Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Your Middle Name

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):

1)  What is your middle name?  Do you know why your parents gave it to you?  

2)  Do you have ancestors with your middle name as part of their name?

3)  Tell us about it in your own blog post, in a comment on this post, or in a comment on Facebook or Google+.

Here's mine:

1)  My middle name is Jeffrey.  

I have no clue why they gave me the name.  I have looked at ancestral families back to 1800 and there is not one Jeffrey or Jeffery name to hand down.  

I know I should have asked my mother - she probably had a friend named Jeffrey from school or the neighborhood.

2)  I have one ancestor since 1600 with the given name of Jeffery.  That is Jeffery Jones (1635-1717) of Elizabeth, New Jersey, my 8th great-grandfather.  This is on my mother's side of the family.

I have one ancestor named Jeffrey Champlin (1618-1695) of Westerly, Rhode Island, another 8th great-grandfather.  There were a lot of Jeffrey Champlins up into the 1800s who were his descendants, but he is the only ancestor.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/03/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your.html

Copyright (c) 2017, 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.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Surname Saturday -- SMITH (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 #1765, who is Hannah Smith (1666-1693) [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 8th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through one generation of this SMITH family line is:

1. Randall J. Seaver (1943-????)

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

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

12.  Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946)
13.  Abbie Ardelle "Della" Smith (1862-1944)

26.  Devier James Lamphier Smith (1849-1894)
27.  Abigail A. "Abbey" Vaux (1844-1931)

54.  Samuel Vaux (1816-1880)
55.  Mary Ann Underhill (1815-1883)

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

220.  John Underhill (1745-1816)
221.  Hannah Colby (1745-????)

440.  John Underhill (1720-1793)
441.  Joanna Healey (1718-1809)

882.  William Healey (1688-1772)
883.  Mary Samborne (1690-1790)

1764.  Samuel Healey, born 14 September 1662 in Cambridge, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States; died after 1732 in Hampton Falls, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States.  He was the son of 3528. William Healey and 3529. Phebe Green.  He married 26 May 1685 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States.
1765.  Hannah Smith, born about 1666 in Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States; died before September 1693 in Hampton Falls, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States.

Children of Samuel Healey and Hannah Smith are:
*  Samuel Healey (1685-1697).
*  William Healey (1688-1772), married 1716 Mary Samborne (1690-1790).
*  Nathaniel Healey (1692-1774), married (1) 1712 Hannah Tilton (1689-1722); (2) 1722 Susanna Weare (1702-????); (3) 1751 Lydia Gove (1705-????).

The only resource I have for this Healey family is:

*  Malva Lynn Teed and Mary L. Emil, We Are Because They Were (1983), accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 1033945, Item 6.

I don't have any idea who Hannah Smith's parents were.  They were probably one of the Smith couples who resided in Salisbury or Amesbury, Massachusetts in the 1660s.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/03/surname-saturday-smith-colonial.html

Copyright (c) 2017, 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.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com. 

This Week's We're Related Relationships - 10 March 2017

I received 9 new cousin relationships on the We're Related mobile app over the last week, which is based on Ancestry Member Trees.  The new relationships, and my initial evaluation of them, are:

*  Virginia Taylor -- Facebook friend, 9th cousin, common ancestor is Mercy Prence (1631-1711).

My line to Mercy Prence goes through Bennett Freeman (1671-1711), daughter of John and John and Mercy (Prence) Freeman.  Virginia's line goes through John Freeman (1651-1721), who is in my database as a brother of my Bennett Freeman.  I couldn't find an Ancestry tree that included each generation in Virginia's line to Mercy Prence, and there is a jump from Massachusetts to New Jersey to north Carolina in the 3rd and 4th generations.  My judgment is that this relationship is Possible.

*  Dave Weller -- Facebook friend, 9th cousin, common ancestor is Richard Hildreth (1605-1692).

My line to Richard Hildreth is through son Ephraim Hildreth (1654-1731).  Dave's line is through Persis Hildreth (1660-1698), sister of my Ephraim Hildreth, and several generations of Cleavelands follow.  My judgment is that this relationship is Very Likely.

*  Jana Broglin -- Facebook friend, 8th cousin 1x removed, common ancestor is Benjamin Mead (1667-1746).

My line to Benjamin Mead on the app is through my 4th great-grandfather, William Knapp (1775-1856), whose parents are not known to me.  The app says his parents are Shubel and Rebecca (Mead) Knapp.  My judgment is that this relationship is Unlikely.

*  Taylor Lautner -- Actor, 8th cousin 2x removed, common ancestor is Moses Barber (1652-1733).

My line to Moses Barber is through his daughter, Anna Barber (1717-1800).  Taylor's line is through Daniel Barber (1714-1805), brother of Anna Barber.  My judgment is that this relationship Likely.

*  Shirley Becker -- Facebook friend, 8th cousin 2x removed, common ancestor is James Clark (1608-1674).

My line to James Clark is through Mary (1628-????), the wife of Edward Greenman.  Shirley's line is through Ebenezer Clark (1651-1721).  I can't find an Ancestry Tree that shows my Mary and Shirley's Ebenezer as siblings, or Mary as daughter of James and wife of Edward Greenman.  My judgment is that this relationship is Unlikely.

*  Sara Gredler -- Facebook friend, 7th cousin 1x removed, common ancestor is Jonathan Mead (1689-1754).

My line to Jonathan Mead on the app is through my 4th great-grandfather, William Knapp (1775-1856), whose parents are not known to me.  The app says his parents are Shubel and Rebecca (Mead) Knapp.  My judgment is that this relationship is Unlikely.

*  Jim Henson -- Entertainer, 9th cousin, common ancestor is John Wilson (1639-1687).

My line to John Wilson is through his son John Wilson (1673-1715) of Woburn, Mass.  Jim's line is through daughter Hannah Wilson (1642-1706) who married a Clay.  My records say that Hannah Wilson (1672-1726) married Jonathan Pierce and James Proctor.  The Hannah Wilson (1642-1706) on Jim's line was born three years after her supposed father, John Wilson, was born.  The two Hannah Wilsons are not the same person.  My judgment is that this relationship is Unlikely.

*  Mary Watson -- Facebook friend, 8th cousin, common ancestor is Samuel Hayes (1640-1712).

My line to Samuel Hayes on the app is through my 4th great-grandfather, William Knapp (1775-1856), whose parents are not known to me.  The app says his parents are Shubel and Rebecca (Mead) Knapp.  My judgment is that this relationship is Unlikely.

*  Beyonce -- Musician, 9th cousin, common ancestor is William Terrell (1659-1743).

My line to William Terrell goes back to his purported son, John Terrell (1680-1748), who was born and died in Somerset, England.  The William Terrell (1659-1743) was an immigrant from England to Virginia, and he apparently did not have a son John born in 1680.  So the app added one more generation to my confirmed line.  I did not search on Beyonce's line.  My judgment is that this relationship is Highly Unlikely.

My count is up to 183 famous or Facebook cousins provided by the app.  This week, my judgment is that only 2 of the 9 cousin relationships are Likely or better.

I will say it again:  My biggest problem with this We're Related app is that it thinks it knows my ancestral lines better than I do, and adds one to five generations to some of my end-of-line ancestors.  The second biggest problem is that many of the lines of the famous or Facebook persons have colonial lines that jump from one region to another, as with the Prence line.  See 

Is There Really an Ancestry.com "Big Tree?"

The app may be right -- I don't know for sure -- and I can't really find out because the app provides no source material to back up their assertions.  If there was authoritative information for my end-of-line ancestors, I would add it.  None of the "Unlikely" or "Wrong" relationships have been convincing to me yet.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/03/this-weeks-were-related-relationships.html

Copyright (c) 2017, 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.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

New Records Available To Search This Findmypast Friday, 10 March 2017

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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New Records Available To Search This Findmypast Friday

Over 1.4 million new records and 2.5 million newspaper articles are available to search this Findmypast Friday, including; 

Victoria Wills & Probate

Victoria Wills & Probate is a vast index containing over 1.3 million records. It lists the names of deceased persons whose estates passed probate through the Supreme Court of Victoria in Melbourne between 1841 and 1989. Wills and probate records are invaluable in family research. Such documentation can provide details of next of kin, property owned, and significant dates. Each record includes a transcript and a number also include images of original Probate documents. Transcripts will reveal your ancestor’s death date, occupation, residence, the date of the grant, the nature of the grant and to whom it was committed. They also include the file number and a link to order a copy of the original from Public Record Office Victoria.

Images may provide the last will and testament of your ancestor and an inventory of your ancestor’s estate (which may include an itemised list of assets and liabilities). These would provide not only insight into your ancestor’s economic standing, but also into your ancestor’s relationships with other family members, friends, and institutions. If you have a family heirloom, inventories can provide details of its acquisition and worth.

Victoria Divorce Cause Books 1861-1938

Victoria Divorce Cause Books 1861-1938 contains over 39,000 records that will allow you to find out if and when your ancestor submitted a petition for divorce at the Prothonotary’s Office of the Supreme Court in Melbourne.

The divorce cause books include a petitioner’s name and a respondent’s name, as well as the case file number. The original records are handwritten, and each result will include a transcript and an image of the original.

Derbyshire, Chesterfield union workhouse death index 1838-1904

Search over 3,000 records to see if your ancestor died in the Chesterfield Union Workhouse. 1837, Chesterfield became an official poor law union covering 34 parishes and immediately plans were made to build a larger workhouse. Within a month, a new site was purchased, and in 1839, the four-storey Chesterfield Union Workhouse opened.

Each record includes a transcript that will reveal your ancestor’s birth year, death date and chargeable parish. A number also include additional comments, usually a reference to where the person was buried such as buried Stonegravels Church or Chesterfield cemetery.

New South Wales, Tea Gardens cemetery inscriptions 1898-2008

Was your ancestor was buried in the Tea Gardens cemetery in New South Wales between the years 1898 to 2014? Find out when they died, the location of their burial plot and uncover details of their memorial inscription. Inscriptions may include additional years, dates, and family names.

New South Wales, Stroud Baptismal Register 1892-1925

Search over 200 extracts from the Stroud baptismal register to uncover details of baptisms performed in Karuah, Sawyers Point, Limeburner’s Creek, Carrington, Tahlee, and Swan Bay/Mulwee, including the names, occupations and residence of the parents.

Each record includes a transcript of the original source material that will reveal your ancestors birth date, baptism date, the name of the officiation minister, the names of both parents, their occupations and residence.

British Army, Plovdiv Military Cemetery Burials

British Army, Plovdiv Military Cemetery Burials is a small set of just over 55 records that list the names of the servicemen who either died as prisoners of war or were killed while serving with the British armed forces.

These records allow you to view images of the memorial stones of British servicemen buried in Bulgaria’s Plovdiv Military Cemetery and reveal your ancestor’s date of death, service number, rank, regiment and grave plot.

Australian Capital Territory Marriages

Over 400 records have been added to our collection of Australian Capital Territory Marriages. The Australian Capital Territory (or ACT) is a self-governing territory in southeast Australia that includes Canberra, Australia’s capital city.

Each record includes a transcript of the original source material that will reveal your ancestor’s marriage date and the name of their spouse. Transcripts will also include the registration number, information that can be used to order a copy of the original certificate from the Office of Regulatory Services.

British Newspapers

Over 2.5 million articles and 13 brand new titles are have been added to our collection of historic newspapers this month. This month’s new titles include;
·         Chichester Observer
·         Star Green 'un
·         Littlehampton Gazette
·         Eastbourne Gazette
·         Bognor Regis Observer
·         Bridlington Free Press
·         Skegness Standard
·         West Sussex County Times
·         Kilsyth Chronicle
·         The Bystander
·         The Tatler
·         Montgomeryshire Express
·         East Anglian Daily Times

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Disclosure:  I am a Findmypast Ambassador and receive a complimentary Findmypast subscription.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2017/03/new-records-available-to-search-this_10.html

Copyright (c) 2017, 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.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, Google+ or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.