Saturday, May 31, 2014

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Memories of the Decade of Your Choice

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans: 

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



Here is your assignment if you choose to play along (cue the Mission Impossible music, please!):

1) The SCGS Genealogy Jamboree has a contest going - tell them your 1960s memories in 400 words or less (see  
http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/Jamboree/2014/Memories%20of%20the%2060s.htm).

2)  I know that not ALL SNGF players are going to Jamboree next week, or were alive in the 1960s, but this is such a great challenge - you can play along by writing about "My memories of the decade of my choice."

3)  Share your memories of some decade on your own blog, in comments to this blog post, or on Facebook or Google+.  If you are going to Jamboree, and have memories of the 1960s, please join the SCGS contest to win a free Jamboree 2015 registration.

Here's mine:

I was born in 1943, and the 1960s were the years that I was aged 16 to 26, my formative years.  Here are my top memories from the decade (in no particular order):

*  I attended San Diego High School, and took Honors courses in English, Math and Science, graduating in June 1961.  I loved math (trig, geometry, calculus) and science (biology, chemistry, physics) and enrolled at San Diego State University as a Math major, and changed to Aerospace Engineering after one semester.  An excellent career move.  

*  Coaching baseball became a summertime interest - I coached Little League with my father from 1964-1968, and then managed my own team in Little League from 1969 to 1973.

*  My first paying job was in the summer of 1963 as a training camp boy with the San Diego Chargers out in the San Diego County high desert.  That was interesting, and I got free exhibition game tickets too.  One of the football players, Frank Buncom, took several camp boys out hunting and hiking in the early morning.  We invited Frank to dinner in early 1964 to meet the family - what a great big guy.

*  My first aerospace paying job was in the summer of 1964, with Wagner Aircraft, a small aircraft startup.  I worked with experienced aerodynamicists and designers who helped me later in my career.  The next two summers, I worked at Sunrise Aircraft, a successor to Wagner Aircraft still owned by Fred Wagner, a World War II German emigre.  The part-time job became full-time after I graduated from college in January, 1966.  I got to travel to Boston on business to attend meetings with a contractor, and was able to write a NASA Contractor's Report for the project.  Sunrise shut its doors in March 1967, and I was unemployed for six months.  I finally got a job in October 1967 at Rohr Aircraft in Chula Vista, where two of my Wagner colleagues were working.  This was fortuitous and stabilizing, and turned into a 35 year career.

*  I lived at home with my parents all through college, taking the bus to SDSU every day.  I took the bus to work also until I got a car in 1966.  That enabled me to move out into a series of apartments in North Park and Pacific Beach.  I also bowled in several leagues each week and started drinking and hanging out in bowling alley bars, which didn't help my bowling average much.

* The first significant hobby during the 1960s was listening to the AM local radio, collecting radio station Top 40 surveys, and making my own Top 40 favorites list every week.  My favorite artists in the decade were the Shirelles, Beach Boys, Neil Sedaka, Elvis Presley, Four Seasons, Righteous Brothers, Supremes, Herman's Hermits, etc.  I liked ballads, upbeat rhythm and blues, surf music, etc.  My favorite all-time song is I Love How You Love Me by the Paris Sisters.  

*  I met a fellow named Randy Lee at my brother's baseball game, and he was into DXing (listening for distant radio stations) and that became my all-consuming interest.  I became a weekly DX bulletin editor (blogging by mimeograph!) for foreign reception for several years, and attended DX conventions in Milwaukee, Montreal and Boston, plus several California meetings.  Eventually, I became somewhat of an expert in radio wave propagation.

*  I didn't date at all until I met Randy Lee and he had female friends (I didn't have many - too shy!), and then it was only once in awhile until I got a car in 1966.  I had several girlfriends in the 1968-1969 time frame, and met Linda in early 1968 but we didn't date steadily until August 1969.  Then it was full-time until I proposed on Valentine's Day, 1970.  This was another great decision!

*  San Diego sports (especially Chargers football, Aztecs football, Padres baseball) have always been of interest.  The Chargers came to town in 1961 and I attended many games from 1963 into the 1970s, often with my bowling buddies and Linda.  They won the AFL championship in 1963, and I was there.  The Padres were a Pacific Coast League team until 1969 when they  became a National League expansion team.  The Aztecs became a regional power in the 1960s under Don Coryell.  I'm still a diehard fan!

*  National and world affairs have always interested me.  President Kennedy's assassination, the Space Race (Mercury, Gemini, Apollo, Moon landing), the Robert Kennedy and Martin Luther King assassinations, the Watts and other riots, and the Vietnam War were the big national stories and I avidly followed them all.  I voted for the first time in 1964 for Barry Goldwater, and in 1968 for Richard Nixon, and in 1966 for Ronald Reagan for California Governor. 

*  The two trips to Boston introduced me to my father's siblings and their families, my cousins, who lived in New England.  With my aunt Gerry, I visited some of the Seaver family homes and did some sightseeing.  Most of all, the aunt/uncle and cousin contacts started me thinking about family history. 

I hope that was 400 words or less [Nope - 861!].  For this SNGF that doesn't matter.  I'll have to edit it for the SCGS contest.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/05/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-memories.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Surname Saturday - PROPER (Germany? to colonial New York)

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 #971, who is MARIA BARBARA PROPER (1697-1742)
.   [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through two generations in this PROPER 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)

30.  James Abraham Kemp (1831-1902)

31.  Mary Jane Sovereen (1841-1874)

60.  Abraham James Kemp (1795-1881)
61.  Sarah Sephrona Fletcher (1802-1865)

120.  John Kemp (1768-1861)
121.  Mary Dafoe (1776-1850)


242.  Abraham Dafoe (1755-1815)
243.  Katreen Diamond  (1755-????)

484.  Johann Ernst Dafoe (1726-1784)
485.  Maria Keller (1729-1789)


970.  Conrad Keller, born about 1695 in Meisbach, Bayern, Germany; died 1742 in Livingston, Columbia, New York, United States.  He was the son of 1940. Christian Keller and 1941. Anna Margaretha.  He married about 1720 in New York, United States.
971.  Maria Barbara Proper, born about 1700 in Germany; died 10 August 1742 in Livingston, Columbia, New York, United States.  

Children of Conrad Keller and Maria Proper are:
*  Anna Elisabetha Keller (1722-????),m married 1741 Isaac Esselstein (1720-????)
*  Christian Keller (1726-1790), married 1749 Elisabetha Backus (1727-????).
*  Johannes Jost Keller (1728-1796), married 1748 Annatje Klapper (1729-1790).
*  Maria Keller (1729-1789), married 1749 Johann Ernst Dafoe (1726-1784)
*  Hendrick Keller (1730-1764), married 1755 Catharina Althuyser (1730-1764).
*  Catharina Keller (1732-????), married 1755 Daniel Dafoe (1731-????).
*  Christina Keller (1734-????), married 1754 John McFall.
*  Agnes Flora Keller (1739-????).
*  Jacob Keller (1742-????).

1942.  Johann Jost Proper, born about 1679 in Germany; died about 1726 in Livingston Manor, Columbia, New York, United States.  He married before 1699 in Bayern, Germany.
1943.  Anna Elisabetha, born about 1680 in Darmstadt, Hessen, Germany; died 1724 in Livingston Manor, Columbia, New York, United States.

Children of Johann Proper and Anna Elisabetha are:
*  Maria Barbara Proper (1700-1742), married 1720 Conrad Keller (1695-1742).
*  Johann Friedriech Proper (1702-1750), married 1723 Susanna Margaretha Forster (1700-????).
*  Johann Pieter Proper (1705-????), married 1727 Rachel Hoogteeling (1710-????).

An excellent surname book for the Proper/Propert family is:

Lewis G. Proper, Proper Family History, Including Prooper, Propert, Propfer, Propper and Proppert. (Rochester, N.Y. : the author, 1996), accessed on FamilySearch Books (https:books.familysearch.org).

Update:  Doris reminded me, in comments, that Johann Jost Proper was a Palatine immigrant, and has a profile in one of Hank Z. Jones' books.  I may not have found that yet.  Thanks, Doris!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/05/surname-saturday-proper-germany-to.html

 Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


Friday, May 30, 2014

Dear Randy: How Do You Keep Your Workload Manageable and Everything Up-to-Date?

Genea-Musings reader Jeremy asked, in a comment on my Randy's Genealogy page, recently:

"I've been working on genealogy only for the past year and a half or so, and it's quickly become a favorite hobby of mine. I started on Ancestry, but have been keeping track of many things locally where Ancestry just doesn't capture things efficiently. I also started tracking on WikiTree recently, which I like quite a lot, and am using tools like Diigo, Evernote, and Mendeley to manage my research. Now I'm feeling bogged down by tracking things in multiple places and worrying about what's the best place to track what... I see that you have cited at least 4 places where you have your family tree documented. Can you give some insights into which tools you use for what and how you keep your workload manageable while keeping multiple things up to date? "

Dear Jeremy,

Here is what I use to perform my genealogy research and try to keep multiple things up-to-date:

1)  I use RootsMagic 6 to perform all additions to my genealogy research database.  I chose this program several years ago and am pleased with the results.  When something better comes along, I will evaluate the risks and benefits and change if necessary. 

2)  I download digital record images from online record collections and document/page scans or photographs.  I save them to my digital file collections organized by family group, surnames in each group, and families in each surname line.  I attach those media items, and source them, to persons and events in the RootsMagic database.  The key is to do these tasks as soon as possible after finding them so they don't get stuck in a "to be filed" folder or a paper pile of stuff to be entered into the database.  I try to obtain digital images (from my smart phone, a microfilm USB reader, etc.) so that I don't have more paper to file or lose.

3)  Occasionally I export a GEDCOM file of this database and import that database into Legacy Family Tree 8, Family Tree Maker 2014, Family Tree Maker 16, and any other genealogy program that I might test or use.  I use these other programs for their best features, mostly lists, reports and charts.  I do the same thing to use the programs on my laptop.

4)  I occasionally use Family Tree Maker 2014 to create a new Ancestry Member Tree, based on the GEDCOM import.  I delete the old tree and use the new Ancestry Member Tree to provide green leaf Hints.  I review them occasionally to add more content to my RootsMagic database.  It also acts as "cousin bait" that may incite cousins to contact me about our mutual ancestors.  I use one of the Ancestry Member Trees to synchronize with my smart phone and tablet so that I have my family tree in my pocket..

5)  I have a family tree on MyHeritage that I use to find Record Matches in MyHeritage record collections.  These are organized by record collection, and are very easy to "mine" for content to add to my RootsMagic database.

6)  I have used a GEDCOM file to add family trees to other websites such as Mocavo, FindMyPast, GenesReunited, Geneanet, etc.  I know that there are more!  These are also "cousin bait" trees and I haven't updated them since I initially uploaded them.

7)  I have added parts of my family tree to Geni, WikiTree and WeRelate, which are collaborative family trees (not "my" isolated tree).  I don't update these, in general, and they are also "cousin bait" trees.  I do occasionally edit them and review them for research clues and blog fodder.  

8)  I use the RootsMagic FamilySearch Person Tools feature to add content (names, dates, places, sources, discussions, etc.) to the FamilySearch Family Tree.  This is a collaborative family tree also but does not permit GEDCOM uploads.  The information is added one person, one event, one relationship, one source, etc. at a time.  

9)  You mentioned Diigo, Evernote and Mendeley that help you stay organized.  I  use Evernote on occasion but I'm not a big user.  I have a bookmark collection in my Chrome browser that is also on my laptop.  I use Feedly Reader to read blogs and Google Gmail to correspond with folks, and have them on my smart phone and tablet, and use them to read when I have free time away from the computer desktop.

I use Dropbox, Google Drive and Copy.com to save important computer files in the cloud, and transfer back and forth to my laptop computer, all for free (for limited file space).  I backup my computer files to an external hard drive on a monthly basis.

10)  I expressed my desire for "a magic collaboration tool that synchronizes everything - a GeneaWeb program" in my post Dear Randy: How Can I Avoid Updating My Tree in 5 Different Places? (posted 19 May 2014).  That, to me, is the ideal in this decade in order to keep all of my online family trees updated. 

Since I should use a graphic on every post so it attracts readers, I'll use the "magic collaboration tool - GeneaWeb" graphic I created then:



As you can see, I don't keep every online tree that I contribute to up-to-date all the time.  None of them have my latest database information, but every one of them has 90 to 99% of my latest information since I've been working on this for 26 years.  What I do is imperfect, and I know it.  But it suits my purposes, doesn't take a lot of time, and permits me to write about all of it on my blog.

Thanks for asking, Jeremy, and I hope that this blog post helps.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/05/dear-randy-how-do-you-keep-your.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Planning My Classes for the Genealogy Jamboree - Sunday, 8 June 2014

The Ancestry Insider had an excellent post last week titled "NGS2014GEN Planning Your Time at a Conference" so I thought that I would try to plan my time at the upcoming Southern California Genealogy Jamboree.  



The class schedule, including the syllabus material for Friday is at http://app.core-apps.com/scgs2014/events/view_by_day?day=Jun++8. Here are my plans for Sunday, 8 June 2014:


8:30 a.m.:  SU-006 -- Michael Provard - FamilySearch's New Mobile App: Your Family Tree on the Go - in Pavilion 1

10 a.m.:  SU016 -- Panel -- Rebranding Genealogy and Engaging the Next Generation -- Hotel Pasadena Room (Moderator is Janet Hovorka, panelists are Crista Cowan, Elyse Doerflinger, A.C. Ivory, Michael Melendez, and D. Joshua Taylor).

1 p.m.:  I haven't selected a session yet.  I may just hang out in the Expo Hall.

2:30 p.m.:  Our train leaves at 4:22 p.m., so I need to pack, check out and get a Subway sandwich for dinner rather than attend this session.

Those are just the classes that I've selected.  I may not make all of them because I also want to:

*  Visit with folks in the Expo Hall, and the best time to do that is during class times.  I need to take pictures for my blog to share with readers.

*  Write one or two blogs posts each day, perhaps in the evening in the blogger's lounge where the wi-fi is free.  I'm not going to do it in my room because of the exorbitant hotel charges for Internet service.

*  Visit with my geneablogger friends and readers in the blogger's lounge.  We do tend to talk a lot!

*  Eat breakfast (in the restaurant), lunch (in the breezeway) and dinner (probably in the restaurant) each day.

I highlighted my Friday classes here and my Saturday classes here.

The Genealogy Jamboree 2014 mobile app has been updated recently to include the venue for each class.


The URL for this post is:  

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver


52 Ancestors - Week 22: #29, Sarah (Knapp) Auble (1818-after 1900)

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 #22:

Sarah (Knapp) Auble (1818-after 1900) is #29 on my Ahnentafel List, and is my 2nd great-grandmother. She married #28 David Auble (1817-1894) in 1844.

I am descended through:

*  their son, #14, Charles Auble (1849-1916), who married  #15 Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952) in 1898.
*  their daughter, #7 Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977), who married #6 Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976) in 1918.

* their daughter, #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002), who married #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) in 1942.
*  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 lists and notes 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):

*  Birth Name:                Sarah G. Knapp [1–2]   
*  Sex:                           Female   
*  Father:                       William Knapp (1775-1856)   
*  Mother:                      Sarah Cutter (1785-1878)   
  
2) INDIVIDUAL FACTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Birth:                         January 1818, probably Woodbridge, Middlesex, New Jersey, United States [3]
*  Census:                      1 June 1850 (about age 32), Newark, Essex, New Jersey, United States [4] 
*  Census:                      1 June 1860 (about age 42) Newark, Essex, New Jersey, United States [5]
*  Census:                      1 June 1870 (about age 52), Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, United States [6]
*  Census:                      1 June 1880 (about age 62), Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, United States [7]
*  Census:                      1 April 1900 (about age 82), Terre Haute, Vigo, Indiana, United States [3]
*  Death:                        after 1900 (after about age 82), probably Bushnell, McDonough County, Illinois, United States    

*  Alternate Name:         Sarah Auble [4–7]   
*  Alternate Name:         Sarah G. Auble [3]
  
3)  MARRIAGES/CHILDREN (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
   
*  Spouse #1.                 David Auble (1817-1894)
*  Marriage:                   1844 (about age 26), Newton, Sussex, New Jersey, United States [1-2]
   
*  Child 1:                      William A. Auble (1845-1901)   
*  Child 2:                      Frances Mary "Fannie" Auble (1846-1917)    
*  Child 3:                      Charles Auble (1849-1916)    
*  Child 4:                      Katherine "Kate" Auble (1851-    )    
*  Child 5:                      Anna Mattison Auble (1860-    )    
*  Child 6:                      Cora A. Auble (1862-1876)  

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

Sarah Knapp was born in January 1818, probably in Woodbridge, Middlesex County, New Jersey, daughter of William and Sarah (Cutter) Knapp.[1-2]  Sarah Knapp was age 30 in the 1850 U.S. census, age 39 in the 1860 U.S. census records, age 50 in the 1870 U.S. census, age 62 in the 1880 U.S. census, and age 82 in the 1900 U.S. census, which also said she was born in January 1818.  All records indicate that she was born in New Jersey. 

Sarah G. Knapp married David Auble in 1844, son of John and Ann (Row) Auble, in Newton, New Jersey.[1-2]

David Auble's 1894 obituary[2] states that:

"He was married in 1844 to Miss Sarah Knapp, of Newton N.J., who is a sister of C.C. Knapp of this city and also a sister of Judge Manning M. Knapp, at one time an eminent jurist of New Jersey, who held the Supreme Court bench of that state for seventeen years and died suddenly in the courtroom two years ago."

There is no marriage record available, but their first child was born in about 1845, so 1844 is approximately correct.

In the 1850 United States census, the David Auble family resided in the West Ward of Newark, Union County, New Jersey.[4]  The household included:

*  David Auble -- age 32, male, a boot and shoe man, born in NJ
*  Sarah Auble -- age 30, female, born NJ
*  William Auble -- age 5, male, born NJ, attended school
*  Frances Auble -- age 3, female, born NJ
*  Charles Auble -- age 1, male, born NJ.

In the 1860 United States census, the David Auble family resided in the Fourth Ward of Newark,  New Jersey.[5] The family included:

*  David Auble -- age 42, male, worked in a shoe store, had personal property of $500, born NJ
*  Sarah Auble -- age 39, female, born NJ
*  Wm A. Auble -- age 15, male, born NJ, attended school
*  Mary F. Auble -- age 13, female, born NJ, attended school
*  Chas Auble -- age 11, male, born NJ, attended school
*  Kate Auble -- age 8, female, born NJ
*  Anna Auble -- age 1, female, born NJ

In the 1870 United States census, the Daniel Auble family resided in Terre Haute city, Vigo County, Indiana.[6] The household included:

*  Daniel Auble (perhaps this is a census taker's error for David, it is obviously the David Auble family) -- age 53, male, a boot and shoemaker, with $2,500 in real estate and $200 in personal property, born NJ
*  Sarah Auble -- age 50, female, keeping house, born NJ
*  Mary Auble -- age 23, female, a teacher, born NJ
*  Charles Auble -- age 21, male, a painter, born NJ
*  Kate Auble -- age 17, female, at home, born NJ, attended school
*  Anna Auble -- age 10, female, at home, born NJ, attended school
*  Cora Auble -- age 8, female, at home, born NJ, attended school

In the 1880 US census, the David Auble family resided at 40 Chestnut Street in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.[7] The household included:

*   David Auble -- white, male, age 63, married, shoemaker, born NJ, father and mother born NJ
*  Sarah G. Auble -- white, female, age 62, wife, married, keeps house, born NJ, father born NY, mother born NJ) 
*  Charles Auble -- white, male, age 30, son, single, painter, born NJ, parents born NJ
*  Fannie Auble -- white, female, age 32, daughter, single, at home, born NJ, parents born NJ
*  Katherine Auble -- white, female, age 24, daughter, single, at home, born NJ, parents born NJ
*  Anna M. Auble -- white, female, age 20, daughter, single, at home, born NJ, parents born NJ

In the 1900 US Census, the remnant of the David Auble family resided at 411 Chestnut Street in Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.[3]  The household included:

*  Frances M. Auble - head of household, female, white, born Oct 1846, age 53, single, born NJ, parents born NJ, a teacher, works in a school, owns home free of mortgage
*  Sarah G. Auble - mother, white, female, born Jan 1818, age 82, widow, 6 children born, 5 living, born NJ, parents born NJ
*  Catherine Auble - sister, white, female, born Oct 1851, age 48, single, born NJ, parents born NJ 

In the 1910 US Census, Frances and Catherine Auble resided with their sister, Anna Buntin, in Bushnell, McDonough County, Illinois.

Sarah (Knapp) Auble's death date and place are not known, but she probably died between 1900 and 1910 in or near Bushnell, McDonough County, Illinois or Terre Haute, Vigo County, Indiana.

5)  SOURCES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
 
1. Alfred Averill Knapp, M.D., Supplement to Nicholas Knapp Genealogy (Winter Park, Fla.: the author, 1956, accessed on FHL Microfilm 1,425,677, Item 9, Number G-109-7, page 23.

2. Auble/Kemp Family Papers, David Auble obituary, from Terre Haute newspaper, undated, but after 22 March 1894.

3. 1900 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Vigo County, Indiana, Terre Haute; ED 112, Sheet 14B, Lines 81-83, Frances M. Auble household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 409.

4. 1850 United States Federal Census, Union County, New Jersey, population schedule, West Ward, Newark; Page 363, Dwelling #580, Family #826, David Auble household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M432, Roll 448.

5. 1860 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Essex County, New Jersey, 4th Ward, Newark; Page 106 (penned), Dwelling #554, Family #753,  David Auble household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 688.

6. 1870 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Vigo County, Indiana, Terre Haute: Page 503, Dwelling #117, Family #118, David Auble household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, Roll 366.

7. 1880 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Vigo County, Indiana,Terre Haute: Page 503D, Dwelling #59, Family #63,  David Auble household; online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 319.

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


Copyright (c) 2014, Randal;l J. Seaver


Thursday, May 29, 2014

Working on One Surname at a Time - a Proper Goldmine

I went down to the San Diego FamilySearch Library in Mission Valley last Saturday, and took a list of surnames to search for in the FamilySearch Books (https://books.familysearch.org/) website.

I had tried to go through my list at home, and was able to identify several resources, but when I tried to access the book at home, I usually got the dreaded "You do not have sufficient rights to view this object" message, even though I was signed into FamilySearch.

For instance, one of the surnames that I wanted to find information about was Proper (or Propert), one of the German Palatines who immigrated to New York's Hudson river Valley in 1710.

When I put "Proper" in the search field on FamilySearch Books, I got a list of over 47,000 matches (since "proper" is also a general-usage word, not just a surname):


The first match looked like a pretty good match - right surname and variants.  At the FamilySearch Library, I looked through it, almost cheered right there in the library, but downloaded the book (about 200 megabytes) to my flash drive, and brought it home to read at a later time.

As I suspected, this is one of those really excellent "all persons with the surname" book, very complete, with lots of sources in a bibliography, with a letter-number code indicating the record type and number on the list.

Here is the title page for this book:


Here is the first page of genealogical data for the immigrant family:


You can see some of the letter-number codes on the page above, F-1, A-6, etc.  The A is for the record type (e.g., A = Church records).

Here is the top of the Church Records bibliography:


There are thousands of entries in the bibliography (e.g., 71 in Churches, 282 in Cemeteries, 161 in County Clerks, etc.).

This had to be a long-term research effort on the part of the compiler, Lewis G. Proper of Rochester, New York.  What a lifetime work to document his ancestral surname back 8 or more generations.  He enlisted a number of other researchers who provided him with family Bibles, family papers and family information, and incorporated them into his book.  This effort was all done in repositories before 1996 - in libraries, archives, town and county clerks, courthouses, cemeteries, etc.

The really neat thing is that he permitted the Family History Library to microfilm his book and the Library digitized it and put it in the Family  History Archive at FamilySearch Books.

I've been through this book for the first two generations (the ones that interest me at this time) and have added content and source citations for the information to my RootsMagic family tree database.  If I want to find record images for the vital events of my Proper ancestors, I can use the bibliography to find the correct source, then look in the Family History Library Catalog, order the microfilm, and then read the microfilm to find and capture the record image.

I'm glad that I didn't give up when faced with the dreaded message that I didn't have sufficient rights to view this book.  I knew enough to go down to the FamilySearch Library at my convenience, and take my flash drive with me, then search for, find and download this book.

Have you searched on FamilySearch Books yet for your surnames?  If not, you really should.  There may be a dedicated and generous genealogist like Lewis G. Proper who has done a magnificent job documenting his/her family history.

After I did the above, I realized that I could have found this book in the FamilySearch Lib rary Catalog, and it would provide more information about the work.  Here is the FHLC page for this Proper book:


As you can see, the Notes on the screen above contains a message "To see a digital version of this item click here."  I still would have had to go down to the FamilySearch Library.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/05/working-on-one-surname-at-time-proper.html

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver




8th Unlock the Past Genealogy Cruise - The Baltic in July 2015

I received this via email from Alan Phillips at Unlock the Past:

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In March 2011 we ran our first history and genealogy cruise. After our third cruise in 2013 it was evident there was interest in more cruises and greater variety of destinations, cost, duration and cruise focus. In mid-2013 we launched Unlock the Past cruises (international), with three or four cruises a year planned out of Australia, New Zealand the British Isles and Europe.

The 8th cruise (Baltic), in July 2015, has been long anticipated –  the cruise itself was announced and opened for bookings earlier in May. We are delighted today to announce Chris Paton (Scotland), Paul Milner (USA), Cyndi Ingle (USA) and Carol Baxter (Australia) as the lead presenters for this cruise. You can read more about the cruise and the presenters in the media release which is attached to this email. It can also be viewed online. The presenter team on this cruise will be enhanced by others, some announced already and others yet to be announced.


Earn commission on cruises booked from your referrals – in addition to informing your subscribers or followers, you can offer them a financial benefit if they book from your referral, and at the same time earn a commission yourself. See Unlock the Past cruises affiliates to learn more.

9 cruises currently booking or proposed – there are three shorter cruises scheduled before the Baltic – British Isles (July 2014), Sydney (October 2014) and Western Australia (January 2015). You can see a handy summary of these and five further cruises planned from late 2015 through to mid 2016 under the Cruises tab of our website. Four are from Britain/Europe, with one these finishing in the United States.

Interested in speaking on a cruise? – it is our practice now to reserve about 25% of the presentations on any one cruise for those with recognised expertise who come on the cruise and would like to present. If you are interested in doing the Baltic or any other future cruise, and earning some income for speaking, we would be pleased to hear from you. This window of opportunity usually only lasts a short time after any cruise is announced. Support can vary from payment for one or more talks of good general interest through to full coverage of a speaker's fare in a twin share cabin. There are openings for this on all cruises from the Baltic cruise onwards. We will be writing shortly to all those who have already expressed interest in speaking on our cruises.

Win a free cruise – book (in 2014) any Unlock the Past cruise and be in the draw to win a future Unlock the Past cruise up to AU$2500 value – or one of 12 additional prizes – AU$6000 in prizes in all.

Alan Phillips and the Unlock the Past cruises teamwww.unlockthepastcruises.com
alan@unlockthepast.com.au

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Here is more information about the scheduled speakers and the ports of call:

The Baltic cruise, 11‐25 July 2015, on the Celebrity Eclipse will leave from Southampton and visit Bruges (Belgium), Berlin (Germany), Tallinn (Estonia), St Petersburg (Russia), Helsinki (Finland), Stockholm (Sweden), and Copenhagen (Denmark). 

Key presenters will be Chris Paton (Scotland), Paul Milner (USA), Cyndi Ingle (USA) and Carol Baxter (Australia).  

Meet the featured presenters: 

• Chris, a Scottish based professional genealogist, is well known for his comprehensive and entertaining presentations on Scottish and Irish research 
• Paul, a professional genealogist and lecturer, specialises in British Isles and US research – he was born in England and settled in the US in 1975 
• Cyndi, webmaster of Cyndi’s List of more than 327,000 on‐line resources, will open new doors for using the internet in your research 
• Carol’s focus will be on research and writing your family history 

Several other presenters have also committed to the cruise – Eric Kopittke will speak on researching German and Danish families, Helen Smith on Australian and English records and medical topics and Rosemary Kopittke on online databases and Australian research.  Others are yet to be announced. 

Choose from about 100 topics, network with others of similar interest and seek one‐on‐one help from the experts … and, of course, be part of the ship’s own entertainment program.

Some comments on Chris Paton and Paul Milner from previous cruises: 

"Chris Paton was fabulous", "was a standout …  he knew his stuff, could communicate it", "a very 
entertaining speaker", "always love Chris Paton",  " very interesting and very humorous" ‐ 4th cruise  

"Paul Milner was outstanding", "could not be topped”, "my favourite", "brilliant", "a knowledgeable relaxed speaker ‐ superb”, "always interesting and hugely informative", "very generous with his knowledge …  a pleasure to listen to”, “his stamina in presenting so many talks with such enthusiasm was only to be admired",  “a standout" , " a wonderful speaker and had so much expertise" ‐ 3rd cruise 

Visit the Unlock the Past website: www.unlockthepastcruises.com. Find out how to win a free cruise at www.unlockthepastcruises.com/win-a-free-cruise

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This sounds like an excellent genealogy cruise for those interested in vacations of this sort.  Vacation and sightsee in Europe, several days of genealogy classes from expert, world-renowned speakers, meet genealogical colleagues from all over the world, decent food, leave your suitcase in one place for two weeks - what's not to like!  I am interested, but I don't want to plan that far ahead right now.  


Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver



Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 216: 1840 U.S. Census Record for William Knapp Household in Newton, N.J.

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 1840 U.S. Census record for William Knapp (1775-1856) in Newton, Sussex County, New Jersey:


The entry for William Knapp:


The enumeration of William Knapp included this information;

*  1 male age 15 to 19 years [Manning Knapp, born 1825]
*  1 male age 60 to 69 years [William Knapp, born 1775]
*  1 female age 5 to 9 years [Elsie Knapp, born 1831]
*  1 female age 15 to 19 years [no obvious Knapp child candidate; perhaps Sarah Knapp, born 1818? Or a not previously known daughter; or an unknown household guest or servant]
*  1 female age 50 to 59 years [Sarah Knapp, born 1785]

The source citation for this record is:

1840 United States Federal Census, Sussex County, New Jersey, population schedule, Newton township; Page 54, William Knapp household, online database, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 29 October 2011); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M704, Roll 260.

William Knapp (1775-1856) and Sarah (Cutter) Knapp (1785-1878) are my third great-grandparents.  I descend through their daughter Sarah (Knapp) Auble (1818-after 1900), who married David Auble (1817-1894) in 1844.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver