Saturday, June 13, 2015

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 7 database statistics file (File > Properties) says that I have 62,774 source citations in 1,200 master sources, and there are 44,884 persons in this tree.  My source/person ratio is 1.3986. 


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 7, 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 1,200 master sources was 2,064 pages long.


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


**  Find A Grave:  13,693 (21.8% of the total)

**  Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915:  2,715

**  Social Security Death Index: 2,366
**  1930 U.S. Census:  1,362
**  Vermont Vital Records, 1760-2003:  1,314
**  California Death Index:  1,044
**  1940 U.S. Census:  969
**  Medfield, Mass. Vital Records book:  815
**  Roxbury, Mass. Vital Records Book:  746
**  World War I Draft Registrations:  741
**  Woburn, Mass. Vital Records book:  700
**  Concord, Mass. Vital Records Book:  682
**  1920 U.S. Census:  636
**  1900 U.S. Census:  514

*  In Legacy Family Tree 8, I created a Source Report (selecting Reports > Other Reports > Source Citations > checking "Master Sources and Citation Summary Counts") 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 5,578 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.  Oh well.


The URL for this post is:  
http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-what.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Surname Saturday - KNIGHT (England to colonial Massachusetts)

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


I am in the 8th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor #1125 who is  Mary KNIGHT (1621-1701) 
[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through two generations of this KNIGHT family line is:


1. Randall J. Seaver

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

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)

8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)

16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)

34. Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840)
35. Elizabeth Horton Dill (1791-1869)


70.  Thomas Dill (1758-1836)
71.  Hannah Horton (1761-1797)

140.  Thomas Dill (1708-1761)
141.  Mehitable Brown (1714-1758)

280.  Thomas Dill (1682-1718)
281.  Mary Peirce (1682-1713)

562.  Nathaniel Peirce, (1655-1692)
563.  Elizabeth Pierce (1646-????)

1124.  Robert Peirce, born before 21 December 1621 in Norwich, Norfolk, England; died 10 September 1706 in Woburn, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  He was the son of 2248.  John Pers and 2249. Elizabeth.  He married 16 October 1645 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.
1125.  Mary Knight, born before 14 July 1621 in Romsey, Hampshire, England; died 18 March 1701 in Watertown, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States.  

Children of Robert Pierce and Mary Knight are:
*  Judith Pierce (1651-1689).
*  Mary Pierce (1654-1695), married 1672 John Walker (1650-1724).
*  Nathaniel Pierce (1655-1692), married (1) 1677 Hannah Converse; (2) 1680 Elizabeth Pierce (1646-????).
*  Thomas Pierce (1657-1693), married 1692 Elizabeth Hall (1673-1710).
*  Elizabeth Pierce (1659-????), married 1682 Samuel Wilson (1658-1729).
*  Joseph Pierce (1660-1672).
*  Jonathan Pierce (1663-1694), married 1689 Hannah Walker (1672-1726).
*  John Pierce (1664-1716), married 1691 Elizabeth Mudge (1674-1748).
*  Benjamin Pierce (1667-1715), married 1693 Hannah Bowers (1669-1746).
*  Sarah Pierce (1669-????).
*  Joseph Pierce (1672-1749), married 1700 Ruth (????-1712).

2250.  John Knight, born before 30 January 1594 in Romsey, Hampshire, England; died 22 May 1674 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.  He married  1619 in Southampton, Hampshire, England.
2251.  Mary Pickering, born about 1598 in Southampton, Hampshire, England; died 16 May 1676 in Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.

Children of John Knight and Mary Pickering are:
*  Mary Knight (1621-1701), married (1) John Osborn; (2) 1645 Robert Pierce (1621-1706).
*  Joseph Knight (1624-1687), married 1649 Hannah Lamb (1633-1695).
*  John Knight (1630-1714), married 1654 Ruhamah Johnson (1634-1659).
*  Michael Knight (1634-1657), married 1657 Mary Bullared (1628-1703).

Information about the Knight family was obtained from:

*  Joan S. Guilford, The Ancestry of Dr. J.P. Guilford, Volume I: Seventeenth Century New England Colonials (Orange, Calif. : Sheridan Psychological Services, 1990), pages 506-510.

UPDATED:  Corrected parents of Robert Peirce (1621-1706).

The URL for this post is: 

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Friday, June 12, 2015

James Vaux Articles in the British Newspaper Collection on FindMyPast

There is a British Newspapers record collection on FindMyPast.com that I have been searching over the past days.  I have only a few English ancestors residing in England since 1700, so I've been searching for articles aboutg them, including:

1)  John and Ann (Marshman) Richman, John and Rebecca (Hill) Rich, James and Hannah (Rich) Richman, John and Ann (Jill), all of Hilperton in Wiltshire, before 1870.

2)  Alexander and Margaret (Mansley) Whittle, Robert and Jane (Haslam) Morley, Rachel Morley, all of Bolton in Lancashire before 1860.

3)  James and Mary (Palmer) Vaux, John and Joanna (Laver) Vaux, all of South Petherton in Somerset before 1860.

I finally had some positive results with the search for James Vaux.

Here is the search page for the British Newspaper collection on FindMyPast:


I put James in the first name field, Vaux in the last name field, and Petherton in the What Else? field.
I chose the 1800 to 1849 Date range and received 8 matches:


1)  The first match was titled "Married" but when I looked at the page, there was also a "Died" portion of the highlighted column, which had a short note about the death of James Vaux (1787-1839), my 4th great-grandfather:


The paragraph from the Dorset County Chronicle newspaper, dated 25 July 1839, says:

"July 23, at South Petherton, after a short illness.  Mr. James Vaux, who lately returned from america, where he left a wife and family."

2)  Another article from the Taunton Courier, and Western Advertiser newspaper, dated 31 July 1839, says:


This paragraph says:

"On the 23rd instant, at South Petherton, of a paralytic seizure, Mr. James Vaux, aged 52, who has left a wife and eight children in America."

That article adds a cause of death and more information about the family in america.

3)  Another article, in the Sherborne Mercury newspaper, dated 2 January 1832, mentions James Vaux:


This article says:

"TO BE SOLD, IN FEE, BY AUCTION,
By Mr. CHAFFEY, at the Crown Inn, in South Pe-
therton, in the county of Somerset, on TUESDAY, the
10th day of JANUARY next, at five o'clock in the af-
ternoon, on the conditions to be then produced.
THE following valuable PREMISES, in
Lots, viz. ---
1. -- A Dwelling House, Garden, and Outhouses, situ-
ate at South Petherton.
2. -- An Orchard, called Kealand Orchard, also situate
at South Petherton, and containing by estimation 4 acres
(more or less).
N.B.  The above-mentioned Lots are in the occupation
of Mr. Samuel Vaux.
3. -- A Close of Arable, called Holefaxen, containing
by estimation 6 acres (more or less), situate at South
Petherton aforesaid, and now in the occupation of Mr.
James Vaux.
The Occupiers will shew their respective Lots and the
further particulars applications may be made to Mr.
NICHOLETTS, Attorney at Law, South Petherton.
Dated 13th December 1831."

This article may indicate that Samuel and James Vaux were residing ("occupation of") on this land and the land was to be sold for some reason (as part of an estate settlement, perhaps bankruptcy of the owner, or to sell the land for profit).  James Vaux migrated to America on 1 May 1832 aboard the ship Cosmo out of Bristol.

This investigation of the British Newspapers collection has been very useful.  These articles about James Vaux are useful - two of them identify his death date and cause of death, and the third defines a residence his 1831.  I wonder if I can find the Holefaxen Close or Kealand Orchard in present day South Petherton?

The FindMyPast search finds a specific article or column of information on the newspaper page, but does not highlight the search terms, which makes the search for the specific notice a bit tedious.  I like that I can narrow the search to a date range (in this case, 1800-1849) and can specify a keyword.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/james-vaux-articles-in-british.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

First Look at Virtual Pedigree - a FamilySearch Web App

One of the newer apps for the FamilySearch Family Tree is called Virtual Pedigree.  The website is  http://virtual-pedigree.fhtl.byu.edu/.


The start page says:

"Virtual Pedigree uses a dynamic expansion algorithm to expand the tree where you want to navigate. Virtual Pedigree allows you to intuitively navigate your tree without out ever ever loading a new page."

After signing in with FamilySearch (you do need to have a FamilySearch registration and be in the FamilySearch Family Tree), three panels appear on the web page.  The chart can be expanded by zooming out using your mouse wheel or by dragging and dropping the chart around the screen.

In the middle of the screen is a pedigree chart with male profiles in blue and females in pink.  Each profile has a name, the birth-death year range, and the FamilySearch Family Tree ID number.  Some of the profiles have an icon symbol attached to them.


The icon symbols on some of the profiles are identified in the left-hand panel, including:

*  Missing death date
*  Missing birth date
*  Missing location information
*  Cycle in tree (is own parent)

There are also some Descendancy Keys:

*  Probably doesn't have children
*  Maybe has children
*  Probably has children

There is one Ancestry Key:

*  Missing parents

I zoomed out a bit and moved the chart to the left and saw more of my ancestors, some of which have some icons:


From this chart, I can see that my 2nd great-grandmother, Sarah G. Knapp doesn't have a death date and has a missing location.  Several of my ancestors, including 3rd great-grandfather, William Knapp (1775-1856) has missing parents.

I zoomed out some more and expanded the chart to about 15 generations, and the chart got real tall:


I was confused by the long vertical lines.  I zoomed into one part of the chart and saw:


In the FamilySearch Family Tree, some persons, such as Rebecca Towne (1621-1692) (shown above) has more than one set of parents.  In the FamilySearch Family Tree, she actually has 12 sets of different parents (William Towne and Joanna Blessing).  Each of those persons has several set of parents also, hence the tree gets really tall.

This problem occurs as a result of the inability of users of the Family Tree to be able to merge individuals with many duplicate entries.

The item on the right-hand panel says "Low Hanging Fruit" and "Amount of quality record matches from FamilySearch."  I think the green circle icon means that there are X number of record matches for the person.  I have none on all of my own chart, but I know that there are many record matches when I look at the person profiles on the Family Tree.  I clicked on one of my ancestors and made them the "Root Person" and then expanded the chart to see his descendants and there were some green (Record Matches) and yellow (may have spouses or children?) circles in the right-hand column:



This Virtual Pedigree site is an easy way to visualize your pedigree and see, through the icons, the information that is missing.  It highlights the problems in your pedigree chart, especially  duplicate parents, and highlights record matches for persons in the Family Tree that could be added as sources to Family Tree profiles.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/first-look-at-virtual-pedigree.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.


52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks - Week 76: #91 Phebe (Horton) Wade (1772-after 1820)

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.  I am extending this theme in 2015 to 104 Ancestors in 104 Weeks. Here is my ancestor biography for week #76:

Phebe (Horton) Wade (1772-after 1820). is #91 on my Ahnentafel list, my 4th great-grandmother, married in about 1790 to Simon Wade (1767-1857):


I am descended through:

*  their daughter 
#45 Miranda Wade (1804-1850), who married #44 Jonathan White (1805-1850) in about 1823.  

*  their son, #22 Henry Arnold White (1824-1885) who married #23 Amy Frances Oatley (1826-1864) in 1848.

*  their daughter, #11 Julia E. White (1848-1913), who married #10 Thomas Richmond (1848-1917) in 1868. 
*  their daughter, #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962),  who married #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942) in 1900.
* their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) in 1942.
*  their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

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

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


*  Birth Name:                 Phebe Horton[1]
*  Alternate Name:          Phebe Wade[2]  
*  Sex:                              Female   

*  Father:                         Nathaniel Horton (1730-1819)   
*  Mother:                       Sarah Pray (1734-1819)   
  
2)  INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Birth:                          7 May 1772, Foster, Providence, Rhode Island, United States[1]
*  Distribution:               14 August 1814 (age 42), Foster, Providence, Rhode Island, United States[2]
*  Death:                        after 1820 (after about age 48), probably Foster, Providence, Rhode Island, United States   
  
3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):
  
*  Spouse 1.:                  Simon Wade (1767-1857)   
*  Marriage 1:                about 1790 (about age 18), probably Foster, Providence, Rhode Island, United States[1]   

*  Child 1:                   James Wade (1791-1838)    
*  Child 2:                   Catharine Wade (1793-    )    
*  Child 3:                   Sarah Wade (1798-    )    
*  Child 4:                   Arnold Wade (1800-    )    
*  Child 5:                   Olive Wade (1802-    )    
*  Child 6:                   Miranda Wade (1804-1850)    
*  Child 7:                   Fenner Wade (1807-1842)    
*  Child 8:                   Lawton Wade (1814-1905) 

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

The book Genealogies and Family History of the State of Connecticut edited by William R. Cutter  provides some information on this family on page 2125[1]:

"(VI) Simon (3), son of Simon (2) Wade, was born November 22, 1767. He married, before 1790, Phebe Horton, born May 7, 1772, and lived at Foster.  Children:  James, born December 10, 1791; Catharine October 12, 1793: Sarah, October 23, 1798; Arnold, June 26, 1800; Olive, September 23, 1802; Miranda, June 25, 1804; Fenner, March 30, 1807; Lawton, mentioned below."

According to the Connecticut Men book, Simon Wade married Phebe Horton, probably in about 1790.  They had at least eight children between 1791 and 1810, all probably born in Foster, Rhode Island.

In the will of Nathaniel Horton (1730-1819) of Foster, Rhode Island, written 8 February 1814, and proved 19 June 1819, his daughter Phebe Wade is mentioned[2]:

""Item.  I Give and Bequeath to my Daughter Phebe Wade Wife of Simon Wade Twenty Dollars to be paid to her out of my Real Estate by my said sons Abel & John as aforesaid."

After Nathaniel Horton died on 9 May 1819, the distribution of his estate on 20 September 1820 to Phebe Wade included:

""No 1.  Drawn to Phebe Wade one flock bed beding bed stead and Cord $4.83"

Phebe (Horton) Wade was probably the female over age 45  enumerated in the Simon Wade family in the 1820 U.S. Census, residing in Glocester, Rhode Island.  

There are no census records for either Simon Wade or Phebe Wade in the 1830 or 1840 U.S. Census records.  Perhaps she is enumerated in the 50 to 59 age group in the 1830 census in another family group.

It is probable that she died between 1820 and 1840 in Foster or Glocester, Rhode Island.  

There is no known gravesite for Phebe (Horton) Wade.

5)  SOURCES

1. William R. Cutter, et al (editors) Genealogies and Family History of the State of Connecticut: A Record of the Achievements of Her People in the Making of a Commonwealth and the Founding of a Nation, Volume IV (New York, N.Y. : Lewis Historical Publishing Company, 1911), page 2125, Simon Wade (3) sketch.


2. Probate Records 1781-1915 (Foster, Rhode Island), on 11 US/CAN microfilm reels,  Volumes 3-4, (1814-1826), Volume 3, pages 532-538, Nathaniel Horton estate papers, accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 0,941,056.


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

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-76-91.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Thursday, June 11, 2015

Dear Randy: How Do You Start Researching Your Grandmother's Ancestry?

When a new society colleague asked me this several weeks ago, I was taken aback.  

She knew her grandmother's name, and her husband, but not where they lived or died.  She knew the names of three children and their spouses, including her mother and her father, none of whom are living, having died in the 1980 to 2010 time frame.  She wanted to know her grandmother's ancestry.

A)  My suggestions were, assuming access to a computer:

1)  Do you have family papers, notes, photographs, letters, family Bibles, to or from your grandparents?  These might have been passed down to your mother or to her siblings.

2)  Do you know your first cousins who are children of your mother's siblings?  Call them, write them, email them or contact them online with the question.  They may have records or family papers that will provide names, dates and places.

3)  You probably know when and where your mother died.  Obtain the death certificate of your mother from the county or state, which should provide the birth date and place of your mother, and the names of the parents.

4)   Obtain the obituary of your mother and her siblings if possible.  They may provide information about your grandparents, their siblings, and your second cousins.  Start with online newspaper collections, but you may have to go to a local newspaper archive or public library.

5)  Look for your grandmother's entry in the Social Security Death Index.  Note the birth and death dates, the "last benefit" location, and the Social Security Number.  With the SSN, you can send away for a copy of her Social Security SS-5 Application.  This should have her parents names on it.

6)  If you find out when and where your grandmother died, you can order a death certificate for her from the county or state she died.

7)  Try to obtain an obituary from the local newspaper in the place she died.  That may provide her birth date and place, parents names, names of her husband and children, and names of her siblings and grandchildren.

8)  Use the 1940 U.S. Census (which they claim missed only 3% of people) to find your grandmother with her husband and family, or with her parents and siblings.

9)  Work your way back in time with the 1930 U.S. Census, then the 1920, 1910, and 1900 U.S. Census.  Note all of the information about your grandmother, her parents and siblings.  Perhaps you will find her grandparents also.

10)  Narrow down when and where your grandmother married your grandfather, and order a marriage certificate (if available) from that county or state.  It may list her birth date, birth place, parents names, etc.

11)  When you know your grandmother's approximate birth date and location, then see if you can order a birth certificate for her (some states didn't begin birth records until the early 1900s).

12)  Knowing at least a birth year and death year and place, search on cemetery websites for a memorial for your grandmother.  It may have a link to other family members (e.g., parents, siblings, children).

13)  If the families lived in a city or town with a City Directory, look in as many as you can for the family members.  You may find more family members (siblings, parents, children) at an address that expand your knowledge.

14)  For males (fathers, brothers, etc.), look online for military records (e.g., pension files, service records, enlistment records, draft registrations, gravestones).  These may provide much more information.

15)  If you find an ancestor immigrated to the U.S., search the passenger list databases available on Ancestry, FamilySearch, SteveMorse.org, and other sites.  Immigrants may have naturalization records also.  Some of these are online at Ancestry.com and Fold3.com.

15)  Search online family trees for your grandmother, and use anything you find as a clue to help you confirm the information.  I would look at Ancestry Member Trees, MyHeritage trees, Rootsweb WorldConnect, Geni.com, WikiTree.com and FamilySearch Family Tree.

16)  Do a global search for records for each person of interest on Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com, FamilySearch.org, etc.  Narrow the search with birth years and places, and parent, sibling, spouse, children relationships.

17)  Be sure to keep your information organized - learn how to use a pedigree chart and family group sheets (one for each family).  Use a genealogy software program like RootsMagic (Windows) or Reunion (Mac) to help you stay organized.  Or create your family tree on Ancestry.com (where you can receive record Hints), MyHeritage (which provides Record Matches), or FamilySearch Family Tree (which provides Record Hints).


18)  There are many more records that may provide records for any specific ancestor.  Probate, land, tax, church, town, school, citizenship, Bible records, etc. may provide more family information.

19)  If you get back several more generations, say before 1900, there may be published surname books or local history books with your ancestors names in them.  Check Google Books, Internet Archive, FamilySearch Books, and other online book websites.  Then check large local libraries and genealogical libraries.

20)  Throughout this process, keep learning about the methodology of pursuing genealogical research - attend local society programs and seminars, watch webinars and online videos, learn about new places and record collections on the FamilySearch Wiki, join Facebook groups and Google+ communities, and much more.  Never stop learning!

B)  That's enough for now.  Don't expect this process to be fast - it will likely take weeks or months to obtain certificates or obituaries at repositories.  You don't have to do the steps in order.  You may be on step 12 with one person and step 3 for another.  You may find online records that quickly identify your grandmother and her parents and grandparents.  You need to find records (birth, marriage, death, cemetery, newspaper, military, immigration, church, land, probate, etc.) for each person to confirm the parent-child and wife-husband relationships and event locations.  Don't ignore the cemetery and obituary records - they may provide key information available nowhere else.  Try really hard to write down your sources as you search them.

C)  I wrote all this from my own experience, assuming the grandmother was born in the 1890 to 1920 time frame.  What else would you suggest, and where in the sequence above would you place it?  

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/dear-randy-how-do-you-start-researching.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.


DNA Focus on 2015 Heritage Books Genealogy Conference and Cruise

Craig Scott's company, Heritage Books, Inc., is sponsoring the 2nd Annual Genealogy Conference and cruise on October 18-28, 2015, leaving Fort Lauderdale, Florida and visiting Aruba, Cartagena (Colombia), the Panama Canal, Colon (Panama), Limon (Costa Rica), Grand Cayman (Cayman Islands), and back to Fort Lauderdale.  See details at http://heritagebooks.com/cruise.php.

During the sea days, there will be 20 (!) hours of presentations on DNA-related topics by Blaine Bettinger, Angie Bush, and CeCe Moore.  This conference should be fabulous for those wanting to learn about DNA and genealogy, and it is a wonderful itinerary for visiting countries around the Caribbean.


The publicity for the cruise says:

"Join us for an educational and fun-filled partial transit of the Panama Canal. Leaving from Ft. Lauderdale, Florida to Aruba then on to Cartagena, Colombia; Panama Canal and Colon, Panama; Limon, Costa Rica; Grand Cayman, Cayman Islands; and back to Ft. Lauderdale, while we learn about DNA from some of the foremost experts in those fields. You will be among friends (old and new) and fellow researchers from around the world as you soak up new knowledge and skills through a lecture series that rivals any regional or national genealogy conference - but at one remarkably-low price that includes meals, taxes, port charges, onboard entertainment, and conference events. 

"As popular as our lecture series is, many veterans of our conference value something else even more. That is the opportunity to share a meal with a world-class genealogist or to schedule one-on-one time to discuss their specific research challenges. Come armed with your records and be prepared to hear about new resources, repositories, and finding aids that will help you to break down those brick walls. Some people find these private consultations alone to be worth the trip. Several evening group brick wall discussions add to the learning experience. Twenty seminar sessions with a focus on genetic genealogy, using DNA as one of the tools for research, are presented by the preeminent experts in their fields. 

"Bring your spouse/companion who will find plenty to do on board while you enhance your research skills. Then spend the meals, evenings, and port days together for a truly memorable vacation! What could be better than a cruise to the warm waters of the Caribbean, and a first-class genealogy conference all rolled into one??? This event is very popular so register early for the best stateroom selection!"

The cruise schedule is at http://heritagebooks.com/2015CruiseSchedule.pdf.  There are four "at sea" days.

It's not too late to sign up - the cruise registration form is at  http://heritagebooks.com/cruiseregister.pdf.  The final payment date is 10 July 2015.

Linda and I were on the first Heritage Books cruise last year and had a wonderful time.  Unfortunately, we have other vacation plans this year in late October, so we won't be able to attend this one.

UPDATED:  Oops, called it MyHeritage in two places.  Sorry!  Edited it.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/dna-focus-on-2015-myheritage-books.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver


Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 266: 1781 Birth and Baptism Record of Daniel Spangler (1781-1851)

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  1781 baptism record of Daniel Spangler in Your, York County, Pennsylvania:


The snippet of the record:


Since this record is in German, I will guess that it says:

Daniel Spengler was born 9 October 1781, baptized 20 October 1781, son of Rudi Spengler and wife, sponsored by Balthasar Spengler and wife.  

I was helped by the extracted records in the York Trinity Reformed Church records:


The entry for Daniel Spengler:


The source citations for the two records are:

Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), York County, York town, "Trinity United Church of Christ" manuscript (in German), unnumbered page, 1781, image 27, Daniel Spengler baptism entry, 20 October 1781.

Pennsylvania and New Jersey, Church and Town Records, 1708-1985, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), York County, York town, "Trinity Reformed Church (United Church of Christ)" typescript, unnumbered page, image 37, Daniel Spengler baptism entry, 20 October 1781.

Daniel Spengler's parents were Rudolf and Maria Dorothea (Dinkel) Spengler.  Daniel is my third great-grandfather.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2015/06/treasure-chest-thursday-post-266-1781.html

Copyright (c) 2015, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.