Saturday, April 5, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Your Genea-Selfie Photo

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)  The Gould Genealogy blog, Genealogy & History News, has a month-long photo contest.  You can see the idea and the rules for the contest at Genealogy + Selfie = #genealogyselfie.

2)  The idea is to take a photograph of yourself (a "selfie") and some genealogy item of interest - your choice (a "genea-selfie").  It could be in an archive or repository, with a photograph or family artifact, or even with a genealogy friend.  Then post your "genea-selfie" picture of you on Gould Genealogy's Facebook page, on their Google+ page, or send it to them via Twitter. And please remember to use the hashtag #genealogyselfie.


3)  So take a genea-selfie, share it with us on your blog, on Facebook, Google+ or Twitter, and if you choose to enter the contest, share it with Gould Genealogy too.


Here's mine:

I actually took several pictures, and I'm posting two of them here.  


1)  Here is a genea-selfie with my ten-generation chart of my father's ancestry, created back in 1994 by a friend of mine who was trying to start a calligraphy business:





2)  Here is a genea-selfie with some of the photographs in our hallway:


You may recognize some of these artifacts from my blog posts.  Or not.  I'm wondering where all of the wrinkles in my face came from...and where all of the hair went.  I guess when I smile or frown or take a picture.  I'm not 25 years old any more!  But not yet 71.


The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your-genea.html


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Surname Saturday - CLARK (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 #891, who is Melatiah CLARK (1674-1747)
.   [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through four generations in this CLARK 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.  Samuel Vaux (1814-1880)
55.  Mary Ann Underhill (1816-1883)

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


222.  Burgess Metcalf (1741-1816)
223.  Jerusha --?-- (1750-1817)

444.  Michael Metcalf (1706-1771)
445.  Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751)


890.  Timothy Hamant, born 01 November 1667 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 1718 in Arrowsic, Sagadahoc, Maine, United States.  He was the son of 1780. Francis Hamant and 1781. Sarah.  He married 19 January 1696 in Boston, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.
891.  Melatiah Clark, born 04 August 1674 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 23 November 1747 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of Timothy Hamant and Melatiah Clark are:
*  Timothy Hamant (1699-1774), married 1727 Hepsibah Clark (1699-1791)
*  Samuel Hamant (1701-1755), married 1728 Hannah Patridge (1702-1780)
*  Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751), married 1728 Michael Metcalf (1706-1771)
*  Mehtiable Hamant (1706-1727).
*  Abiel Hamant (1708-1783), married 1733 Joseph Smith (1709-1760).

1782.  Ephraim Clark, born 04 February 1646 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died about 1699 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.  He married 06 March 1669 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.
1783.  Mary Bullen, born 20 July 1642 in Dedham, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States; died 31 December 1726 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 3566. Samuel Bullen and 3567. Mary Morse.

Children of Ephraim Clark and Mary Bullen are:
*  Elizabeth Clark (1670-????).
*  Mary Clark (1671-1704), married 1690 Samuel Whiting (1662-1745).
*  Ephraim Clark (1673-????).
*  Melatiah Clark (1674-1747), married 1696 Timothy Hamant (1667-1718)
*  Mehitable Clark (1676-1743), married 1703 Benjamin Allen (1674-1754).
*  Samuel Clark (1679-1769), married 1702 Sarah Pratt (1678-1754).
*  Noah Clark (1680-1704), married 1702 Susanna Hartshorn (1677-????).
*  Ezra Clark (1683-1739), married 1708 Margaret Morse (1683-1745).
*  Jeremiah Clark (1687-1748), married 1711 Patience Dana (1689-1726).

3564.  Joseph Clark, born before 11 April 1613 in Banham, Norfolk, England; died 06 January 1684 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 7128. Thomas Clarke and 7129. Mary Canne.  He married 15 April 1640 in Banham, Norfolk, England.
3565.  Alice Fenn, born about 1619 in England; died 17 March 1710 in Medfield, Norfolk, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of Joseph Clark and Alice Fenn are:
*  Joseph Clark (1642-1702), married 1663 Mary Allen (1641-1702).
*  Benjamin Clark (1644-1724), married 1665 Dorcas Morse (1645-1725).
*  Ephraim Clark (1646-1699), married 1669 Mary Bullen (1642-1726)
*  Daniel Clark (1647-1676).
*  Mary Clark (1649-1732), married 1673 Jonathan Bowden (1652-1732).
*  Sarah Clark (1651-1704), married (1) John Bowers (1646-1676); (2) 1677 Samuel Smith (1641-1691).
*  John Clark (1652-1720), married 1680 Mary Sheffield (1653-????).
*  Nathaniel Clark (1658-1733), married 1704 Experience Hinsdale (1679-1754).
*  Rebecca Clark (1660-1740), married 1679 John Richardson (1650-1697).

Information about these Clark families was obtained from:

1)  William S. Tilden (editor), History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886 (Boston, Mass. : Geo. H. Ellis, 1887).

2)  Christopher Gleason Clark,, "English Ancestry of Joseph Clark (1613-1683) of Dedham and Medfield, Massachusetts" New England Historic Genealogical Register, Volume 152, Number 1, Whole Number 605 (January 1998), pages 3-23

3)  Published vital record books for Massachusetts towns.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/surname-saturday-clark-england-to.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Friday, April 4, 2014

CreateFan.com Has More Beautiful Multi-Generation Charts

The Ancestry Insider's post yesterday, CreateFan Offers New Charts, Features, alerted me to the addition of several new features and new charts to the website.

After logging into FamilySearch.org, and identifying the ID number of the #1 person for the charts (I chose me), I created a chart for each of the available options.  Readers should realize that these charts are created from the FamilySearch Family Tree, so you will have to be in the Family Tree and have matched to ancestors in the Family Tree.  [Note:  Some of the ancestors in my line in the Family Tree are incorrect - so the charts below are not always accurate.  I still need to fix them.]

There are now 7 different charts available.  Note - all but the Word Cloud save as PDF files.  I used the Windows Snipping Tool to create JPG images of them to post here.  The resolution on the photos do not reflect the resolution of the full-size PDF chart.  I've added the full size of the PDF charts and the file size of the PDF file below:

1)  The 9-generation color fan chart (PDF is 33.5" by 22.5", 522 kb):


2)  The 9-generation black and white fan chart (PDF is 33.5" by 22.5", 634 kb):


3)  The 7-generation color fan chart (PDF is 33.5" by 22.5", 634 kb):


4)  The 4-generation photo chart (I need to add photos! PDF is 8.5" by 11.0", 56 kb):


5)  The 9-generation pedigree chart (PDF is 22.5" by 25.0", 48 kb):


6)  The 4-generation pedigree chart PDF is 8.5" by 11.0", 15 kb):


7)  The First Name word cloud (PNG file is 11.0" by 8.5", 137 kb):

In addition, the CreateFan page has two more features - the "Create Chart from GEDCOM File" (which I will report on in a separate post) and the Source Tracker (which I reported on in  FamilySearch Family Tree Census Source Tracker on 4 March 2014).

The "Create Chart from GEDCOM File" capability will permit persons who are not using FamilySearch Family Tree to use the chart making feature.  I don't know (yet) which of the charts it will create from the GEDCOM file.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/createfancom-has-more-beautiful-multi.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Announces 2014 Webinar Launch

I received this press release yesterday about the new Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) Webinar series:


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

For Immediate Release
April 3, 2014

FEDERATION OF GENEALOGICAL SOCIETIES ANNOUNCES SUCCESSFUL 2014 WEBINAR SERIES LAUNCH
“Capturing the Community: Using Twitter to Connect, Engage and Educate” by Jen Baldwin Is Now Available To View

April 3, 2014 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) announces the successful launch of its 2014 Webinar Series with the engaging presentation given by Jen Baldwin on “Capturing the Community: Using Twitter to Connect, Engage and Educate in Genealogy.” Recorded on Monday, March 31, 2014, this informative webinar on the uses of Twitter for genealogy by both family history researchers and genealogical societies is now available to view at the FGS Webinars page <http://www.fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=30>.

And remember the War of 1812 Webinar Series is available for a limited time only. Do not miss your chance to learn from two leading experts in the field, J. Mark Lowe, CG, FUGA, and Craig Scott, MA, CG, as they discuss “Discovering Local & State Militia Records” and “Researching in the Post War Records of 1812,” respectively. This phenomenal series is only available at the FGS Webinars page<http://www.fgs.org/cpage.php?pt=30> until Sunday, April 27, 2014.

Melissa Shimkus, FGS Education Chair, states, "Jen Baldwin provides a superb explanation on the merits of Twitter and its ease of use for everyone, from those just starting their genealogical search to experts in the field, and for every genealogical society and organization."

Shimkus continues, "Mark Lowe and Craig Scott are both passionate supporters of the War of 1812 Preserve the Pensions Project. Their depth of knowledge and enthusiasm for the subject matter is unsurpassed and should not be missed."

About the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS)

The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) was founded in 1976 and represents the members of hundreds of genealogical societies. FGS links the genealogical community by helping genealogical societies strengthen and grow through resources available online, FGS Forum magazine (filled with articles pertaining to society management and genealogical news), and Society Strategy Series papers, covering topics about effectively operating a genealogical society. FGS also links the genealogical community through its annual conference -- four days of excellent lectures, including one full day devoted to society management topics. To learn more visit http://www.fgs.org.

#####
Contact:
Federation of Genealogical Societies
PO Box 200940
Austin, TX 78720-0940
phone: +1 (888) 347-1500
fax: +1 (866) 347-1350
office@fgs.org

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

This webinar series is another opportunity for genealogical education - I encourage readers to watch the webinars offered by FGS and other organizations.  Many of them are free to view live, but you have to be an organization member to watch them after the live performance.


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


52 Ancestors, Week 14: #21 Hannah (Rich) Richman/Richmond (1824-1911) of Putnam, Conn.

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 #14:

Hannah (Rich) Richman/Richmond (1824-1911) is #21 on my Ahnentafel List, and is my 2nd great-grandmother. She married #20 James Richman/Richmond (1821-1912) in 1845.



 I am descended through:

*  their son, #10 Thomas Richmond (1948-1917), who married 1868 #11 Julia E. White (1848-1913);
*  their daughter, #5 
Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) who married 1900 #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942);
* 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:                     Hannah Rich [1–2, 13]   
*  Sex:                          Female   
*  Father:                      John Rich (1793-1868)    
*  Mother:                    Rebecca Hill (1790-1862)

*  Alt. Name:                Hannah Richman [4–5]
*  Alt. Name:                Hannah Richmond [6, 8-11]
*  Alt. Name:                Anna Richmond [7]

2)  INDIVIDUAL FACTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Birth:                        16 April 1824, Hilperton, Wiltshire, England [1]
*  Christened:                19 February 1837 (age 12), Hilperton, Wiltshire, England [1]
*  Census:                     31 March 1841 (age 16), Hilperton, Wiltshire, England [3]
*  Census:                     31 March 1851 (age 26), Hilperton, Wiltshire, England [4]
*  Immigration:              14 November 1856 (age 32), Ship Osprey from Glasgow, New York, New York, New York, United States [5]
*  Census:                     1 June 1860 (age 36), Burrillville, Providence, Rhode Island, United States [6]
*  Census:                     1 June 1870 (age 46), Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [7]
*  Census:                     1 June 1880 (age 56), Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [8] 
*  Census:                     1 June 1900 (age 75), Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [9]
*  Census:                     1 April 1910 (age 85), Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [10]
*  Death:                       8 August 1911 (age 87), of arterial sclerosis and old age; Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [11]
*  Obituary:                   9 August 1911 (after age 87), Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [12]
*  Burial:                       10 August 1911 (age 87) , Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam, Windham, Connecticut, United States [13]   
   
3.  MARRIAGES/CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets): 
  
*  Spouse 1:                   James Richman (1821-1912)   
*  Marriage 1:                7 September 1845 (age 21), Hilperton, Wiltshire, England [2]
*  Child 1:                     Thomas Richmond (1848-1917)   
*  Child 2:                     James Richmond (1849-1929)   
*  Child 3:                     Ann Richman (1851-1853)   
*  Child 4:                     Louisa Richmond (1853-1940)   
*  Child 5:                     Elizabeth Ann Richmond (1854-1931)   
*  Child 6:                     Emma Richmond (1856-1921)   
*  Child 7:                     Hannah Rebecca Richmond (1859-1947)   
*  Child 8:                     John Henry Richmond (1865-1947)
*  Child 9:                     Charles Edwin Richmond (1866-1951)  

4.  NOTES  (with source citations as indicated in brackets): 

The baptism record for Hannah Rich in the Hilperton parish church records for 1837 provide this information [1]:

*  When baptised:  February 19th [1837] Born April 16th 1824
*  No.:  703
*  Child's Christian name:  Hannah, daughter of 
*  Parent's names:  John and Rebecca Rich
*  Abode:  Hilperton
*  Quality, Trade or Profession:  Weaver
*  By whom the ceremony was performed:  J. Bailes

In the 1841 Census for Wiltshire,  the John Rich family resided in Hilperton, Wiltshire, England.  The household included [3]:

*  Jno Rich - age 47, male, a weaver, born Wiltshire
*  Rebecka Rich - age 55, female, born Wiltshire
*  James Rich - age 18, male, born Wiltshire
*  Elizabeth Rich - age 16, female, born Wiltshire
*  Hannah Rich - age 15, female, born Wiltshire
*  William Rich - age 10, male, born Wiltshire
*  Samuel Rich - age 7, male, born Wiltshire

The marriage record in the Hilperton parish church records provides this information [2]:

*  1845.  Marriage solemnized by banns in the parish of Hilperton in the County of Wilts.
*  No. 69
*  When Married:  September 4th
*  Name and Surname:  James Richman;  Hannah Rich
*  Age:  Full age;  20
*  Condition:  Bachelor; Spinster
*  Rank or Profession:  Labourer;  Weaver
*  Residence at Time of Marriage:  Hilperton;  Hilperton
*  Father's Name and surname:  John Richman;  John Rich
*  Rank or Profession of Father:  Labourer;  Weaver
*  Married in the Parish Church according to the ceremonies of the Church of England by me Wm Talman
*  This marriage was solemnized between us:  James Richman /s/;  Hannah Rich /m/
*  In the presence of us, James Carpenter /s/;  Ann Richman /s/

In the 1851 Census for Wiltshire, the James Richman family resided in Hilperton, Wiltshire, England. The household included [4]:

*   James Richman -- husband, age 29, coal merchant laborer, born Marsh
*  Hannah Richman -- wife, age 25, woolen weaver, born Marsh
*  Thomas Richman -- son, age 2, born Marsh
*  James Richman -- son, age 1, born Marsh

The passenger list of the British Ship Osprey that departed Bristol and arrived in New York City on 14 November 1856 includes Hannah Richman and five children [5]:

*  Hannah Richman - age 32, female, a wife
*  James Richman - age 7, male, a child
*  Thomas Richman - age 6, male, a child
*  Louisa Richman - age 4, female, a child
*  Elizabeth Richman - age 3, female, a child
*  Ann Richman - an infant, female, a child

In the 1860 US census, the James Richmond family resided in Burrillville, Providence County, Rhode Island. The household included [6]:

*   James Richmond -- age 38, male, white, farm laborer, born England
*  Hannah Richmond -- age 36, female, born England
*  Thomas Richmond -- age 12, male, born England, attended school
*  James Richmond -- age 10, male, born England, attended school
*  Louisa Richmond -- age 8, female, born England, attended school
*  Elizabeth A. Richmond -- age 5, female, born England, attended school
*  Emma Richmond -- age 6, female, born England, attended school
*  Hannah R. Richmond -- age 2, female, born RI.

In the 1870 US census, the James Richmond family resided in Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut in the house of George Whitford. The household included [7]:

*  James Richmond -- age 49, male, works for woolen mill, born England
*  Anna Richmond -- age 45, female, keeping house, born England
*  Louisa Richmond -- age 17, female, works in woolen mill, born England
*  Elizabeth Richmond -- age 15, female, works in woolen mill, born England
*  Emma Richmond -- age 13, female, works in woolen mill, born England
*  Rebeca Richmond -- age 11, female, born RI, attended school
*  John Richmond -- age 5, male, born RI, attended school
*  Charles Richmond -- age 3, male, born CT

In the 1880 U.S. Census, the James Richmond family resided in Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut. The household included [8]:

*  James Richmond -- white, male, age 59, father, married, born England, farmer, father and mother born in England
*  Anna Richmond -- white, female, age 55, mother, married, born England, keeping house, father and mother born England
*  Louisa Richmond -- white, female, age 27, daughter, single, at home, born England, parents born England
*  Emma Richmond -- white, female, age 27, daughter, single, works in woolen mill, born England, parents born England
*  John Richmond -- white, male, age 15, son, single, at home, attended school, born RI, parents born England
*  Charles Richmond -- white, male, age 13, son, single, at home, attended school, born CT, parents born England

In the 1900 US census, the James Richmond family resided in the outlying district (with no street names)  in Putnam town in Windham County, Connecticut.  The household included [9]:

*   James Richmond -- head, white, male, born April 1821, age 79, married 55 years, born England, father and mother born England, emigrated in 1855, resident 45 years in the US, alien, a farmer
*  Hannah Richmond -- wife, white, female, born Apr 1825, age 75, married 55 years, 9 children, 8 living, born England, father and mother born England, emigrated in 1856, resident 44 years
*  John H. Richmond -- son, white, male, born May 1865, age 35, married 9 years, born RI, father and mother born England, a farm laborer
*  Mary A. Richmond -- daughter-in-law, white, female, born August 1866, age 33, married 9 years, 0 children, born England, father and mother born England, emigrated in 1881, resident 19 years
*  Louisa Richmond -- daughter, white, female, born Oct 1852, age 47, single, born England, father and mother born England, emigrated in 1855, resident 45 years

In the 1910 US Census, this family resided at 1 Richmond Road in Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut. The household included [10]:

*  James Richmond -- head of household, male, white, age 89, married 64 years, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1855, naturalized, a farmer, works on home farm, owns farm with a mortgage
*  Hanna Richmond - wife, female, white, age 85, married 64 years, 9 children born, 7 living, born England, parents born England, immigrated in 1855
*  John H. Richmond -- son, male, white, age 44, married 19 years, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1883
*  Mary A. Richmond -- daughter, female, white, age 41, married 19 years, 1 child born, 1 living, born RI, parents born England, farmer, works on home farm
*  Louisa Richmond -- daughter, female, white, age 58, single, born England, parents born England, immigrated 1886,
*  Thomas H.M. Richmond -- grandson (?), male, white, age 7, single, born CT, father born England, mother born RI, attended school

The death certificate for Hannah Richmond indicates that she was married to James Richmond, a housekeeper, died in Putnam, on 7 August 1911 at age 86 years, 4 months, born in April 1825, father's name John Rich, born in England, mother's name Rebecca Hill, born in England, buried at Grove Street Cemetery in Putnam, died of arterial sclerosis and old age, the informant being Thomas Richmond [11].  
The obituary of Hannah (Rich) Richmond was published in a Windham County, Connecticut newspaper on 9 August 1911 (obtained from cousin Laura [name redacted]).  It reads [12]:

"MRS. JAMES RICHMOND

"Mrs. Hannah Richmond, wife of James Richmond, died at her home on the Pomfret road Monday evening. Mrs. Richmond had lived in Putnam over forty years and was well-known throughout this vicinity. She was born in Wiltshire, England, in April, 1825, the daughter of John and Rebecca Rich and came to this country in 1856, coming to Pascoag, R.I. For the past 36 years, however, she has lived with her husband on the farm homestead where she died, known as the Richmond farm. She was married to Mr. Richmond 66 years ago, before coming to this country. She was always of a quiet disposition and was content to make a happy home for the large family which she reared.

"Besides her husband, who is known as 'Father' Richmond in the Methodist church, she leaves seven children, Thomas of Putnam, James of Stroudsburg, Pa., Louisa living on the home farm, Mrs. Elizabeth Prentice of Danielson, Mrs. Emma Fitts of Pomfret, John, living on the home farm, Charles of Manchester, besides a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also leaves one brother, William Rich, of Putnam, who is the only surviving member of eight.

"The funeral will be at the Methodist church, of which the deceased was a member, Thursday afternoon at 1 o'clock. Rev. Mr. Belcher will officiate and burial will be in Grove street cemetery."

The gravestone in Grove Street Cemetery, Putnam, Connecticut has this inscription [13]:

JAMES RICHMOND
1821-1912
HANNAH RICH
1825-1911
 
5)  SOURCES 

1. Church of England, Parish Church of Hilperton (Wiltshire, England), Bishop's Transcripts, 1622-1880, "Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, 1813-1838," FHL BRITISH Microfilm 1,279,404, Item 14, Baptisms: No. 703, Hannah, daughter of John and Rebecca Rich.

2. Church of England, Parish Church of Hilperton (Wiltshire, England), Bishop's Transcripts, 1622-1880, "Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1837-1880," FHL BRITISH Microfilm 1,279,404, Item 15, Marriages, Page 35, No. 69, James Richman and Hannah Rich entry.

3. 1841 England, Wales and Scotland Census, Wiltshire, Hilperton [parish], Folio 20, Page 1 (printed), Lines 22-25, John Rich household; digital image, FindMyPast.com (www.findmypast.com : accessed 28 July 2012); citing The Natonal Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, Public Record Office HO 107/1182/2.

4. 1851 England and Wales Census,  digital image. FindMyPast.com (http://www.findmypast.com), Wiltshire, Hilperton [parish], District 257, Folio 254 recto, Page 21, household 88, James Richman household; digital image, FindMyPast.com (http://www.findmypast.com : accessed July 2012), citing The Natonal Archives of the UK, Kew, Surrey, Public Record Office HO 107/1840.

5. New York Passenger Lists, 1820-1957, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Roll 168, List Number 1183, Line 51, Hannah Richman entry.

6. 1860 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Providence County, Rhode Island, Burrillville town, Page 45, Dwelling #679, Family #740, James Richmond family, online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 1205.

7. 1870 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut, Putnam town: Page 563, Dwelling #376, Family #669, James Richmond family; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M593, Roll 117.

8. 1880 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut, Putnam town: Page 605B, Dwelling #43, Family #51, James Richmond family, online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 110.

9. 1900 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut, Putnam town; ED 522, Sheet 2A, Lines 79-83, James Richmond household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 15.

10. 1910 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut, Putnam; ED 581, Page 106, Dwelling #148, Family #186, James Richmond family;  online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T624, Roll 144.

11. Putnam, Connecticut, Certificate of Death, Hannah Richmond, 8 August 1911; Registrar of Vital Statistics, Putnam, Ct. (certificate not dated).

12. "Mrs. James Richmond," undated clipping, 9 August 1911, from unidentified newspaper; Laura Cole Spicer collection, provided to Grace (Richmond) Shaw at time of event, passed to daughter, grandaughter and great-grand-daughter; privately held 2011 by third cousin, Laura [name redxacted, address for private use], Boulder, Colorado.

13. Grove Street Cemetery (Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut, United States), Hannah Rich Richmond gravestone; Randall J. Seaver, September 1990.

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copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Thursday, April 3, 2014

A Day In the Genealogy Life of "The Geneaholic"

I'm not sure if any readers are interested in how I spend my day doing genealogy, but I thought I'd try a fairly detailed journal from wakeup to bedtime (minus any really personal things...).

This was my Thursday, 3 April 2014:

6:50 AM:  Got up, had my banana, watched TV news, read the Sports section of the newspaper, and had my Cheerios.

7:40 AM:  Read my email on my iPhone.  Saved some messages to read online.

7:42 AM:  Opened Chrome, and Feedly, which loaded slowly.  Blogger loaded slowly.  Closed down Chrome.  Crap.  Restarted computer, wasted 8 minutes.  Sorted papers on my desk.

7:50 AM:  Computer restarted, Chrome opened easily, Feedly opened easily (104 posts to read), Blogger opened easily, started this post.  Opened the Best Of post to add content.  Skimmed 104 Feedly posts, read a few, clicked through on a few.  Skimmed 14 more Feedly posts.

8:25 AM:  Started on the Treasure Chest Thursday blog post.  Opened RootsMagic to find a suitable treasure.  I picked Hannah Richmond's obituary, which I had sourced and transcribed earlier in my Research Notes.  Posted it on Genea-Musings as Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 208: Hannah (Rich) Richmond 1911 Obituary.

8:50 AM:  Opened Gmail to read the messages saved earlier, and answered two emails.

9:00 AM:  Started a new blog post on Mocavo searches based on an email from Mocavo staff providing answers to my questions.

9:30 AM:  Quickly checked Gmail.  Checked Spam and Trash folders too (once a day at least).

9:35 AM:  Logged out of Blogger as Randy and logged into the CVGS Google account so I could write three posts, including CVGS Saturday Workshop on "New York Research" on 5 April at Bonita and CVGS Spring Seminar Review - Jean and Butch Hibben on the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe.

11:15 AM:  Logged out of the CVGS account and logged into my Google account, and checked email.  Edited the Mocavo blog post just in time and posted it Working With the Mocavo Sliders - Post 2: Answers to My Questions.

11:35 AM:  Read/skimmed 57 Feedly blog posts.  Added to the Best Of post for Sunday.

11:55 AM:  Went in to the family room for lunch (vegetable beef soup, handful of crackers, chocolate pudding cup).  Put trash cans away, turned sprinkler system on again (I had turned it off during the rains on Tuesday).

12:20 PM:  Worked on the handout for the Saturday workshop - links for New York Research.  Found some new resources.  

1:40 PM:  Checked email.  Tweeted links to the 3-2-1 CITE! Challenge and Treasure Chest Thursday posts, tweets go to Facebook, copied then to Google+ also.  

1:45 PM:  Looking for something to blog about on Genea-Musings.  Checked my email files, found and wrote Dear Randy: What Do You Do With Wrong Information?

2:20 PM:  Read/skimmed 37 blog posts on Feedly.  

2:35 PM:  Started watching the "7 Highly Frugal Habits of Genealogists" by Thomas MacEntee on FamilyTreeWebinars.com.   Read Gmail and skimmed 13 more blog posts on Feedly while Thomas talked.  Also collected some of the handouts from the SDGS site in the Members section.  Checked the SDGS affiliate discounts, and checked Facebook too.

3:55 PM:  Started working on the CVGS Newsletter for April 2014.  Copied the template, edited it, and started adding content.  Got about 30% done by 5 p.m.

5 PM:   Went onto the family room to eat dinner (ham, corn on the cob, grapes, berries, Dove bar), watch TV news, read the paper, wash the dishes, and take a 10 minute power walk down the block and back.

6:20 PM:  Checked Gmail.  Started work on the 52 Ancestors post for Friday, featuring Hannah (Rich) Richman/Richmond.  I usually do these posts Thursday night because they take some time to finish, although I've done a lot of the writing and sourcing in earlier weeks.  

7:10 PM:  Read/skimmed 41 blog posts in Feedly.

7:30 PM;  Back into the CVGS Newsletter writing/editing.  Got it about 90% done tonight, will save the rest for the next two nights.  Rewarded myself with 15 minutes on Facebook.

8:30 PM:  Used the MyHeritage Record Matches for Find A Grave to add content and sources to the RootsMagic database.  Confirmed 20 matches, bringing the total down to 48 not reviewed yet and 2690 either confirmed or rejected.  Added about 75 source citations to the database.

9:45 PM:  Checked email, then Facebook, and then skimmed 20 more blog posts on Feedly.  

10 PM:  Started the daily post on The Geneaholic - My Geneaholic Day - Thursday, 3 April 2014.  Finished it quickly.

10:20 PM:  Closed RootsMagic, backed it up, and copied the file to Dropbox.  Checked some of my political sites, and went into the family room to read my Brad Thor spy book and watch the sports report on the news.

11 PM:  Off to bed after about 12.0 hours of genealogy work today.  This was a fun day - 273 blog posts read on Feedly,  9 blog posts written (counting this one, and two not yet posted), lots of variety, some tasks accomplished, and some education too.  I knew it would be busy and long, but that's almost a typical day here in the genealogy cave when I don't have to go out and there are no Padres or Chargers or Aztecs games on TV.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/a-day-in-genealogy-life-of-geneaholic.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Dear Randy: What Do You Do With Wrong Information?

I gave a presentation on "Searching Ancestry.com Effectively" in January, and one of the attendees afterward emailed me with a question:

"What do you do with 'wrong information' that causes you to disconnect persons from others in your family tree?"

I think this refers to a comment I made that sometimes I find information that leads me to remove a person from a family in my tree.  This occurs occasionally with me when, while doing a reasonably exhaustive search, I find a record that indicates that a person is not the child of set of parents.

One example of this is Devier J. Smith (1839-1894), who I had put in the family of Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith of Henderson, Jefferson County, New York and Burnett, Dodge County, Wisconsin.  The Bible, family papers, census, and other records supported the relationship of Devier as a son of Ranslow and Mary.  I had extended Ranslow's ancestry back two more generations, and Mary's ancestry was New York Dutch and Scottish, and I had quite a bit of research done in the New York Dutch families.  Then I found the 1866 "Name Change" record and Ranslow Smith's 1866 will, both of which indicated that Devier J. Smith was the adopted son of Ranslow Smith, and that his original surname was Lamphier.  Oops.

So what did I do?

1)  In the RootsMagic program, I changed the relationship of Devier to Ranslow and Mary to be "Adopted" rather than "Biological."  I also renamed Devier James Smith to be Devier James Lamphier Smith in order to reflect both the birth name and the adoptive name.  I added information to the General and Research Notes for Devier J. Lamphier Smith and Ranslow Smith reflecting the changes made so that I recorded the information that I have.

2)  I kept all of the research information for the ancestry of Ranslow Smith and Mary Bell in my RootsMagic database.  I had done quite a bit of research trying to find the ancestral families, and didn't want to throw it away by deleting all of those persons.  I kept it all in my RootsMagic database because it might help other researchers looking for these families when they find my online trees on Ancestry, MyHeritage, Geni, FamilySearch, Mocavo, WikiTree, and other sites.  Hopefully, they will contact me.  Perhaps they will have more information than I have about Ranslow and Mary, or even information about Devier (I wish!!).

3)  I started research to determine candidates to be the biological parents of Devier J. Lamphier.  He was probably adopted in Jefferson County, New York before 1843, since the Smith family moved to Wisconsin in 1843 and Devier's birthplace is New York according to all of the available records.  To date, I have identified a number of potential families to be his ancestors in the area in the 1840 time period, but I have not identified a father or a mother for him.  I've added many Lamphier (and similar surnames) persons to a separate tree in an effort to organize what I've found concerning names, dates, places and relationships.

So, basically, I pruned the tree a bit in order to reflect what I think is the most accurate information I have.  I also planted a new tree to help me organize the information for the Lamphier line and any collateral surnames.  I will merge the Lamphier tree into my main tree when I find Devier's biological parents.  If I don't find them in a reasonable time period, then I may add the Lamphier data to my main tree so that my research can benefit other researchers.  I don't "have to" connect every person in my database to everybody else in my main tree.

Do you disconnect persons in your family tree software or online tree when you find an erroneous relationship?  What do you do with the information that you've collected?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/dear-randy-what-do-you-do-with-wrong.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver




Working With the Mocavo Sliders - Post 2: Answers to My Questions

In the post Working With the Mocavo Search Engine Sliders - Post 1 (2 April 2014), I showed the six different slider "Filters" that Mocavo currently has available.  I had some comments and questions about the settings, and listed them in the blog post in hopes that Mocavo could answer them.

I received an email from Alex Lindsay of Mocavo yesterday afternoon, and the answers were provided.  Here are my comments (in purple), and the Mocavo responses to them (in red):

1)    There were 91 results with the "Only Content" setting.  That's confusing to me.  I don't have a Keyword in the search.  Is the Location acting as a Keyword?  If I move the slider back to "Only Title" there are no results.
  • If you choose "Only Content" without typing a term in to the keyword field, then we use the other search terms you may have provided (First Name, Last Name, etc) and search only the content (not the titles) in our index. But you're right; it is a bit confusing that the label on that slider is "Keyword Appearance". I'll relay this to our development team and perhaps we can change that label to something like, "Search Terms Appear In:" or "Search Within:"
  • Regarding your questions about the first name and last name sliders, these features are actually still in development, and only employees and VIP members can currently access them. Since you are a VIP member, you got a sneak preview of these features! We do plan to launch these two features in the next few weeks, but they aren't quite ready for everyone to enjoy. In regards to your questions about them:
2)    How are First Names "Similar"?  I understand Initials and Exact.  Is there a First Name dictionary that chooses what is Similar?
  • For these matches we use Metaphone, Soundex, and a method that searches for Alternates like Bob=Robert
3)    How are Last Names "Sounds like"?  Is this a Soundex match only?  Or are other algorithms used?
  • For last names we use Metaphone and Soundex matches
4)    How does the Proximity setting work?  "Exact" is understandable.  How far is "Far"?   What are the three gradations between "Exact" and "Far"?"
  • One notch away from exact (the default setting) leaves 1 word in between your search terms. So you can search for Thomas Smith and we will show you results for Thomas Edward Smith
  • Two notches away from exact indicates you would like to allow 2 words in between your search terms. So you can search for Thomas Smith and would have results for Thomas Edward Jacob Smith.
  • Three notches away from exact indicates 3 words in between your search terms. So you can search for Thomas Smith and Kansas and still receive results for Thomas Edward Smith who lived in Kansas.
  • The Far setting indicates 4 words in between your search terms. So you can search for Thomas Smith and Kansas and you would get results for Thomas Edward Smith who lived in Hayes, Kansas.
5) "Keyword title" is clear for "Only Title" and "Only Content."  Does the intermediate setting search both Title and content?
  • You are correct. The intermediate setting searches both Title and Content.
6)  "Dataset Size" - what is "Small" and "Large?"  What does the intermediate setting do - search them all?  Or those datasets not large or small?
  • An example of a small database would be the Pamlico County, North Carolina, Wills Index (less than 500 records), whereas a large database would be the SSDI. The intermediate setting searches both small and large databases.
Little did I know that I had been provided VIP status and could see and use features still in development.  I try really hard not to betray confidences before the official release date of a feature, unless I discover it beforehand independent of a communication from the company.  So the name slider features probably won't appear for Mocavo users at present, but wait for the announcement and then you can use them.

The answers to my questions are logical and well-thought, out I think.  I like "playing with" search features, and these certainly provide an opportunity to have some genealogy fun.

At two years old, Mocavo seems determined to be a major player in the online genealogy world, which I welcome and appreciate.  It's come a long way in two years - starting with a useful genealogy search engine, then family trees, then over 300,000 datasets (adding about 1,000 each day), adding features to the dataset search, to who knows what's next.  I can hardly wait to find out!

The genealogy industry needs many highly competitive, hard-charging and forward thinking companies/organizations to provide online record collections, family tree databases, and educational features to genealogists all over the world.  Competition spurs innovation and adding content, and keeps subscription prices low.  

My thanks to Alex and the Mocavo development team for their quick responses to my questions and comments.  

The most recent Mocavo announcements about the sliders are:

*  New Search Slider: Proximity for Exact Search (2 April 2014)

*  Tune Up Your Engine with New Search Tuners (2 April 2014)

*  New Feature:  Individual Database Search Field Hints (2 April 2014)


The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Disclosure:  I have and appreciate a complimentary Mocavo Gold account.  Mocavo does not require me to write blog posts, and I try to be as objective as I can.