Saturday, April 12, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - What Source Have You Used the Most?

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)  Have you done a good job of citing your sources in your genealogy management program or online family tree?  How are you doing?  How many source citations do you have, and how many people are in your tree?  What is the sources to persons ratio?


2)  Which master source (e.g., 1900 U.S. census, Find A Grave, specific book, etc.) do you have the most citations for?  How many?  How did you figure this out?


3)  Tell us in your own blog post, in comments to this post, or on Facebook or Google+ in a post.  Be sure to leave a comment with a link to your post on this blog post.


Here's mine:


1) I'm trying!  I'm not nearly done.  I'm almost obsessive now...I've been adding source citations almost every day based on new research, on MyHeritage Record Matches, on Ancestry green leaf Hints, etc., all for persons and events that are in my database without a source citation (due to slacking off for many years).  I'm also trying to "improve" existing source citations when I find them by adding better citation details.


At present, my RootsMagic 6 database statistics file says that I have 51,239 source citations in 1,030 master sources, and there are 42,752 persons in this tree.  My source/person ratio is 1.1985. 


2)  I think that Find A Grave is the master source in my database that has the most individuals and source citations.  I found this out by:

*  In RootsMagic 6, I created a Source List report (selecting Reports > All reports > Source list > select "Print all sources in database sorted by source name") and browsed the list.  The list for all 1,030 master sources was 1,546 pages long.


The number of citations for some of the master sources were:


**  Find A Grave:  11,572 (22.6% of the total)

**  Social Security Death Index: 1,997
**  New England Vital Records, 1841-1915:  1,769
**  Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915:  865
**  California Death Index:  828
**  Medfield, Mass. Vital Record book:  785
**  1900 U.S. Census:  476

I just realized that the New England and Massachusetts Vital Records sources are identical record collections with different Master Source names.  So there are 2,634 for the record collection cited.


*  In Legacy Family Tree 8, I created a Source Report (selecting Reports > Other Reports > Source Citations > checking "Master Sources and Citation Summary Accounts") to get a list of all master sources and the number of individuals with a citation to that source.  


For Find A Grave, there were 4,365 individuals with a Find A Grave source.  I couldn't find a way to obtain the total number of source citations for each master source.  


3)  I expected to find a better statistics report in both reports that listed the master sources with the number of individuals and citations, and in numerical order.


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


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Surname Saturday - ROLFE (England to New England)

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 #893, who is not known to me, as are the females from #895 to #943.  The next one on the list is Ancestor #945, who is Rebecca ROLFE (1662-1751)
.   [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through three generations in this ROLFE 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)


14.  Charles Auble (1849-1916)
15.  Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952)

28.  David Auble (1817-1894)
29.  Sarah Knapp (1818-????)

58.  William Knapp (1775-1856)
59.  Sarah Cutter (1785-1878)

118. Stephen Cutter (1745-1823)
119. Tabitha Randolph (1752-1845)

236.  William Cutter (1722-1780)
237.  Mary Kent (1726-????)

472.  Richard Cutter (1682-1756)
473.  Mercy Kelsey (1698-1760)

944.  William Cutter, born 22 February 1649 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died 01 April 1723 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 1888. Richard Cutter and 1889. Elizabeth.  He married 04 December 1679 in Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States.
945.  Rebecca Rolfe, born 09 February 1662 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 23 November 1751 in Arlington, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of William Cutter and Rebecca Rolfe are:
*  Elizabeth Cutter (1681-1749), married 1705 John Harrington (1684-1750)
*  Richard Cutter (1682-1756), married (1) 1706 Mary Pike (1687-1721), (2) 1722 Mercy Kelsey (1698-1760)
*  Mary Cutter (1685-1685)
*  Hannah Cutter (1688-1764), married 1708 Ephraim Winship (1688-1757)
*  John Cutter (1690-1776), married 1709 Lydia Harrington (1690-1755).
*  Rebeccah Cutter (1693-1718), married 1711 Joseph Adams (1687-1774)
*  William Cutter (1697-1756), married 1724 Anna Rice (????-1753).
*  Samuel Cutter (1700-1737), married 1720 Ann Harrington (????-1777).
*  Sarah Cutter (1702-1788), married Ebenezer Cutter.
*  Ammi Ruhamah Cutter (1705-1746), married 1738 Dorothy Bradbury (1708-1776).

1890.  John Rolfe, born before 10 March 1633 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England; died 01 October 1681 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  He married 04 December 1656 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
1891.  Mary Scullard, born 09 January 1641 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died 10 April 1687 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 3782. Samuel Scullard and 3783. Rebecca Kent.

Children of John Rolfe and Mary Scullard are:
*  Mary Rolfe (1658-1658).
*  Mary Rolfe (1660-????), married Benjamin Dunham (1640-1715).
*  Rebecca Rolfe (1662-1751), married (1) 1679 William Cutter (1649-1723), (2) 1724 John Whitmore.
*  John Rolfe (1664-1690), married 1688 Sarah Moores (1663-1689)
*  Samuel Rolfe (1666-1713), married 1699 Ann Alston (1669-????).
*  Sarah Rolfe (1667-1700), married 1693 Benjamin Cromwell (1658-1715).
*  Joseph Rolfe (1670-1708), married Rebecca.
*  Hannah Rolfe (1672-1696), married 1691 Elisha Parker (1660-1717).
*  Benjamin Rolfe (1674-????), married 1703 Margaret Holland (1675-1709)
*  Esther Rolfe (1675-1742), married (1) 1696 Jonathan Dunham (1672-1706), (2) 1706 Ezekiel Bloomfield (1683-1748)
*  Henry Rolfe (1678-1723), married 1699 Margaret Connolly (1670-1720).
*  Moses Rolfe (1681-1746), married 1702 Mary Hale (1678).

3780.  Henry Rolfe, born before 05 September 1585 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England; died 01 March 1642 in Newbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 7560. John Rolfe and 7561. Honour.  He married 28 May 1621 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England.
3781.  Honor Rolfe, born about 1590 in Whiteparish, Wiltshire, England; died 19 December 1650 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 7562. Richard Rolfe and 7563. Agnes Rolfe.

Children of Henry Rolfe and Honor Rolfe are:
*  Anna Rolfe (1626-1697), married (1) 1645 Thomas Blanchard (1622-1650), (2) 1651 Richard Gardner (1619-1699).
*  Hannah Rolfe (1630-1678), married 1647 Richard Dole (1622-1705)
*  John Rolfe (1633-1681), married 1656 Mary Scullard (1641-1687)
*  Benjamin Rolfe (1638-1710), married 1659 Apphia Hale (1642-1708).

Information about these families was obtained from:

1)  Frederick G. Rolfe, The Early Rolfe Settlers of New England, Volume I, Baltimore, Md. : Gateway Press, Inc., 1995), accessed on FamilySearch Family History Books at https://books.familysearch.org/).

2)  Vital record books of several Massachusetts towns.

The URL for this post is:

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Friday, April 11, 2014

Should We Put Digital Image URLs in Source Citations?

I wrote Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 209: 1789 Birth Record for Hannah Sawtell in Brookline, N.H. Town Records yesterday, after finding records in a FamilySearch browse collection.  The source citation I provided was:

"New Hampshire Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1636-1947," digital images,  FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1987741: accessed 12 November 2012), Hillsborough County, Brookline Town, "Town Records, 1769-1833," Page 526 (stamped and penned, image 266 of 279), Hannah Sartell birth entry, 6 November 1789 (daughter of Josiah and Hannah Sartell); citing New Hampshire Town Clerk Records.

As you can see, it has an URL in it.  If I click on it, it doesn't go to the collections page as I desired.  The URL should have been https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/1987741.  That goes to the specific record collection, but not the digital image of the record.  Here is an image of the page for the correct link:




I received a comment on the post from Mark Roy, who said:

"It's interesting, in an unfortunate way, that the URL contained in the citation is not useful to access the image or even the collection.  Rather, it's a link to XML content that contains information about the source. So, you're stuck having to dig through FamilySearch.org to "re-find" the cited document.

"It would be far more useful, IMO, for the citation to include a 'permalink' URL to a page that contained a link to the cited image."


Thank you to Mark for pointing out that the URL wasn't helpful.  I agree that it wasn't.  And I'll fix the source citations in my database that used it.

Mark raises two more issues:

1)  Why should I put all of the other information (the waypoints -- "Hillsborough County, Brookline Town, "Town Records, 1769-1833," Page 526 (stamped and penned, image 266 of 279), Hannah Sartell birth entry, 6 November 1789 (daughter of Josiah and Hannah Sartell)" information) in the source citation?  The main reason is so that I, or another researcher, can "dig through" FamilySearch to find the document being cited.  That source may be published without the record image being available.  Someone may not be able to access it online, so the source citation waypoints could help someone find the correct Family History Library microfilm.  

The second reason to include the waypoints is "an appeal to authority" -  because Evidence Explained by Elizabeth Shown Mills recommends doing so.  I try really hard to create EE-quality source citations because I hope to publish my research some day, and want to be a good example on this blog.  If, by some miracle, I published this research in a peer-reviewed book or periodical, that source citation (after I modify it for the correct URL) would need little editing because it meets EE standards for the type of genealogical record.

For the record, I know that Evidence Explained recommends using only the general website URL rather than a specific collection URL.  So a "better" EE-quality source citation would have only https://familysearch.org in the citation above.

2)  Why not use the full digital image URL?  Yes, that could be done.  For this record, it is:

https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.3.1/TH-1971-28478-1489-48?cc=1987741&wc=M6CN-F68:265835901,265865101,265866901

Good luck typing that into your browser successfully.  Someone might copy this article or just a source citation with that URL into a text editor or an email - would it survive several copy/pastes as a useful URL?  Maybe.  It's useless if you can't click it, or if the reader doesn't understand how much of it to copy/paste.  

FamilySearch claims that the URLs for their digital images are "permanent."  I believe that they think it will be.  But I know that URLs change, and in two, ten or fifty years, will that URL still work?  

I will appeal to authority again - on the Evidence Explained Forum, Elizabeth Shown Mills recommends not using a full digital image URL in several of the citation-related threads.

Finally, I know that the source citations that I put in my database and copy to my blog posts are often imperfect.  The source citations in my genealogy program have only the "home" page URL - in this case, https://familysearch.org.  I try, and I appreciate it when readers find errors in, or question why I put something in, a source citation.  I think that we are all trying to do a great job on our source citations.  At worst, my attempts can always be used as a bad example.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/should-we-put-digital-image-urls-in.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

FGS 2014 Award Nominations Deadline is 15 June 2014

I received this information from Caroline M. Pointer, the FGS Marketing and Publicity Chair, via email yesterday:

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


For Immediate Release
April 10, 2014

Federation of Genealogical Societies calls for Award Nominations
Nomination Deadline is June 15, 2014

April 10, 2014 – Austin, TX. The Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) calls for genealogy contribution award nominations throughJune 15, 2014. The specific award categories and a link to the submission form can be found at the FGS website: www.fgs.org/awards/awards.

Each year the Federation of Genealogical Societies recognizes and thanks genealogical and historical organizations as well as individuals who make significant contributions to family history. The FGS awards program honors the award winners’ activities and products, highlights their efforts, and provides examples and ideas on how others can accomplish similar goals.

FGS awards are given to societies and members of societies for outstanding and notable service to the genealogical community. Other awards may be presented throughout the year and announced in FGS publications.

Paula Stuart-Warren, FGS Director and Awards Committee Chair, adds, “The Federation has a long history of honoring its member societies, individual members of those societies, and others who give so much to our family history community. The awards program helps gain public recognition of the valuable work of dedicated volunteers. We each know of individuals and groups that deserve to be honored by their peers. Let FGS know about them and we will share the knowledge of their efforts with genealogists across the globe.”

The Federation especially encourages its member societies to recognize their great volunteers. The deadline for submission of award nominations is June 15, 2014. FGS Delegates should make their society boards aware of this opportunity. Further, please check the FGS awards page after May 1st to see some exciting additions to the lineup of FGS award categories.

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 Forummagazine (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

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



52 Ancestors Week 15: #22 Henry Arnold White (1824-1885) of Killingly, 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 #15:

Henry Arnold White (1824-1885) is #22 on my Ahnentafel List, and is my 2nd great-grandfather. He married #23 Amy Frances Oatley (1826-1864) in 1844.

I am descended through:

*  their daughter, #11 Julia E. White, who married in 1868 #10 Thomas Richmond (1948-1917).
*  their daughter, #5 
Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) who married in 1900 #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942);
* their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married in 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:                    Henry Arnold White [1]
*  Sex:                      Male   
*  Father:                  Jonathan White (1805-1850)
*  Mother:                Miranda Wade (1804-1850)

*  Alt. Name:            Henry A. White [4–7, 9–10]    
*  Alt. Name:            Henry White [3]    

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

*  Birth:                     about 1824, Glocester, Providence, Rhode Island, United States [2]
*  Census:                 1 June 1850 (about age 26), Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [3]   
*  Occupation:           1 June 1850 (about age 26), weaver; Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [3]
*  Census:                 1 June 1860 (about age 36), Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [4]
*  Occupation:           1 June 1860 (about age 36), manufacturing company; Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [4]
*  Census:                 1 June 1870 (about age 46), Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [5]
*  Occupation:           1 June 1870 (about age 46), works in a cotton mill; Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [5]
*  Census:                 1 June 1880 (about age 56), Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [6]
*  Occupation:           1 June 1880 (about age 56), carpenter; Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [6]
*  Death:                   1 August 1885 (about age 61), of locomotor ataxia; East Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [7]
*  Burial:                   after 1 August 1885 (after about age 61), Bartlett Cemetery #1, Killingly, Windham, Connecticut, United States [8]

3) MARRIAGES AND CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Spouse 1.               Amy Frances Oatley (1826-1864)
*  Marriage 1 Data:     30 June 1844 (about age 20), Thompson, Windham, Connecticut, United States [9]
*  Child 1:                  Ellen Frances White (1845-1916)   
*  Child 2:                  Julia E. "Juliette" White (1848-1913)   
*  Child 3:                  Emily Elizabeth White (1849-1939)   
*  Child 4:                  Henry J. White (1853-1919)   
*  Child 5:                  female White (1858-1858)    
*  Child 6:                  Frederick J. White (1860-    )    

*  Spouse 2.              Almira Elizabeth Taft (1842-1927)   
*  Marriage 2 Data:    29 June 1866 (about age 42), Glocester, Providence, Rhode Island, United States [10]
*  Child 7:                 male White (1873-1873)   
*  Child 8:                 Effie C. White (1874-1900)  

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

The full name of Henry Arnold White was found in one document - the book Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester County, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity (Volume 4) by Ellery Bicknell Crane, in a sketch for William Henry Buck, starts [1]:

"Mr. Buck married, January 12, 1868, Ellen Frances White, daughter of Henry Arnold and Amy Frances (Oatley) White, of East Killingly, Connecticut..."

Other records give his name as Henry White [3] and Henry A. White [4-7, 9-10].

Henry Arnold White was probably born in 1824 in Glocester, Providence County, Rhode Island to Jonathan and Miranda (Wade) White [2]. 

He married Amy Frances Oatley on 30 June 1844 in Thompson, Windham County, Connecticut [9].  The entry in the Thompson section of the Barbour Collection says:

"Oatley, Amy  F., m. Henry A. WHITE, b. of Killingly, June 30, 1844, by Rev. L. Geo[rge] Leonard"

In the 1850 US Census, the Henry White family resided in Killingly township, Windham County, Connecticut).   The family included [3]:

*  Henry White -- age 26, male, a weaver, born Glocester RI
*  Amy White -- age 24, female, born S. Kingston RI
*  Ellen F. White -- age 5, female, born Killingly CT, attended school
*  Julia F. White -- age 3, female, born Killingly CT
*  Emily E. White -- age 1, female, born Killingly CT.

In the 1860 US Census, the Henry A. White family resided in Killingly township, Windham County, Connecticut.  The household included [4]:

*  Henry A. White -- age 35, male, manufacturer, $1000 in real property, born CT
*  Amy F. White -- age 33, female, born CT
*  Ellen F. White -- age 15, female, born CT
*  Juliette White --age 13, female, born CT
*  Emily A. White -- age 12, female, born CT
*  Henry J. White -- age 7, male, born CT, attended school
*  Fred J. White -- age 1 month, born CT

Henry's first wife, Amy (Oatley) White, died in 1864 in Killingly, and Henry married Almira Elizabeth (Taft) Winslow, the widow of George A. Winslow, on 29 June 1866 in Glocester, Rhode Island [10].  The information on this marriage record for Henry A. White and Elizabeth Taft includes:

Name:  Henry Arnold White
Birth Date:  1826
Birthplace:  Glocester, Providence, Rhode Island
Age:  40
Spouse's Name:  Elizabeth Taft
Spouse's Birth Date:  1842
Spouse's Birthplace:  Uxbridge, Worcester, Massachusetts
Spouse's Age:  24
Event Date:  29 Jun 1866
Event Place:  Glocester, Providence, Rhode Island
Father's Name:  Jonathan White
Mother's Name:  Miranda
Spouse's Father's Name:  Warren Taft
Spouse's Mother's Name:  Almira
Race:
Marital Status:  Unknown
Previous Wife's Name:  Unknown
Spouse's Race:
Spouse's Marital Status:  Unknown
Spouse's Previous Husband's Name:  Unknown

In the 1870 US Census, the Henry A. White family resided in Killingly township, Windham County, Connecticut.  The household included [5]:

*  Henry A. White -- age 44, male, white, works in a cotton mill, $1,400 in real property, $500 in personal property, born RI
*  Almira E. White -- age 28, female, white, keeping house, born MA
*  Henry J. White -- age 17, male, white, at school, born CT
*  Frederick J. White -- age 11, male, white, at school, born CT
*  George W. Winslow -- age 8, male, white, at school, born CT.
*  Hosea E. Green -- age 21, male, white, machinist in cotton mill, born CT
*  Mary J. Green -- age 18, female, white, no occupation, born CT
*  Percy T. Green -- age 4 months, male, white, born CT

In the 1880 US census, the Henry A. White family resided in Killingly, Windham County, Connecticut.  The family included [6]:

*   Henry A. White -- white, male, age 54, married, carpenter, born RI, father and mother born RI
*   Almira White -- white, female, age 38, wife, married, keeping house, born MA, father and mother born RI
*   Effie G. White -- white, female, age 5, daughter, single, born CT, father born RI, mother born MA
*   George Winslow -- white, male, age 18, stepson, single, works in a cotton mill, born CT, father born RI, mother born MA.

Henry A. White died 1 August 1885 in Killingly, CT, at age 60, male, white, married, born Killingly, Connecticut, resided in Killingly at death, an operative, no parents listed, cause of death was locomotor ataxia, the physician was Dr. E.A. Hill [7].

Henry A. White is buried in Bartlett #1 Cemetery in East Killingly CT [8]. The stone says "Henry A. White, 1824-1885."  The stone faces west, and the inscription includes George A. Winslow (1844 - 1864), Henry A. White (1824 - 1885), Almira E. Taft (wife of George A. Winslow, and second wife of Henry A. White, 1842 - 1927) and Effie C. White (1875 - 1900).

No probate records for Henry A. White were found in Killingly, Connecticut records.

5) SOURCES 

1. Ellery Bicknell Crane, Historic homes and institutions and genealogical and personal memoirs of Worcester county, Massachusetts, with a history of Worcester society of antiquity (New York : Lewis Publishing Company, 1907), Volume 4, page 388, William Henry Buck sketch; digital images, Mocavo (http://www.mocavo.com : accessed 28 March 2014.

2. Harry J. Oatley, The Oatley Family in America and Their Descendants (Providence, R.I. : The Oatley Family Association, 1970), page 67.

3. 1850 United States Federal Census, Windham County, Connecticut, population schedule, Killingly town; Page 360, dwelling #582, family #635, Henry White household, digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 51.

4. 1860 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut,  Killingly town, page 588, dwelling #851, family #925, Henry A. White household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 92.

5. 1870 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut, Killingly township: page 442, dwelling #691, family #975, Henry A. White household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M593, Roll 116.

6. 1880 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Windham County, Connecticut, Killingly: Page 605B, dwelling #215, family #296, Henry A. White household; digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 110.

7. Killingly, Connecticut, "Killingly Births, Marriages and Deaths" (Register at Killingly Town Hall, Danielson, Connecticut), Deaths, Volume 3, page 212, Henry A. White entry.

8. Bartlett Cemetery #1, Killingly, Connecticut, Grave Markers, "Henry A. White, 1824-1885".

9. "The Barbour Collection of Connecticut Town Vital Records, Volume 46: Thompson, 1785 - 1850," index and images, World Vital Records (http://www.WorldVitalRecords.com), Volume 46, Page 250 and Page 375, Henry A. White and Amy F. Oatley entry.

10. "Rhode Island Marriages, 1724-1916," indexed database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org), Henry A. White and Elizabeth Taft entry.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/52-ancestors-week-15-22-henry-arnold.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Thursday, April 10, 2014

Searching Ancestry.com From Within My Ancestry Member Tree

It's been several weeks since Ancestry.com debuted their search "Slider" feature at the same time that they eliminated the "Old Search" feature that some long-time users of Ancestry loved.  I don't want to go back and plow that ground again.

I do want to remind readers that one of the benefits of having an Ancestry.com Member Tree, and a subscription, is the ability to Search Ancestry.com records from within the Member Tree and attached records to persons in their tree.  

The search feature from within the Member Tree is available only when you are in your own tree.

Here is how I search from within my Ancestry Member Tree, using the husband of one of my first cousins twice removed, Frank Edgar Marley (1895-1968) as the search subject:

1)  On a Person page in my Ancestry Member Tree, there is a "Search records" link just below the thumbnail image:


2)  I clicked on the "Search records" link, and the "All results for Frank Edgar Marley" screen quickly appeared (how does it search so fast and find hundreds of thousands of matches?):


This is the "Categories" View page - with the databases arranged in number of matches numerical order within different categories.  With that many matches, it may be difficult to find a specific record for my person.

Note the Search Filters on the left-hand side of the results screen.  They are set, when using the "Search records" link, to:

*  First names:  "Broad" - I should get Frank Edgar matches first, Frank or Edgar next, initials next, any other first name later.
*  Last name:  "Exact, sounds like, and similar" - I should get Marley matches first, variations of Marley next, and surnames with the same Soundex later.  I won't get gross misspellings at all - if something was indexed as Narley or Warley or Malrey at all, I think.
*  Birth Year:  "Broad" - I should get 1895 matches first, then 1894 and 1896, no date last, etc.
*  Birth Place:  "Broad" - I should get the exact place first, the county/state next, the state next, adjacent states later, no location later.
*  Death Date:  "Broad" - I should get 1968 first, then 1967 and 1969, 1966 and 1970 next, no date last, etc.
*  Death Location:  "Broad" - I should get the exact place first, the county/state next, the state next, adjacent states later, no location later.

3)  Here is the "Search Results" page for this search with the "Records" View tab selected (two screens shown):


The "Records" View is very useful for a global search of this nature because it lists the matches with all of the search field entries first, then fewer and fewer down the list.  Records with all six field entries should be at the top of the list, and those with only 2 or 3 should be down the list of matches.

I peeked at the Search fields by clicking on the "Edit Search" link shown above (I could also do a Ctrl-R for "Refine my search" from the keyboard) and saw:


As you can see, the search fields are all on default settings, but they include the Spouse's name and the names of the two children.  So there are more fields for possible matches.  That's good to know.

4)  Back to the search results, the ones that apply to my search target have been listed near the top of the Matches list, and include (listed in order with commentary):

*  1940 U.S. Census for F. Edgar Marley, born 1896 in Iowa with wife Myrtle and son Donald (this is a match)
*  1930 U.S. Census for Edgar Marley born 1896 in Iowa with wife Myrtle and son Donald (this is a match)
*  California Death Index, 1940-1997 for Frank E. Marley (this is a match)
*  Web, California, Find A Grave Index, 1775-2012 for Frank Edgar Marley (this is a match)
*  U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 for Frank E. Marley in 1952 (this is a match)
*  U.S. City Directories, 1821-1989 for Frank E. Marley in 1947 (this is a match)
*  U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 for Frank Edgar Marley born 1895 (this is a match)
*  1940 U.S. Census for Frank D. Marley born 1893 in Iowa with wife Winnie (not a match)
*  1920 U.S. Census for Frank Morley, born 1891 in New Jersey with wife Marie (not a match)
*  1900 U.S. Census for Edgar F. Marley, born 1895 in Iowa (this is a match)

*  1930 U.S. Census for Frank Marley, born 1892 in Iowa, with wife Winnie (not a match)
*  1920 U.S. Census for Edgar Marley, born 1897 in Maryland with wife Marie (not a match)
*  1920 U.S. Census for Frank D. Marley, born 1892 in Iowa with wife Winnie (not a match)
*  1930 U.S. Census for Edgar Marley, born 1899 in Maryland with wife Marie (not a match)
*  1900 U.S. Census for Frank Marley, born 1892 in Iowa (not a match)
*  Iowa State Census Collection, 1836-1925) for 1925, for Frank Marley born 1893 in Iowa with wife Winifred (not a match)
*  1920 U.S. Census for Frank E. Marley, born 1895 in Colorado, with wife Stella and son Harold (not a match)
*  1920 U.S. Census for Frank Marley, born 1896 in Iowa (this is a match, with same parents as 1900 census) (this is a match)
*  Iowa State Census, 1895 for Frank Marley, born in 1892 in Iowa (not a match)
*  U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918 for Frank David Marley born 1892 (not a match)

I have highlighted the ones that are my target person.

In addition, #23, #61, and #62 are matches to my target person (I only looked at the first 100 matches).

So, the matches were #1 through #7, #10, #18, #23, #61 and #62.  All of the other matches in the first 20 had similar names or birth years and are logical matches assuming that the order is calculated by an algorithm based on distance each term is from the search field entries.  There are no really extraneous entries on the Top 60 or so.  #65 was the first match in the category of "These records are less likely to match your search but may be helpful."

The one record I expected to see in the match list was the 1910 U.S. Census record.  I didn't find him after an extended search so the family was probably not enumerated.

5)  As you can see, this search from within the Ancestry Member Tree, which uses a "Broad" search slider for everything but the Last Name, finds many records for the target person, and the best matches are usually in the top 20 matches in the "Records" View.  A similar search could be done from the Advanced Search page (http://search.ancestry.com/search/) by filling in the search fields as described above with the same result, using the Default settings for names, dates and places.

This is, I think, fairly typical for 20th century target persons - they usually find census records, draft registrations, cemetery, military, immigration records, and city directory records.  The 20th century target search experience may be different for 17th to 19th century searches because of the lack of many record types and the presence of more indexes from books or databases.

I'm not saying it is perfect, but this is my search results experience.  I like this search feature and am using it more and more to find records to attach to my Ancestry Member Tree and input to my RootsMagic program database by capturing the image and adding it as Media.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/searching-ancestrycom-from-within-my.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Dear Randy: Can I Add a Source to my Software Program From FamilySearch Family Tree Sources? - Post 2: Legacy Family Tree

I was asked this question in comments on another blog post yesterday about Legacy Family Tree 8 genealogy software, and I didn't know if it could be done in any program yet using the synchronization of a source-certified program with the FamilySearch Family Tree.

I was able to do it in RootsMagic 6 yesterday, and reported on it in Dear Randy: Can I Add a Source to my Software Program From FamilySearch Family Tree Sources? -- Post 1" 


Now to determine if Legacy Family Tree 8 can do this task also:

1)  I decided to do the exact same person and event already in my Legacy Family Tree database (but not totally updated to match the RootsMagic database), and the exact same source in the FamilySearch Family Tree but not in the LFT database.

Here is the "Family View" for Georgianna (Kemp) Auble (1868-1952) in Legacy Family Tree 8:



The icon to compare and match information between Legacy Family Tree 8 and the FamilySearch Family Tree is the red "right-left arrows" in the same frame as the person's name, on the far right side of the frame.  You can see it on every person on the screen above.

2)  I clicked on the red "right-left arrows" icon for Georgianna Kemp, and the Legacy FamilySearch Program opened.  After logging into FamilySearch, this program showed "Share Data" tab with the information for "My Legacy Person" on the left side of the screen, and the "Family Tree Person" on the right side of the screen:


The "Sources" tab shows 9 sources in the FamilySearch Family Tree on the screen above.

3)  I clicked on the "Sources" tab and see "My Legacy Sources" are on the left-hand side of the screen, and the "FamilySearch Sources" are on the right-hand side of the screen:



On the screen above, note that I do not have a 1920 U.S. Census source in my Legacy Family Tree data file for Georgianna (Kemp) Auble.  So I found the 1920 U.S. Census item on the "FamilySearch Sources" list (it's the second one down - I had to move the columns to the right to see it).

4)  To add the "FamilySearch Source" to Legacy Family Tree, I have to click on the left arrow beside the source entry in the "FamilySearch Sources" list.  When I do that, I got this message:


The message says:  "Downloading of sources from FamilySearch to Legacy will be coming soon."

5)  That answers my correspondent's question, which also noted that he couldn't get it to download using the free Legacy Family Tree version, and wondered if the paid Legacy Family Tree version 8 could do the task.  Nope.

I hope that Legacy Family Tree quickly implements this capability and that it works as well as the feature that adds sources to FamilySearch Family Tree from Legacy Family Tree, as I demonstrated  in Legacy Family Tree 8.0 Adds FamilySearch-Certified Tools - Sources (11 February 2014).

When they do, I will report on it to determine that the transferred source is attached to the Fact, the selected source template, and the form of the source citation.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/dear-randy-can-i-add-source-to-my_10.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

UPDATED 11 April:  Received an email from Geoff Rasmussen saying that they were working on this task, and hope to implement it soon.  Thank you, Geoff!


Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 209: 1789 Birth Record for Hannah Sawtell in Brookline, N.H. Town Records

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 Birth Record for Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857), born in Brookline, New Hampshire.


The birth record for Hannah "Sartell" is on the right-hand page in the image above, and says:

"526  Hannah Sartell the daughter of Josiah Sartell and Hannah his wife born November the 6th 1789."

The source citation for this record is:

"New Hampshire Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1636-1947," digital images, FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1987741: accessed 12 November 2012), Hillsborough County, Brookline Town, "Town Records, 1758-1907," Page 33 (penned, image 13 of 167), Hannah Sartell birth entry, 6 November 1789 (daughter of Josiah and Hannah Sartell); citing New Hampshire Town Clerk Records.

There are some handwritten notes under the "526" entry for this birth that say "copy Mar 25 1911 by E.E.P."  Apparently, Edward E. Parker used this record in his book History of Brookline, Formerly Raby, Hillsborough County, New Hampshire (Brookline, N.H. : Town of Brookline, N.H., 1914).
The book was my first source for this birth entry. 

The top of the page says "Record of Births from the Old book."  Page 526 is the page in the old book.  Can I find the "Old Book?"

Yes, it's in the same New Hampshire Town Record collection.  Here is the page image from the "Old Book:"


The birth record information is on the left-hand page in the image above, and says:

"Hannah Sartell the daughter of Josiah Sartell and Hannah his wife Born October the November 6th 1789."

However, this record has the month "October" crossed out.  Interesting, but probably the clerk's error.

There is also a mark to the left of the birth entry, which are initials (J.S.?).  I think this is a note that the compiler of the "New book" made when he copied the record from the "Old Book."

The source citation for this record is:

"New Hampshire Town Clerk, Vital and Town Records, 1636-1947," digital images,  FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/searchapi/search/collection/1987741: accessed 12 November 2012), Hillsborough County, Brookline Town, "Town Records, 1769-1833," Page 526 (stamped and penned, image 266 of 279), Hannah Sartell birth entry, 6 November 1789 (daughter of Josiah and Hannah Sartell); citing New Hampshire Town Clerk Records.

While this "Old Book" has a later start date than the "New" book, that is because the "new" book has transcriptions from two older books, plus more records after the two older books were filled up.  

I consider the "Old Book" - the one for 1769 to 1833, to be an Original Source, and this birth entry to be Primary Information and Direct Evidence.  

I will use both citations in my genealogy management program, but I will use the more "original" record image - the one from the "Old Book," so as not to clutter up my database, since the two birth entries are essentially the same.

Hannah (Sawtell) Hildreth (1789-1857) is my third great-grandmother, the daughter of Josiah Sawtell (1768-1847) and Hannah Smith (1768-1827).  


copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver