Saturday, August 18, 2012

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - What's Your Ancestral Name Number?

Hey ahnentafelists (new genea-word!) - it's Saturday Night - time for more Genealogy Fun!!!


Your mission, should you decide to accept it (and I hope more of you do than participated in the SNGF Genealympics the last three weeks), is to:

1)  Determine how complete your genealogy research is.  For background, read Crista Cowan's post Family History All Done? What’s Your Number?  For comparison purposes, keep the list to 10 generations with you as the first person.  

2)  Create a table similar to Crista's second table, and fill it in however you can (you could create an Ahnentafel (Ancestor Name) list and count the number in each generation, or use some other method).  Tell us how you calculated the numbers.

3)  Show us your table, and calculate your "Ancestral Name Number" - what is your percentage of known names to possible names (1,023 for 10 generations).

4)  For extra credit (or more SNGF), do more generations and add them to your chart.

5)  Post your table, and your "Ancestral Name Number," on your own blog, in a comment to this post, or in a Facebook Status or Google+ Stream post.

Here's mine:

1)  I did this by creating an Ahnentafel Report in RootsMagic 5 (Reports > Lists > Ahnentafel Report) for 15 generations, then saved it as a PDF, opened it, and counted, by hand, the persons on the list in each generation.  The numbers included duplicate persons (due to marrying cousins) and persons I had either a first or last name for.

2)  My chart (if you want a blank chart in Microsoft Word format, please email me!  I'm leaving at 4 p.m. PDT on Saturday, though):



3)  My "Ancestral Names Number" for 10 generations is:

*  Number of known ancestral names = 544
*  Number of possible ancestral names = 1,023
*  10 generation Ancestral Name Number = 544/1,023 = 53.27%

4)  Extra credit:  For 15 generations, I have 2,236 known Ancestral Names, out of 32,767 possible, for an Ancestral Name Number of 6.82% for 15 generations.

It really helps, in my case, to have a New England ancestry for about 50% of my 4th great-grandparents.  All of those New England ancestors have English ancestors and those are the lines back to the 15th generation.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-whats-your.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday - READ (England > Massachusetts)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  I am up to number 513: Mary Read (1680-????). [Note: The 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].  This starts my 7th great-grandmothers.  

My ancestral line back through four  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 (1734-1787)
129.  Sarah Read (1736-1809)

256. Robert Seaver (1702-1752)

257.  Eunice Rayment (1707-1772)


512.  Joseph Seaver, born 01 June 1672 in Roxbury, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States; died before 26 August 1754 in Framingham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 1024. Shubael Seaver and 1025. Hannah Wilson.  He married 10 December 1701 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
513.  Mary Read, born 05 January 1680 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of Joseph Seaver and Mary Read are:  Robert Seaver (1702-1752); Mary Seaver (1706-????); Nathaniel Seaver (1709-1777); Hannah Seaver (1712-1771); Elizabeth Seaver (1714-1758); Abigail Seaver (1720-11815).

1026.  Thomas Read, born about 1653 in probably Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died about 1733 in probably Oxford, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States.   He married 30 May 1677 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
1027.  Mary Goodrich, born 15 December 1650 in Wethersfield, Hartford, Connecticut, United States; died 02 October 1724 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 2054. John Goodrich and 2055. Elizabeth.

Children of Thomas Read and Mary Goodrich are:  Thomas Read (1678-1755); Mary Read (1680-????); Rachel Read (1682-????); Nathaniel read (1684-????); Elizabeth Read (1687-????); Hannah Read (1689-1691); Joseph Read (1695-1731).

2054.  Thomas Read, born before 19 October 1627 in Colchester, Essex, England; died 13 September 1701 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.   He married before 1653 in probably England, his first wife:
2055.  Katherine, born about 1628 in England; died 26 September 1677 in Sudbury, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.

Child of Thomas Read and Katherine is:  Thomas Read (1653-1733).

4108.  Thomas Read, born about 1595 in Colchester, Essex, England; died before 03 March 1665 in Colchester, Essex, England.  He married about 1618 in England.
4109.  Rachel, died before 13 July 1665 in Colchester, Essex, England.

Children of Thomas Read and Rachel are:  Mary Read (1620-1691); Rachel Read (1625-????); Thomas Read (1627-1701); Isaac Read (1637-1696).


The oldest two generations, and their English ancestry, of this line were briefly discussed in the book:

Mary Lovering Holman, The Ancestry of Col. John Harrington Stevens and his wife Frances Helen Miller, published by Rumford Press, Concord, NH, 1948.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Friday, August 17, 2012

Attaching Media to Events or Sources in RootsMagic 5

In my post Help! RootsMagic 5 Media Attachment is Confusing  yesterday, I complained that I was really confused by the process of attaching media to events or sources in RootsMagic 5.  Bruce Buzbee, the developer of RootsMagic, posted a comment almost immediately with a simple four-step process, saying:

1. Open the media album for the person.
2. Highlight the desired item.
3. Click the "Tag media" button on the right side of the screen.
4. Select the person and event to tag.


That works well!  It's simple, it's fast.  It wasn't obvious.  It is covered, to some extent in the "Tagging Media" article in the Help menu.

Here is the process in pictures for the 1910 U.S. census for my grandfather:  Note that this process works if the Media item has already been added to the Media Gallery and is attached to the Person.

1)  Here is the "Edit Person" screen for Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942):



2)  The first key move is to click on the "Media" button above the Person's name on the screen above.  The "Media Album" for the Person opens.  The user highlights the Media item of interest (in this case, the 1910 U.S. Census image - you can see the file name in the right-hand panel):


3)  The second key move is to click on the "Tag Media" button at the top of the right-hand panel.  That opens the "Media tag" window.  The user can click the down arrow in the "Tag type" field to see which type s/he wants to use:


The "Tag type" options on the screen above are Person, Family, Event, Source, Citation, Place, Place detail, and Name.

4)  I chose the "Event" type, and then had to choose the Event to attach the Media to:


In the screen above, I chose the 1910 U.S. Census Event.

5)  After clicking "OK" and closing out ("OK") the "Media Album" for the person, the "Edit Person" window now has the Check mark in the "Media" column for the specific Event:


One thing I noticed was that if I looked for a Media item for the Source of the Event (highlight Event > Sources > select Source Citation > Edit  > Media), it wasn't there.

6)  If the Media item is not in the "Media Gallery" already, the user can either add it to the "Media Gallery," or attach it to the person's "Media Album," or click on the "Media" column blank space for the Event and Add it from the file folder location on your computer.  If the latter process is used, it then appears in the "Media Album" for the Person and can be tagged for a Person, Event, Place, etc.

There used to be a "Media" button, in RootsMagic 4, in the right-hand panel of the "Edit Person" window to perform this operation.  RootsMagic 5 moved the "Media" button to the top of the Events and enabled tagging of the Media to the different Tag Types.

So this works very well - there was just the semi-secret process to follow.  Thank you to Bruce for revealing the process to me and my readers!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/08/attaching-media-to-events-or-sources-in.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

What are FamilySearch's Intentions for GEDCOM X?

Ryan Heaton, writing on the GEDCOM X blog, is gradually lifting the veil about GEDCOM X development.  These GEDCOM X blog posts since June 2012 are informative (be sure to click links within the posts):

*  05 June 2012 -- Specs, Diagrams, and Illustrations - provides links to specification documents and models

*  05 June 2012 -- The GEDCOM 5.5 to GEDCOM X Conversion Tool - offers a way to read a GEDCOM 5.5 file and create a GEDCOM X file

*  06 June 2012 -- The GEDCOM X Recipe Book - introduces the recipe book used to address a specific question about how the GEDCOM X model is to be used in a specific use case. 

*  03 July 2012 -- The File Format - Jeers and Cheers - responds to comments about the GEDCOM X file format and language, including Tamura Jones's post GEDCOM X Converter (but Ryan didn't mention it).

*  14 August 2012 -- Requirements - there is no Requirements document yet, but Ryan thinks that the overarching requirement should be "GEDCOM X must be able to accommodate FamilySearch's Platform API."

*  15 August 2012 -- Whence FHISO? - discussion of FamilySearch's commitment to (not much) and plans for (not many yet - wait!) FHISO.  

Tamura Jones wrote GEDCOM X: FamilySearch First on 15 August 2012, on his Modern Software Experience blog,  which analyzes the Requirements post.  Tamura's conclusions include:

*  The GEDCOM X site makes it clear that GEDCOM X is the new FamilySearch standard.  It replaces the GEDCOM file format and the NFS API, and is the FamilySearch Family Tree API.

*  FamilySearch is promising backward compatibility...What should worry all vendors, not just the FamilySearch partners, is that the stated requirement directly contradicts previous FamilySearch statements about the nature of the GEDCOM X project.

*  FamilySearch claims that GEDCOM X is an open community standard for the industry...GEDCOM X isn't a community standard. GEDCOM X is a proprietary FamilySearch standard for FamilySearch products. The GEDCOM X blog just confirmed that.

Read all of Tamura's post - there is a lot more there.  I really appreciate Tamura's analysis and opinions. 

So what should the genealogy community do?   

*  Wait for FamilySearch to complete the GEDCOM X data models, file format and FS Family Tree API, and hope that the genealogy software providers and online family tree providers can adapt to it? 

*  Wait for FHISO to develop and complete a new and "better" GEDCOM data model and file format (better than GEDCOM 5.5) and hope that the genealogy software providers and online family tree providers can adapt to it, and that FamilySearch can modify their GEDCOM 5.5 to  to GEDCOM X conversion tool?


*  Some other action plan?  


Unfortunately, almost all of the users of genealogy software programs and online family trees (including FamilySearch Family Tree) don't have the knowledge or expertise to address these issues - and I know that I don't.  Almost all of us have to rely on the good intentions of the software and tree providers to make this work.

My opinion?  It looks to me that FamilySearch is developing GEDCOM X to be a FamilySearch Family Tree API, will try to make it backward compatible, and has the attitude of "We've done it, here it is, we're going to use it, adopt it if you can, use it if you want to."

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/08/what-are-familysearchs-intentions-for.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

UPDATED 3 p.m.:  Edited a bit, added a link to Tamura's Converter post.

No Family Tree Maker 2013

I received an email from Matthew Deighton of Ancestry.com today concerning their plans for Family Tree Maker this year:


"Ancestry.com normally announces the newest version of Family Tree Maker around this time of the year. Instead we have decided to make several key updates to the existing software, and give those updates away for free. We will be working hard this year to improve the current product and you will see these bonus features throughout the year.

"Remember, you will need to upgrade to Family Tree Maker 2012 before you can download the bonus features.

"Since Family Tree Maker 2012 was released last fall, a number of updates have been sent out that include improvements and new features. Here’s a list of just some of these great changes:
  • Numerous enhancements to TreeSync so syncing your tree to Ancestry.com is faster and more reliable
  • A new Family View Report that displays a person’s ancestors, spouse, and children together (similar to the Family View in the People workspace)
  • A new Undocumented Facts Report that lists people’s facts that have no source documentation
  • The ability to merge info from multiple versions of the same fact
  • New source templates for the 1940 U.S. census and improved support for city directories
  • Dozens of report enhancements including performance improvements and new options in the relationship chart, family group sheet, Individual Report, Notes Report, Data Errors Report, Outline Descendant Report, Media Item Report, photo albums, Media Usage Report, Documented Facts Report, and calendar
"And there are more enhancements to come in the next bonus update—so stayed tuned."

Note that the items listed above have already been implemented in the updated Family Tree Maker 2012 program.  There is no list, yet, of the future enhancements.

Family Tree Maker is the only major genealogy software company that has charged year over year for their yearly updates.  Other software programs go for three to five years before they come out with a software upgrade that requires customers to buy the updated program.

See earlier discussion on Family Tree Maker 2013 in Will there be a Family Tree Maker 2013? posted on 9 August 2012.  


Follow-Up Friday - Reader Comments Highlighted, and I Find New Cousins

It's Follow-Up Friday, and my Genea-Musings readers have provided helpful and interesting comments on these posts:

1)  On Help! RootsMagic 5 Media Attachment is Confusing (16 August 2012):

*  Bruce Buzbee (developer of RootsMagic) commented:  "I'll have to experiment with the path you were taking to add the picture to an event, but here is the way I do it when I already have the picture attached to the person:

"1. Open the media album for the person.
2. Highlight the desired item.
3. Click the "Tag media" button on the right side of the screen.
4. Select the person and event to tag."


*  Jenny Lanctot said:  "Hooray for Bruce!  But, since I know he's watching, I'd like to make a request for the next upgrade: When you attach an image to a source, can you have it automatically tag to the fact that the source is for. I hate having to go into the source to see the image, or take the extra steps to make sure the image is in both places."

My comment:  I agree with Jenny - "Hooray for Bruce!"  His response was easy to understand, in a logical order, provided quickly, and it worked.  Follow-up blog post coming on how to do it.  Thanks, Bruce!


*  Barbara J. Mathews noted:  "Thank you, Randy, I needed this post. I can't understand why Ancestry won't put in the "detail" on a source you capture from them. If you go into the source to edit, then you can't save it until you yourself put in that detail. Urghh."

*  Russ Worthington said:  "As you know, I use FTM2012. I am taking this year to transform ALL of my Sources and Citations into the Template format that is in FTM2012. Any time I add a new record from Ancestry.com or any genealogy database I change the "free form" Source and Citation and put them into the Template format.

"I am more concerned with my data, as I generate Books and individual reports, and I want the Reference Notes to be in the Evidence Explained!! generally accepted format.  A few extra minutes, perhaps, but the end product is my concern."


*  Taco Goulooze commented:  "I can tell you, Randy, in FTM2012 it's still hard work. I decided against using the templates, and just fill the appropriate standard GEDCOM fields in such a way, that sources are exported (more or less) properly for use in other genealogy software."

My comments:  I totally agree with Barbara - Most of the "Detail citation" information is available in the source citation that Ancestry.com provides for a specific historical record - why can't it be put in the source citation that is created in the Ancestry Member Tree?

Russ has chosen option 3) on my list - to change the Ancestry.com created source citations to EE-quality citations using the FTM source templates.  I really admire Russ for the effort he makes to create EE-quality source citations and to use all of the features (like source templates and Reference Notes) of Family Tree Maker 2012.  He takes the time to do it to make his data, reports and books the best they can be.

Taco has chosen essentially the same path I have - to enter data into the standard GEDCOM fields (perhaps AUTHor, TITLe, PUBlisher, and PAGE (the citation detail) and avoid the specialized source template fields.  I create "Free-form" citations in RootsMagic 5 that use only the TITLe and PAGE fields for the same reason that Taco notes - so that sources are exported properly for use in other genealogy software or online family trees.


*  Debi Austen noted:  "Thank you, thank you, thank you! I found some interesting stuff on my first try. I've seen some of the funeral home records but hadn't see the coroner's records and had nothing other than a date for my ancestor. Now I know he died alone while he was sleeping, naked, in bed."

*  Christine said:  "Thanks, Randy. Didn't realize they were readily available online. I got mine from the Coroner's office directly and learned that my great uncle was likely murdered by his wife - by accidental poisoning! A wealth of information that created as many questions as answers!"

My comment:  I'm glad that someone found something useful and interesting in these records.  I've struck out three times so far trying to find records for my wife's grandfather and great-grandparents, but it was fun looking.  They are fantastic resources!


*  William Kernan commented:  "A fun genealogy challenge. Thank you for sharing it.  Here is my response:  http://historyof4families.wordpress.com/2012/08/17/genealogy-challenge-ahnentafel-roulette/"

My response:  Welcome to the SNGF world, William, and I'm glad that you enjoyed this challenge.  This is one of my recurring SNGF challenges because it always gets a good response, is easy to pursue, and may stimulate interest in the ancestor reviewed.  Check out William's excellent blog - A History of Four Families.

I got a payoff here - I added William's blog to my Google Reader so that I can read his blog posts.  Because I did this, I learned from one of William's posts that Lucille Ball was descended from Samuel and Mary (Flagg) Bigelow, as William is (9th great-grandson), and as I am (8th great-grandson).  So I found another cousin (William) and a famous distant cousin (Lucille Ball).  I loved Lucy!  My father would have been impressed too!  My brothers and cousins will be amazed!


Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Thursday, August 16, 2012

Help! RootsMagic 5 Media Attachment is Confusing

And sometimes I have no problem, and sometimes I do...the darn media item does not shown up in a Fact attachment.

What am I talking about?  Here's my situation:

1)  In RootsMagic 5, here is my Edit Person screen for Isaac Seaver (1823-1901):


Note that I do not have any "Media Items" shown in the "Media" icon column for each Fact.  I knew that I had tried to attach them using the Sources button > Edit >Media > Add from Gallery.

2)  I have a number of record images in the "Media Gallery" already for Isaac Seaver - I uploaded them from my Document files.  Here is the "Media Gallery" for Isaac with the 1860 U.S. census document highlighted (outlined in red, information shown in right panel):



3)  So now I want to add it to the Fact for the 1960 U.s. Census.  I can do it by clicking on the empty box in the "Media" icon column for the Fact (it's empty in the screen below):


4)  That opened a blank screen for "Media Album" for Isaac Seaver, and since I knew the document image was in the "Media Gallery" I clicked on the "Add from Gallery" button and selected it from the list:


5)  After hitting the "Select" button, the Image appears in the Media album for Isaac Seaver:


6)  So a Check should show up on the "Media" icon list on the "Edit Person" screen, right?


Nope...I don't understand why.

I then tried to upload the Document Image to the Fact using the "Add new media" button on the "Media album" screen and it showed the same thing as the last two screens.  I wonder why?  Does it know that I've already uploaded that same image previously?  The really frustrating part is that sometimes both procedures seem to work and the Check mark appears in the "Media" icon list for the Fact.

Hopefully, a knowledgeable reader knows how to fix this so that the Check mark shows up in the "Media" icon column for the Fact to which it should be attached.  Why is what I'm experiencing happening?  A step-by-step method to do this would be appreciated!

A search for how to work with Media and attach them to Facts did not help (or I was too stupid to see it).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/08/help-rootsmagic-5-media-attachment-is.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1910 U.S. Census Record for Thomas Richmond Family


It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1910 United States Census record for my great-grandparents and their family in Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut: 


The entry for Thomas and Juliette Richmond is below:


The extracted information for the family, with no address provided, taken on 9 May 1910, is:

*  Thomas Richmond - Head, male, white, age 61, married (first), married 41 years, born in England, father born England, mother born England, immigrated in 1856, naturalized citizen, speaks English, occupation is carder, works in a woolen mill, out of work on 15 April 1910, worked 26 weeks in 1909, able to read, able to write, rents a home.
*  Juliette Richmond - Wife, female, white, age 62, married (first), married 41 years, 9 children born, 8 children living, born Connecticut, father born Rhode Island, mother born Rhode Island, speaks English, no occupation, able to read, able to write.

The source citation for the census image is:

1910 United States Federal Census, Windham County, Connecticut, Population Schedule, Killingly town: ED 514, Sheet 16B, Dwelling #335, family #392, Thomas Richmond household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T624, Roll 143.

I consider the 1910 U.S. Census records to be an "Original Source" (because this "family snapshot" in April 1910 is in its first written form); as "Secondary Information" (since we don't know who provided the information - although it was probably Juliette Richmond), and as "Indirect Evidence" for most of the information (the exception being the home address,  the birthplaces, and Thomas's occupation which were certainly known by the informant).  

I see no obvious errors in this census record (based on what I know about these persons from other records, including birth and marriage records), other than Juliette's given name.  Her birth name was Julia (used in the 1880 Census and before) and at some point she adopted the name Juliet(te) before 1900, and used it for the remainder of her married life.


Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Wednesday, August 15, 2012

Fixing Source Citations on My Ancestry Member Tree

After I wrote Source Citations Created by Ancestry.com Mobile App two weeks ago, I received an email from a Genea-Musings reader that said:

"I agree that the Ancestry.com source citations suck, and the ones created by the Mobile App suck even worse, but how would you fix them?  Is there any way to edit the Source Citations in the Ancestry Member Tree and make them Evidence! Explained quality?"

I love a challenge, and I finally figured out how it can be done.  But it is not easy to do, and takes several minutes for each one once you get the hang of it.

Here is the process I used:

1)  From a Person profile (I chose Frank Walton Seaver, 1852-1922):



2)  The screen above is the "Overview" tab.  After clicking on the "Facts and Sources" tab, and the "Source Citations" button, I saw:



3) I wanted to edit the 1880 United States Federal Census citation for the Name, Birth and Residence Facts.  The "Detail" line said:

"1880 United States Federal Census" without any information about the town, county, state, ED, page, household, NARA publication or roll number.

4)  I clicked on the "Detail" text (it was clickable) to get to the "Source Citation" screen below:


The screen above had fields for "Transcription of Text," "Detail," "Date," "Web Address," "Other Information," "Source Title" and "Source Repository."

The "Transcription of Text" had this entry:

"birth date: 30 June 1852; birth place: Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; residence date: 1880, residence place: Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States."

NOTE:  The census record provided only an age (27) and birthplace (Massachusetts) - the "transcription" above used information for birth date and birth place from the information in the Ancestry Member Tree, not from the 1880 Census record.

5)  In order to see and edit the Citation Detail, the user has to click on the "Edit citation" link in the right hand column on the screen above.  This brings up the "Edit Source Citation" screen with fields for "Source," "Citation," "Date," "Transcription of Text," "Other Information," "Web Address," and  "Facts or Events."  Here is the screen before editing the information:



6)  If I click the "Edit this source" link next to the "Source" field, I can add or edit information in fields for "Title," "Author," "Publisher," "Publisher Location," "Publisher Date," "Call Number," "Note, "REFN," and "Repository:"


7)  In order to create a source citation that follows the Evidence! Explained model for an 1880 US Census image, I deleted everything in the "Edit Source" fields above, except for the "Title."

Then I deleted the information in the "Citation Detail," "Citation Date," and "Transcription of Text" fields.  I also changed the Repository text to be "Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Provo, Utah" from "iPhone Tree."  The iPhone Tree isn't the Repository - it is the means I used to access the repository of the digital image, which is Ancestry.com.

Lastly, I opened my RootsMagic database, went to Frank Walton Seaver, highlighted the 1880 U.S. Census Fact, found the Source Citation for the image, and copied it to my clipboard.  I went back to the Ancestry Member Tree and pasted it into the "Citation Detail" field.  The resulting "Edit Source Citation"  screen looks like this:


8)  The edited "Source Citation" page looks like this now:


The 1880 U.S. Census Source Citation for Frank Walton Seaver is almost in EE model - except the NARA Film Number and Roll Number were excised due to a character limitation in the "Citation Detail" field.  I could accommodate that by using abbreviations for "United States," "Population Schedule," "National Archives," or some other phrase.

9)  I clicked on the "View List of Source Citations for this person" link and saw:


The reader can easily see the difference between the 1880 U.S. Census citation and the other source citations.  

If I click on the "View Record" button on the list above, I can see the record summary with a Source information of:

Source Citation:  Year: 1880; Census Place: Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts; Roll: 565; Family History Film: 1254565; Page: 525C; Enumeration District: 850; .
Source Information: Ancestry.com and The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. 1880 United States Federal Census [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2010. 1880 U.S. Census Index provided by The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints © Copyright 1999 Intellectual Reserve, Inc. All rights reserved. All use is subject to the limited use license and other terms and conditions applicable to this site.
Original data: Tenth Census of the United States, 1880. (NARA microfilm publication T9, 1,454 rolls). Records of the Bureau of the Census, Record Group 29. National Archives, Washington, D.C.

I sincerely doubt that Ancestry.com will ever modify their source citations for digital images to reflect anything close to Evidence! Explained models.  There are just too many record collections for them to make the time and effort to modify them, and then people like me will complain some more about the format.

So that means users have four choices:

1)  Accept the Ancestry.com generated source citations as provided and not worry about them being of Evidence! Explained quality.  I believe that most persons who attach records using Shaky Green Leaves will not give a damn about the source citation format, and will just accept what Ancestry gives them.

2)  Go into their Ancestry Member Tree and modify the source citations created by Ancestry resulting from the attachments of the digital images, using the process above.  I believe that no researcher will do this for more than a few citations.  I have hundreds of citations like the above, and my judgment is that it will be a serious time suck and time waste.

3)  Sync their Ancestry Member Tree to a Family Tree Maker 2012 database, and edit the source citations using the FTM 2012 source citation template.  Some researchers will probably do this, and this is better than 1) or 2) above, plus you have the link to the record summary and the record image on your Ancestry Member Tree.  If someone has many attached records, this may be a long and tedious process.

4)  Don't attach records to persons in the Ancestry Member Tree.  Download the record image to the user computer, and attach them to persons, events or sources in their genealogy program, and craft an Evidence! Explained source citation for the record.  This is the path I chose two years ago, and have not regretted it since.  I do this in RootsMagic 5, and occasionally GEDCOM the file into FTM 2012 and create a new Ancestry Member Tree with EE-quality sources and attached record images.

What Ancestry.com has done to enable record image attachment to persons in Ancestry Member Trees is admirable and very easy, almost mindless, to do.  It is a seduction that should be resisted by genealogists who want EE quality source citations.  At least until Ancestry fixes their source citations.  I'm not going to hold my breath!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/08/fixing-source-citations-on-my-ancestry.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

CGSSD Meeting on Saturday, 18 August - "Genealogical Proof Standard" and More!

The next Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (CGSSD) meeting is this Saturday, 18 August 2012 at 9 a.m. on the campus of UCSD, University of California, San Diego. See this map page for directions.


The details:
9:00 - User Group: FamilyTreeMaker.
9:00 - SIG: Beginning Computer Genealogy 101.
10:00 - Break, refreshments.
10:20 - Announcements followed by program:



Finding Your Elusive Ancestor:
The Genealogical Proof Standard,
and Doing an Exhaustive Search
by Randy Seaver

The Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS) deals with information, sources, evidence, analysis and proof, and was developed by the Board for Certification of Genealogists (BCG). It is the "standard" methodology for professionals proving assertions of genealogical facts. The first element of the GPS is "to do a reasonably exhaustive search." In this presentation, Randy Seaver will explain the GPS, take a whirlwind tour through traditional and online resources that should be included in a search, discuss his favorite search strategies and techniques, and describe several case studies of his still elusive ancestors that illustrate the ideas of the GPS.


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. Randy is Chula Vista Genealogical Society former President, and currently 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's Forum magazine. He is a member of NGS, NEHGS, SDGS, and CGSSD. Randy blogs daily at Genea-Musings (http://www.geneamusings.com), The Geneaholic (http://www.geneaholic.com), and the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe (http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com).
The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 218: Bess and Gerry Dressed Up

 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 Geraldine (Seaver) Remley family collection handed down from my Aunt Gerry in 2007
 after her passing. 



This photograph was taken in about 1925, probably in or near Leominster, Massachusetts.  Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (1882-1962, my grandmother) and Geraldine Seaver (1917-2007, my father's youngest sister) are pictured here, all dressed up.  Bess has a fancy hairdo and a modern outfit, and Gerry has a big hat on her head and small purse on her arm.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday, August 14, 2012

Irene and William Carringer in San Diego

While searching on GenealogyBank recently for family and relatives in the San Diego newspapers, I ran across two small articles in 1899 about William and Irene Carringer:

1)  In the 14 April 1899 issue of the San Diego Evening Tribune:


The transcription:

"The body or Irene R. Carringer was shipped to Riverside this morning for interment.  The deceased came here a week ago from that city.  She was 85 years old and a native of Vermont."

2)  In the 16 November 1899 issue of the San Diego Evening Tribune:



The transcription:

"William Carringer, 83 years of age, wandered away from his home at Thirtieth street and Watkins avenue, and was found last night at Chollas Valley.  This morning he was brought yo police headquarters and returned to his home."

What piqued my interest here was two more Carringer persons in San Diego.  My great-grandparents, Henry Austin and Della (Smith) Carringer resided on Watkins Avenue in San Diego in the 1900 U.S. Census.  Were Irene and William visiting my great-grandparents, or even living with them in 1899?

Who are William and Irene Carringer and how are they related to Henry Austin Carringer?  And how are they related to me?

They are in my database, with these Events in their lives:

*  Irene Rich Churchill was born 3 May 1813 in Whiting, Addison County, Vermont, daughter of Samuel and Rebecca (St. John) Churchill.
*  William A. Carringer was born 3 April 1816 in Mercer County, Pennsylvania, son of Johann Jacob and Elizabeth (--?--) Carringer, and grandson of Martin and Mary (Hoax) Carringer.
*  William A. Carringer married Irene Rich Churchill on 25 January 1838 in Essex County, New York.
*  Between 1838 and 1845, four children were born to this couple in Pennsylvania - Philena E. Carringer (born 1838 in New York, married Ansel Patrick); Fidelia Carringer (1840-1863, married Ansel Patrick); Almira Louisa Carringer (1843-1904, married Hiram Abiathur Knapp); Olive Maria Carringer (1845-????, married Andrew Patrick).
*  In the 1840 Census, the William Carringer family resided in Sandy Creek, Mercer County, Pennsylvania with 3 persons in the household - a male aged 20-29, a female aged 0 to 5, and a female aged 20-29.
*  in the 1850 Census, the William Carringer family was enumerated in Whitewater District, Walworth County, Wisconsin - William (age 34, born PA), Irina (age 37, born VT), Philanda (age 10, born PA), Louisa Almira (age 8, born PA) and Olive A. (age 4, born PA).
*  In the 1860 Census, the William Carringer family was enumerated in Chester township, Adams County, Wisconsin with William (age 44, born PA), Irina (age 47, born VT), Louisa A. (age 17, born PA), Olive A. (age 14, born WI) and Philenia Patrick (age 21, born PA).
*  In the 1870 Census, the William Carringer family was enumerated in Kalmar township, Olmsted County, Minnesota with William (age 54, born PA) and Irene (age 57, born VT).
*  In the 1880 Census, the William Carringer family was enumerated in Kalmar township, Olmsted County, Minnesota with William (age 64, born PA) and Irene (age 67, born VT).
*  Irene R. Carringer died 23 April 1899 in San Diego, San Diego County, California.
*  Irene R. Carringer was interred at Evergreen Memorial Park and Mortuary in Riverside, Riverside County, California (see Find-A-Grave memorial 7609382)
*  William A. Carringer died 19 May 1900 in San Diego, San Diego County, California.
*  William A. Carringer was interred at Evergreen Memorial Park and Mortuary in Riverside, Riverside County, California (see Find-A-Grave memorial 7113996)

An obituary was published for Irene Carringer in the Adams County (WI) Press, dated 13 May 1899, page 5, that sheds a little more light on their lives:

"DIED

"In San Diego, Cal., April 23, 1899, Mrs. Wm. Carringer, aged 85 years, 11 months and 29 days.

"Mr. and Mrs. Carringer will be remembered as among the first settlers of Adams County, coming in the spring of 1852 from Walworth County in this state, and settling on the farm now owned by Mrs. Everhard in the town of Lincoln.

"Mrs. Carringer leaves to mourn for her a husband and two daughters, Mrs. H.A. Knapp of California, and Mrs. Andrew Patrick of Grand Marsh, Wis.

"'Blessed are the dead which lie in the Lord .... and their works do follow them.'"

And there's the connection - Hiram Abiathur Knapp.  I have some records for H.A. Knapp (see Hiram Abiathur Knapp (1841-1927).  

Since Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946) is a great-grandson of Martin and Mary (Hoax) Carringer, Henry is a first cousin once removed from William Carringer, and a second cousin of Almira Louisa (Carringer) Knapp, the wife of Hiram Abiathur Knapp.  William Carringer is thus a first cousin four times removed to me, and Almira Louisa (Carringer) Knapp is a second cousin three times removed to me.  

Now I wonder if there are any descendants of William and Irene (Churchill) Carringer who might be interested in these snippets of information about their ancestors' lives?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/08/irene-and-william-carringer-in-san-diego.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver