Saturday, November 6, 2010

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Make a Genealogy Wish!

Hey genea-philes, it's Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun!

Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:

1)  If you found a bottle on the shore, and it had a genea-genie in it, and rubbed it and you had ONE WISH to make about your genealogy and family history research, what would it be?

2)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment or note on Facebook.

Here's mine:

It was hard to choose just one, of course. 

Based on the desire for more research excitement in my genealogy life, I WISH for a clear definition of the parents of Devier J. Lamphier Smith (1839-1894).  I've done a lot of work on Devier, but when I found that he was adopted by Ranslow Smith (per Ranslow's will in 1866, and Devier's name change in 1866 according to the Wisconsin state legislative acts), that stopped my Smith research cold.  I had the Smith line two more generations back, the Bell line two more generations back, and the Bresee line went back into colonial Dutch New York, and I "lost" many ancestral families when I found the adoption records.

The adoption almost certainly occurred in Jefferson County, New York in the 1839 to 1843 time period.  There were several Lamphier (and variant spellings) families residing in towns near to Henderson where the Smith family resided.  The Lamphier line goes back into colonial Rhode Island, and there may be interesting family histories in the collateral surnames too.

Surname Saturday - READ (England > MA)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 129, who is Sarah Read (ca 1736-1809), one of my 5th-great-grandparents. This post starts my 5th great-grandmothers on Surname Saturday! [Note: The 5th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]

My ancestral line back through five generations of READ families is:

1. Randall J. Seaver

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

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

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

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

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

64.  Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816)
65.  Martha Whitney (1764-1832)

128. Norman Seaver, born about 1734 in Framingham, Middlesex County, MA; died 31 July 1787 in Westminster, Worcester County, MA. He was the son of 256. Robert Seaver and 257. Eunice Rayment. He married 14 March 1755 in Sudbury, Middlesex County, MA.

129.  Sarah Read, born 28 December 1736 in Sudbury, Middlesex County, MA; died before 03 January 1809 in Westminster, Worcester County, MA.
Children of Norman Seaver and Sarah Read are:  Eunice Seaver (1755-1810); Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816); Sarah Seaver (1759-1833); Joseph Seaver (1761-????); Isaac Seaver (1763-????); Ethan Seaver (1765-1823); Daniel Seaver (1767-????); Heman Seaver (1769-1835); Luther Seaver (1771-????); Leafe Seaver (1774-1795); Asahel Reed Seaver (1775-1849); Faitha Seaver (1777-????); Lucinda Seaver (1780-1844).
258. Isaac Read, born 23 February 1703/04 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA; died 28 May 1780 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA.  He married  11 February 1729/30 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA.
259. Experience Willis, born before 10 April 1709 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA; died 06 August 1787 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA. She was the daughter of 518. Samuel Willis and 519. Susannah Gleason.

Children of Isaac Read and Experience Willis are: Isaac Read (1731-1759); Jacob Read (1732-1797); Experience Read (1734-????); Sarah Read (1736-1809); Samuel Read (1740-????); Mary Read (1741-1831); Ruth Read (1743-1812); Samuel Read (1745-1780); Lois Read (1747-1814); Eunice Read (1750-????); Asahel Reed (1753-1775).
512. Thomas Read, born 22 May 1678 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA; died 01 May 1755 in probably Sudbury, Middlesex, MA.  He married  03 March 1701/02 in Watertown, Middlesex, MA.
513. Mary Bigelow, born 12 September 1677 in Watertown, Middlesex, MA; died 21 February 1707/08 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA. She was the daughter of 1026. Samuel Bigelow and 1027. Mary Flagg.

Children of Thomas Read and Mary Bigelow are: Nathaniel Read (1702-????); Isaac Read (1704-1780); Katherine Read (1707-????).

1024. Thomas Read, born about 1653 in probably Sudbury, Middlesex, MA; died about 1733 in probably Oxford, Worcester, MA.  He married  30 May 1677 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA.
1025. Mary Goodrich, born 15 December 1650 in Wethersfield, Hartford, CT; died 02 October 1724 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA. She was the daughter of 2050. John Goodrich and 2051. Elizabeth.

Children of Thomas Read and Mary Goodrich are:  Thomas Read (1678-1755); Mary Read (1679-????); Rachel Read (1682-????); Nathaniel Read (1684-????); Elizabeth Read (1687-????); Hannah Read (1689-1691); Joseph Read (1695-1731).

2048. Thomas Read, born before 19 October 1627 in Colchester, Essex, ENGLAND; died 13 September 1701 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA. He was the son of 4096. Thomas Read and 4097. Rachel. He married  before 1653 in probably ENGLAND.
2049. Katherine, born about 1628 in ENGLAND; died 26 September 1677 in Sudbury, Middlesex, MA.

Child of Thomas Read and Katherine is:  Thomas Read (1653-1733).
 
I'm back on the Seaver side of the Ancestral Name List (Tamura Jones calls it the Ahnenlist, not an Ahnentafel)  and will be for quite awhile. 
 
Any READ cousins reading this blog post?  I would sure like to know what happened to #1024, Thomas Read who married Mary Goodrich!

Friday, November 5, 2010

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

Gale Wale has posted my latest "Digging for Answers" column in the current Online Graveyard Rabbit Journal.  The question asked was:

"Why are bodies buried facing certain directions (east-west, north-south, etc.), or in certain attitudes (head up, head down, etc.)?"

Read the answer in the column.  Did you already know the answer?

If you have questions concerning cemeteries and burials, please ask!  Contact Gale Wall through http://www.contact-gyra.blogspot.com/.

The current edition of the Online Graveyard Rabbit Journal includes columns on:

A Rabbit's Review 10/28/2010 -- "Pioneer Cemeteries Sculpture Gardens of the Old West, By Annette Stott,"  written by LisaMary Wichowski.

*  International Rabbit 10/21/2010 -- "Rented Graves," written by Hank Van Kampen.

A Rabbit's Tale 10/14/2010 -- "Random Acts in the Cemetery," written by Joe Whitfield

Photo Monument 10/7/2010 -- "Memento Mori," written by Gale Wall

Tech T.I.P. 9/30/2010 -- "Create a Cemetery Virtual Tour," written by Denise Barrett Olson

The History Hare - 9/23/2010 -- "Unearthing a Cemetery History," written by footnoteMaven.

Graveyard Guru 9/16/2010 -- The Many Symbols [of] Freemasonry," written by Stephanie Lincecum

Jane (Haslam) (Bury) Morley (1780-1834) Summary

Jane Haslam was baptized 20 August 1780 in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England, the eldest child of James and Betty (Harrison) Haslam.  (Source: English Births and Christenings, 1538-1975, online database on  http://beta.familysearch.org/, original data accessible on FHL Microfilms, Jane Haslam, baptized 20 August 1780 in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, daughter of James Haslam (of Haulgh) and Betty Haslam (of Haulgh); citing FHL BRITISH Film 1,966,743.)

She married (1) Robert Bury on 28 November 1798 in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors.  The marriage record in the Parish Register is (the bottom entry):


(Source:  1587-1838,  (originals filmed by Manchester Public Libraries, 1958), Marriages, 1792-1816 - FHL BRITISH Film [559,180]; Year 1798, Page 333, No. 1332, "Robert Bury of this parish Weaver and Jane Haslam of this parish spinster were married in this church by banns this twenty-eighth day of Nov in the year one thousand seven hundred ninety-eight by me T. Totolds.")

Robert and Jane (Haslam) Bury had at least one child:

i.  Ann Bury, baptized 7 March 1799 in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors. There are no death records for an Ann Bury in Bolton-le-Moors through 1820.  She may be the Ann Bury that married Ralph Morris on 10 February 1823, or the one that married Thomas Yates on 26 October 1823, or James Fairclough on 2 January 1826, all in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.

Robert Bury died before 1806.

Jane (Haslam) Bury married Thomas Morley on 29 September 1806 in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.  There marriage record is shown below (top entry):


 Source: Church of England, St. Peter's Church (Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire), Parish registers for St. Peter's, Bolton-le-Moors, 1587-1838,  (originals filmed by Manchester Public Libraries, 1958), Marriages, 1792-1816 - FHL BRITISH Film [559,180]; Year 1806, Page 262, No. 1043, "Thomas Morley of this parish weaver and Jane Bury of this parish Widow were married in this church by Banns this Twenty-ninth day of Sept in the Year One Thousand eight Hundred and Six by me Geo. Bancroft Vicar."

Thomas and Jane (Haslam) (Bury) Morley had at least two children born in Bolton le Moors and baptized in St. Peter's Church:

ii.  James Morley, baptized 19 November 1809.  He may be the James that married Catharine Murray on 30 March 1831 in St. Peter's Church, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.


iii.  Robert Morley, baptized 2 February 1815.   He may be the Robert that was buried 3 May 1835 in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire.

Thomas Morley may have died in Little Bolton, Lancashire and been buried on 7 August 1814, age 34, in Bolton le Moors, Lancashire. (Source: English Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991, online database on http://beta.familysearch.org/, original data accessible on FHL Microfilms, Thomas Morley, male, age 34, burial 7 August 1814, Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, citing FHL BRITISH Film 1,966,408.)

Jane Morley had at least two more children out of wedlock.  They were baptized at St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors:

iv. Leah Morley, baptized 25 December 1821.  No further information known.


v.  Rachel Morley, baptized 25 December 1821.  (Source: Church of England, St. Peter's Church (Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire), Parish registers for St. Peter's, Bolton-le-Moors, 1587-1838,  (originals filmed by Manchester Public Libraries, 1958), Baptisms, 1817-1827 - on FHL BRITISH Film [559,177]. Year 1821: page 229, 25 Dec 1821. Rachel, daughter of Jane Morley, resides Little Bolton, widow.) 

Rachel married Alexander Whittle on 17 August 1840 in St. Peter's Church in Bolton le Moors (Source: Church of England, Parish Church of Bolton-le-Moors, Parish registers for Bolton-le-Moors [Lancashire], 1590-1974, Marriages 1837-1841 - FHL BRITISH Film [1966480], 1840: No. 309, 17th August 1840)

"Alexander Whittle (full age, Bachelor, Sawyer, King St., father: Alexander Whittle, sawyer)
Rachel Morley (Minor, Spinster, Lum St., illegitimate)."

Jane Morley died, age 53, a resident of Little Bolton, Lancashire, and was buried in Bolton le Moors on 2 July 1834.  Her death record in the St. Peter's Church, Bolton le Moors, parish register is here (second entry down the page):



(Source: Church of England, Parish Church of Bolton-le-Moors, Parish registers for Bolton-le-Moors [Lancashire], 1590-1974, Burials, 1826-1838 - FHL BRITISH Film [559,184], Burials 1834: page 15, No. 114, Jane Morley, Abode: Little Bolton, Buried: July 2, 1834, Age: 53.)

While I don't have images of the actual parish record entries for the first three children of Jane (Haslam) (Bury) Morley, their baptisms are all recorded in the St. Peter's Church parish registers, as noted in the English Births and Christenings, 1538-1975 collection on FamilySearch Beta.  Likewise, the (potential) Marriages are noted in the English Marriages, 1538-1973 collection on FamilySearch Beta.  Potential burials were searched in the English Deaths and Burials, 1538-1990 collection on FamilySearch Beta.

There is no guarantee that all of the baptisms, marriages and burials that occurred in St. Peter's Church in Bolton-le-Moors were recorded, or that Bury and Morley children were recorded in parishes other than St. Peter's.  However, the St. Peter's parish registers that I recently reviewed seem fairly complete with no ranges of skipped dates.

This exercise shows the value and ease of finding English parish records for christening, marriage and burial  in the large FamilySearch Beta collections.  In the case of Bolton le Moors, the parish records extend past the mid-1837 start of Civil Registration.  However, it is difficult to piece families together using these databases, or the actual parish registers, due to the seeming lack of records for vital events, and the lack of parents names in the marriage and burial records.

If an English records expert has ideas on how to find more information, their counsel would be welcome!

NGS Quarterly - September 2010 Table of Contents

The September 2010 issue (Volume 98, Number 3) of the National Genealogical Society Quarterly came last week and it has four interesting articles about challenging research problems.  The Table of Contents includes:

*  page 165 - Dora Luhr's Hannover Origin: A Case of Conflicting Direct Evidence, by F. Warren Bittner.

*  page 177 - Who Were the Parents of Charlotte Ann Williams of Flint, Michigan? A Death Certificate with a Half-Truth, by Allen R. Peterson, CG.

*  page 189 - Proving the Parentage of John Bettis: Immigrant Ancestor of Bettis Families in Vermont, by David S. Ouimette, CG.

*  page 211 - Explaining Errors: Three Deaths or Only One on 2 July 1850 at Temple, New Hampshire, by Paul Friday.

The Reviews section includes:

*  Nancy C. Frantel, Richmond, Virginia, Uncovered: The Record of Slaves and Free Blacks Listed in the City Sergeant Jail Register, 1841-1846. Westminster, MD., Heritage Books, Inc., 2010.

*  Ruth Ann (Abels) Hager, Dred & Harriet Scott: Their Family Story. St. Louis, MO, St. Louis County Library, 2010.

*  Leslie Albrecht Huber, The Journey Takers. Amherst, MA, Foundation Books, 2010.

*  Kennis Kim, Conserving, Preserving and Restoring Your Heritage. Toronto, Ont., Dundern Press, 2010.

*  Linda H. Matthews, Middling Folk: Three Seas, Three Centuries, One Scots-Irish Family. Chicago, IL, Chicago Review Press, 2010.

*  Brenda Dougall Merriman, Genealogical Standards of Evidence: A Guide for Family Historians. Toronto, Ont., Ontario Genealogical Society, 2010.

*  Shirley J. Riemer, Roger P. Minert, Jennifer A. Anderson, The German Research Companion, 3rd. Ed. Sacramento, CA, Lorelei Press, 2010.

*  Frazine K. Taylor, Researching African American Genealogy in Alabama: A Resource Guide. Monrgomery, AL, New South Books, 2008.

*  Margaret Ann Wilkinson, Genealogy and the Law in Canada. Toronto, Ont., Dundern Press, 2010.

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Elizabeth Whittle's Baptismal Record In Lancashire

In The Children of Alexander and Rachel Whittle - Elizabeth, I noted that I'd found the birth and baptism record of Elizabeth Whittle, born on 1 June 1839, and baptized 14 July 1839, in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire, England (English Births and Christenings, 1538-1991,  (Database on http://beta.familysearch.org/, accessible on FHL Microfilms).

While I was in Salt Lake City two weeks ago, I obtained a copy of the Parish Register page with this record:




The source citation for this record is:

Church of England, Parish Church of Bolton-le-Moors, Parish registers for Bolton-le-Moors [Lancashire], 1590-1974, Baptisms 1836-1842 - FHL BRITISH Film [1,966,402], Page 5, No. 39, Elizabeth Morley.

The particulars of this record include:

[Heading] Baptisms solemnized in the Parish of Bolton le Moors in the County of Lancaster in the Year 18 39.

No. 39

When Baptized: July 14
Child's Christian Name: Elizabeth, Dau. of
Parent's Name, Christian - Surname: Rachel Morley
Abode: Little Bolton
Quality, Trade or Profession:  Spinster
By whom the ceremony was performed:  P.R. Robin, Curate.
 
The baptism record does not include a birth date.  That was likely provided on the Civil Registration form filled out by the parent or the curate.  Elizabeth Morley was born over one year before her mother, Rachel Morley, married Alexander Whittle, so it is unknown whether Alexander was the father or not.  By the time of their emigration to Australia in 1841, she was named Elizabeth Whittle.
 
This is an Image Copy of an Original Source record, and is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the Baptism (but not the birth) of Elizabeth Morley, known later as Elizabeth Whittle. 

Family Tree Maker for Mac software restrictions and discounts

The press release for the Family Tree Maker for Mac software arrived this morning - you can read it on many genea-blogs - e.g., here.  The price is $69.95 retail from the Ancestry Store here. 

There is more information, and comments from users about features and problems for FTM for Mac, on the Ancestry.com blog post Family Tree Maker for Mac is Here! 

Apparently, this version of Family Tree Maker for Mac is similar to Family Tree Maker 2010 for Windows, so Family Tree Maker 2011 has more features than the FTM for Mac just released.

There are also some hardware and software restrictions - the computer must be an Intel-based Mac running OSX 10.5 or later.  If you have a Mac without these features, you should check with Ancestry.com before buying Family Tree Maker for Mac.

Why is the price for FTM for Mac so high, relative to FTM 2011 for Windows (retail $39.95)?  Probably because the market is relatively small compared to the Windows market, and the major competitor, Reunion 9 by Leister Productions, sells retail for $99 here.  It will be interesting to see if a price war occurs in the Mac market for genealogy software.

I went shopping to see what might be found at a discount.  Amazon offers Family Tree Maker for Mac for $99.99, which includes a 6-month subscription to Ancestry.com (probably the U.S. Deluxe).  That is a pretty good deal - a retail 6-month subscription would be almost that much by itself (two three-month subscriptions is $101.70 retail).  If you already have an Ancestry subscription, you can probably add on the 6 months with a call to Ancestry.com.
 
For Windows users, http://www.nothingbutsoftware.com/ offers Family Tree Maker 2010 Deluxe (3-month U.S. Deluxe Ancestry.com subscription) for $54.95.  A good deal if you want the software and an Ancestry subscription. 
 
Presently, Amazon.com also offers Family Tree Maker 2011 Essentials (for Windows) for $32.99 (1-month Ancestry.com), FTM 2011 Deluxe for $59.99 (3-months Ancestry.com) and FTM 2011 Platinum for $75.99 (no Ancestry.com subscription, extra copy of FTM 2011 for a friend).

Treasure Chest Thursday - Lucretia (Smith) Seaver's Death Record


It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to share an artifact or a document image from my collection of ancestral stuff.

I scanned the 16 papers in the Civil War Pension File of my great-great-granfather, Isaac Seaver (1823-1901) during Scanfest on 31 October, and one of the documents included in the file was the death record of Isaac's second wife, Lucretia Townsend (Smith) Seaver (1827-1884).  Isaac's third wife, Alvina Matilda (Bradley) (Lewis) Seaver had to prove that she was the only one of Isaac's wives living, so she sent away for, and received, death records for the first two wives.

Here is Lucretia Townsend (Smith) Seaver's death record, obtained by Alvina in 1901 from the Leominster, Massachusetts Town Clerk's office:



The information on this "Transcription from Death Records" includes:

*  Name of Deceased:  Lucretia D. Seaver
*  Residence: Leominster, Mass.
*  Date of Death: March 24, 1884
*  Name of Husband:  [not recorded]
*  Age:  56 years, 6 months, 18 days
*  Place of Death: Leominster, Mass.
*  Sex:  Female
*  Married, Single, or widowed: Married
*  Occupation:  None
*  Birthplace: Medfield
*  Father's Name: Alpheus Smith
*  Mother's Maiden Name: Elizabeth D.
*  Disease, or Cause of Death: Abscess
*  Place of Interment: Leominster
*  Birthplace of Father: [not recorded]
*  Birthplace of Mother: [not recorded]

Charles A. Joslin, Town Clerk of Leominster, attested on the 29th of March 1901 that this was a true copy of the death records, which appeared on the Records of the Town of Leominster, Volume 14, Page 164.  A Justice of the Peace signed the record.

I thought this was interesting to see how the format of a death record provided in 1901 looks significantly different to that which are provided in more recent times.

Wednesday, November 3, 2010

The Marriage Record of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley in 1840

Previously, I found the online database entry (in the English Marriages, 1538-1973 collection on FamilySearch Beta) for Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley in Bolton-le-Moors, Lancashire on 17 August 1840.  I also found the certain entry in the English Civil Registration for Marriages in 3rd Quarter of 1840 on the http://FreeBMD.org.uk  website. 

While I was in Salt Lake City two weeks ago, I obtained an image of the actual parish register record of this marriage. 


The source citation for this record is:

Church of England, Parish Church of Bolton-le-Moors, Parish registers for Bolton-le-Moors [Lancashire], 1590-1974, Marriages 1837-1841 - FHL BRITISH Film [1966480], 1840: No. 309, Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley.

The particulars from the entry in the parish records include (underlined items are handwritten):

1840.  Marriage solemnized at the Parish Church in the Parish of Bolton le Moors in the County of Lancaster.

No:  309
When Married:  17th August 1840


Name and Surname (Groom): Alexander Whittle
Age (Groom):  full age
Condition (Groom): Bachelor
Rank or Profession (Groom): Sawyer
Residence at the Time of Marriage (Groom): King St.
Name and Surname of Father (Groom) : Alexander Whittle
Rank or Profession of Father (Groom): Sawyer

Name and Surname (Bride): Rachel Morley

Age (Bride): Minor
Condition (Bride): Spinster
Rank or Profession (Bride): ----
Residence at the Time of Marriage (Bride): Lum St.
Name and Surname of Father (Bride) : Illegitimate
Rank or Profession of Father (Bride): ----

Married in the Parish Church according to the Rites and Ceremonies in the established church After Banns by me, P.R.Robin, Curate.

This Marriage was solemnized between us, /s/ Alexander Whittle, Rachel Morley her /X/ Mark

In the Presence of us, /s/ James Ganoe [??], /s/ James Systrot

This is an Image Copy of an Original Source record written by the curate that performed the marriage very soon after the event.   It is Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the marriage.  From an evidence standpoint, it doesn't get much better than this.

Because I knew the date, it was relatively easy to find this record on the microfilm.  This church performed many marriages each year - this was number 309 in 1840 in mid-August, so there were probably about 500 to 550 marriages in the entire year.

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 127: Lyle and Emily Dress Up

I'm posting 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.


Here is a photograph from the Carringer family collection handed down by my mother in the 1988 to 2002 time period:



This is probably one of the strangest photographs in my family collection.  The person on the left is my granfather, Lyle L. Carringer (1891-1976) dressed as a woman, and the person on the right is my grandmother, Emily K. Auble (1899-1977), dressed as a male.  The setting is inside a house on a couch or sofa, probably either the Carringer home or the Auble home, in about 1918, either prior to their marriage or soon after their marriage on 19 June 1918.

I wonder why they dressed this way for this picture?  Were going to a social event, a costume party or a Hallowe'en dance? 

I always think of my grandparents as "old people" because that's the way I knew them.  But they were young once, and had fun in their lives, and occasionally those times were documented for posterity.  Thank goodness!  I think Lyle made a pretty ugly chick, and Emily was a good-looking guy!

Tuesday, November 2, 2010

Stuff Happens Sometimes... RootsMagic 4 Mystery Solved

After my complaining about Imported Master Source Citation Problems in RootsMagic, Bruce Buzbee of RootsMagic contacted me via email to try to figure out what happened.  I sent him a small FTM 16 file in FTW format and also in GED format.  They both showed Master Sources when "Source List" in RootsMagic 4 was selected.

So why did I have my "problem" in RootsMagic 4?  I figured it out with Bruce's help, and it's worth writing about it because other researchers and users of RootsMagic may have the same problem.  Here's the sequence:

1)  When I clicked the "Source List" button in the RootsMagic 4 icon row, I received this window:


Note that there are no Master Sources in this window in the left-hand column.  But look closely, and you can see that there is a down arrow at the top of the scroll bar for the left-hand column. 

2)  I used the scroll bar and went down a ways, and there were my 690 Master Sources!  The screen below shows the end of the blank lines and the start of the Master Sources:


In the screen above, I selected the last line of the blank Master Sources to try and figure out why they are blank.  My theory was that there was something in the Source records that was causing this.  I clicked "Edit" and renamed the blank source as "01-test" as seen above.

3)  In RootsMagic 4, the way to see which person and fact is associated with a specific source, you use Reports > Lists > Source List > select "Use a Single source" and select the source "01-test" from the list of Master Sources:.  Then click on "Create Report:"



The Source Usage report indicates that the Person for which this Master Source pertains was "Edmund Johnson" and the Fact was "Death."

4)  Using that information, I can go into my Family Tree Maker 16 database, find Edmund Johnson, and click on his Death source;  I see:


AHA!  Now I understand.  I added the word "estate" to the Citation Text without creating a Master Source title.  FTM 16 doesn't show a source citation like this in the Master Source list, but it is apparent that RootsMagic 4 does!   I have added notes like this for many citations - for "estate," probate," "cemetery," "gravestone" and probably several other Facts rather than create a real Master Source for the Fact.  More work to do!  But now I know how to find them!

That's good to know for RootsMagic 4 users.  If you have done things like this in your source citations, then you will have to scroll down in the Master Source list to find your Master Sources. 

Thank you, Bruce Buzbee, for the very fast response and suggestions. 

They say that there's no person that's totally worthless, they can always serve as a bad example. I guess that applies to genealogists running genealogy software too! It would probably be wise for RootsMagic 4 to include something in their Help section to the effect that "If you see blank lines at the top of your Master Source list, then you may have source information without a Master Source name."


UPDATED 5:20 p.m.:  After writing and posting the above, Bruce emailed me again and noted:

"If you highlight one of the blank master sources in the RM master source list, then click Print, then click Generate Report you will see who in your file (and which event) that blank source is attached to.


"It looks like FTM allows you to have citations with no master source. When importing a citation with no master source, RM has to create a fake master source to import that citation. Normally it uses the footnote text to create that fake master source, but for some reason in your database that footnote is apparently generated on the fly from the Citation text and isn't actually in the FTM file for RM to use.  I'll have to add some code to the FTM import of "no master source" citations so that if the Footnote text doesn't exist in the file RM will try to use the Citation text."

Using the "Print" button in the "Source Manager" is a good shortcut.

Imported Master Source Citation Problems in RootsMagic (SOLVED!)

I am trying to find the easiest way (read: having to do the least work) to obtain a well-sourced genealogy database with standard place names.  I'm currently doing adding and editing of sources in Family Tree Maker 16, due to convenience and familiarity.  FTM 16 does not have a standard place resolution function, so I will need to bring the database into one of the other programs I have to do that task.

In my earlier post on source citation imports, I imported a GEDCOM file created by Family Tree Maker 16 into Family Tree Maker 2010, RootsMagic 4 and Legacy Family Tree 7. 

I know from the first post that, when Family Tree Maker 2010 imports an FTM 16 file directly, some of the source citation elements get mangled.  Legacy Family Tree 7 doesn't permit a direct upload of a Family Tree Maker 16 file, but RootsMagic 4 does permit that.

So I imported my FTM 16 database directly into RootsMagic 4 today, and checked the Source Citation elements.  For Jacob Soule, here are the screens for his birth Source Citation (transferred from FTM 16):

1)  The Edit Screen for Jacob Soule:


I highlighted the birth record, and clicked on the "Edit source" button.

2)  The "Citation Manager" screen came up:


The screen above has a row of buttons across the top, the Source Name and Details highlighted in the top field, and the Free Form Footnote, Short Footnote, Bibliography and Repository information for this source citation (all transferred correctly from FTM 16). 

3)  I clicked on the "Edit" button in the top row, and saw:


In this "Edit source" window, I can edit the Free form source elements by typing in the fields.  I could click on the "More" button and add Source text, comments or media. 

4) I clicked on the "Repository" button and saw:


In this window, I could add more information about the repository that holds this source, and can add a second repository.  I clicked "OK" and was back to the "Edit Source" window. 

5) I clicked on the "Quality" button on the top row and saw:


In the window above, I can check on "Original" or "Derivative" Source, "Primary" or "Secondary" Information, and "Direct," "Indirect" or "Negative" Evidence to describe this particular source citation (Jacob Soule's birth record, not the Master Source).  I selected Derivative, Primary and Direct in the screen above and clicked on "OK."

6)  I was back to the "Citation Manager" window and all of the information shows on the screen:


All of that seems to work really well.  I won't have to do anything to all 690 of my Master Sources or the 18,800 source citations.  That's one question answered.  They're all included.

7)  I wanted to see my list of "Master Sources" so I clicked on the "Source List" button in the main icon menu line (highlighted in Orange below):


The "Source Manager" opened and the list was empty.  What's up with this?  I have 690 Master Sources carefully and lovingly (right?) input over the past year or so, and they aren't listed?  Granted, they are all Free form sources, but shouldn't they be listed so I can use them again and again as I add more source citations to my database?

I must be missing something, and I can't figure it out myself.  I've looked in the Help functions and there is nothing, that I can see, that tells me that Free form Master Sources imported from another program don't show up in the Master Sources list. 

Does this mean that I have to enter each one of those Master Sources intro RootsMagic's Source Editor again?   I added this source, typing the elements into the Source Citation Template, and saved it and it still doesn't show up in the list of Master Sources. 

Any RootsMagic 4 experts that can help me here?  This is a major problem for me to use RootsMagic 4 as my primary genealogy software program in the future. 

In frustration, I went back to the GEDCOM import from FTM 16 into RootsMagic 4, and when I click on the "Source List" button, then all of the Master Sources are listed.  That's a relief, but I lose the Repository information that I entered into FTM 16.

UPDATED:  4:50 p.m. - After working with Bruce Buzbee via email about this problem (immediate response! thank you, Bruce) we figured it out.  I've written a followup post about it.

Tuesday's Tip - Use Linkpendium.com

Today's Tuesday's Tip is to use the Linkpendium website (http://www.linkpendium.com/) to search for record collections in localities (countries, states/provinces, counties, over 1 million links) and for surnames (over 8 million links), organized in logical fashion and that load quickly.  These are not the actual records, but links to the records.

If you choose a state (say, New Jersey), you will then have a choice of choosing statewide resources or resources for a specific county.  I chose Sussex County, NJ, and there are 493 links on the page in many categories.  There are links to records on other websites, such as Rootsweb.com, USGenWeb.org, Ancestry.com, Footnote.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, etc. 

For Surnames, from the Linkpendium home page, you choose the first letter of the surname, then on the next page you choose from an alphabetical list with two or three letters (e.g., for Carringer, you choose C, then Car from the list), and then find the surname of interest.  There were over 30,000 names on the Car list!  I selected Carringer, and there are 19 links for this surname, including links to FindAGrave.com, OneGreatFamily.com family trees, Message Boards and Mailing Lists, Maps and Gazetteers, surname searches in online databases, and specific websites devoted to the surname. 

One of the neat features of Linkpendium is that anybody can suggest links to Linkpendium.  They have a link to Add your favorite websites to the specific locality or specific surname pages. 

Monday, November 1, 2010

Some Legacy Family Tree Webinars Available for Limited Time

Geoff Rasmussen and Legacy Family Tree have hosted several webinars in recent weeks, and have several more planned.  All currently available webinars, and information about future webinars, is on their http://www.legacyfamilytree.com/webinars.asp site.

Some of the recent webinars are available only for a limited time, so if you are interested in them, you should check them out soon. 

The two future webinars listed include:

Organize, Share, and Publish Your Digital Photos with Heritage Collector Suite, to be presented by Marlo Schuildt on Wednesday, 3 November at 9 p.m.  Learn about Heritage Collector Suite, the popular Legacy Family Tree add-on program that helps you organize, share, and publish your digital image collections. This 60 minute webinar, taught by the software's developer, Marlo E. Schuldt, will give you an overview of the software and how it can be used in conjunction with Legacy Family Tree. In addition to organizing your digital pictures and creating slideshows, Heritage Collector Suite will create family calendars, photo books, shareable DVDs and more.

Share Your Family History with Legacy Charting, to be presented by Geoff Rasmussen and Janet Hovorka on Wednesday, 1 December, 9 p.m. Eastern time. Learn how to share and publish your family history, so everyone in the family can enjoy it. In this webinar, you will learn tips and tricks to using Legacy Family Tree's charting tools to create beautiful wall charts (for the next reunion), smaller trees (to hang on the living room wall), and even family tree bookmarks (makes great gifts). You will also learn how to include photos of your family add use your own images for the chart's background.

Go to the Legacy Family Tree Webinar page to register to attend these FREE webinars as a live audience member.

The recently archived webinars, and their expiration date, include:

New Family History Technology, presented by Paul Larsen on Wednesday, 27 October. There are so many new family history tools and web sites…it’s easy to feel somewhat overwhelmed. Here’s a colorful tour of much of the new stuff to make it easier, save you hundreds of hours, and have fun connecting to your ancestors. Learn about the best of the Internet, free websites, and unique resources. Join the author of the book Crash Course in Family History, Paul Larsen, and see what you’re missing! (Available until 27 November).

Evidence Analysis, presented by Karen Clifford on Saturday, 23 October.  Learn how to incorporate analysis of evidence through the entire research process. This class is being presented live at the ICAPGen (International Commission for the Accreditation of Professional Genealogists) annual seminar in Salt Lake City, Utah. See www.icapgen.org. We invite you to join ICAPGen and Karen via this live webinar as she speaks both to her students AND to our online audience. (Available until 23 November)

Blogging for Beginners with DearMYRTLE, presented by Pat Richley on Wednesday, 20 October. Step-by-step approach to creating a blog, and making postings using the free service at Blogger.com. A great way to share genealogy research, post your society's newsletter, share info with extended family members. The webinar will also feature a survey of sample blogs, and links for additional help. (Available until 20 November)

Sharing Genealogy Electronically, presented by Geoff Rasmussen on Tuesday, 19 October. Join Legacy Family Tree's Geoff Rasmussen as he presents a live workshop to both 1) the West Valley Genealogical Society in Youngtown, Arizona and 2) to a live webinar audience. The class will teach methods of sharing your genealogy in the form of a printed book, print-on-demand publishing, websites, and shareable CDs. The class, being taught live at the West Valley Genealogical Society's library, is part of a 4-week Advanced Legacy course. Teaching to both a live brick-and-mortar audience AND to a live online audience at the same time is something we have never tried before. Maybe it will work. Maybe it ... well ... we'll be positive here and hope for the best. (Available until 19 November)

Helping Unlock the World’s Records – An Insider’s Perspective on FamilySearch Indexing, presented by Jim Ericson on Wednesday, 6 October. Learn how the world’s records are made searchable and available online through FamilySearch indexing. This class will discuss the origins of FamilySearch indexing, the purpose this service fulfills, the benefits of becoming an indexing volunteer, and tips and tricks that will make the time you spend indexing more productive and fulfilling. More than 126 million records have been indexed in 2010, but it would take nearly 300 years to index all of the records available today at the current rate (not to mention the millions of additional records that become available every year). Learn how you can get involved in this monumental effort that helps others identify and document their ancestors.

Mapping Software for Genealogists, presented by Geoff Rasmussen on Wednesday, 15 September. In this 30 minute webinar we will cover the following topics: 1) AniMap software (U.S. & Canada): learn how to find the correct county for the time period, and perform radius searches (list all cemeteries/churches within 10 miles of a place). For 30 years a researcher looked in the records of Woodstock, Windham County, Connecticut for their ancestor who was born there in 1720. AniMap easily shows that in 1720, Woodstock would have been in Suffolk County, Massachusetts. Now we know the correct location to find the records for that time period. Brick wall problem solved. 2) Centennia software (Europe and Middle East): Have you ever wondered about the changing country borders in Europe? Have ancestors in Germany, Poland, or Prussia? Which is it? The Centennia Historical Atlas software shows the changing country borders from the 11th century to the present in Europe and the Middle East. 3) Map My Family Tree software (entire world): plot your ancestors on a map of the world, track family migrations, plot to Google Earth, use the time scroll bar to dynamically select which time period you want displayed on your map and more.

Go to the Legacy Family Tree Webinar page to register to view the FREE recorded webinar (hear the voices, see the presentation slides).

Genea-bloggers Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories

Thomas MacEntee prepared this press release:

THE ADVENT CALENDAR OF CHRISTMAS MEMORIES RETURNS!



Capture Your Family’s Memories of Christmas 24 Ways in 24 Days


November 1, 2010 – Chicago, IL. GeneaBloggers – the genealogy community’s resource for blogging – announces the return of the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories beginning December 1, 2010.


What started as a bi-annual event December 2007 as a way for genealogy bloggers to capture and document the memories of family holiday traditions has now grown into an annual event with its own blog. Visit the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com/ and learn how you can participate in this unique online genealogy event.


Beginning December 1, 2010, each day will present a specific blogging prompt such as Christmas Cookies and bloggers will be asked to write about their memories related to the theme and their family history. A new prompt will appear each day through December 24, 2010.


Bloggers who have participated in the past can join in the fun again by either repeating their posts from previous years or creating new posts. Besides creating an on-line journal of Christmas memories, some bloggers have even gone on to create books of their previous Advent Calendar posts to share with family and friends.


Don’t’ forget to check out the list of blogging prompts and get started on capturing your childhood Christmas memories today!


Follow the Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/pages/Advent-Calendar-of-Christmas-Memories/159472580759391),  Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/adventcal)  and on our blog at http://adventcalendar.geneabloggers.com/.

-----------------------------
I encourage all genea-bloggers to participate in this Advent Calendar, for no other reason than writing to these prompts may provide more information to your family members, and that may prompt their own memories to share with the family.

Amanuensis Monday - the Will of Samuel Hubbard (1687-1753) of Concord MA

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own 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 Samuel Hubbard (1687-1753) of Concord, Middlesex County, Massachusetts, one of my 7th great-grandfathers.

Samuel Hubbard died testate, and his probate papers are in Middlesex County Probate Records, Probate Packet #12,200 (full packet is on FHL Microfilm 0,397,102). The will of Samuel Hubbard, late of Concord, taylor, deceased, was presented to the Court on 28 January 1754 by the executor, Isaac Hubbard, with witnesses Jonas Haywood and Ephraim Wood, Junior. The will was accepted by the Court. Isaac Hubbard (husbandman) and Jonas Hubbard (cordwainer - probably Jonas Heywood, since his signature appears on the document), both of Concord, posted bond of 300 pounds with the Court.  The will, written in a clear hand, reads:

"In the Name of God Amen. The Second Day of September in the Twenty first year of His Majesties Reign annoque Domini one Thousand and Seven Hundred and forty seven. I Samuel Hubbard of Concord in the County of Middlesex, within the province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England Taylor, being in good bodyly health and of perfect mind and memory Thanks be to God therefor. But Calling to mind the mortality of my Body, and knowing that it is appointed for all men once to Die, Do make & ordain this my Last Will and Testament.

"First and Principally I give & Recommend my soul to the Hands of God that gave it. And my Body I commend to the Earth to be buried, in a Christian and Decent manner, at the Discreation of my Executor (hereafter named) nothing Doubting but at the Resurection I Shall Receive the same by the mighty Power of God.

"Imprinus. I Will and Bequeath unto Prudence Hubbard my now dearly beloved Wife all my Houshold goods propper to be used within Doors, of every sort to her own Disposal forever. also my Will is that my sd Wife shall have the improvement of the whole of my now Dwelling house with Liberty to pass to and from the same for firewood and water &c. Further my Will is that my Executor or his Heirs Executors or administrators shall yearly and every year provide for and Deliver to my abovesd wife six bushel of marchantable Indian corn, four bushel of Rie and one bushel and an half of malt and one Hundred & forty pound of marchatable pork and two barrels of Cyder, and a sufficiency of firewood Cut fit for the fire, an one Cow kept for her use, summers & winters, also three pounds money old Tenor. And if my said Wife Die my Widow, my Will is that he my said Executor bestow upon her a Decant Christian Burial. The articles sbove shall duely & yearly be performed towards my sd wife by my Executor During her natural Life if she Die my Widow; but if she shall marry to another man in that case at her marriage my Executor shall be quit from any further payments as abovesaid (only she shall be the sole owner of my Household goods as abovesaid) also at her second marriage she shall quit the Improvement of sd Dwelling house.

"It. I give to my sons Ephraim Hubbard and Samuel Hubbard all my weaving apparrel to be equally Divided between them.

"It. I Give to Ephraim Hubbard my Eldest son the sum of fifty pounds money according to old Tenour.

"It. I Give to Samuel Hubbard my second son the sum of twenty pounds money according to old Tenour.

"It. I Give to my Daughter Mary Gates the sum of thirty pounds money according to old Tenour.

"It. I Give to my Daughter Sarah Jones the sum of thirty pounds money according to old Tenour.

"It. I Give to my Daughter Lydia Davis the sum of forty pounds money according to old Tenour.

"I Give to Silance Darby my youngest Daughter the sum of thirty pounds money according to old Tenour; further my will is that my Executor pay the Respective sums of money to the six children above named or their Leagal Representatives within one full year after my Decase.

"I Give to my Grandaughter Lois Hubbard Eldest Daughter of my son Ephraim Hubbard, if she arrive to the age of eighteen years, the sum of ten pounds according to old Tenour in Bills of publick Credit.

"I Give to my Grandaughter Sarah Hubbard Eldest Daughter of my son Samuel Hubbard, if she arrive to the age of eighteen years the sum of ten pounds according to old Tenour in Bills of Publick Credit. The Leagacies to sd grandchildren to be Payd to them by my Executor when they arrive to the age of eighteen years Respectively.

"The Remainder of my Estate both Real and Personal of what Name or nature soever (besides what is given as abovementioned) I Give and Bequeath to my youngest son Isaac Hubbard forever. Whom I also Constitute make and ordain the only and sole Executor of this my Last Will and Testament and I do Hereby utterly Revoke make null and void all other Wills and Testaments by me made at any time. Confirming this as my Last Will and Testament IN Witness Whereof I have affixed my Hand and Seal the Day of the Date above written.

"Signed Sealed Pronounced
Published and Declared
In the Presents of us Witnesses .................................... Samuel Hubbard
Jonas Heywood
Ephraim Wood Junr
Samuel Heywood"

No inventory, account or distribution was included in the probate packet.

Samuel Hubbard was married twice - first in 1709 to Sarah Clark (1681-1720), who bore him five children - Ephraim, Mary, Samuel, Sarah and Lois.  He married in 1721 his second wife was Prudence Temple (1692-????)), who bore him three children - Lydia, Silence and Isaac. 

My link to this family is through Mary Hubbard (1712-1754) who married Amos Gates (1706-1783) in 1732.  They resided in Stow, and died in Marlborough.

Sunday, October 31, 2010

1733 Massachusetts Marriages on eBay

Once in awhile I receive an email from someone who has an item on eBay that is genealogical in nature.  They usually find me by doing a search for the surnames involved in the item.  Today, it was probably because I've posted about the Soule line in Plymouth, Dartmouth and Rhode Island.

Here is a screen shot of the item:


A transcription of the item above is provided below:


The transcription reads:

William SOULE of Tiverton and Jemina BAKER of Swanzey was solmely Joyned in marriage September ye 20 1733, etc...

Edward THURLO(W) and Hopestill LUTHER both of Swanzey November ye 19 1733...
Job ANTHONY and Hannah LUTHER, both of Swanzey nov 1733 etc...
John ANTHONY and Alydia LUTHER, both of Swanzey December 1733; ...
Constant EDDY and Mary WINSLOW, both of Swanzey Dec 1733; ...
Constant VIAL and Sarah WINCHESTER both of Barrington January 1733...
The persons above named was Joyned in marriage attest Joseph MASON, Justice of Peace.

I hope someone who wants this item searches for one or more of these names and find this post before the time runs out on this item.  The starting bid? $49.95.

There are many more old records like this on eBay.  Usually, the time period for buying is fairly short - only a week or two, and it's hard to stay on top of them.  I don't try, usually.  Do you?

Best of the Genea-Blogs - Week of 24-30 October 2010

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:

My Family on Kindle by Valerie Craft on the Begin With 'Craft' blog.  In addition to reading books and periodicals, Kindle can be used to read PDF files of genealogy subjects, like pedigree charts and reports.

A Sunday Road Trip to New York Part1 and Part2 by Bill West on the West in New England blog.  Bill and his sister visited the Statue of Liberty and  Ellis Island last week and had a great time.  Nice pictures!

Genealogist-ologist-ologist by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog.  Mr. AI addresses how genealogy is like the game of concentration, and how some genealogy website/software product managers approach their tasks.  Read the comments too.

Genealogical Smackdown: Colonials vs. Immigrants by Donna Pointkouski on the What's Past is Prologue blog.  Donna debated me for a bit last spring, and writes an even-handed summary of both arguments.  It points out that genealogy research is hard everywhere!

Evidence Analysis Webinar Available Online by Angela McGhie on the Adventures in Genealogy Education blog.  Angela highlights an excellent webinar presented by Karen Clifford at the ICAPGEN seminar last week.

The War of 1812 - Get Ready to Celebrate by Carolyn L. Barkley on the GenealogyAndFamilyHistory.com blog.  Carolyn provides a brief history lesson, a summary of War of 1812 records available to researchers, and bibliography.

Talks tour of Australia by Chris Paton on the Scottish GENES (GEnealogy News and EventS) blog.  Chris made presentations in four cities in Australia in 12 days, and it looks like he had an excellent time doing it.  Nice pictures, too, of our Australian colleagues.

The History of Aprons by Arlene Eakle on the Arlene H. Eakle's Genealogy Blog.  An excellent short article about the myriad uses of aprons.  Who knew?  Well, I'm male, so I didn't.  Our kids don't either.

Top 10 Things I Learned in Breaking Down my Brick Wall by Terri on the Finding Our Ancestors blog.  This concise list of Terri's should be considered by every researcher.  I loved it.

GOGS - Omaha Conference was Great! by Susan Petersen on the Long Lost Relatives.net blog.  Susan summarized the presentations at this day-long conference this past week.

Several other genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts this week, including:

Follow Friday: Around the Blogosphere - Oct 29 by Susan Petersen on the Long Lost Relatives.net blog.

Best Bytes for the Week of October 29th by Elizabeth O'Neal on the Little Bytes of Life blog.  

Friday Newsletter: 29 October 2010 by Great Koehl on Greta's Genealogy Bog blog. 

I encourage you to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blog to your Favorites, Google Reader, RSS feed or email if you like what you read. Please make a comment to them also - all bloggers appreciate feedback on what they write.

Did I miss a great genealogy blog post? Tell me! I am currently reading posts from over 690 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

NOTE:  There is a very good chance that I will be unable to write a Best of the Genea-Blogs post next week - we have grandpa duty for a week!

Hallowe'en Names in the Records

There are a number of families in the Rootsweb WorldConnect database at http://wc.rootsweb.com/cgi-bin/igm.cgi  that have surnames connected to Hallowe'en. For instance:

1) The GHOST surname - there are 508 entries, including the descendants of Philip Ghost of Westmoreland County PA - see 6 generations here. It looks like at least one GHOST from this family is still living.

2) The GOBLIN surname - there are 43 entries. It looks like there are no real GOBLIN family trees - only isolated GOBLIN women who married men with other surnames.

3) The SKELETON surname - there are 403 entries but few trees with many generations. Methinks these are mostly misspelled SKELTON people.

4) The FRANKENSTEIN surname - There are 1,012 entries, and most of them are of German origin. One family that settled in Rochester NY is here. There is one Frank N. Stein here.

5) The WITCH surname - there are 125 entries, but no long family lines in the database. Some of these are those accused of witchcraft.

6) The PUMPKIN surname - there are 70 entries, but no long family lines.

7) The HAUNT surname - there are only 4 entries, none with a family line.

8) The SPOOK surname - there are 25 entries, and only one with a three generation family. There are 34 entries for people with the first name of Spook and 23 for the first name of Spooky.

9) The GHOUL surname - there are 14 entries.

10) The JACKO surname has 292 entries.

11) The LANTERN surname has 283 entries. But there are no people named Jack O. Lantern.

12) There are 235 CAT surname entries and 10,107 CATT entries. There are no Black Cat names.

13) There are 18 SCARY surname entries - many of them still living. There are 78 entries for a given name of Scary.

14) There are 55 DRACULA surname entries, many of them are related to The Count.   There are 36 entries for a given name of DRACULA.

15) There are 534 CEMETERY entries, some of them the name of actual cemetery databases.

16) There are 1,989 MONSTER entries. No Monster Mash, though (there are 2,738 surname entries for MASH). Or a Boris Pickett.

17) There are 711 SKULL surname entries.

18) There are 96 SPIRIT entries. There are 6 entries for a Holy Spirit with a spouse named Mary, with a child.

19) There are 3 entries for "Spider WEBB"

20) There are 198 entries for SCREECH surname. And 34 entries for a given name or nickname of Screech.

21) There are 4 entries for HALLOWEEN surname - even a Mary Halloween.

22) There are no VAMPIRE surname entries, and 1 given name entry.

23) There are 16,686 BROOM surname entries.

24) There are 119 BAT surname entries, 15,417 BATT surname entries and 9,725 BATTY surname entries

25) There are no ZOMBIE surname entries or given name entries. Whew!

Enough!! What other Hallowe'en oriented surnames can you think of? Are they in WorldConnect?

Happy Hallowe'en!! Trick or Treat?

Yep - TRICK surname has 3,729 surname entries and TREAT surname has 55,986 entries!

FYI, Ancestry.com published a press release back in 2006 with Hallowe'en census entries - see the list here.

Chris Dunham did some Census Whacking on Hallowe'en names in his post here.