I updated my Hallowe'en Names in the WorldConnect Database post from last year:
There are a number of families in the Rootsweb WorldConnect database at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ that have surnames connected to Hallowe'en. For instance:
1) The GHOST surname - there are 561 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 51 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 438 entries but few trees with many generations. Methinks these are mostly misspelled SKELTON people (68,129).
4) The FRANKENSTEIN surname - There are 1,342 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 139 entries, but no long family lines in the database. Some of those listed were accused of witchcraft.
6) The PUMPKIN surname - there are 73 entries, but no long family lines. There are 351 entries for a given name of PUMPKIN.
7) The HAUNT surname - there are only 6 entries, none with a family line. There are 2 persons with the first name of HAUNT.
8) The SPOOK surname - there are 28 entries, and only one with a three generation family. There are 42 entries for people with a given name of Spook and 28 for the first name of Spooky (at least one dog!)
9) The GHOUL surname - there are 47 entries.
10) The JACKO surname has 333 entries, and there are 99 entries with a given name of Jacko..
11) The LANTERN surname has 297 entries. But there are no people named Jack O. Lantern.
12) There are 254 CAT surname entries and 11,268 CATT entries. There is one Black Cat name.
13) There are 20 SCARY surname entries - many of them still living. There are 80 entries for a given name of Scary.
14) There are 56 DRACULA surname entries, many of them are related to The Count. There are 50 entries for a given name of DRACULA.
15) There are 536 CEMETERY entries, some of them the name of actual cemetery databases.
16) There are 4,245 GRAVE surname entries, and 313,214 GRAVES surname entries.
17) There are 147,785 entries for the surname COFFIN.
18) There are 2,498 MONSTER entries. No Monster Mash, though (there are 3,015 surname entries for MASH). There are no "Boris Pickett" persons, but there are 13 entries for BOBBY PICKETT.
19) There are 926 SKULL surname entries.
20) There are 95 SPIRIT entries. There are 3 entries for a Holy Spirit with a spouse named Mary, with a child.
21) There are 544,479 surname entries for WEBB, but only 5 entries for "Spider WEBB" (all nicknames)
22) There are 208 entries for SCREECH surname. And 44 entries for a given name or nickname of Screech.
23) There are 5 entries for HALLOWEEN surname - even a Mary Halloween. There are 110 given name entries for HALLOWEEN (including maiden names).
24) There are no VAMPIRE surname entries, and 1 given name entry.
25) There are 18,764 BROOM surname entries.
26) There are 149 BAT surname entries, 16,822 BATT surname entries and 10,829 BATTY surname entries. There are 725 entries for BATTY as a given name.
27) There are no ZOMBIE surname entries or given name entries. Whew!
28) There are 54,197 entries for the surname BLOOD.
29) The surname DEATH has 11,225 entries.
30) The TRICK surname has 3,935 surname entries and TREAT surname has 62,237 entries!
31) he surname WARLOCK has 75 entries, but there are 40 given name entries
32) There are 2 surname entries for WEREWOLF, both married to the same Lucky guy!
33) There are 78 given name entries for BOO.
Enough!! What other Hallowe'en oriented surnames can you think of? Are they in WorldConnect?
Happy Hallowe'en!! Trick or Treat?Ancestry.com published a press release back in 2006 with Hallowe'en census entries - see the list here.
The Ancestry.com blog published some entries from death records in Who would name their daughter Halloween? Just check the records.
John D. Reid posted some Hallowe'en names and occupations in Halloween fun from Ancestry.ca in 2009.
Craig Manson posted Halloween Census Whacking in 2009 for some of the names above.
Chris Dunham did some Census Whacking on Hallowe'en names in Censuswhacking for Halloween in 2005.
Did I miss a post on Hallowe'en names? If so, please tell me and I'll add it to my list.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/halloween-name-whacking.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 229: 1960 Hallowe'en Costumes
I am posting photographs from my family collections for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday (you know me, I can't go wordless!).
Here is a photograph from the Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill family collection handed down from my Aunt Marion in 2000 after her passing.
This is a Hallowe'en costume picture from about 1960 in San Diego. The three kids are Randy, Scott (in the Lion costume, holding his head) and Stan. Our mother made the costume (or bought it ... I'm not sure). Why don't Randy and Stan have a costume? Well, we've outgrown the deal (I was 17!) - we just went trick or treating for the candy on the way down to and back from to the Hallowe'en carnival at Brooklyn School. Scotty was really into it, though, and was a great lure for the candy contributors to open the door.
Check out the flattops! Butch Wax worked! Stan had a ducktail in back, but I could never get my hair to do it.
I think that this is the only Hallowe'en picture that I have in my digital photo collection. It took awhile to find it!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-229-1960.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Here is a photograph from the Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill family collection handed down from my Aunt Marion in 2000 after her passing.
This is a Hallowe'en costume picture from about 1960 in San Diego. The three kids are Randy, Scott (in the Lion costume, holding his head) and Stan. Our mother made the costume (or bought it ... I'm not sure). Why don't Randy and Stan have a costume? Well, we've outgrown the deal (I was 17!) - we just went trick or treating for the candy on the way down to and back from to the Hallowe'en carnival at Brooklyn School. Scotty was really into it, though, and was a great lure for the candy contributors to open the door.
Check out the flattops! Butch Wax worked! Stan had a ducktail in back, but I could never get my hair to do it.
I think that this is the only Hallowe'en picture that I have in my digital photo collection. It took awhile to find it!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-229-1960.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Dear Randy: How Do You Craft a World War Draft Registration Citation
A reader asked this question last week: "I'm in the process of updating my source citations from Free Form to the appropriate one for the type of source. I wonder what you use for the draft registrations you find?"
My response:
Asking me about source citations is dangerous! I use Free-form sources crafted in RootsMagic 5 for almost everything, but I also used the "Draft Registration, Images" template in RootsMagic 5 in order to use as a model for the free-form citation. (I use free-form because it GEDCOMs better than any template citation.)
Here is the source citation (Footnote) crafted using the "Draft Registration, Image" template in RootsMagic 5:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2010), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
The text in red is in the Source fields, and the text in blue is in the Source Detail fields.
Here is the free-form source citation (red for Source, blue for Details) which I crafted based on the RootsMagic 5 source template:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com :, accessed 9 October 2010); Frederick Walton Seaver entry, 18 September 1918; ), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Here is a sample source citation (First Reference Note) from Evidence! Explained:
“World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2007), Christopher Ferraci, serial no. 1251, order no. 367, Draft Board 7, Rochester, Monroe County, New York; citing World War I Selective
Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509; no specific roll cited.
So, I was pretty close with both crafted citations. I should have included the serial and order numbers on the registration card. Some differences: I put the county, state and city before the person's name; included the "Selective Service System" creator name; did not italicize the "World War I ..." part in the free-form citation; and there is an extraneous comma before "citing..." in the Free-form citation that I cannot eliminate.
Now I'm curious how well the source citation templates in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 and Family Tree Maker 2012 perform this task.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/dear-randy-how-do-you-craft-world-war.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
My response:
Asking me about source citations is dangerous! I use Free-form sources crafted in RootsMagic 5 for almost everything, but I also used the "Draft Registration, Images" template in RootsMagic 5 in order to use as a model for the free-form citation. (I use free-form because it GEDCOMs better than any template citation.)
Here is the source citation (Footnote) crafted using the "Draft Registration, Image" template in RootsMagic 5:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2010), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
The text in red is in the Source fields, and the text in blue is in the Source Detail fields.
Here is the free-form source citation (red for Source, blue for Details) which I crafted based on the RootsMagic 5 source template:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com :, accessed 9 October 2010); Frederick Walton Seaver entry, 18 September 1918; ), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Here is a sample source citation (First Reference Note) from Evidence! Explained:
“World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2007), Christopher Ferraci, serial no. 1251, order no. 367, Draft Board 7, Rochester, Monroe County, New York; citing World War I Selective
Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509; no specific roll cited.
So, I was pretty close with both crafted citations. I should have included the serial and order numbers on the registration card. Some differences: I put the county, state and city before the person's name; included the "Selective Service System" creator name; did not italicize the "World War I ..." part in the free-form citation; and there is an extraneous comma before "citing..." in the Free-form citation that I cannot eliminate.
Now I'm curious how well the source citation templates in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 and Family Tree Maker 2012 perform this task.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/dear-randy-how-do-you-craft-world-war.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Winner of Second Genea-Musings Ancestry Membership Contest
The second Genea-Musings Contest to Win a 3-Month Ancestry World Explorer Membership is over...
There were 78 entrants with the correct answer to my questions, and almost everyone obeyed the rules to the letter. I saved them all in one email file folder, listed by email reception time.
After the contest was closed on Sunday night, I went to www.random.org and entered 78 into the maximum number field and clicked on the "Generate" button.
#46 was the winner! On my email list, the 46th entry was Debi Austen of Black Diamond, Washington.
I passed Debi's email to my contact at Ancestry.com, and then I emailed Debi with my congratulations.
As part of this contest sponsored by Ancestry.com, Debi can select one of her friends to win another 3-Month Ancestry.com World Explorer Membership. How cool is that?
Only one entry missed the right answer. The answer to the question was from the Social Security Death Index:
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/winner-of-second-genea-musings-ancestry.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
There were 78 entrants with the correct answer to my questions, and almost everyone obeyed the rules to the letter. I saved them all in one email file folder, listed by email reception time.
After the contest was closed on Sunday night, I went to www.random.org and entered 78 into the maximum number field and clicked on the "Generate" button.
#46 was the winner! On my email list, the 46th entry was Debi Austen of Black Diamond, Washington.
I passed Debi's email to my contact at Ancestry.com, and then I emailed Debi with my congratulations.
As part of this contest sponsored by Ancestry.com, Debi can select one of her friends to win another 3-Month Ancestry.com World Explorer Membership. How cool is that?
Only one entry missed the right answer. The answer to the question was from the Social Security Death Index:
Name: Ronald Wilson Reagan
Born: 6 Feb 1911
Died: 5 Jun 2004
State and date issued: Iowa (before 1951)
Last residence: 90024, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Most of the entrants used Ancestry.com, which had all of the requested information. Some used GenealogyBank.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, Archives.com, FamilySearch.org and Fold3.com to find the right answers.
Don't forget that Ancestry's Death Records Contest continues this week - check it out at www.ancestry.com/deathcontest.
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Tuesday's Tip - Check Out Iowa Record Collections on FamilySearch
This week's Tuesday's Tip is: Look for Iowa ancestral records in the FamilySearch Record Collections.
There are 8 collections for Iowa records in the FamilySearch Record Collections (put "Iowa" in the search box in the upper left-hand cvorner at https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list).
The available collections include:
* Iowa Births and Christenings, 1830-1950 (676,909 indexed records)
* Iowa, Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 (398,901 indexed records)
* Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992 (1,128,389 indexed records)
* Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 (1,818,450 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1895 (526,916 indexed records)
* Iowa, Fayette County Probate Records, 1851-1927 (browse images only)
* Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 (696,160 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1885 (503,573 indexed records)
Not all of these collections are complete - the record collection description will usually describe the percentage complete and the counties included. For instance, the Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 collection is 86% complete, and the page lists the counties included.
These records are all from state indexes or records that were microfilmed over the years by the LDS Family History Library and recently digitized by FamilySearch and indexed by volunteers for researchers to use for free.
I use records like these to enrich my family tree - I have Seaver, Carringer, and Vaux families in my database with Iowa vital records events.
One lesson here is to check the collection list periodically for updates. The screen shown above is in Date Updated order - 5 of the 8 collections have been updated since late September 2012.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/tuesdays-tip-check-out-iowa-record.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
There are 8 collections for Iowa records in the FamilySearch Record Collections (put "Iowa" in the search box in the upper left-hand cvorner at https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list).
The available collections include:
* Iowa Births and Christenings, 1830-1950 (676,909 indexed records)
* Iowa, Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 (398,901 indexed records)
* Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992 (1,128,389 indexed records)
* Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 (1,818,450 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1895 (526,916 indexed records)
* Iowa, Fayette County Probate Records, 1851-1927 (browse images only)
* Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 (696,160 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1885 (503,573 indexed records)
Not all of these collections are complete - the record collection description will usually describe the percentage complete and the counties included. For instance, the Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 collection is 86% complete, and the page lists the counties included.
These records are all from state indexes or records that were microfilmed over the years by the LDS Family History Library and recently digitized by FamilySearch and indexed by volunteers for researchers to use for free.
I use records like these to enrich my family tree - I have Seaver, Carringer, and Vaux families in my database with Iowa vital records events.
One lesson here is to check the collection list periodically for updates. The screen shown above is in Date Updated order - 5 of the 8 collections have been updated since late September 2012.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/tuesdays-tip-check-out-iowa-record.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Monday, October 29, 2012
Anyone Else Notice that Right Answer to Today's Ancestry Death Records Contest was Incorrect?
I just went to the Ancestry Death Records Contest ( www.ancestry.com/deathcontest) to try to win an iPad... (note that this particular contest ends on Tuesday, 30 October). Here is the question to be answered:
"It’s the 6th of February, 1925 and there’s a drama unfolding on the pages of the Charleston Daily Mail. William Floyd Collins is trapped in Sand Cave, near Cave City, Kentucky. He’s been there since January 30th.
"The country has been riveted by the daily reports on the story–and today is an especially poignant time in the continuing saga. This was supposed to be William’s wedding day. But instead, his betrothed, Alma Clark, waits at the mouth of the cave for news of his rescue.
Did anyone else note this? I'll update this post on Tuesday with the correct answer (IMHO) along with the evidence.
UPDATED Wednesday, 31 October: The record that contains the answers to this contest is:
The newspaper page is dated 16 February 1925, and the article clearly states that William Floyd Collins was found dead on 16 February 1925, not died on 17 February 1925 as the closest correct answer to the contest question indicates.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/anyone-else-notice-that-right-answer-to.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
"It’s the 6th of February, 1925 and there’s a drama unfolding on the pages of the Charleston Daily Mail. William Floyd Collins is trapped in Sand Cave, near Cave City, Kentucky. He’s been there since January 30th.
"The country has been riveted by the daily reports on the story–and today is an especially poignant time in the continuing saga. This was supposed to be William’s wedding day. But instead, his betrothed, Alma Clark, waits at the mouth of the cave for news of his rescue.
"How does this story end?
- He dies from exposure on the 17th of February.
- He is rescued on the 7th of February and married that afternoon.
- He dies exactly one year later in a car accident.
- He is rescued on the 10th of February, but his fiancée refuses to marry him."
Did anyone else note this? I'll update this post on Tuesday with the correct answer (IMHO) along with the evidence.
UPDATED Wednesday, 31 October: The record that contains the answers to this contest is:
The newspaper page is dated 16 February 1925, and the article clearly states that William Floyd Collins was found dead on 16 February 1925, not died on 17 February 1925 as the closest correct answer to the contest question indicates.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/anyone-else-notice-that-right-answer-to.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Ancestry.com has General Land Office Record Collection
I was perusing the long list of new record collections on Ancestry.com this morning (at http://www.ancestry.com/cs/reccol/default) and noticed that the U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 was added on 8 October 2012, with over 2.4 million records.
I had worked in the government website (http://glorecords.blm.gov) for these records previously, but it become difficult to use (I'm still waiting after 5 minutes for the capability to search - maybe a hurricane problem?) and wondered if I had missed any of my ancestral families when I searched one person at a time. The Ancestry.com indexing makes this task a lot easier.
The Ancestry collection description is:
This database contains approximately 2.2 million land patents, primarily cash and homestead, from 1820-1908 for the following states:
2) There were two matches for Ranslow Smith:
3) I clicked on the earliest one and the record summary appeared:
4) I clicked on the "View Original image" link and the document appeared:
Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes.http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.
I'll work on an Evidence! Explained quality source citation for this record sometime soon and add it here.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/ancestrycom-has-general-land-office.html
copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
I had worked in the government website (http://glorecords.blm.gov) for these records previously, but it become difficult to use (I'm still waiting after 5 minutes for the capability to search - maybe a hurricane problem?) and wondered if I had missed any of my ancestral families when I searched one person at a time. The Ancestry.com indexing makes this task a lot easier.
The Ancestry collection description is:
This database contains approximately 2.2 million land patents, primarily cash and homestead, from 1820-1908 for the following states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Ohio
- Wisconsin
A land patent is a document recording the passing of a land title from the government, or other proprietor, to the patentee/grantee. This is the first-title deed and the true beginning of private ownership of the land. The patent describes in legal terms the land to which the title is given.
I wanted to capture the documents for Ranslow Smith, the adoptive father of my second great-grandfather, Devier J. Smith. I knew that he was in these records.
1) The U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 record search page has the typical search fields:
2) There were two matches for Ranslow Smith:
3) I clicked on the earliest one and the record summary appeared:
4) I clicked on the "View Original image" link and the document appeared:
I can download and save this record for my computer files, and attach it to Ranslow Smith in my Ancestry Member Tree.
The source citation that Ancestry provides for this record is:
Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
I'll work on an Evidence! Explained quality source citation for this record sometime soon and add it here.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/ancestrycom-has-general-land-office.html
copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Amanuensis Monday - Will of Edward Larkin (1611-1652) of Charlestown, Mass.
Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme several years 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 Edward Larkin (1611-1652) of Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married Joanna Hale (??) in 1639 and they had six children: John Larkin (1640-1678), Elizabeth Larkin (1641-1719); Hannah Larkin (1643-1704); Thomas Larkin (1644-1677), Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), and Joanna Larkin (1649-1713).
Edward Larkin died testate, having written a will on 15 7th month 1651, which was proved in the Probate Court on 6 2nd month 1652. The will reads (Middlesex County [Mass.] Probate Records, Probate Packet 13,609, accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 0,416,788, original papers in probate packet, transcribed by Randy Seaver):
"15th of ye 12th month 1651
"I Edward Larkin being weake in body yitt having perfitt memory and understanding doe make this my last will and Testament in manner and forme following.
"Imprimus I committ my soule to God who made it and gave it And I only rely and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, I comitt my body to bee decently buried,
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin A full third pt of my estate: it being rightly valewed, to bee first deducted, And more I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin the full sume of five pounds likewise to be first deducted out of my estate: and these twoo parts to remaine with my whole estate in her hands untill the tyme of the division of My Estate and payment of my childrens portions as hereunder is specified.
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my eldest son John Larkin a dubbell portion of my estate after my wife has hers out of the whole and my will is that my son John shall let his portion remaine in my wifes hands until he bee twenty and one years ould and then my wife with the other executer to pay his portion to him upon demand: but if hee or any of my children also doe dye before they have receaved their portions then it to be equally divided to my wife and the other children who remaine then alive: provided alsoe that if the Lord shall please to take away my wife by death before the childrens portions bee payd then my will and I desire the Deacons of our church to joyne with the other executor to so order and dispose of that portions wch I bequeath to my children as may be most advantagious to their benefitt until they have them payed unto them, Alsoe if my wife shall marry before the legacies bee paid then my will is that he whom she marries and shee shall retaine the legacies in their hands till the due tyme aforementioned provided they put in sufficient security that the childrens portions may be preserved for them.
As for my son Thomas and my daughters Elizabeth, Sarah, Johanna: and the child with which my wife now goes and is bigg wth I doe hereby will and bequeath unto each of them a equal portion of my estate which remains after my wife and son John have theirs to be paid them by my executors if they live or by the Deacons (of sd church then Being) at their ages of twenty years: but as before if any of them Decease in the meane tyme then the survivors or survivor to have it equally amongst them or given to him or her if only one surviving:
"John Green .............................................................. Edward Larkin
John Pentecost
"This will was presented to ye Court the 6th of ye (2) 1652 and by them accepted upon Record.
P me Tho: Danforth Recorder"
On the reverse of the will was:
"As for my daughter Hannah whom my beloved brother and sister Penticost have taken into their hands to keep and provide for I doe give and bequeath unto her ten shillings to bee layed out in good books for her at her Age of eighteen years to be delivered unto her
"And I Edward Larkin doe entreat my beloved brother Robert Hale to Joyne with my beloved wife Jone Larkin and to bee my full and sole execitors of this my last will and Testament the day and date before written"
An inventory was taken on 14 11th month 1651:
"A True Inventory of the lands, housing and goods of Edward Larkin wheelmaker of Charltowne Lately Desesed Prised and truly vallewed by Robert Hale, Thomas Brigden and John Penticost."
The inventory totaled 123 pounds, 19 shillings and 6 pence. The real property included a dwelling house and a yard, a marsh, hay lot, two acres of planting ground on "mysticke syde" valued at 90 pounds. The personal property included his wearing apparel, furniture, household possessions, firearms, tools, lumber and books.
Edward Larkin is one of my 9th great-grandfathers, through his daughter, Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), who married John Wheeler (1643-1713) in 1664 in Concord, Massachusetts.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/amanuensis-monday-will-of-edward-larkin.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
"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 Edward Larkin (1611-1652) of Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married Joanna Hale (??) in 1639 and they had six children: John Larkin (1640-1678), Elizabeth Larkin (1641-1719); Hannah Larkin (1643-1704); Thomas Larkin (1644-1677), Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), and Joanna Larkin (1649-1713).
Edward Larkin died testate, having written a will on 15 7th month 1651, which was proved in the Probate Court on 6 2nd month 1652. The will reads (Middlesex County [Mass.] Probate Records, Probate Packet 13,609, accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 0,416,788, original papers in probate packet, transcribed by Randy Seaver):
"15th of ye 12th month 1651
"I Edward Larkin being weake in body yitt having perfitt memory and understanding doe make this my last will and Testament in manner and forme following.
"Imprimus I committ my soule to God who made it and gave it And I only rely and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, I comitt my body to bee decently buried,
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin A full third pt of my estate: it being rightly valewed, to bee first deducted, And more I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin the full sume of five pounds likewise to be first deducted out of my estate: and these twoo parts to remaine with my whole estate in her hands untill the tyme of the division of My Estate and payment of my childrens portions as hereunder is specified.
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my eldest son John Larkin a dubbell portion of my estate after my wife has hers out of the whole and my will is that my son John shall let his portion remaine in my wifes hands until he bee twenty and one years ould and then my wife with the other executer to pay his portion to him upon demand: but if hee or any of my children also doe dye before they have receaved their portions then it to be equally divided to my wife and the other children who remaine then alive: provided alsoe that if the Lord shall please to take away my wife by death before the childrens portions bee payd then my will and I desire the Deacons of our church to joyne with the other executor to so order and dispose of that portions wch I bequeath to my children as may be most advantagious to their benefitt until they have them payed unto them, Alsoe if my wife shall marry before the legacies bee paid then my will is that he whom she marries and shee shall retaine the legacies in their hands till the due tyme aforementioned provided they put in sufficient security that the childrens portions may be preserved for them.
As for my son Thomas and my daughters Elizabeth, Sarah, Johanna: and the child with which my wife now goes and is bigg wth I doe hereby will and bequeath unto each of them a equal portion of my estate which remains after my wife and son John have theirs to be paid them by my executors if they live or by the Deacons (of sd church then Being) at their ages of twenty years: but as before if any of them Decease in the meane tyme then the survivors or survivor to have it equally amongst them or given to him or her if only one surviving:
"John Green .............................................................. Edward Larkin
John Pentecost
"This will was presented to ye Court the 6th of ye (2) 1652 and by them accepted upon Record.
P me Tho: Danforth Recorder"
On the reverse of the will was:
"As for my daughter Hannah whom my beloved brother and sister Penticost have taken into their hands to keep and provide for I doe give and bequeath unto her ten shillings to bee layed out in good books for her at her Age of eighteen years to be delivered unto her
"And I Edward Larkin doe entreat my beloved brother Robert Hale to Joyne with my beloved wife Jone Larkin and to bee my full and sole execitors of this my last will and Testament the day and date before written"
An inventory was taken on 14 11th month 1651:
"A True Inventory of the lands, housing and goods of Edward Larkin wheelmaker of Charltowne Lately Desesed Prised and truly vallewed by Robert Hale, Thomas Brigden and John Penticost."
The inventory totaled 123 pounds, 19 shillings and 6 pence. The real property included a dwelling house and a yard, a marsh, hay lot, two acres of planting ground on "mysticke syde" valued at 90 pounds. The personal property included his wearing apparel, furniture, household possessions, firearms, tools, lumber and books.
Edward Larkin is one of my 9th great-grandfathers, through his daughter, Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), who married John Wheeler (1643-1713) in 1664 in Concord, Massachusetts.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/amanuensis-monday-will-of-edward-larkin.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Sunday, October 28, 2012
CVGS Program on 31 October: "Discovering Jane's Roots..."
The October general meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society will be Wednesday, 31 October, at 12 noon in the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library Auditorium.
The Program Speaker is CVGS Member Randy Seaver, on “Discovering Jane's Roots in California, Australia and England”
In this presentation, Randy will explore the research journey to find the ancestors of his wife's great-grandmother, Jane (Whittle) McKnew (1847-1921). She married in Gold Country, had a family of 11 children, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and died in San Francisco. Jane was born in Australia to parents who were born and married in England. Most of the research was done with online resources and in a collaborative environment. Come watch Randy unveil a fascinating family history worthy of a “Who Do You Think You Are?” television episode.
Randy Seaver is a native San Diegan. His ancestry is mainly colonial New England and Upper Atlantic, with some colonial German, French and Dutch forebears, and several 19th-century English immigrants. He has been pursuing his elusive ancestors since 1988, and has been online since 1992.
Randy is a former President of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, and is currently the Newsletter Editor and Research Chair. He speaks to Southern California societies, libraries and groups, teaches "Beginning Computer Genealogy" adult classes at OASIS, and writes the Genealogy 2.0 column for the FGS FORUM magazine. He is a member of NGS, NEHGS, SCGS, SDGS, CGSSD and CVGS. Randy blogs daily about genealogy subjects at Genea-Musings (www.geneamusings.com) and the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe (http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com).
There will be a short business meeting before the speaker, and refreshments before and after the meeting at the back of the Auditorium.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/cvgs-program-on-31-october-discovering.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
The Program Speaker is CVGS Member Randy Seaver, on “Discovering Jane's Roots in California, Australia and England”
In this presentation, Randy will explore the research journey to find the ancestors of his wife's great-grandmother, Jane (Whittle) McKnew (1847-1921). She married in Gold Country, had a family of 11 children, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and died in San Francisco. Jane was born in Australia to parents who were born and married in England. Most of the research was done with online resources and in a collaborative environment. Come watch Randy unveil a fascinating family history worthy of a “Who Do You Think You Are?” television episode.
Randy Seaver is a native San Diegan. His ancestry is mainly colonial New England and Upper Atlantic, with some colonial German, French and Dutch forebears, and several 19th-century English immigrants. He has been pursuing his elusive ancestors since 1988, and has been online since 1992.
Randy is a former President of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, and is currently the Newsletter Editor and Research Chair. He speaks to Southern California societies, libraries and groups, teaches "Beginning Computer Genealogy" adult classes at OASIS, and writes the Genealogy 2.0 column for the FGS FORUM magazine. He is a member of NGS, NEHGS, SCGS, SDGS, CGSSD and CVGS. Randy blogs daily about genealogy subjects at Genea-Musings (www.geneamusings.com) and the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe (http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com).
There will be a short business meeting before the speaker, and refreshments before and after the meeting at the back of the Auditorium.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/cvgs-program-on-31-october-discovering.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Best of the Genea-Blogs - 21-27 October 2012
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:
* The "Literature Search" in the Internet Age by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. Michael asks if this is still necessary. What do you think?
* Michael Hait's Perfect Genealogy Program by Louis Kessler on the Behold Genealogy blog. Louis parses Michael's April description of a perfect program, and defines if Louis's Behold! program has incorporated each feature.
* Ancestry's Mythical Admixture Percentages by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Roberta thinks that Ancestry's autosomal DNA test results are wrong, and shows us her own numbers.
* What Next for Ancestry.com? by Debbie Kennett on the Cruwys News blog. Debbie summarizes the DNA test and analysis offerings from Ancestry.com, and discusses the drawbacks of the Ancestry autosomal DNA test.
* IGI Q and A - Part 1 and Part 2 by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Information from Robert Kehrer about the International Genealogical Index on FamilySearch.
* 8 Tips and a Tool for Self-Editing Your Family History Blog by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog. What - I have to self-edit too? Who knew? I'm lucky just to remember to spell check them... Excellent ideas here!
* Fishing Expedition (AKA Cluster/Collateral Genealogy) - A Brick Wall Buster by Michele Simmons Lewis on the Ancestoring blog. Michele discusses why you should do this type of research, and provides an example of her own, to solve brick wall problem.
* Forensic Genealogy Institute - Day One, Day 2 and Day 3 by Cinnamon Collins on The (Mis)Adventures of a Genealogist blog. Cinnamon summarizes her days at this new institute - it sounds challenging and fascinating.
* Producing a Self-Published Book in Ten Steps by Diane Beumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog. Diane describes her book publishing process, including the challenges she faced. There are lessons here!
* The Future of Genetic Genealogy - Dream Big! by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Some great DNA testing history and some big picture predictions here from Roberta.
* The Old Trappe Church by Becky Wiseman on the Kinexxions blog. Becky visited a church of her colonial ancestors in Pennsylvania, but it was closed. No matter - great pictures and story!
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 14-20 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
* Ruth's Recommendations by Ruth Blair on The Passionate Genealogist blog. Ruth's back! Cool.
* Monday Morning Mentions ... A Little Late by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.
* Monday Recap for October 22, 2012 by Amanda on the Geni Blog.
* From the Blogs, October 26 by Michael Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.
* Follow Friday - Fab Finds for October 26, 2012 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and family History Blog.
* Genealogy News Corral, October 22-26 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.
* Friday Finds - 10/26/12 by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog.
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 21-27 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
I encourage readers to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs 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 1290 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.
Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/best-of-genea-blogs-21-27-october-2012.html
Copyright(c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Here are my picks for great reads from the genealogy blogs for this past week:
* The "Literature Search" in the Internet Age by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. Michael asks if this is still necessary. What do you think?
* Michael Hait's Perfect Genealogy Program by Louis Kessler on the Behold Genealogy blog. Louis parses Michael's April description of a perfect program, and defines if Louis's Behold! program has incorporated each feature.
* Ancestry's Mythical Admixture Percentages by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Roberta thinks that Ancestry's autosomal DNA test results are wrong, and shows us her own numbers.
* What Next for Ancestry.com? by Debbie Kennett on the Cruwys News blog. Debbie summarizes the DNA test and analysis offerings from Ancestry.com, and discusses the drawbacks of the Ancestry autosomal DNA test.
* IGI Q and A - Part 1 and Part 2 by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Information from Robert Kehrer about the International Genealogical Index on FamilySearch.
* 8 Tips and a Tool for Self-Editing Your Family History Blog by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog. What - I have to self-edit too? Who knew? I'm lucky just to remember to spell check them... Excellent ideas here!
* Fishing Expedition (AKA Cluster/Collateral Genealogy) - A Brick Wall Buster by Michele Simmons Lewis on the Ancestoring blog. Michele discusses why you should do this type of research, and provides an example of her own, to solve brick wall problem.
* Forensic Genealogy Institute - Day One, Day 2 and Day 3 by Cinnamon Collins on The (Mis)Adventures of a Genealogist blog. Cinnamon summarizes her days at this new institute - it sounds challenging and fascinating.
* Producing a Self-Published Book in Ten Steps by Diane Beumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog. Diane describes her book publishing process, including the challenges she faced. There are lessons here!
* The Future of Genetic Genealogy - Dream Big! by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Some great DNA testing history and some big picture predictions here from Roberta.
* The Old Trappe Church by Becky Wiseman on the Kinexxions blog. Becky visited a church of her colonial ancestors in Pennsylvania, but it was closed. No matter - great pictures and story!
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 14-20 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
* Ruth's Recommendations by Ruth Blair on The Passionate Genealogist blog. Ruth's back! Cool.
* Monday Morning Mentions ... A Little Late by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.
* Monday Recap for October 22, 2012 by Amanda on the Geni Blog.
* From the Blogs, October 26 by Michael Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.
* Follow Friday - Fab Finds for October 26, 2012 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and family History Blog.
* Genealogy News Corral, October 22-26 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.
* Friday Finds - 10/26/12 by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog.
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 21-27 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
I encourage readers to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs 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 1290 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.
Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/best-of-genea-blogs-21-27-october-2012.html
Copyright(c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Saturday, October 27, 2012
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - The Music Generator
Hey genea-philes - it's Saturday Night again --
time for more Genealogy Fun!!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) Go to www.p22.com/musicfont/ and enter a text phrase or sentence into the P22 Music Text Composition Generator. Enter a file name, the beats per minute you want (120 is slow, 1200 is really fast), and the instrument (from the dropdown list).
2) Play your music text composition. Can you find a way to put it on your blog?
3) Tell us about your musical text compositions - what did you try, what sounded great? Have fun!
My thanks to M. Diane Rogers who suggested this to me on Facebook - suggesting it be called "The Music of Our Ancestors."
Here's mine:
* My first try was the first names of my Seaver ancestral line (600 bpm, Acoustic Grand Piano): [randall frederick frederick frank isaac benjamin benjamin norman robert joseph shubael robert seaver] . I captured the notes below:
* My second attempt was (900 bpm, Trumpet): [I am a native San Diegan, a graduate of San Diego State University, a retired aerospace engineer, a genealogist and a family guy. My wife (Angel Linda) and I have two lovely daughters, and four darling grandchildren. We love to visit them and have them visit us. Angel Linda and I love to travel to visit friends and relatives, to sightsee, to cruise or to do genealogy. Our travels have taken us all over the USA, to England and Scandinavia. ] Pretty boring...
* A "Music of my Ancestors" with ancestral surnames back 3 generations (900 bpm, Dulcimer): [seaver carringer seaver richmond carringer auble seaver hildreth richmond white carringer smith auble kemp ] Pretty good...
* Another "Music of my Ancestors" with birth places of my ancestors (900 bpm, Dulcimer): [san diego leominster san diego leominster killingly san diego chicago medfield northborough hilperton killingly mercer burnett newton delhi] I like this one the best, and I like the Dulcimer.
* I could save each composition file to my computer as a MIDI file, but could not figure a way to put it here on Genea-Musings (a Blogger blog).
Come on now, show me yours!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-music.html
copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Surname Saturday - BLODGETT (England > Massachusetts)
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.
I am in the 7th great-grandmothers, up to number 533: Huldah BLODGETT (1689-1777). [Note: The 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].
My ancestral line back through two American generations of this BLODGETT family 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)
66. Nathan Gates (1767-1830)
67. Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855)
132. Simon Gates (1739-1803)
133. Susannah Reed (1745-1833)
266. Nathan Reed (1719-1802)
267. Susannah Wood (1724-1780)
532. Ebenezer Reed, born 06 March 1689/90 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 09 July 1767 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 1064. George Reed and 1065. Abigail Pierce. He married about 1714 in probably Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
I am in the 7th great-grandmothers, up to number 533: Huldah BLODGETT (1689-1777). [Note: The 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].
My ancestral line back through two American generations of this BLODGETT family 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)
66. Nathan Gates (1767-1830)
67. Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855)
132. Simon Gates (1739-1803)
133. Susannah Reed (1745-1833)
266. Nathan Reed (1719-1802)
267. Susannah Wood (1724-1780)
532. Ebenezer Reed, born 06 March 1689/90 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 09 July 1767 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 1064. George Reed and 1065. Abigail Pierce. He married about 1714 in probably Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
533. Huldah Blodgett, born 09 February 1688/89 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 11 May 1777 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
Children of Ebenezer Reed and Huldah Blodgett are: Ebenezer Reed (1715-????); Huldah Reed (1717-1775); Nathan Reed (1719-1802); Abigail Reed (1721-1806); George Reed (1723-1804); Eliphaz Reed (1726-1776).
1066. Samuel Blodgett, born 10 December 1658 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 05 November 1743 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He married 30 April 1683 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
1067. Huldah Simonds, born 20 November 1660 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 13 March 1745/46 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 2134. William Simonds and 2135. Judith Phippen.
Children of Samuel Blodgett and Huldah Simonds are: Samuel Blodgett (1683-1762); Daniel Blodgett (1685-1762); William Blodgett (1686-1750); Huldah Blodgett (1689-1777); Caleb Blodgett (1691-1745); Joshua Blodgett (1694-1756); Josiah Blodgett (1695-1775); John Blodgett (1699-1757); Benjamin Blodgett (1701-????); Nathan Blodgett (1704-1747).
2132. Samuel Blodgett, born before 12 July 1633 in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England; died in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He married 13 December 1655 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
2133. Ruth Eggleton, born before 08 November 1631 in Biddenden, Kent, England; died 14 October 1708 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. She was the daughter of 4266. Eggleton and 4267. Jane.
Children of Samuel Blodgett and Ruth Eggleton are: Ruth Blodgett (1656-1695); Samuel Blodgett (1658-1743); Thomas Blodgett (1661-1740); Susanna Blodgett (1665-1715); Sarah Blodgett (1668-1692); Mary Blodgett (1673-1752); Martha Blodgett (1673-1710).
4264. Thomas Blodgett, born before 17 November 1604 in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England; died 07 August 1642 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States. He was the son of 8528. Robert Bloggatt and 8529. Mary Whitlock. He married before 1622 in probably Stowmarket, Suffolk, England.
4265. Susanna, born about 1600 in Stowmarket, Suffolk, England; died 10 February 1660/61 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
Children of Thomas Blodgett and Susanna are: John Blodgett (1622-1632); Nathaniel Blodgett (1628-1630); Daniel Blodgett (1631-1672); Samuel Blodgett (1633-????); Susannah Blodgett (1637-1697); Thomas Blodgett (1639-1639).
Information about these families were obtained from:
* Robert Charles Anderson, The Great Migration: Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1999), Volume 1, pages 324-326.
* Edwin A. Blodgett, Ten Generations of Blodgetts In America (Barre, Vermont : Modern Printing Co, 1969).
* Bradley Deforest Thompson & Franklin Condit Thompson, Blodget-Blodgett, Descendants of Thomas of Cambridge, Vols. 1-6 (Concord, New Hampshire: Self published, 1955), Volumes 1-2 accessed on FHL US/CAN Film 896,868 Items 2-3.
* Massachusetts town vital records.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/surname-saturday-blodgett-england.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Friday, October 26, 2012
Two More Days for Second Genea-Musings Ancestry Contest
I announced the second Genea-Musings contest for a 3-month Ancestry.com World Subscription on Tuesday in Enter Second Genea-Musings Contest to Win a 3-Month Ancestry World Explorer Membership.
The deadline for entries is Sunday, 28 October 2012 at 8:59 PM PDT (11:59 PM EDT). I have only about 45 entries at this time, so there is a decent chance of winning.
Please submit your entry immediately to be included in this drawing.
There will be a second contest next week with all new entries.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/two-more-days-for-second-genea-musings.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
The deadline for entries is Sunday, 28 October 2012 at 8:59 PM PDT (11:59 PM EDT). I have only about 45 entries at this time, so there is a decent chance of winning.
Please submit your entry immediately to be included in this drawing.
There will be a second contest next week with all new entries.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/two-more-days-for-second-genea-musings.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Follow-Up Friday - Helpful and Interesting Reader Comments
It's Friday, so I'm highlighting helpful and interesting reader comments on Genea-Musings post made in the last week:
1) On Follow-Up Friday - Useful Reader Comments (19 October 2012):
* Michael Hait offered an improved source citation for my Daniel Spangler probate record: "With digital images, there are two approaches. You can either cite the original record first, then describe the format; or you can cite the image as a digital publication. I prefer the first option, because digital images--like microfilm--are to be generally treated like the original.
"Here is how I would cite the record you describe:
Mercer County, Pennsylvania, Orphans Court Docket D, page 93, Petition of Carringer and Robinson, 15 Sep 1851; digital image, "Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994," *FamilySearch* (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 October 2012); source not identified but likely FHL microfilm no. 878,977.
"The FHL source microfilm is relatively easy to find using the Catalog. Including this in the citation is recommended because FamilySearch did not scan the original records--they scanned the FHL microfilm. It is not always easy to determine the source, but if you can, you should include it."
"Do you file women's photos (and documents) under their married or maiden names? Maiden names before marriage, married names after? Or...?
"When you have a family group photo in which there are people with several surnames, how do you save it? Do you have a system for including the names of all the people in the photo?"
"Now, to get such useful printouts, I have to export from Ancestry and import into my genealogy program. Then I have to put up with the horrid version of footnotes that Ancestry exports."
1) On Follow-Up Friday - Useful Reader Comments (19 October 2012):
* Michael Hait offered an improved source citation for my Daniel Spangler probate record: "With digital images, there are two approaches. You can either cite the original record first, then describe the format; or you can cite the image as a digital publication. I prefer the first option, because digital images--like microfilm--are to be generally treated like the original.
"Here is how I would cite the record you describe:
Mercer County, Pennsylvania, Orphans Court Docket D, page 93, Petition of Carringer and Robinson, 15 Sep 1851; digital image, "Pennsylvania, Probate Records, 1683-1994," *FamilySearch* (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 15 October 2012); source not identified but likely FHL microfilm no. 878,977.
"The FHL source microfilm is relatively easy to find using the Catalog. Including this in the citation is recommended because FamilySearch did not scan the original records--they scanned the FHL microfilm. It is not always easy to determine the source, but if you can, you should include it."
My comment: Thank you, Michael! I think you're right about the microfilm, and will modify my citation to include it. I like the "Petition of ..." part too.
2) In My Ancestor Family File Folders and File Naming Convention (22 October 2012):
* Lineagekeeper (Lee Drew) noted: "I use a similar system but name records by surname first name middle name so they automatically sort by surname saving me from needing to remember the first name of a person to start the search."
* OneRhodeIslandFamily (Diane Beumenot) said: "...adding the generation to the beginning if the file folder name, to sort them in order from most recent to farthest back, is really clever."
* Jackie Corrigan offered: "I have a similar system, only with fewer folders. For example, I have one folder with my father's surname. Within that folder, all documents and pictures relating to his ancestors are named this way "Smith Tom b1880 marriage1907". No matter what I am looking for, the files are sorted with all items relating to that person in one place."
* Lisa Suzanne Gorrell commented: "My system is very close to yours. However I numbered my generations in the opposite order and then when I found an ancestor further back I had no more numbers to use except 00! I think I will reverse the numbering like you did and then I have room for more generations. I didn't see any census records under Betty Carringer. How do you handle records with multiple people in them?"
* J. Paul Hawthorne asked: "I have a question, what do you do with all the cousins from each generation. Let's say you have documents, headstone pictures, etc. for Henry Carringer & Sarah Feather's other children, and then their children. Do you make a folder 'Other children'?"
* Nancy asked: "My system for photos is somewhat similar to yours but yours is more streamlined -- and I think I will adopt it. I think it will make things simpler for me.
"Do you file women's photos (and documents) under their married or maiden names? Maiden names before marriage, married names after? Or...?
"When you have a family group photo in which there are people with several surnames, how do you save it? Do you have a system for including the names of all the people in the photo?"
My comments: I'm glad that I could offer something to help people out. We all seem to do this a little different, and it's helpful to see the different ideas. To each their own! To address some of the comments and questions:
* I use given names first in order to easily find a person with the givenname-surname. A long list of file names with surname-givenname is more difficult for me.
* I file records and photos of children in their parents file folder until they get married, then their files go into their married couple folder.
* Unmarried children are usually with their parents in census records, so I don't need a separate document for them unless they are not with their parents. In the case when they are not with their parents, I save the census record with the child's name.
* Records with multiple persons are a problem. For something like a census record, I usually use the head of household name in the file name. For photos with a number of persons, I add more detail in the file name with plus signs, like these:
** Carringer+Smith+Crouch-Families-1916-SandiegoCA-Christmas-1.jpg
** DellaCarringer+AbbieSmith+HattieLoucks-1910-SanDiegoCA-1.jpg
* For families that are not my ancestral families, I put them in the "Other [Surname] Families" file folder under the [Surname] file folder. So for a sibling of my great-grandfather, I would put the documents and pictures of that family in the Other Family folder with an appropriate file folder name (e.g., "Harry C Seaver + Rose Noel") in the "Other Seaver Families" file folder in the "Seaver" file folder. I do put married female families in their maiden Surname file folder (e.g., a file folder for "George Taylor + Emily Richmond" would go in the "Other Richmond Families" in the "Richmond" file folder).
* If a photo includes persons in an ancestral family, I put it in the ancestral family. I might copy it to the Other family folder too.
Your file folder system may vary - whatever works for you is recommended! But once you've set it up, and you have linked the media to persons in your family tree, you create a big problem for yourself by changing the file folder system structure or the file names.
3) On Ancestry.com Chart and Report Print Options (25 October 2012):
* Barbara Mathews, CG noted: "Ancestry World Tree would let me choose a Register-style printout. This gave me details on multiple generations. I really miss that.
"Now, to get such useful printouts, I have to export from Ancestry and import into my genealogy program. Then I have to put up with the horrid version of footnotes that Ancestry exports."
My comment: The Ancestry World Trees seem to be gone from the Ancestry record collections. When did that happen? Ancestry Member Trees always were the same as the Rootsweb WorldConnect trees, just on a different platform.
If the tree in question is still online in the Rootsweb WorldConnect family tree (http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com), you can still make the useful printouts of ancestor and descendant reports, and usually can download a GEDCOM file if you want (I don't...). I use and recommend WorldConnect all of the time, and it's the largest free set of online family trees. It doesn't have ALL of the Ancestry Member Trees, of course.
The horrid Ancestry.com source citations are another issue addressed several times on this blog.
4) I got a lot of spam comments on my post Amanuensis Monday - Will of Solomon Keyes (1631-1702) of Chelmsford, Mass. (24 September 2012) for some reason, including this one:
"What a stuff of un-ambiguity and preserveness of precious knowledge on the topic of unexpected feelings. Look into my page ..."
My comment: Hmmm. Somehow this person was able to overcome the dratted Captcha, but the Spam filter caught it.
5) Thank you to all of my readers who commented on my blog posts - I know the Captcha is a PITA for everyone, it is for me also on other blogs.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/follow-up-friday-helpful-and_26.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
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