Saturday, March 22, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- How Many Surnames in Your Database?

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)  Go into your Genealogy Management Program (GMP; either software on your computer, or an online family tree) and figure out how to Count how many surnames you have in your family tree database.

2)  Tell us which GMP you're using and how you did this task.

3)  Tell us how many surnames are in your database and, if possible, which Surname has the most entries.  If this excites you, tell us which surnames are in the top 5!  Or 10!!  Or 20!!!

4)  Write about it in your own blog post, in a comment to this blog post, in a status or comment on Facebook, or in Google Plus Stream post.

NOTE:  If you can't figure out how to do this in your GMP (Genealogy Management Program), use the Help button and search for "count persons" then follow directions.  

Here's mine:

I'm going to use RootsMagic 6 because that's where I'm doing my current additions, deletions and editing and is my most up-to-date collection.  In RootsMagic 6, go to Reports, then Lists and scroll down to "Surname Statistics List."  I then chose "Frequency of Surnames" from the list presented.



That took about 20 seconds and I have a 153 page list!  I didn't count every one of them - there are 153 pages with 39 names per page.  That's a grand total of 5,967 surnames in my database with 42,720 persons.  The top 20 are, with birth date ranges:

*  SEAVER - 4,490 persons, from 1608 to 2011
*  BUCK - 742 persons, from 1577 to 1997

*  SMITH - 672 persons, from 1526 to 2013
*  FITZ RANDOLPH - 477 persons, from 1565 to 1884
* VAUX - 465 persons, from 1620 to 2006

*  DILL - 440 persons, from 1629 to 1996

*  [unknown] - 383 persons, from 787 to 2011
*  NEWTON - 319 persons, from 1600 to 2008*  RICHMAN - 304 persons, from 1622 to 1985
*  CHAMPLIN - 302 persons, from 1618 to 1917


*  CULVER - 270 persomns, from 1700 to 2010
*  BRESEE - 254 persons, from 1650 to 1900
*  BROWN - 223 persons, from 1580 to 1978
*  SEVER - 209 persons, from 1673 to 2003

*  CARRINGER - 198 persons, from 1758 to 2013

*  HAWKINS - 196 persons, from 1570 to 1975
*  McKNEW - 187 persons, from 1640 to 2007
*  SOVEREIGN - 175 persons, from 1742 to 1936
*  CLARK - 170 persons, from 1561 to 2008
*  FLETCHER - 162 persons, from 1592 to 1902

I have 128 Mary's without a surname, and 107 Elizabeth's without a surname, 43 with the surname OLSDTR, and 44 with UNKNOWN for a surname. 

Of course, if I added up all the persons without a surname, my LNU's are probably the biggest group on the list. 

I didn't see a way to get a count on first names - can anyone figure this out in RootsMagic 6, or in another program?  


The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/03/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-how-many.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday - CARTER (England to colonial Massachusetts)

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


I am in the 7th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #887, who is Abigail CARTER (1686-1752)
.   [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through three generations in this CARTER family line is:

1.  Randall J. Seaver (1943-living)

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


6.  Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
7.  Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977)

12.  Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946)
13.  Abbey Ardell Smith (1862-1944)

26.  Devier James Lamphier Smith (1839-1884)
27.  Abigail A. Vaux (1844-1931)

54.  Samuekl Vaux (1814-1880)
55.  Mary Ann Underhill (1816-1883)

110.  Amos Underhill (1772-1865)
111.  Mary Metcalf (1780-1855)

220.  John Underhill (1745-812)
221.  Hannah Colby (1745-????)


442.  Joseph Colby (1707-1768)
443.  Abigail Worthen (1714-????)


886.  Ezekiel Worthen, born 18 May 1672 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died October 1765 in Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States.  He was the son of 1772. Ezekiel Worthen and 1773. Hannah Martin.  He married 26 December 1704 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
887.  Abigail Carter, born 07 March 1686 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 26 September 1752 in Amesbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of Ezekiel Worthen and Abigail Carter are:
*  Mary Worthen (1705-1784), married 1725 Samuel Goodwin (1704-????).
*  Jacob Worthen (1708-1791), married 1728 Sarah Lancaster (1708-1794).
*  Ezekiel Worthen (1710-1783), married 1733 Hannah Currier (1713-????).
*  Thomas Worthen (1712-1773), married 1734 Jane Martin (1713-????).
*  Abigail Worthen (1714-????), married 1736 Joseph Colby (1707-1768)
*  Hannah Worthen (1716-1750), married 1735 Nathan Colby (1710-1759)
*  Martha Worthen (1721-????).
*  Mehitable Worthen (1722-1806), married 1741 Edmund Elliott (1716-1789).
*  Anne Worthen (1724-????).
*  Samuel Worthen (1727-????)
*  Ephraim Worthen (1728-????).

1774.  John Carter, born 18 May 1650 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 1697 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married about 1679 in Probably Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
1775.  Martha Brown, born 05 July 1654 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 04 July 1717 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 3550. William Brown and 3551. Elizabeth Murford.

Children of John Carter and Martha Brown are:
*  Mary Carter (1681-1691).
*  Thomas Carter (1682-1709), married 1706 Anne Martin (1680-????).
*  Abigail Carter (1686-1752), married 1704 Ezekiel Worthen (1672-1765)
*  John Carter (1688-1718), married 1711 Judith Bagley (1690-1724).
*  Samuel Carter (1691-1716).
*  Mary Carter (1691-1691)
*  Ephraim Carter (1693-1798), married 1717 Martha Stevens (1696-1795).
*  Joseph Carter (1695-????).

3548.  Thomas Carter, born 1610 in Saint Albans, Hertfordshire, England; died before 14 November 1676 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married before 1641.
3549.  Mary

Children of Thomas Carter and Mary are:
*  Mary Carter (1641-1673), married 1663 Joseph Lancaster (1638-1719)
*  Thomas Carter (1643-1669)
*  Martha Carter (1645-1645)
*  Martha Carter (1647-1676)
*  Elizabeth Carter (1649-????)
*  John Carter (1650-1697), married 1679 Martha Brown (1654-1717).
*  Abigail Carter (1653-1676), married 1670 Stephen Flanders (1645-1689).
*  Samuel Carter (1656-1718), married 1703 Sarah (1654-????).
*  Sarah Carter (1659-1696), married 1681 John Davis (1644-????).

Information about these Carter families was obtained from:

*  
Robert Charles Anderson, George E. Sanborn, Jr., Melinde Lutz Sanborn, The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635 (Boston Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society,2000-2011), Volume II, C-F, pages 27-30, Thomas Carter sketch, 

*  Vital Record Books for Salisbury and Amesbury, Massachusetts.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Friday, March 21, 2014

Mocavo Adds a "Summary" List to Their Results Page, and Indexed Handwritten Records

Cliff Shaw of Mocavo has published a blog post - New Features From Mocavo - on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog today.  

In his post, Cliff highlights two advances on the Mocavo site for Mocavo Gold members:

1)  New Summary Search View

"With millions of potential matches added to our search engine every day, we want to give you multiple ways to quickly scan through your results and break through your brick walls. Previously, a search results page would show you an excerpt of the content and, if available, an image preview with the matching word highlighted in yellow. Today, I’m excited to announce Summary Search View; a new feature that we’re releasing in beta (and available exclusively to our Mocavo Gold members) that offers an entirely new way to view your search results. Summary Search View allows you to group your results by category and database title, making it a breeze to target the databases that spark your interest, and quickly avoid those that are irrelevant to your research."
Screen Shot 2014-03-20 at 3.29.25 PM
2.  First Transcribed Database Live and Searchable
"We continue to make strides with our handwriting technology and we’re putting the finishing touches on our transcription tool! Comprising more than 11,000 handwritten words, the first transcribed database is live and searchable!
With this new technology, our search engine reveals results that include both typewritten and handwritten text. Now we have the potential to bring even more offline content online for everyone to enjoy for free, forever. Screen Shot 2014-03-20 at 4.03.36 PM
Please read the entire post for more description and examples.
 The URL for this post is:

Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Deadline is 31 March 2014

I was remiss in not posting this two weeks ago - this is a wonderful opportunity for a genealogist who is a student to attend the Southern California Genealogy Jamboree in June 2014.  Here is Denise Levenick's blog post on The Family Curator blog:

===========================================

The Suzanne Winsor Freeman Memorial Student Genealogy Grant Committee is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for the 2014 award. Student genealogists between the ages of 18 and 25 are eligible to apply for the 2014 Grant to be awarded at the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree, sponsored by the Southern California Genealogical Society in June 2014.
 
Suzanne Freeman (right) with her sisters Frances Jones (left)
and Lucile Smith in Green Valley, Arizona. 
The $500 cash award was established in 2010 in memory of Suzanne Winsor Freeman, family historian and life-long volunteer, and an enthusiastic annual attendee at the SCGS Jamboree. Past recipients include Elyse Doerflinger (Lomita, California), A.C. Ivory (Salt Lake City, Utah), Anthony Ray (Palmdale, California), and Michael Savoca (Toms River, New Jersey).
“The Student Genealogy Grant pays tribute to Suzanne Freeman’s dedication to youth volunteerism and family history by awarding the annual cash grant to a young genealogist attending the SCGS 45th Annual Genealogy Jamboree, Southern California’s premiere regional genealogy conference,” notes Denise Levenick, committee chair and Freeman’s daughter.
“We are especially grateful to Jamboree for providing a three-day conference registration to the grant recipient,” she adds. “SCGS is truly a leader in conference organizations by encouraging youth involvement in genealogy through the popular Kids' Camp program and now through the student grant project.”
Born in Olathe, Kansas, Suzanne Winsor (Brown) Freeman moved to Orange County, California with her family in the early 1930s where she attended school and lived most of her life. She developed a strong interest in family history sparked by the stories of her mother’s early life in Colorado and Kansas. After retirement Suzanne moved to Green Valley, Arizona where she was active in the local genealogy society. She enjoyed returning to Southern California each year in June to attend the SCGS Jamboree. At the time of her death in Tucson, Arizona August 28, 2010, Suzanne was searching for elusive Winsor cousins and adding more stories to her family history.
The $500 cash award pays tribute to these interests by awarding the annual cash grant to a young genealogist attending the Jamboree. In addition, a complimentary three-day conference registration to the 45th Annual Southern California Genealogy Jamboree will be provided by the SCGS Jamboree conference.
Any genealogist who is between the ages of 18 and 25 and has attended school in the last 12 months is eligible to apply. The recipient must attend the 2014 SCGS Jamboree in Burbank, California to receive the award.
Funding for the cash award is provided by the family grant program; Jamboree registration is provided by the conference. Individual contributions to the grant program are welcome at the Student Grant Webpage.

Application deadline is 31 March 2014 midnight PST.

Application details and forms are available at the Student Grant Webpage http://www.thefamilycurator.com/swf-grant.
Suzanne Winsor Freeman Obituary is available here.
=====================================
If you know someone who qualifies for this, and wants to attend the Jamboree, please pass this information to them.

52 Ancestors, Week 12: #19 Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (1834-1923) of Leominster, Mass.

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post Challenge:  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  Here is my ancestor biography for week #10:

EDITED 7 October 2021:

Sophia (Newton) Hildreth (1834-1923) is #19 on my Ahnentafel List, and is my 2nd great-grandmother. She married #18 Edwatd Hildreth (1831-1899) in 1852.

 I am descended through:

*  their daughter, #9 Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920), who married 1874 #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)

*  their son, #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942), who married 1900 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
* their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married 1942 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) 
*  their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

To create this post, I made an Individual Summary report in RootsMagic 6, then saved it into an RTF file.  I then copied and pasted the Person, the Individual Fact List, the Marriages/Children, the General Notes, and the Source Citations into this blog post.  Unfortunately, the source citations superscripts did not survive this process as superscripts, so I put them in brackets in the Individual Facts list below, and without brackets in the Source Citation list.  I have images of many of these records, but have not included them in this blog post due to the length of the post.  Many of them have been transcribed or shown in Amanuensis Monday and Treasure Chest Thursday posts.

=====================================================
1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):


*  Name:                 Sophia Newton [1–3]   
*  Sex:                    Female   
*  Father:               probably Lambert Brigham (1794-1834)   
*  Mother:              Sophia Buck (1797-1882)   
  
2)  INDIVIDUAL FACTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Birth:                 14 September 1834, Springfield, Windsor, Vermont, United States [4]    

*  Census:              1 June 1850 (age 15), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [3]   
*  Census:              27 September 1855 (age 21), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [5]   
*  Census:              1 June 1860 (age 25), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [6]
*  Census:              29 August 1865 (age 30), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [7] 
*  Census:              1 June 1870 (age 35), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [8]
*  Census:              1 June 1880 (age 45), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [9]
*  Census:              1 June 1900 (age 65), 149 Lancaster Street (ED 1645), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [10]    
*  Census:              1 April 1910 (age 75), 149 Lancaster Street (ED 1772), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [11]
*  Census:              1 January 1920 (age 85), 149 Lancaster Street (ED 102), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [12]    
*  Death:               29 August 1923 (age 88) of old age, Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [13]
*  Burial:               after 29 August 1923 (after age 88), Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [14]
*  Probate:            6 September 1923 (age 88), administration filed; Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [15]    
*  Alternate Name:  Sophia Hildreth [5–14]   
  
3)  MARRIAGE/CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets):      
*  Spouse 1:         Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)   
*  Marriage 1:      25 December 1852 (age 18), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States [1–2]
*  Child 1:            Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920)   
*  Child 2:            Clarence Edward Hildreth (1874-1878)   
  
4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):    

There are no available birth records in Massachusetts or Vermont for Sophia Newton.  The evidence available includes:

*  She is listed as age 15 in the 1850 U.S. Census, born in Vermont [3] 
*  She is listed as age 18, born in Vermont, the daughter of Thomas J. Newton, in the 25 December 1852 marriage record in Northborough, Massachusetts to Edward Hildreth [4].  
*  In the 1855 Massachusetts census, she is age 20. [5]
*   In the 1860 U.S. census, she is age 24, born in Vermont. [6]
*  In the 1865 Massachusetts census, she is age 30. [7]
*  In the 1870 U.S. Census she is age 34, born in Vermont. [8]
*  In her son's (Clarence Hildreth) death notice in 1878, she is listed as born in Cambridge, Vermont.
*  In the 1880 U.S. Census, she is age 46, born in Vermont. [9]
*  In the 1900 U.S. Census, she is age 64, born in September 1835 in Vermont. [10]
*  In the 1910 U.S. Census, she is age 73, born in Vermont. [11]
*  In the 1920 U.S. Census, she is age 82, born in Vermont. [12]
*  In the 1920 death record of her daughter (Hattie Seaver), she is listed as born in Cambridge, Vermont.
*  Sophia (Newton) Hildreth died 29 August 1923 in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. [13]  She is listed as age 86 years, 11 months, 15 days, which calculates to 14 September 1836.  Her birthplace is listed as Springfield, Vermont, her father's name is not listed, but her mother's name is listed as (Buck) Newton, born in Massachusetts.

My conclusion is that she was born on 14 September in 1834.  The 1850, 1855, 1860, 1865, 1870, 1880 and 1900 census records, her marriage record and her death record,  all reflect 1833 to 1835.  
In the 1850 US census, Sophia Newton (age 53, born MA) resided with her daughter Sophia Newton (age 15, born VT) in Northborough, Worcester County, MA [3].

-----------------------------  7 October 2021 Update  ---------------------------------------
If Sophia was born on 14 September 1834, then she was conceived in the period of December 1833 to February 1834.  Her mother's first husband, Lambert Brigham, died on 5 May 1834 in Westborough, Mass.  Apparently, Sophia's mother married a Thomas J. Newton shortly after Lambert Brigham's death, moved to Cambridge, Vermont, and Sophia was born there.  Thomas J. and Sophia (Buck) (Brigham) Newton had another child, Thomas Brigham (1835-1915) in Cambridge, Vermont.  There are no records found to date of the birth or death of Thomas J. Newton, or of the marriage of Thomas and Sophia (Buck) (Brigham) Newton.  

Sophia Newton used the surname Newton in all future records.
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The marriage record in the Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915 provides this information [4]:

Marriage date:  25 December 1852 in Northborough
*  Groom Information:  Edward Hildreth, resident of Southborough, age 21, a Combmaker, born in Townsend, parents Zachariah Hildreth, first marriage
*  Bride information:  Sophia Newton, resident of Southborough, age 18, born in Vermont, parents Thomas J. Newton, first marriage..
*  By: S.L. Ashley, Minister, Northborough.

In the 1855 Massachusetts State Census, the Edward Hildreth family resided in Northborough, Worcester County, and included [5]:

*  Edward Hildreth - age 24, male, white, a comb manft, born Mass.
*  Sophiah Hildreth - age 20, female, white, born Vt.

In the 1860 US census, the Edward Hildreth family resided in Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts with the Theodore McNeil family. The household included [6]:

*   Edward Hildreth -- age 28, male, born MA, a combmaker, with $500 personal property
*  Sophia Hildreth -- age 24, female, born MA
*  Hattie L. Hildreth -- age 2, female, born MA.

The 1865 Massachusetts State Census entry for the Edward Hildreth household residing in Northborough, Worcester County included [7]:

*  Edward Hildreth - age 34, male, born Mass., married, a combmaker, rateable poll checked, legal voter checked
*  Sophia Hildreth - age 28, female, born Mass., married, a housekeeper
*  Hattie Hildreth - age 7, female, born Mass., single

In the 1870 US census, the Edward Hildreth family resided in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The household included [8]:

*  Edward Hildreth -- age 39, male, works in machine shop, $2,000 in real property, $500 in personal property, born MA
*  Sophia Hildreth -- age 34, female, keeping house, born VT
*  Hattie L. Hildreth --age 12, female, attends school, born MA.

In her son's (Clarence Hildreth) death notice in 1878, she is listed as born in Cambridge VT.

In the 1880 US census, the Edward Hildreth family lived in Leominster in Worcester County, Massachusetts. The family included [9]:

*  Edward Hildreth -- white, male, age 49, married, machinist, born MA, father and mother born MA
*  Sophia Hildreth -- white, female, age 46, wife, married, keeping house, born VT, father born ME, mother born MA
*  Sophia Stone -- white, female, age 84, mother-in-law, widowed, born MA, father and mother born MA.

In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The Seaver family was renting the house.  The family included [10]:

*   Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
*   Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
*  Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born PA a painter of combs
*  Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
*  Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living,  born MA, father born ME, mother born MA

In the 1910 U.S. census, the Frank W. Seaver family resided at 146 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The family included [11]:

*  Sophia Hildreth -- head of household, female, white, age 73, widow, mother of 2 children, 1 living, born VT, father and mother born MA, speaks English, no occupation, can read and write, owns the home, free of mortgage
*  Frank W. Seaver -- son-in-law, male, white, age 57, married once, 35 years, born MA, father and mother born MA, speaks English, foreman, works in horn supply, a worker, reads and writes
*  Hattie L. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 52, married once, 35 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT, speaks English, can read and write
*  Harry C. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 25, single, born MA, father and mother born MA, speaks English, laborer, works in comb shop, a worker, can read and write

In the 1920 U.S. census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The family included [12]:

*  Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, male, white, age 66, married, born MA, father born MA, mother born MA, an assistant superintendent at a horn shop, a salaried worker, owns home free of mortgage, able to read, write, and speak English
*  Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 62, married, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT, no occupation, able to read, write and speak English
*  Harry C. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 34, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born MA, a button turner in a button shop, a wage worker, able to read, write and speak English
*  Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, female, white, age 82, widow, born VT, father born MA, mother born MA, retired, able to read, write and speak English

Sophia (Newton) Hildreth died 29 August 1923 in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  She is listed as age 86 years, 11 months, 15 days, which calculates to 14 September 1836.  Her birthplace is listed as Springfield, Vermont, her father's name is not listed, but her mother's name is listed as (Buck) Newton, born in Massachusetts [13].

Sophia Hildreth is buried in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts with her husband and son.  The Hildreth gravestone is inscribed [14]:

Edward Hildreth
1830-1899
Sophia Hildreth His wife
1836-1923
Clarence E. Hildreth
1874-1878

Sophia (Newton) Hildreth died, on 29 August 1923, after her daughter, Hattie L. (Hildreth) Seaver (died in 1920) and her son-in-law, Frank W. Seaver (died in 1922), in Leominster, Masssachusetts.  Since Hattie was the only heir of Sophia, the estate of Sophia Hildreth was probated simultaneously with that of her daughter and her son-in-law, and the estate was divided between the two sons of Hattie and Frank W. Seaver in October 1923 [15].

 J. Ward Healey petitioned the court to be named administrator of the estate of Hattie L. Seaver estate on 6 September 1923.  The heirs included husband Frank W. Seaver (who has since died), son Frederick W. Seaver and son Harry C. Seaver, both of Leominster.

An inventory was taken by J. Ward Healey on 10 September 1923 and found $33.10 in personal estate and $2,825 in real estate.  The latter was the two family dwelling house at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, including a barn and 10,890 square feet of land.  Bond of $4,000 was posted on 7 September 1923 by J. Ward Healey, Frederick W. Seaver and Frank C. Seaver.

The real estate was sold on 31 October 1923 for $6,000.  The land is described as "land owned by the heirs of Edward Hildreth, Leominster, Mass." by Wm. P. Ray, C.E.  It was on the southwesterly side of Lancaster Street, containing 19,317 square feet of land.

The final account of the estate of Hattie L. Seaver was submitted by J. Ward Healey on 10 December 1923, and approved by the court on 8 September 1924.  The estate of $6,546.99 was distributed:

*  To Harry C. Seaver, $2,700 in cash as his partial distributive share, including a $1,600 payment to Merchants National Bank which was borrowed by him.
*  To Frederick W. Seaver, $2,700 in cash as his partial distributive share.
*  The furniture was divided by Harry C. and Frederick W. Seaver.
*  $150 To the City of Leominster for perpetual care of the cemetery lots of Edward Hildreth and Frank W. Seaver.
*  $55 to Leominster Granite and Marble Works for gravestones, and $294 to Chas. H. Richardson, undertakers.

The balance went to the administrator for taxes, repairs on the house, insurance, and probate costs.

5)  SOURCES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

1. Northborough, Massachusetts, Copy of Record of Marriage, Edward Hildreth and Sophia Newton; citing Volume 3, Page 1, Record 10 (1853), Town Clerk's Office, Northborough, Mass. (document dated 13 September 1994).

2. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," indexed database and digital images,  New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Marriages: Volume 62, Page 212, Northborough, 1852: Edward Hildreth and Sophia Newton entry.

3. 1850 United States Federal Census, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Northborough: Page 38, Dwelling #165, Family #196, sophia Nowton household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 341.

4. Leominster, Massachusetts, Death Certificate, Certificate of Death, Sophia Hildreth, 29 August 1923; City Clerk's Office, Leominster, Mass. (certificate dated 17 September 1990).

5. "Massachusetts, State Census, 1855", Worcester County, Massachusetts, Northborough: Image 18 of 20, Dwelling #45, Family #57, Edward Hildreth household; digital images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 14 February 2013).

6. 1860 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Northborough town; Page 955, Dwelling #794, Family 984, Edward Hildreth household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 528.

7. "Massachusetts, State Census, 1865", Worcester County, Massachusetts, Northborough; Image 7 of 31, Dwelling #30, family #40, Edward Hildreth household; digital image,  FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 14 February 2013).

8. 1870 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Leominster town: Page 261, house #67, family #86, Edward Hildreth household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M593, Roll 654.

9. 1880 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Leominster: Page 532A, dwelling #480, family #605, Edward Hildreth household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 565.

10. 1900 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Leominster: Enumeration District 1645, sheet 16, line 44, Frank W. Seaver household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 692.

11. 1910 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: Enumeration District 1772, Sheet 13B, dwelling #149, family #257, line 96-98, Sophia Hildreth household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T624,  Roll 629.

12. 1920 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster; Supervisor District 3, Enumeration District 102, Sheet 5B, dwelling #68, family #132, lines 7-10, Frank W. Seaver household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T625, Roll 747.

13. Leominster, Massachusetts, Death Certificate,  Sophia Hildreth, 29 August 1923; City Clerk's Office, Leominster, Mass. (certificate dated 17 September 1990).

14. Evergreen Cemetery (Leominster, Mass., on Main Street).

15. "Worcester County, Massachusetts Probate Court Records" (Worcester County Probate Courthouse, Worcester, Mass.), Hattie L. Seaver, Probate Packet B-81,101.


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Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Thursday, March 20, 2014

U.S. Federal Census Record Images on FamilySearch - Only 4 Out of 16 Collections Are Freely Available

At the Chula Vista Genealogical Society (CVGS) Computer Group meeting yesterday, we discussed and demonstrated finding records on FamilySearch.org.  Several attendees easily found U.S. federal census records on FamilySearch, but were frustrated by the need to have an Ancestry.com or Fold3.com subscription in order to see the actual record.

Not every researcher knows that FamilySearch does not provide free access to census images for every U.S. Census year. 

 1)  Here is the list of U.S. Federal Census record collections on FamilySearch, and whether there is free access to an image of the records:

*  United States Census, 1790 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1800 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1810 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1820 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1830 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1840 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1850 -- free image is available

*  United States Census, 1860 -- free image not available - link to Fold3.com

*  United States Census, 1870 -- free image is available

*  United States Census, 1880 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1890 -- no image link available

*  United States Census, 1900 -- free image is available

*  United States Census, 1910 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1920 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1930 -- free image not available - link to Ancestry.com

*  United States Census, 1940 -- free image is available

When a researcher reaches a search result for a specific person and census year, the result page looks like this (for my great-grandfather, Frank W. Seaver, in the 1920 U.S. Census):


On the right-hand side of the screen, in the box under the "Sources" box, is a notice, as a blue link, that says:

"Explore viewing options."  

If you click on that link, then the box text changes to:


The box tells you that the image is available at Ancestry.com, and that fees and other terms may apply.  It notes that the image is available if you are using the FamilySearch site at a FamilySearch Center.  And that it's available to signed-in members of supporting organizations.

If the user is signed into FamilySearch (need to register), then you can see all but the 1860 U.S. Census images - the site takes you to Ancestry.com IF you have an Ancestry.com subscription. The exception is the 1860 U.S. Census, which is hosted on Fold3.com (if you have a Fold3 subscription, then you're good to go).

There are only four United States Census databases on FamilySearch with FREE access to images, apparently hosted on FamilySearch.  There are 10 United States Census databases where the user can go to Ancestry.com to see the images, and one database where the user can go to Fold3.com to see the image.

2)  Other image viewing options include websites or repositories with the complete United States Census databases with images:

*  Archives.com (with a subscription, owned by Ancestry.com), FindMyPast.com (with a subscription), and MyHeritage.com (with a subscription).  

*  Users at a FamilySearch Center can access the census images for free at Ancestry.com and download them to a flash drive.  

*  Users at a repository (public library, National Archives, etc.) with access to Ancestry Library Edition can access the census images for free at Ancestry.com and download them to a flash drive.  

*  UPDATED:  Geolover commented on this post (thank you!), saying;

Free US Population Schedule Census images are available through 1930 at 
https://archive.org/details/us_census

While not index-linked, if one gets the citation (roll/page) details from FamilySearch, finding the images on archive.org are not hard. The images are often better in quality than those uploaded elsewhere.


*  If a user holds a library card to a library that has subscribed to HeritageQuestOnline, then they can use their library card number from home to access the U.S. census image and save it to their computer or to a flash drive.  

3)  Has anyone asked this question of Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org?

"Was FREE access to all of the census images through the FamilySearch website discussed as part of the recent agreement between Ancestry.com and FamilySearch?  If not, why not?  It's a logical request, and would greatly aid FamilySearch users who are not LDS members.  If it was asked, who rejected the idea?"

I recall that, in an earlier agreement between FamilySearch and Ancestry.com, Ancestry.com received the census images for a number of census years from FamilySearch (ostensibly because they were more better images from microfilm?) and FamilySearch received census indexes for some of the census years.  Ancestry notes the census years that were obtained from FamilySearch in their source citations for census records.

4)  At least FamilySearch provides a list of the household members on their search result page and each household member can be clicked on to see their indexed information.  But this doesn't permit seeing the neighbors on the same and adjacent pages, and it doesn't provide ALL of the information available on a census page (address, occupation, home ownership, etc.).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/03/us-federal-census-record-images-on.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

UPDATE 21 March: I have had several comments that if you are signed into FamilySearch, then you can see the census images (except for 1860) on Ancestry.com.  That only works for me if I am signed in to my Ancestry.com account - it doesn't work if I am signed into a non-subscription account on Ancestry, or not signed in on Ancestry at all..  I just tested it, and that's what I found.

Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 206: Death Record for Abigail (Pierce) Knowlton

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 Death Record for Abigail Knowlton (1750-1776) in Lincoln, Massachusetts:


The page from the Lincoln, Massachusetts town records book says:

"Abigail Knowlton, wife of Jeremiah Knowlton, Departed this life February ye 2d A./D. 1776"

The source citation for this entry in the Lincoln town record book is:

Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), "Lincoln Births, Marriages and Deaths," Page 97 (penned) (image 226 of 1092), Abigail Knowlton death entry.

Abigail Knowlton is my 5th great-grandmother, and mother of Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855), who married Nathan Gates in 1790 in Westminster, Massachusetts.  The birth record for Abigail (Knowlton) Gates in 1774, and the birth record for her sister, Lydia Knowlton in 1773, is on the same page of the Lincoln town records, the two items above the death record for Abigail (Pierce) Knowlton.  
 
The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Wednesday, March 19, 2014

Dear Randy: Why Don't You Attach All Pertinent Records to Your Ancestry Member Tree?

I knew someone would ask this question - and a reader did it after I posted Mining the Ancestry.com "Massachusetts Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988" Collection on 17 March 2014.

I used Ephraim Sawtell (1735-1800) in my blog post, but it could be almost anyone in my Ancestry Member Tree.  


1)  I had 9 Hints for Ephraim Sawtell - I accepted 2 Hints and ignored 7 of them.  The 7 Hints that I ignored consisted of:

*  "Ancestry Family Trees" -- this is other person's work, and I don't attach them because they are compilations rather than actual records or sources.  I do explore them (sometimes) to see if there are links to records I haven't found.  For Ephraim Sawtell, I had the birth and marriage record, and nobody has a death record.

*  "Massachusetts Marriages, 1633-1850" -- this collection is an index, taken from an FHL microfilm.  I have the Groton, Mass. Vital Records book page as the source and an image of the page already in my tree.  I don't need this index, it's superflous.  At best, it's a "finding aid" to lead me to the FHL microfilm, the vital record book or the actual town record book. 

*  "New Hampshire Marriage Records, Index, 1637-1946" -- this collection is an index, and the Hint is for a marriage of an Ephraim Sawtell to an Abigail Farnsworth in 1822.  My Ephraim died in about 1800, and I really doubt that he married in 1822 at age 87 (although stranger things have happened).

*  "American Genealogical-Biographical (AGBI) Index Record" -- this collection is a name index which lists the birth of Ephraim in 1734.  It applies, but I have better records than this which shows only the year, not a date or place of birth.

*  "Massachusetts, Town Birth Records, 1620-1850 Record" -- this Hint is an index of birth entries that gives Ephraim's name, his parents, a birth date and a birth place.  Again, I have a published vital record for the event and an image of the book page.

*  "American Genealogical-Biographical (AGBI) Index Record" -- this collection is a name index which lists the birth of Ephraim in 1734.  It seems identical to the previous Hint from the same database.

*  "Public Member Photos" -- this is an image of a 13-star flag that denotes an "American Revolutionary Ancestor."  I choose to not use it because it's not a record of service, and is not a photograph of the person or anything connected to the person.

My opinion is that all of those ignored Hints are Derivative Sources (e.g., indexes) or Authored Works (e.g., family trees) and I prefer to not attach them to my Ancestry Member Tree persons.  I would rather attach actual records (preferred is an Original Source, but Derivative Sources are acceptable) that provide Primary Information and Direct Evidence (e.g., a birth date and place name, rather than just a year and a state) to persons in my tree.  

I do make the exception for some Authored Works, such as an article in NGSQ, NEHGR, TAG or an authored book that I deem to be trustworthy.  I use them as sources, and will attach them when I have the opportunity.

2)  There are other Ancestry.com databases that I don't use - they weren't on the list for Ephraim Sawtell, but they are on the list of Hints for many of my ancestors.  They include:

*  "Family Data Collection - Births Record"
*  "Family Data Collection - Marriages Record"
*  "Family Data Collection - Deaths Record"
*  "Family Data Collection - Individual Records Record"

*  "U.S. and International Marriage Records, 1560-1900"
*  "Millennium File Record"
*  "American Marriages Before 1699 Record"
*  "U.S., New England Marriages Prior to 1700 Record"

Some of the indexes on this latter list are very useful as "finding aids" - if an actual date and place are listed in the index, that usually means that I should be able to find a better source for the event.

3)  I want my tree to reflect names and events from actual records and relationships that are verified through evaluation of a number of sources.  I don't need 4 or 5 birth records from indexes when I have a definitive record image - that's just duplication of effort and craps up my tree.  They are not independent sources - they are Derivative Sources from an Original Source.  Quantity doesn't count, Quality does.  I try to find the Original Source, and use a Derivative Source when I can't find one.  

4)  I would love to see Ancestry.com institute some sort of "grading process" where I could select to see different types of Hints to accept, reject or ignore.  At present, there is no "reject" category - where a record doesn't apply to the person that it was provided for.  I think that there should be.

My experience with Ancestry.com Hints and Suggested Records is that they are 80 to 90% accurate, unless it is a really common name.  The bigger problem is that spelling variations hide some possible Hints and Suggested Records, but I guess we can't help that.

A "grading process" scale for a user to select from might be:

*  Original source records
*  Authored works derived from original records (books, periodicals, transcriptions, extracts, etc.)
*  Indexes created from derivative sources or authored works
*  Indexes created from other indexes (e.g., AGBI, Family Millennium File, etc.)
*  Ancestry Member Trees and Member Photos

My experience is that only 5 to 15% of the Ancestry.com Hints I find for my New England ancestors fall in the first category, and another 10 to 20% fall into the second category.  Those are very useful and helpful, in my opinion.  The fourth and fifth categories are pretty useless for me, but often are more than 60% of the total number of Hints and take significant time to mark them as "Ignore."  For some of my tree persons, I've had 30 to 40 Hints to accept or ignore, and many are a waste of my time to evaluate.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014), Randall J. Seaver