Wednesday, December 31, 2014

Dear Randy: How Do You Use Notes and Sources in RootsMagic 7?

Reader Bonnie emailed me earlier, asking:

"I note you use RM7. I would like to know how you use their notes? They have fact notes, source notes, general notes, citation notes too. What I've found is that: 'fact notes' print in narrative and Fam Grp sheet reports as a run together mass, footnoted, whereas, the general notes appears following with no footnotes. Further, not all notes transfer in a Gedcom, in fact quite a mess.

"I also used free form in RM for sources (I know how to write a source), but this also does not pass well in Gedcom (to Reunion)."

1)  Regarding Notes, I use all of the ones you mention!  


*  Fact Notes are used to discuss or explain the Fact.  Fact Notes in narrative reports and family group sheets do print as separate paragraphs after the automated Fact description.  If you have Fact Notes, there is no way to suppress them in a narrative report or a family group sheet.  I wish there was, because, as you noted, they print and then General Notes print.  

*  General Notes (or Person Notes) are used to provide a life sketch.  A Person note might be used to describe the Research process used, or research problems encountered, for the Person.  They print in one section.  The user must provide complete sentences, formatting, etc. using the limited RootsMagic text editor functions.  What you type is what you get.  If you want source citations in the Person Notes, you need to add the source number (I use brackets, like [1]) to the text and add the source citations either within the text or as endnotes in the Notes.  A user can suppress all Notes with an option in the different reports.   I wish that there was a way to suppress either the Fact Notes or the General Notes in reports.  

*  Source Notes are in the "Edit source" screen in the "Master text" tab.  There are two fields - for "Source Text" and "Source comments."  I use the "Source comments" for information about the repository, original source, or the online source.

*  Citation Notes are in the "Edit source" screen in the "Detail text" tab.  There are two fields - for "Research Notes" and "Comments."  I use the "Research Notes" field so that a "Research Notes" report can be printed for a Person in chronological Fact order.  I usually copy and paste the Fact note, plus any analysis, into the "Research Notes" field.  

*  My experience is that the Fact Notes and General Notes transfer well in a GEDCOM file.  

*  I did a small GEDCOM file to determine if the "Source Text," "Source Comments," "Research Notes" or "Comments" transfer in a GEDCOM file.  They do, but they may be in custom GEDCOM tags that another program cannot interpret.  

2)  Regarding Sources:

*  My experience is that Free-form source citations ("Master Source" and "Source Details") transfer flawlessly in a GEDCOM export as long as there is no embedded formats (bold, italics, etc.).  

*  My experience is that source citations crafted using the EE-based source templates do not transfer well at all in a GEDCOM export.  

*  This is based on my experience with GEDCOM imports to Family Tree Maker, Legacy Family Tree, Ancestry Member Trees, FamilySearch Family Tree, MyHeritage trees, etc.  It may be different for Reunion - I don't use that program so I can't test it out.

3)  I'm not sure that this helps you, Bonnie.  


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Top 20 Most Popular Posts on Genea-Musings From 2014

Like many other genea-bloggers, I'm curious about which posts on Genea-Musings are "popular" - and why they might be.

Here are the Top 20 Genea-Musings blog posts from 2014 that had the most page views in 2014 (from View Count statistics on Google Blogger Posts page). 


1)  RootsTech 2014 Genealogy Blog Compendium (Last Updated 7 March 2014) (first posted 9 February 2014) - 3,906 views.

2)  Find Relatives on the BYU-EDU Relative Finder Website (posted 23 July 2014) - 3,477 views.

3)  My First Look at GEDMatch Autosomal DNA Analysis (posted 4 August 2014) - 3,155 views.

4)  Looking at Mundia.com Again - a Free Family Tree Site (posted 7 January 2014) - 2,757 views.

5)  BIG News from Ancestry.com - Announcing Retirement of Several Features and Websites (posted 5 June 2014) - 2,716 views.

6)  Trying Out Flipboard, a Curated Magazine Website/Mobile App (posted 20 January 2014) - 2,451 views

7)  MyHeritage Team Photographs Israeli Cemetery and Saves it to BillionGraves (posted 11 March 2014) - 2,422 views.

8)  My Relationships to U.S. Presidents - Post 2: Presidents 34-38 (posted 13 November 2014) - 2,320 views.

9)  My Top Ten FREE USA Genealogy Resource Websites (posted 30 January 2014) - 2,083 views.

10)  RootsTech 2014 Live Streamed Sessions - Watch for FREE from Home - UPDATED (posted 8 January 2014) - 1,963 views.

11)  Ancestry Drops "Old Search" - Hysteria Ensues (posted 7 March 2014) - 1,800 views.

12)  More on Finding Record Hints for a Specific Database on Ancestry.com (posted 17 October 2014) - 1,679 views.

13)  Tuesday's Tip - Use "Record Hints" to Add Sources to FamilySearch Family Tree (posted 19 August 2014) - 1,637 views.

14)  National Genealogical Society (NGS) 2014 Conference Blog Compendium (posted 11 May 2014) - 1,494 views.

15)  Reader Comments About the Ancestry.com MyFamily Retirement (posted 11 June 2014) - 1,436 views

16)  Should We Put Digital Image URLs in Source Citations? (posted 11 April 2014) - 1,332 views.

17)  A Family Tree Maker 2014 Source Citation for Anna Sjursdatter's Death Record (posted 21 January 2014) - 1,286 views.

18)  Crafting a Norway Church Record Digital Image Source Citation in Family Tree Maker 2014 (posted 18 March 2014) - 1,245 views.

19)  Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - What's Your Ancestor Score? (posted 4 January 2014) - 1,158 views.

20)  The MyCanvas Retirement Problem - Saving as a Set of PDF Files (posted 10 June 2014) - 1,108 views

The five most popular Genea-Musings posts since 2007 are:

1)  Microfilm Scanning at the FHL and FHC (posted 22 July 2009) - 72,486 views.

2)  1940 Census Enumeration District Maps Online at NARA Website (posted 18 July 2011) - 63,059 views.

3)  Genealogy Presentations on Slideshare.net (posted 28 January 2010) - 26,075 views.

4)  Merry Christmas to All! (posted 25 December 2011) - 14,852 views.

5)  World records for number of children (posted 21 July 2006) - 9,946 views.

Of course, all of my blog posts are viewed by many more readers than those that go to the web page for the post - those who read them on the Genea-Musings home page, those that read them in an RSS reader, or on a mobile device, and those that receive them via email.

Another measure of popularity or readership might be in the number of comments generated by each post.  I don't think that is a reliable measure of popularity because of the proliferation of RSS reader usage, email usage, and mobile device usage, each of which require one or more click throughs to get to the comment box.

It certainly seems like readers search for pop culture topics, DNA topics, source citations, and for genealogy software topics, and find my blog posts.

Previous "most popular" posts on Genea-Musings are:


I wonder what the least popular Genea-Musings post was?  I know that Surname Saturday, Treasure Chest Thursday, and Amanuensis Monday posts are not that popular.  Best of the Genea-Blogs and Saturday Night Genealogy Fun are usually popular, often with the highest number of views each week.  


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


BB Guns and Coonskin Caps at Christmas 1954 -- Post 340 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

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

Here is one of the most precious (to me) images from my Seaver/Carringer family collection:




Christmas 1954 was one of the best Christmases ever.  We stayed overnight and celebrated Christmas at my grandparent Carringer's home on Point Loma (because it had a fireplace!).  Brother Stan and I received BB guns (Daisy air rifles) and Davy Crockett coonskin caps for Christmas.  I was 11, and Stan was 8 - just the ages of two of my grandsons now.

The picture above shows Stan (on the right) and me (on the left) wearing our coonskin caps and aiming our BB guns up the hill from the front steps of 825 Harbor View Place.  In the background are my grandfather, Lyle Carringer, my mother, Betty (Carringer) Seaver, and my father, Frederick W. Seaver.

I am pretty sure that my grandmother, Emily (Auble) Carringer took the picture!  That's probably why my grandfather has a concerned look on his face.  And probably hightailed it out of the field of fire soon after she took it.

I need to find this picture and scan it again because the resolution is so poor.  

I never was able to hit anything of consequence with this BB gun, other than window panes with errant shots, in the four or five years of trying in the back yard and down at the park.  I attribute this failure to my eyes.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/bb-guns-and-coonskin-caps-at-christmas.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Tuesday, December 30, 2014

My Best Ancestral Genea-Discoveries of 2014

I guess it's OK to write this post now - I had many ancestral genealogical discoveries in 2014, and I want to list the best ones.  I'll list them in chronological order:




*  Found a Record for My Thomas J. Newton! (17 January 2014).  This is the only actual record I've found for him.

*  Finding Lambert Brigham's Death Record in Massachusetts Town and Vital Records Collection (29 January 2014).  I didn't know this before; it helps the timeline for my Sophia (Buck) Newton.

*  RootsTech 2014 - Day 1 - I Went to the Library! (5 February 2014).  I found quite a bit of material at the FHL.

*  Now Where Did I Get That Name? I Got Lucky! Mocavo Helped (28 March 2014).  A Mocavo search found what Google did not.

*  Getting Help From My Friends - More on the Morgan Surname Post (16 May 2014).  I received some help from my friends.

*  Working on One Surname at a Time - a Proper Goldmine (29 May 2014).  FamilySearch Books comes through.

*  Finding Able/Auble Probate Records in Sussex County, New Jersey (2 June 2014).  New Jersey probate records are on FamilySearch.

*  Forrest Gump Principle Strikes Again - The Frederick Sovereign (1786-1875) Drawing (22 July 2014).  I found a sketch of a 4th great-grandfather.

*  Organizing the Taylor County, Iowa Land Deeds of Ranslow Smith and Devier J. Smith (22 July 2014).  How did I organize 28 deeds?

*  A Nice Surprise - "David" Smith and Abigail "Vanse" Wisconsin Marriage Record (25 July 2014)

*  Finding the Taylor County, Iowa Properties of Devier J. Smith (29 July 2014).  Earthpoint.us and Google Earth are excellent tools.

*  Looking for United Empire Loyalist Ancestors (8 August 2014).  WDYTYA helped me find Canadian land grant information for my Loyalist ancestors.

*  Finding Loyalist Petition Papers on Library and Archives Canada (LAC) (9 August 2014).  More help from my friends leads me to really great land grant information.

*  Middlesex County, Massachusetts Probate Records, 1648-1871, Now Available on AmericanAncestors.org (13 August 2014).  These are original papers from estate packets.  Very cool!

*  Amanuensis Monday - Post 230: 1929 Petition for Determination of Heirship of Devier J. Smith Estate (11 August 2014); Amanuensis Monday - Post 233: More Papers in 1929 Devier J. Smith Probate File in Red Willow County, Nebraska (1 September 2014); Amanuensis Monday - Post 234: 1929 Hearing and Decree in Devier J. Smith Probate File in Red Willow County, Nebraska (8 September 2014).  My friend Chris obtained these records in McCook, Nebraska for me!

*  "Forrest Gump Principle of Genealogical Research" Strikes Again... (10 October 2014).  Another Google Books find.

*  Crowd-Sourcing Works Again! Finding Elizabeth Dill's Birth Record in Eastham, Massachusetts Records (4 November 2014).  I found the elusive birth record for my 3rd great-grandmother with help from a reader.

*  Episode 473 of "I'd Rather Be Lucky Than Good!" (7 November 2014).  I requested a Find A Grave photo for Ranslow.

*  Tombstone Tuesday - Elizabeth Spangler (1796-1863) in Crawford County, Pennsylvania (11 November 2014).  I requested a Find A Grave photo for Elizabeth also.

Looking back, there's no really big breakthrough there - just a lot of small additions to the genealogy database for my ancestry.  With this list, I should be able to remember what I did accomplish in 2014!


Hat tip for the blog idea:  Jacquie Schattner of the Seeds to Tree blog.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/my-best-ancestral-genea-discoveries-of.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


So I Went Away For a Week...

...and I received lots of interesting genea-mail.  Including:



*  Ed wrote noting that we are Kendall cousins - because of my Surname Saturday -- KENDALL (England to colonial Massachusetts) post on 20 December 2014.  We are probably 9th cousins.

*  Gord found me by doing a Google search for Johann Ernst Dafoe (first finding Amanuensis Monday - Post 232: 1797 Upper Canada Land Petition of John, Abraham and Daniel Defoe post from 25 August 2014, and then my Surname Saturday post Surname Saturday - DAFOE (Switzerland > NewYork > Ontario from 2010).  We are probably 5th cousins.

*  Jean found my website with Seaver reports, and sent me a photograph of William Titus Seaver (1838-1924), plus other photos from her family.  Since one of them was Frederick, she thought perhaps the Fred in the photo was my grandfather.  He wasn't, but I appreciate the offer!  I haven't found a relationship yet for me to William Titus Seaver.

*  Marian found my Scribd report on "Descendants of Nathaniel Seaver," and asked for more information about one of his descendants.  She found a Find A Grave memorial that is for Joanna (Brewer) Goddard, who was in my report.  

*  Eric wrote asking for more Sever information on his line.  He lives in San Diego.  I will have to do some research to link him to known Seaver/Sever families.  He may be a cousin, maybe not!

*  Cousin-in-law Gary wrote in response to my Christmas letter, asking for help researching his ancestry.  I have his wife's ancestry back as far as I can.  This should be fun!

*  Ally left a comment on my post The Four-Mile House of Ranslow Smith (dated 16 January 2008) noting that her ancestors also owned this inn built by my second great-grandfather in Wisconsin.  

Now the challenge is to answer all of them with cogent and helpful comments and information.

Did you get some interesting genea-mail this holiday season?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/so-i-go-away-for-week.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Tuesday's Tip - SlideShare.net has Some Genealogy Presentations

This week's Tuesday's Tip is:  Check out genealogy and family history presentations on www.SlideShare.net.  They are FREE!

On the Slideshare.net home page, enter "genealogy" or "family history" in the search box at the top of the screen.

Here is the top of the screen with a search term of [ family history ]:


There are over 223,000 matches for the search terms.

Here is the top of the screen for a search term of [ genealogy ]"



One of the presentations on the list was this one by Dick Eastman:


A reader can use the controls at the bottom of the presentation slide screen above - use the right or left arrows to advance the slides forward or backwards.  Obviously, there is no sound, but a reader can see the presentation content and advance at their own pace.

At the bottom of the screen above, you can see that Dick Eastman has 25 presentations on SlideShare at this time.  Clicking on the link (his name), you can see all of his presentations:


There are a number of other well-known genealogists with presentations on SlideShare.  I've found:

*  Tom Kemp/GenealogyBank (39 SlideShares):  http://www.slideshare.net/genealogybank

*  May Chan (20 SlideShares):  http://www.slideshare.net/maychan/presentations

*  Ancestry.com (19 SlideShares):  http://www.slideshare.net/ancestry

*  Jordan Jones (14 SlideShares):  http://www.slideshare.net/genealogymedia/presentations

*  Ben Baker (13 SlideShares):  http://www.slideshare.net/bakers84

There are many more - go explore!  Note:  I don't have any presentations on this site yet.

You can also use the Search field to find slide shows that include information about a company or web site - for instance, a search for [ genealogy findmypast ] provides 64 results.

A reader can Follow specific presenters if they wish - there is a "Follow" button on the presenters' page.  A reader can download the presentation to their computer to read at their leisure.

A person can register for a free account and upload their presentation or documents to the site. The web site accepts the following file types:

Presentations: pdf, ppt, pps, pptx, ppsx, pot, potx (Powerpoint); odp (OpenOffice); key, zip (Apple Keynote).

Documents: pdf, doc, docx, rtf, xls (MSOffice); odt, ods(OpenOffice); Apple iWork Pages.

Max file size: 300MB for presentations & documents.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/12/tuesdays-tip-slidesharenet-has-some.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Monday, December 29, 2014

New or Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - December 21-27, 2014

I'm trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list).  As of 27 December, there were 1,866 record collections on FamilySearch (up 5 from last week).


*  United States World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942; 10,047,318 indexed records, with images, added or updated 26 Dec 2014
*  Mexico, Chihuahua, Civil Registration, 1861-1997; 136,986 indexed records, with images, added or updated 26 Dec 2014
*  Mexico, San Luis Potosí, Civil Registration, 1859-2000; 28,123 indexed records, with images, added or updated 26 Dec 2014
*  Mexico, Guerrero, Civil Registration, 1860-1996; 266,025 indexed records, with images, added or updated 26 Dec 2014
*  Mexico, Coahuila, Civil Registration, 1861-1998; 155,802 indexed records, with images, added or updated 26 Dec 2014

*  Ohio, Passenger and Crew Lists arriving at Ashtabula and Conneaut, 1952-1974; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 23 Dec 2014
*  Florida, Knights Keys Passenger Lists, 1908-1912; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 23 Dec 2014
*  Texas, Brownsville Passenger and Crew List of Airplanes, 1943-1964; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 23 Dec 2014
*  Italy, Torino, Ivrea, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1865-1937; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 23 Dec 2014
*  Germany, Württemberg, Schwäbisch Hall, Probate Records, 1803-1929; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 23 Dec 2014

*  Belgium, Limburg, Civil Registration, 1798-1906; 50,161 indexed records, with images, added or updated 22 Dec 2014
*  New York, Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906-1942; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 22 Dec 2014
*  Russia, Tula Poll Tax Census (Revision Lists), 1758-1895; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 22 Dec 2014

*  Idaho, Gem County Records, 1877-1962; Browse Images only, no index, added or updated 22 Dec 2014

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell which collections are brand new and which ones are updated.  The asterisk they use is for "Recently added or updated."  I am particularly interested in new collections, for the obvious reasons.

In order to select a specific collection, go to 
https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner.

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link).  It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the major updates also.

The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Amanuensis Monday - Post 249: Warrant of Appraisal of Simon Gates (1739-1803) Real Estate

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is the 1803 Warrant for Appraisal of the estate of Simon Gates (1739-1803) of Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts in Worcester County Probate File 23252:


The transcription of this document is (handwritten parts in italics):

WORCESTER ss.

To Aaron Wood Esq. Of Gardner Mathias Moseman
& Stephen Hoar Gentlemen all of
Westminster
all in the County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts,
Greeting.
You are hereby appointed and au-
thorized, on oath, to appraise all the real estate
whereof Simon Gates
late of Gardner in said
County Yeoman deceased intestate,
died seized and possessed, in said Commonwealth, in his own right in fee simple; each
piece and parcel by itself, with their buts and bounds, and number of acres, at the pres-
ent true value thereof all in words at length; (and if the said estate lays in commonwealth with the estate of any other person, you are to sever and divide the same.) Then you
are to set off to Susanna Gates the said deceased's Widow, one full third
part thereof, ^sd Deceaseds real Estate^ for her thirds or dower, during her natural life; and what you set off you
are to describe by plain and lasting meets and bounds.

The remainder you are to distribute to and among the children of said deceased, or
their legal representatives, or so many of them as the same will conveniently accommo-
date, without prejudice to, or spoiling the whole, preference being had to the sons, and
in all deal impartially as you are sworn.

If any of the children of said deceased have received any thing of him, in advance
towards their portion, you are to signify the same to me, and how much each one has
had.

When you go about your work, let all parties concerned have notice; and if they
are satisfied with your proceedings let them signify the same by countersigning.

Finally seal up this Commission with your doings, and return the same with all con-
venient speed into the Register Office of Probate by some or one of yourselves.

Given under my hand and Seal of Office. This Seventh day of September
Anno Domini 180 3.
                                                                                      Nath^l Paine Jprob

wareafter to Westminster october ye 6th 1803
personally appeared Aaron Wood and made
Solem oath to the performance of the Duty Enjoyned
on him by the above comission before me
Abner Holden Justice peace
Worcester ss october 11 1803
Personally appeared Mathias Mossman & Stephen Hoar
above named an made oath to the faithful performance
of the duties injoined upon them by the above commission
Before me Aaron Woods Justice Peace.

The source citation for this document is:

Massachusetts, Worcester County, Probate Files, 1731-1925, Case 23252, Simon Gates Estate, 1803, Warrant of Appraisal; digital images, FamilySearch.org,(https://familysearch.org: accessed 12 August 2014); in "Case no 23243-23330, Gates, Sarah-Gay, William, 1731-1881" (image 100 of 1069); original records in Worcester County, Mass. Courthouse.

This is the third of several transcriptions from the Estate packet for Simon Gates (1739-1803), my 5th great-grandfather.  He died 11 March 1803 in Gardner, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  

In this document, three men are directed by the Court to appraise the real estate of Simon Gates, set off one-third of it to the widow, and then divide it equally amongst the children, while considering any advances made to the children during his lifetime.  It sounds like a straight-forward task, but wait until you see the actual appraisal and distribution document.

As far as I know, Aaron Woods, Mathias Moseman and Stephen Hoar were not related to Simon Gates or his spouse.  

These records were digitized by FamilySearch from the original probate estate packet in the Worcester County Probate Court in Worcester, Massachusetts.  The papers are also transcribed in the Worcester County Probate Records, 1732-1881, found on Family History Library US/CAN Microfilm.  

The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Sunday, December 28, 2014

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 21 to 27 December 2014

Due to being out of town for Christmas week, there will be no Best Of list of my own this week.

There are other Best Of lists by geneabloggers - check them out this week:

*  Recommended Reads by Linda Stufflebean on the Empty Branches on the Family Tree blog.

 Friday Finds -- 12/26/14 by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie's Genealogy & History Hub blog.

*  This Week's Creme de la Creme -- December 27, 2014 by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.

*  Saturday Serendipity (December 27, 2014) by John D. Tew on the Filiopietism Prism blog.

There may be others - if you wrote one and I haven't listed it, please tell me in Comments and I will add it to the list.

The Best of the Genea-Blogs will return for the week of 28 December to 3 January 2015.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Saturday, December 27, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun (SNGF) - What did Genea-Santa Bring You?

It's Saturday Night - 
time for more Genealogy Fun! 



Your mission, should you decide to accept it (cue the Mission Impossible! music) is to:

1) What gift that you received for Christmas is your favorite for genealogy purposes? Book, magazine, hardware, software, website subscription, research time, DNA test - what was it, and how will it affect your genealogy research?

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

3)  
 Come on, spill!  And it's OK to respond to this in the days after Saturday too!


My response:


My favorite genea-gift is probably the book, Genealogy and the Law, A Guide to Legal Sources for the Family Historian, by Kay Haviland Freilich and William B. Freilich.


This soft cover book can be ordered from the National Genealogical Society - see http://www.ngsgenealogy.org/cs/genealogy_and_the_law.

Hopefully, the book will provide help for my research when I find legal issues and records.  It might provide more resources to help me research my elusive ancestors.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Surname Saturday - JEWETT (England to colonial Massachusetts)

It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  


I am in the 8th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1073 who is Deborah JEWETT (!664-1743) 
[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through three generations in this JEWETT family line 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)

134.  Jeremiah Knowlton (1745-1785)
135.  Abigail Pierce (1750-1776)

268.  Jeremiah Knowlton (1713-1752)
269.  Sarah Allen (1717-1796)

536.  Nathaniel Knowlton (1683-1760)
537.  Mary Bennett (1686-1717)

1072.  Nathaniel Knowlton, born 29 January 1658 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 18 September 1726 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 2144. John Knowlton and 2145. Deborah Grant.  He married  03 May 1682 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
1073.  Deborah Jewett, born 03 December 1664 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 25 April 1743 in Ipswich, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of Nathaniel Knowlton and Deborah Jewett are:
*  Nathaniel Knowlton (1683-1760), married (1) 1703) Mary Bennett (1686-1717); (2) 1717 Reform Trescott (1690-????).
*  John Knowlton (1685-1760), married 1714 Susannah Hutton (1674-1728).
*  Joseph Knowlton (1687-????).
*  Thomas Knowlton (1692-1718), married 1716 Ruth Lord (1695-????).
*  Abraham Knowlton (1699-1751), married 1722 Mary Smith (1696-????).
*  Elizabeth Knowlton (1702-1776), married 1721 Thomas Hart (1699-????).
*  David Knowlton (1707-1737), married 1731 Esther Howard (1714-1780).

2146.  Abraham Jewett, born before 14 September 1634 in Bradford, Yorkshire, England; died before 30 April 1694 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 4292. William Jewett and 4293. Ann Field.  He married 02 April 1661 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
2147.  Ann Allen, born 08 October 1643 in Hingham, Plymouth, Massachusetts, United States; died 09 February 1721 in Rowley, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 4294. Bozoune Allen and 4295. Anne Alby.

Children of Abraham Jewett and Ann Allen are:
*  Deborah Jewett (1664-1743), married 1682 Nathaniel Knowlton (1658-1726).
*  Ann Jewett (1667-1715), married 1690 Francis Palmer (1657-1733).
*  William Jewett (1669-????).
*  Mary Jewett (1671-1722), married 1698 Ebenezer Browne (1658-1733).
*  Bozoune Jewett (1673-1673).
*  Abraham Jewett (1674-1722), married 1703 Sarah Dorman (1676-1737).
*  Priscilla Jewett (1679-????).
*  Elizabeth Jewett (1683-1756), married 1729 Thomas Perrin.

Information for this Jewett family was obtained from:

*  Frederic Clarke Jewett, MD, The History and Genealogy of the Jewetts of America (Rowley, Mass. :  Jewett Family of America, 1995)

*  Tracy Elliot Hazen, "Two Founders of Rowley, Mass.," The New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 94, number 2 (April 1940), pp. 99-107,

*  Various Massachusetts town vital record books.

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Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver