers that I have.

One benefit down the line here may be to connect to distant cousins who have submitted and had approved their DAR applications, or their descendants.

Using the DAR Genealogical Research System (GRS)

The Daughters of the American Revolution organization in Washington DC has added significant content to their website at www.dar.org. The announcement can be read here.

The Genealogical Resource System (GRS) description is online at http://www.dar.org/library/online_research.cfm. It is described as:

"The DAR Genealogical Research System is a combination of several databases created in recent years to organize the large quantity of information that the DAR has collected since its inception in 1890."

There are sections for:

* Ancestors -- The Ancestor Database was created by and is maintained by the staff of the DAR Registrar General’s offices. With few exceptions, the data are taken from verified membership applications and supplemental applications.

* Members -- The Member Tab search option is limited in order to protect the privacy of the Society’s members. One may search for basic information on a member’s ancestor record using national number, name and other fields using this tab.

* Descendants -- The Descendants database is an index of the names found on the lineage page of DAR applications and supplementals. The database is currently under construction.

* GRC -- The DAR’s Genealogical Records Committee Reports began in 1913 and continue to arrive every year. The information in these 20,000 typescript volumes is predominately Bible record and cemetery record transcriptions along with many other types of transcribed or abstracted genealogical sources.

* Resources -- Researchers will find a variety of links to other resources of use in genealogical research in this section of the system. In the near future, various bibliographies and other information relating to the American Revolution will appear in this section.

* Library Catalog -- This section provides a direct link to the DAR Library’s online catalog. The catalog provides subject, title, author, and other access to the books, microforms, manuscripts, maps, genealogical charts, and other sources in the collections of the DAR Library.

This is a major improvement in access and content for researchers who are not members of the DAR.

I've had some success finding information on people in my Seaver surname study by browsing through the Descendants tab. I'll show some of those results in the next post. I need to go look at some of my other surnames of interest also - Carringer, Dill, and Vaux, plus all of my Revolutionary War veterans to see if there is submitted data that I've missed.

It's important to note that any data in this database needs to be verified by original sources, even though it's been put through the DAR review and approval process. In the little work I've done on some Seaver people, there are differences in birth years and birth places for some individuals between what's in the DAR applications and the information in other original and derivative source records. These applications are definitely derivative source documents, but they can be used effectively to find original sources.

Follow Friday - FamHist and LineageKeeper and more

It's Friday, and I'm highlighting favorite blogs and bloggers of mine in a post. I encourage you to visit the blogs I follow and add them to your RSS reader or subscribe to them by email.

Today, I want to highlight Lee R. Drew's blogs --

* FamHist -- this is a Family History blog that touches on stories, genealogy research, technology, recipes, you name it, Lee writes about it here.

* LineageKeeper -- "Lineage collections, family tales, and recording the past."

* Fact and Whimsey -- "Interesting stories, events, thoughts and comments through time and space."

* Tombstone Territory -- Lee's collection of graveyard and tombstone pictures, many from American Fork Cemetery in Utah.

When you put all of the posts together on these four blogs, you get about one a day. The material is always interesting and often fun and challenging. I highly recommend that you follow Lee's blogs. I do!

Lee and I have figured out that we are distant cousins with ties in colonial Massachusetts. We share the Cooke and Soule ancestry from the Mayflower in 1620 also.

Thursday, November 19, 2009

New "Digging for Answers" column in Online Graveyard Rabbit Journal

The latest "Digging for Answers" column by yours truly is published in the Online Graveyard Rabbit Journal, a regular digital magazine published by the Graveyard Rabbits Association.

The question asked was "My ancestors aren't in online databases, how can I find where they are buried?" The answers are, of course, in the column!

Have you read the other columns in this digital magazine? You should - see:

* The Educated Rabbit – November 12, 2009
* Photo Monument – November 5, 2009
* Tech T.I.P. – October 22, 2009
* The History Hare - October 15
* Graveyard Guru – October 8, 2009

A Labor of Love - the Carnival of Genealogy

Jasia has posted the 84th Edition of the Carnival of Genealogy on her Creative Gene blog. I encourage all of my readers to read the posts written by many genea-bloggers on the topic of "What the Carnival of Genealogy has Meant to Me."

The overwhelming sentiments were that the Carnival provided a reason to blog about a certain topic, that it helped stimulate and improve writing skills, and that it created a sense of community among genealogy bloggers.

Jasia is the most gracious and friendly hostess for these Carnivals - read her comments about each poster in the Carnival post. We are all so lucky to have people like Jasia in our big genea-blogging crew! And after three plus years of reading Creative Gene, I still don't know her "real" name. She's a lady of mystery! But when you mention "Jasia" to any genealogy blogger (and we all know how to pronounce it, right?), and many readers, they all know who she is and what she does.

Please go read the Carnival of Genealogy post, and if the topic moves you, then participate in the next and succeeding Carnivals. Because Carnivals are usually about family stories and memories, you never know when a Carnival post will be seen by a reader who might have been a friend, neighbor, schoolmate or teacher of yours or your parents.

RootsMagic Essentials Software Available


RootsMagic announced today the release of RootsMagic Essentials - a free desktop genealogy software based on their award-winning RootsMagic 4 system. RootsMagic Essentials contains many core features found in its namesake that allow the public to easily start tracing their family trees. You can read the press release information here.

I dug down a little deeper into the new RootsMagic website and found the comparison charts of what's included in RootsMagic 4 and RootsMagic Essentials. The comparison tables are at http://www.rootsmagic.com/RootsMagic/Features.aspx.

For a beginning genealogist, the important things to have in genealogy software are, in my opinion:

* Able to add any number of persons to the database, including facts, sources and notes.
* Able to edit the information for a person.
* Able to navigate between family view, pedigree view and descendants view.
* Have an index of persons and places.
* Able to attach photograph and document images to the persons in the database.
* Able to create the basic genealogy reports - family group sheets, pedigree charts, ahnentafel lists, descendants tables, etc.
* Able to create multi-generational ahnentafel reports and descendants reports
* Able to read, and to save, the database as a GEDCOM file.

As far as I can tell, RootsMagic Essentials has each of these capabilities, with the exception of the Descendants View in navigation.

It is for these reasons that I have been recommending that my Beginning Computer Genealogy class members download Legacy Family Tree Standard Version software for Free as a "starter" software. If the continue with genealogy research, they can then select a full-featured software program of their choice.

Now, RootsMagic Essentials is, at first glance, an equivalent free software program. I will be recommending both programs to my class members.

Look at the list of capabilities for RootsMagic Essentials, and the major features that are not included, compared to RootsMagic 4, include:

* RootsMagic-To-Go feature
* Customized editing and navigation features
* Save reports to RTF or PDF formats
* Many report types and features
* Publishing capability
* Wall chart creation capability
* Notes formatting and spell checking
* Web Search and website page creation
* Research features such as GenSmarts, To-do lists, correspondence lists
* Place name standardization, mapping people and places
* Plenty more!

All in all, RootsMagic Essentials is a great starter program for beginning and intermediate genealogy researchers.

You can download RootsMagic Essentials for FREE and easily install it on your computer system here.

Wednesday, November 18, 2009

San Diego Genealogists - come to "Genealogy - Be An Ancestry Detective"

I forgot to mention earlier this week that I will be presenting Genealogy - Be An Ancestry Detective at the Pacific Beach Taylor Library in San Diego (4275 Cass Street in Pacific Beach) from 1:30 to 3 p.m. on Thursday, 19 November 2009.

This presentation is oriented toward inquiring or curious persons and beginning genealogists, but the lessons can be used by intermediate researchers also. This talk was advertised in the OASIS San Diego catalog.

The syllabus is great, too, for any researcher!

If you read this post and are attending, please come greet me after the presentation and tel me that you read it on my blog.

CGSSD Meeting on Saturday, 21 November

From email from Linda Hervig...

The Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (CGSSD) meets on Saturday, November 21, 2009 from 9:00 am to noon. CGSSD hosts User Groups, the Annual Meeting, the election of officers for 2010 and sharing by members. A light lunch will follow the meeting. The meeting details follow:

9:00 - User groups for Legacy, Macintosh and RootsMagic. No SIGS meet this month.

10:00 – Break

10:15 - Announcements followed by the Annual Meeting, Election of Officers, Sharing

11:30 - Light Lunch

We meet at the Robinson Auditorium complex on the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus in La Jolla. From North Torrey Pine Road turn at Pangea Drive into UCSD. Free parking is available in the parking garage on the left; use any A, B, or S space. Signs will mark directions to our meeting room. Please refer to our website www.cgssd.org; or the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies website http://irps.ucsd.edu/about/how-to-find-us.htm for driving directions and a map.

For me, the biggest decision is which software user group to attend, since I have been using Legacy, RootsMagic and Family Tree Maker. I'll probably go to RootsMagic this time.

I need to think of a sharing story that will be helpful to the attendees, but relatively short. Maybe the San Francisco Genealogy site? Or Footnote.com City Directories, which I think are the best databases for 2009 to come online.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Family Photographs: Post 80 -- The Birdbath

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

This photograph is from the box of loose photographs given me by my mother between 1988 and 2002:


Small children and water have a strong bond - whether the water is clean or not. This picture was taken in 1945 or 1946, probably by my grandfather, Lyle Carringer, since he was the one that usually had such duties.

The little boy is me... note the blond hair, the neat haircut, and the broad smile on my face that I could finally reach into the birdbath because I was on my tricycle.

The birdbath was in the fenced in front yard of the two-story house at 2115 30th Street. As you entered the gate from the street, the birdbath was at the end of the concrete going east, and you had to turn left just before the birdbath to get to the front porch, which faced south.

See the bullfrog statuette sitting on the edge of the birdbath. I remember that! I wonder if the birdbath is still there? I don't recall ever seeing many birds in the birdbath - perhaps because the water was pretty gross almost always. I don't know how often they changed the water, if they ever did, or just relied on the 10 or so inches that it rains in San Diego each year (usually with none between April 1 and October 31).

Tuesday, November 17, 2009

Fall 2009 Issue of the FGS FORUM Magazine


Do you subscribe to the FORUM Magazine published quarterly by the Federation of Genealogical Societies? Or do you read it as part of your society's membership benefits? Are you even aware of its existence?

FORUM Magazine is now offered as a digital magazine downloaded from the FGS website. While it is ostensibly for the leaders of member societies and FGS Delegates from those societies, it is available on a subscription basis.

The Table of Contents for the Fall 2009 issue includes:

* page 3 -- Friends of FGS: Your Opportunity to Make a Difference, by Curt Witcher
* page 6 -- Next FGS Conference: Knoxville, Tennessee, by Paula Stuart-Warren * page 11 -- Societies Going Virtual – An Update, by David E. Rencher
* page 17 -- The Heyrock Family, by Sandra H. Luebking
* page 21 -- Strays, by Sandra H. Luebking
* page 22 --
David S. Ferriero Named U.S. Archivist
* page 23 --
Malcolm H. Stern NARA Gift Fund
* page 25 -- News in Brief
* page 25 -- State Reporting
* page 27 -- Records Preservation & Access column, by Linda Caldwell McCleary
* page 29 -- Ethnic & International column , by Linda Caldwell McCleary
* page 31 -- Family Associations column, by Christine Rose
* page 33 -- Notes from the Field column, Our Military Heritage: A Growing Source of Military Data for Genealogists, by Curt B. Witcher
* page 36 -- Genealogy 2.0 column, Genealogy Blogs: Information, Research and Soapbox, by Randy Seaver
* page 39 -- Book Review, edited by Paul Milner
* page 49 -- Calendar of Events, Ann L. Wells


FORUM Magazine is edited by Sandra Hargreaves Luebking, and the Production Manager is Gary Mokotoff.

In this issue, I especially appreciated the David Rencher piece on genealogical societies going virtual, and really enjoyed reading Sandra's article about finding the Heyrock Family in online resources.

Attentive Genea-Musings and Geneaholic readers know that I was appointed the Genealogy 2.0 columnist for FORUM Magazine in December 2008, and now have three columns under my belt, and a fourth one in the editing process. I am honored to have this position, and find it challenging to write a limited number of words on a deadline for all of the traditional genealogy world to read.

Disclosure: I am a columnist for FORUM Magazine, and receive my copy of the magazine gratis.

Checking on Ancestry.com's Name Authority

In my post yesterday about the Name Authority Dictionary on Ancestry.com, I wondered if it worked for "Exact Matches" and/or on "Old Search." The answers seem to be NO and NO. I'm not surprised.

I did find some puzzles though, to wit:

1) Given name = Catherine and the 841 other variations (I didn't test all 842 variations, only seven fairly common ones) in the 1900 US Census:

* Catherine:

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 284,380
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 281,918
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 2,745,706

* Kathryn:

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 3,385
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 3,385

*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 1,115,944

* Cathleen:

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 1,148
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 1,148
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 1,910,214


* Kathleen:

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 5,467
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 5,467
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 270,780


* Kate:

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 234,798
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 234,798
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 496,364


* Cathy

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 439
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 439
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 2,745,706


* Cat* (wild card)

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 442,886
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 442,886
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 442,886


2) Elizabeth and the other 899 variations in the 1900 US Census:

* Elizabeth:

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 670,966
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 666,296
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 4,352,581


* Eliza

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 231,961
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 231,961
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 4,352,581

* Lizzie

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 397,770
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 397,770
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 2,460,809

* Elisabeth

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 45,858
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 45,858
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 3,289,276

* Betty

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 11,048
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 11,048
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 2,679,790

* Eliz* (wild card)

*** Old Search, Exact Matches = 938,331
*** New Search, Exact Matches = 938,331
*** New Search, Ranked Matches = 938,331

Okay, what does all of that mean? There are several interesting and puzzling facts there, including:

1) Old Search and New Search "Exact Matches" results match on 12 out of 14 trials - I really don't understand why they don't match on 14 out of 14. Why are there more matches for "Catherine" in "Old Search" than in "New Search" for "Exact Matches?" And why more for "Elizabeth" also? But not for the others? Isn't there one database, and one search algorithm?

2) Not all variants of Catherine/Kathryn/etc. have the same number of "Ranked Matches," and not all variants of Elizabeth/Elisabeth/etc. have the same number. I fully expected that they would if they are using a single Name Authority Dictionary for those names and variants. Only "Catherine" and "Cathy," and "Elizabeth" and "Eliza," return the same number of "Ranked Matches" of all of the names tried. Does that mean that they are not really using a large number of Names in the Name Authority Database? I didn't have time to test every name in the Name Authority, of course, and I don't know all of them anyway, although I can probably guess quite a few.

3) Wild cards only provide "Exact Matches" results even if "Exact Matches" is not checked, at least for First Names. I didn't know that! What about Last Names?

* Smi* in the 1900 US Census:

*** "New Search" and "Exact Match" = 556,340
*** "New Search" and "Ranked Match" = 935,405

So it appears that the Wild Card for Last Names does return more matches with "Ranked Matches" than "Exact Matches." Interesting, isn't it? That makes sense, I think, and I'm glad to know that it does.

I'm not sure what I've proved here - but it sure seems that Ancestry.com is not using the full Name Authority Dictionary for First Names. If they were, the "Ranked Matches" for all of the Catherine/Kathryn/etc. and Elizabeth/Elisabeth/etc. variants would have the same number, wouldn't they?

The implication, then, for researchers is that there are some name variants that return the same number of "Ranked Matches" but not all of the variants do - and some return very few "Ranked Matches" compared to others that should be in the same Name dictionary. Researchers still have to search with First Name variants to ensure that they can find their search targets. It's probably easier to use a few First Names with Wild Cards than to search some or all of the 800 to 900 variants for these names.

Monday, November 16, 2009

Ancestry.com's Name Authority Dictionary

During the SDGS seminar on Saturday, Suzanne Russo Adams mentioned the Name Authority Dictionary that Ancestry.com has recently developed in order to help searchers find their targets with given names and surnames that can be spelled several ways.

Her examples were:

* Elizabeth - there are 900 variations
* Catherine - there are 862 variations
* William - there are 384 variations
* Benjamin - there are 355 variations

* Myers - 238 variations
* McCoy - 219 variations
* Bailey - 127 variations

The "New Search" engine includes the name variations when it performs a "Ranked Matches" search. I don't know if "Old Search" uses it or not. I doubt that "Exact Matches" uses it in either Old or New Search.

I went looking on the Ancestry.com website for more information about it, and didn't find a lot. In the popup box for Getting the most out of new search, there is this paragraph:

"Ancestry automatically looks for common nicknames, abbreviations and other alternate spellings for you. For example, a search for "Bill Smith" might return "William Smith", "Wm Smith", "Bill Smyth" or "B. Smith". An exact name match is the closest match, and therefore the most relevant, followed by common misspellings, nicknames, and other variations. It’s important to remember that often times names are misspelled or mis-transcribed on the original records or in our indexes, so looking for alternate spellings can sometimes help you find a good match, even though the name may look wrong."

It's not clear if this applies to "Old Search," or only to "New Search" with "Ranked Matches." I guess I can try it out later and post about it before Suzanne or Anne or Tony or Laura reads this and provides me the real scoop on the capability! Where's my to-do list?

Of all the search "improvements" that Ancestry.com has rolled out over recent years, this is one that seems to be very useful. The user has the ability to click on "Exact Matches" for any search field in the "Advanced Search" mode. I think that a user should keep the "First Name" field unchecked so that the Name Authority Dictionary can work its wonders. It's probably helpful for the "Last Name" field also, although the Soundex capability is used there also in the "Ranked Matches" results.

SDGS Library Grand Opening, and more

The San Diego Genealogical Society Library grand opening (at its new location at 7343 Ronson Road, Suite O in San Diego), was Sunday, 15 November at the library. The SDGS blog has an article about the gala event.

The SDGS blog also has an article titled A good time was had by all about the Ancestry.com seminar on Saturday, 14 November, that I described in some detail in SDGS Ancestry.com Family History Seminar Highlights here on Genea-Musings. Hopefully, other attendees will provide more commentary about this event.

Chris has also posted three photo albums on the SDGS Picasa Web Album site:

* SDGS Library

* Library Opening

* Ancestry.com Seminar

Kreativ Blogger Award - passing it on

I was given the "Kreativ Blogger" award by Terri O'Connell of the Finding Our Ancestors blog. Thank you, Terri!



There are two requirements to pass on this award - list seven things about myself and pass it on to seven more bloggers. I actually received this award back in February 2009, but didn't follow the rules.
Seven things about me (and my family history):
1) I am a fifth generation San Diegan (this is a pretty big deal in San Diego, not so much in the northeast)
2) I am a 12th generation Seaver with New England roots (my 10th-great-grandfather Robert Seaver (1608-1683) settled in Roxbury in Massachusetts Bay Colony in 1634)
3) I have at least six Mayflower 1620 passengers in my ancestry - William White, Susanna (--?--) White, George Soule, Francis Cooke, John Cooke, and Richard Warren. And perhaps at least two more if I can prove the tie of Elizabeth Dill (1794-1869) to Thomas Dill and Hannah Horton -- Stephen Hopkins and William Brewster.
4) I am descended from Rebecca (Towne) Nurse, a woman hanged as a witch in Salem in 1692.
5) I am descended from American poetess Ann (Dudley) Bradstreet.
6) I am a cousin of a number of Presidents, including Barack Obama.
7) I publish a Seaver-Richmond Family Journal each year as a Christmas gift for my extended family. This year will be Issue 22.
OK, passing it on:
2) Ruth Himan on the Genealogy is Ruthless Without Me blog (for most creative blog title!)
3) Becky Jamison on the Grace and Glory blog.
4) Craig Manson on the Geneablogie blog.
5) James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog.
6) Jean Wilcox Hibben on the Circlemending blog.
7) Gena Philibert Ortega on the Gena's Genealogy blog.
So, pass it on, creative genea-bloggers!

Sunday, November 15, 2009

What has the Carnival of Genealogy Meant to Me?

The short answers -- Blog fodder! Readers. Writing experience. Friends. Colleagues. Recognition. Warm fuzzies -- they really liked my submissions (well, most of them!).

Probably even more important is "what has the Carnival of Genealogy meant to the genealogy world?" The short answer is that the Carnival, and the blogs of the contributors, are the proving ground for a new generation of genealogy writers. With only a few exceptions, all of the writers that contribute to the Carnival of Genealogy are unknown to the established genealogy world - the world of regional and national societies, conferences and seminars, editors and publishers, authors and columnists, etc. After several years of exposure, some genea-bloggers are now columnists or writers for national print or online magazines, and some are regular presenters at regional and national conferences. I fully expect that many more genealogy bloggers, and Carnival of Genealogy participants, will soon be writing and speaking in the establishment genealogy world.

The 84th Carnival of Genealogy subject is the title above, and Jasia has some questions for us to answer:

Q: What was your favorite topic to write about?
A: Probably the happy dances and genea-gasms.

Q: Have you guest hosted the COG?
A: Nope...

Q: Is there an article you've read in the COG that stands out in your mind?
A: I'm too old to remember any one article even I've written, besides Genea-gasms, of course!

Q: What have you learned from reading or writing for the COG?
A: From writing - that I have a lot of pretty boring stories to tell. From reading -- that there are many excellent family history bloggers out there!

Q: Have you ever recommended the COG to anyone?
A: To any genea-blogger that asks "how do I get readers?"

Q: If you haven't participated in the COG thus far, why not?
A: Um, just a bit -- see the list below these questions.

Q: How has the COG helped your family history research?
A: Because of the different articles about my childhood and genealogy activities, I've been contacted by distant cousins, my favorite math teacher, and a lady that grew up in my old neighborhood.

Q: Has it impacted your life in any way?
A: Oh yes... I've been exposed to the family history writings of hundreds of genea-bloggers, and we have become a community of supporters and encouragers.

Here is the list of my blog posts submitted to the Carnival of Genealogy over the past three years (with carnival number, carnival subject, and my carnival post):

5 -- Historical Fiction -- Book Review - "Mayflower"
6 -- Genealogical Societies -- If Genealogy interest is so high, why are the numbers down?
9 -- Genealogy Vacations -- My Carnival of Genealogy Vacations

11 -- Family Get-Togethers -- Have you made your video memoir?
14 -- Christmas Gift-giving -- Dear Genea-Santa
15 -- New Years Resolutions -- Genealogy Resolutions for 2007
17 -- Acknowledging those that have inspired us -- How in the world did this happen to me?
18 - 5 best tips for specific research areas -- 5 Best Genealogy Resource Sites in San Diego
19 -- Shelter from the storm... - The house I grew up in
20 -- A tribute to women -- Today is my Gram's 107th birthday.

21 -- Funny, foolish family -- A cure for insomnia and If Mary April married Claude Fool, she would be ... Mary April Fool!
22 -- Carousel edition -- Their Odyssey - to San Diego
23 -- School days -- My favorite teacher
24 -- Mothers! -- My Tribute to Mom - Betty Virginia (Carringer) Seaver
25 -- Who Inherited the Creative Gene in your family? -- The Creative Gene? Nope, not me!
26 -- Dads! -- Fathers I Have Known
27 -- What America / Independence Day mean to my family -- America means "Freedom for all"
28 -- Surnames -- Seaver Surname - Origin, Meaning, Crest, Famous People, Localities
29 -- Moral or legal dilemmas in genealogy -- A Challenging Moral Dilemma
30 -- Genealogical conferences / seminars -- Genealogy Conferences I Wish I'd Attended

31 -- Family myths and legends -- Family Myths and Stories and More Family Stories (or Myths?)
32 -- Wartime stories -- Patriot Soldier, Isaac Buck
33 -- Weddings! -- The Wedding I Really Appreciate
34 -- Halloween and the Supernatural -- The Witch in my Ancestry
35 -- Do you have a family mystery that might be solved by DNA? -- Ancestral clues from DNA studies
36 -- Carousel edition -- The Future of Genealogy - My Turn
37 -- Christmas wish lists! -- Dear Genea-Santa
39 -- New Years Resolutions -- Genealogy Goals for 2008
40 -- Living relative connections -- Dear Cousin - I think we're related!,

41 -- If you could have dinner with ... -- Dinner with my Elusive Ancestors' Children
42 -- iGene awards for 2007 -- It's Academy Awards time - the AGFH of course!
43 -- Technology review -- Technology - Hardware, software, web site
44 -- A tribute to women -- Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith
45 -- Cars as stars of our family history -- The Cars of my Life
46 -- Inherited traits -- I Am a Unique Person
47 -- A place called home -- Leominster, Massachusetts
48 -- Mom, how did you get so smart? -- How did mom get so smart?
49 -- Swimsuit edition -- At the Beach!
50 -- Family pets -- Rootie Toot Toot, Lickety Split, Softie and Squash/Mira

51 -- Independent spirits -- Martin Carringer (1758-1835), an Independent Spirit
52 -- Age -- Age - mind over matter?
53 -- Carousel edition -- Chopped Liver is related to Wild Bill Hickok too
54 -- The family language -- San Diego Slanguage
55 -- Show and tell -- Show and Tell - the treasures
56 -- 10 Essential books in my genealogical library -- 10 Essential Books in my Genealogy Library
57 -- I Read it in the news -- I Read about Benjamin Franklin Seaver in the newspapers
58 -- Spooky, eerie and haunted stories -- The Haunted Whaley House in San Diego
59 -- Politics and our ancestors -- Political Persuasions
60 -- Alzheimer's disease -- Touched by Alzheimer's Disease

61 -- Traditions -- Family Holiday Traditions
62 -- Three wishes -- Dear Genea-Santa
63 -- New Years Resolutions -- Genealogy Goals for 2009
64 -- Winter photo essay -- A Winter Non-photo essay
65 -- The Genealogy Happy Dance -- Genealogy Happy Dances and/or Genea-gasms!
66 -- iGene Awards for 2008 -- The Genea-Musings iGene Awards for 2008
67 -- Nobody's Fool -- Della (Smith) Carringer had it all together!
68 -- A tribute to women -- Emily Kemp (Auble) Carringer (1899-1977)
69 -- What if? -- There are things that happen in a moment
70 -- Uncles -- Uncle Ed

71 -- The old home -- A Victorian House in San Diego – turned into a box
73 -- The Good Earth -- The Good Earth? Sometimes not good enough.
74 -- Swimsuit Edition -- Family Photographs -- Post 12: Swimming Suits
75 -- Justice and Independence -- My Revolutionary Roots
76 -- How I spent my summer vacations -- Lazy, Crazy, Hazy Days of Summer ... Our 1950's Vacations
77 -- Disasters -- "18 April 1906 - San Francisco - They Were There! "
78 -- Pony pictures -- Family Photographs - Post 8: Randy and his Horsey
79 -- Reunions -- No Family Reunions

81 -- Your blog's obituary -- Genea-Musings dies - blogger goes...
82 -- Breaking into society -- Genealogical Societies - Socialization Networks

A total of 70 entries, I think! I've missed a few, but really not many. some were due while I was on vacation, and I forgot to submit a post for others, and I couldn't offer anything for a few of the subjects.

Thank you, Jasia and the other COG hosters, for your efforts to publish the Carnival of Genealogy twice a month. It is certainly a labor of love! But all of the readers love them!

Best of the Genea-Blogs - November 8-14, 2009

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

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

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

* "Please Pardon Momma from Jail" by Lee R. Drew on the FamHist blog. Lee seems to have the most interesting ancestors, and find the most interesting resources about them!

* Q&A: Everyone Has Two Family Trees – A Genealogical Tree and a Genetic Tree by Blaine Bettinger on The Genetic Genealogist blog. Blaine explains the results of tests that show two persons matching 36 out of 37 Y-DNA markers, but shows no common DNA in a 23andMe test.

* The Joy of a Military Pension File by Amy Coffin on the We Tree blog. Amy walks us through finding and ordering a Civil War Pension File from NARA. Hopefully, she will share the contents with us also.

* Cincinnati Library Digitizes Sanborn Maps by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog. Diane describes Sanborn Maps, which are available for many major cities, and how to use them.

* Footnote announces US Federal Census Collection by Beau Sharbrough on The Unofficial Footnote Blog. Beau analyzes Footnote's "interactivity" statistics, and wonders how much of the census records they will add in 2010 and later. I love analysis!

* A Theoretical Basis for Maturity Models (Part 1) by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Mr. AI continues his series about Genealogical Maturity Models. I look forward to the next Parts of the series.

* The Dad Memorial Scanfest Marathon by Susan A. Kitchens on the Family Oral History Using Digital Tools blog. Susan is preparing for her father's memorial service in her own unique way - and preparing for what comes afterwards. It's a wonderful example of how technology can be used to honor a loved one.

* True Confessions of One Who Is Polish Language Challenged by Jasia on the Creative Gene blog. There is a website that pronounces Polish words and phrases - who knew? Wouldn't it be great if there was one for all languages? You can find out how Jasia's name is pronounced. Then try Uncle Wawrzyniec.

* SteveMorse.org and a mystery solved by Tami Glatz on the relatively curious about genealogy blog. I love research stories that end well, and Tami's efforts to help another researcher studying immigrants from a small town in Hungary are educational.

* 13 Vicissitudes in the Life of a Professional Genealogist by Arlene Eakle on Arlene Eakle's Genealogy Blog. Wow, Arlene has been hit with some hardships in recent weeks, and has overcome them, all while continuing to perform research at a high level.

* Getting Started with Genealogical Research at the Library of Congress by Missy Corley on the Bayside Blog. Missy's step-by-step guide to using the Library of congress genealogy materials is helpful - a keeper!

* Using the City Directories at Footnote by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog. Julie describes her procedures to find City Directory entries on Footnote.com. An excellent guide to a complicated procedure.

* Source Citation Tips and Taps by Robyn on the Reclaiming Kin blog. Robyn runs down online and book resources for citing your sources, and some of her "tricks" learned through experience.

* Television - via “Clicker” for the rest of us… by Leland Meitzler on the GenealogyBlog. Leland doesn't watch much television, but he found a great online site that has historical TV shows online, and searchable.

* Technological Shores of the Internet by Caroline M. Pointer on the Family Stories blog. Caroline puts her research plan into pixels...and shares it with us. It's an excellent blueprint for her research, and an example for all of us to learn from.

* A Smokin' Anecdote from the 1600s by T.K. on the Before My Time blog. This is a fascinating look at T.K.'s ancestor's brush with the law and tobacco in the 1600s.

I encourage you to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blog to your Favorites, Bloglines, reader, 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 540 genealogy bloggers using Bloglines, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.