Saturday, May 26, 2018

Added or Updated Record Collections at FamilySearch.org - Week of 20 to 26 May 2018

I am trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at   FamilySearch   (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list) every week.

As of 26 May 2018, there were 2,316 record collections on FamilySearch (an increase of 1 from last week):



The added or updated collections are (as Marshall provided them):

--- Collections Added ---

*  Arkansas Second Registration Draft Cards, 1948-1959     (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1914215); Index only, no images, ADDED 24 Oct 2017

--- Collections Updated ---

*  Sweden, Örebro Church Records, 1613-1918; index 1635-1860       (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1647578); 296,855 indexed records with 647,469 record images (was 283,600 records with 647,469 images), Updated 22 May 2018

*  South Africa, Cape Province, Probate Records of the Master of the High Court, 1834-1989 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2517051); 446,780 indexed records with 1,167,010 record images (was 446,780 records with 1,167,010 images), Updated 25 May 2018

*  Liberia, Marriage Records, 1912-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2100287); 41,863 indexed records with 24,406 record images (was 41,863 records with 24,406 images), Updated 24 May 2018

*  Switzerland, Fribourg, Census, 1880 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2142779); 10,443 indexed records with 48,947 record images (was 10,443 records with 48,947 images), Updated 24 May 2018

*  Spain, Soldier Personal Service Files, 1835-1940    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2558684); 6,777 indexed records with 364,919 record images (was 6,777 records with 364,919 images), Updated 22 May 2018

*  Italy, Napoli, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1809-1865    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1937990); 794,498 indexed records with 6,791,351 record images (was 710,095 records with 6,791,351 images), Updated 23 May 2018

*  Hungary, Jewish Vital Records Index, 1800-1945  (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1787825); Index only (43,048 records), no images (was 41,223 records with 0 images), Updated 21 May 2018

*  Colombia, Catholic Church Records, 1576-2014    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1726975); 2,887,265 indexed records with 12,555,984 record images (was 2,887,265 records with 12,555,984 images), Updated 23 May 2018

*  Peru, Lima, Civil Registration, 1874-1996  (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1430936); 4,447,793 indexed records with 3,505,112 record images (was 4,447,793 records with 3,505,112 images), Updated 22 May 2018

*  Idaho, Southern Counties Obituaries, 1943-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2290243); 1,434,695 indexed records with 52,677 record images (was 1,434,695 records with 52,677 images), Updated 25 May 2018

*  India, Archdiocese of Goa, Roman Catholic Priesthood Candidates, 1724-1996      (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2174937); 256 indexed records with 630,993 record images (was 0 records with 630,993 images), Updated 21 May 2018

*  Denmark, Military Conscription Rolls, 1789-1792 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2243379); 145,276 indexed records with 9,228 record images (was 145,276 records with 9,228 images), Updated 25 May 2018

--- Collections with new images ---

*  British Columbia Estate Files, 1859-1949    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2014768); Browse 783,176 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 97,001 images),  29 Nov 2012

*  Germany, Hesse-Nassau, Civil Registers and Church Books, 1701-1875      (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1768560); Browse 231,317 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 62,000 images),  28 Nov 2012

*  Brazil, Ceará, Catholic Church Records, 1725-1971       (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2175764); Browse 774,950 Images only, no index (was 0 records with 80,000 images),  18 Jun 2014

--- Collections with records removed ---

*  Saskatchewan Probate Estate Files, 1887-1931    (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1918293); 41,130 indexed records with 1,903,391 record images (was 41,261 records with 1,903,391 images),  24 Mar 2014

*  Alabama Births and Christenings, 1881-1930      (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1661470); Index only (6,830 records), no images (was 6,836 records with 0 images),  12 Mar 2012

*  England Deaths and Burials, 1538-1991   (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473016); Index only (14,836,360 records), no images (was 14,841,089 records with 0 images),  7 Oct 2013

*  England Marriages, 1538–1973  (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473015); Index only (16,105,960 records), no images (was 16,110,090 records with 0 images),  7 Oct 2013

*  England Births and Christenings, 1538-1975      (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1473014); Index only (68,886,578 records), no images (was 68,947,780 records with 0 images),  3 Mar 2017

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In order to select a specific record collection on FamilySearch, go to  https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner and use a keyword (e.g. "church england") to find collections with those keywords..

My friend, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED.  Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link).  It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the dates for major updates also.

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Copyright (c) 2018, 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.

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Who Is Your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor (MRUA)?

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) Who is your MRUA - your Most Recent Unknown Ancestor? This is the person with the lowest number in your Pedigree Chart or Ahnentafel List that you have not identified a last name for, or a first name if you know a surname but not a first name. 

2) Have you looked at your research files for this unknown person recently? Why don't you scan it again just to see if there's something you have missed? 

3) What online or offline resources might you search that might help identify your MRUA?

4) Tell us about him or her, and your answers to 2) and 3) above, in a blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a comment on Facebook or Google Plus. 


Here's mine:

Number 26 on my Ahnentafel List is Devier James Lamphear Smith. I don't know who his parents are - they are Numbers 52 and 53 on my Ahnentafel List. Here are the vital records, and a synopsis of what I know about Devier's parentage:

Devier James Lamphere alias Smith was born 07 May 1839 in Henderson, Jefferson County, New York, and died 01 May 1894 in McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska. He married Abigail A. Vaux 04 April 1861 in Rolling Prairie, Dodge County, Wisconsin, daughter of Samuel Vaux and Mary Underhill. She was born 28 October 1844 in Aurora, Erie County, NY, and died 11 September 1931 in San Diego, San Diego County, CA.

Based on the available personal, public and government records, this person was born with the name Devier James Lamphear, probably in Jefferson County, New York. His birth parents have not been identified to date. He was adopted by Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith of Henderson, Jefferson County, New York, before 1843.  The Smith family moved from Jefferson County, New York to Dodge County, Wisconsin in 1843.  In March 1866, Devier was granted a name change, by the Wisconsin State Senate and Governor, to Devier J. Smith from Devier Lamphear (although all available records earlier listed him as Devier J. Smith), and he was named as an adopted son in the will of Ranslow Smith.


My hypotheses are that (1) Devier's father had the surname Lamphear (or a variant) or (2) that his mother, with the surname Lamphear, had him out of wedlock, and one or both parents gave him up for adoption.

I have written extensively about my search for the birth parents, ostensibly named Lamphere/Lamphear/Lamphier/Lamfear or Lanphere/Lanphear/Lanphier/Lanfear or any other reasonable spelling of the surname, in Jefferson County, New York in the 1840 time frame. One of my posts, which links to others, is Finding Lamphears in Jefferson County, NY - Post 3.

In my search, I have exhausted the court records in Jefferson County NY that are available on FHL Microfilm, the history books, the online databases, the land record indexes, etc. I've also exhausted the Dodge County, Wisconsin records available on FHL Microfilm and online databases. I visited several repositories in Dodge County and the Wisconsin State Historical Society in Madison last September, and found no records, newspaper articles or vertical files in those places that identified Devier's birth parents. That leaves other unfilmed, unindexed, non-digitized records that might be found in historical societies, genealogical societies, local libraries, and state archives, and private collections.


But, autosomal DNA testing and analysis might help.

Several months ago, I received an autosomal DNA match on MyHeritageDNA with 44.7 cM (0.6%), who had a 3rd great-grandmother named Nancy Lanfear (1816-1898) of Lorraine, Jefferson County, New York.  Devier's parents would be my 3rd great-grandparents.  According to Blaine Bettinger's Shared cM Chart (updated August 2017), the 0.6% indicates that I am about a half 3rd cousin or a 4th cousin (or equivalent removed cousins like 3C1R or 2C2R) to my DNA match person.  If one of the parents of my Devier and Nancy Lanfear are siblings, that would mean my DNA match is my 5th cousin.  


If Nancy Lanfear is the mother of Devier (and he is the right age to be her son), then my DNA match and I would be 4th cousins.  According to FamilySearch Family Tree, Nancy's parents were Isaac and Rosannah (Laun) Lanfear, Nancy married Walter R. Brown in 1834, and her oldest listed child was born  in 1838.  She had a younger sister who married in 1845, and a younger sister who never married; either could be Devier's mother.  She had an older brother who married in 1859 who could be Devier's father by an unknown mother.  I think it is most likely that either Devier's father was the older brother by an unknown mother, or one of the two unmarried sisters had Devier out of wedlock by an unknown father.

If anyone has other research ideas, I would love to hear them!
 



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Copyright (c) 2018, 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 -- LUMBERT (England to colonial New England)

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


I am working in the 9th great-grandmothers by Ahnentafel number, and I am up to Ancestor #2119 who is Sarah LUMBERT (1636-1675). 
[Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 9th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts.]

My ancestral line back through one generation in this LUMBERT 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)

32. Benjamin Seaver (1791-1825)
33. Abigail Gates (1797-1869)

66.  Nathan Gates (1767-1830)

67.  Abigail Knowlton (1774-1855)

132.  Simon Gates (1739-1803)
133.  Susanna Reed (1745-1833)

264.  Amos Gates (1706-1783)
265.  Mary Hubbard (1712-1754)

528.  Simon Gates (1667-1752)
529.  Hannah Benjamin (1669-1754)


1058.  Joseph Benjamin (1633-1704)
1059.  Sarah Clarke (1639-1716)

2118.  William Clarke, born about 1600 in England; died before 07 December 1668 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States.  He married before 1639 in probably Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States.
2119.  Sarah Lumbert, born about 1620 in Dorset, England; died 06 September 1675 in Dorchester, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States.

Child of William Clarke and Sarah Lumbert is:

*  Sarah Clarke, born 01 August 1639 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States; died Aft. 1716 in probably Preston, New London, Connecticut, United States; married Joseph Benjamin 12 December 1668 in Yarmouth, Barnstable, Massachusetts, United States.

I don't know who the parents of Sarah Lumbert are - she is probably a grandchild of Thomas Lombard (1581-1663) of Barnstable, Massachusetts through one of his sons.  Other children and grandchildren of Thomas Lombard married into the Clarke and Gates families in Barnstable County, Massachusetts.  


I have done no original research on this Lumbert/Lombard line.  Can anyone help?

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Copyright (c) 2018, 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.


Friday, May 25, 2018

Genealogy News Bytes - 25 May 2018


Some of the genealogy news items across my desktop the last three days include:

1)  News Articles:


*  
Announcing "Unlock the Past in Seattle" Conference with Blaine Bettinger and Maurice Gleeson

*  "Research Like A Pro: A Genealogist's Guide" Book Available in Print

*  SCGS Genealogy Jamboree Livestreaming Sessions Announced

*  THE Genealogy Show Announces Another Headline Speaker for 2019

*  FGS Conference Registration is Open

2)  Record Databases:

*  
New Records Available To Search This Findmypast Friday, 25 May 2018

*  25 May 2018 – New Genealogy Record Releases & Updates

*  New York Public Library’s Rich Digital Collection Has Over 180,000 Images to Download

*  1,275 Obituary and Obituary Index Links from the U.S.

3)  Genealogy Education:


 GeneaWebinars Calendar



*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Wednesday, 30 May 2018, 11 a.m. PDT:  The Palatine Immigrants: Tracing and Locating 18th Century German Immigrants Online by Luana Darby.

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar: Quaker Migration into America, by Peggy Clemens Lauritzen

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar:  The Frugal Curator, by Denise May Levenick

Our Recorded Webinar With Thomas MacEntee On May 8, 2018 Is Available For Online Viewing Via The Link In This Post; Thomas MacEntee Has Also Granted Permission To Post A PDF Of His Lengthy Handout; Thank You Thomas!


*  Family Tree Magazine Podcast:  Podcast Episode 120 - The New Family Tree Magazine

*  Who Is Nicka Smith YouTube:  BlackProGen LIVE! Ep 58: Pa Not Pa: Dealing With New, Unsettling Info in DNA Research

*  AmericanAncestors YouTube:  Using the Hebrew Immigrant Aid Society Boston Collection

*  BYU Family History Library YouTube:  7- Adding Memories in FamilySearch Tree - Judy Sharp (Updated 5-2018)

*  BYU Family History Library YouTube:  18- Using the Family Tree Mobile App - Judy Sharp ( New!!)

*  Amy Johnson Crow YouTube:  Starting WWII Research: Tips from Jennifer Holik

*  DearMYRTLE YouTube:  Mondays with Myrt - 21 May 2018

*  Family History Fanatics YouTube:  How to Begin Genealogy Research? The Power of Peer Review

*  In-Depth Genealogist YouTube:  An inside look at those involved with Team Black and Rebecca Hoyt!

4)  Bargains:

*  Genealogy Bargains for Friday, May 25,  2018


5)  Neat Stuff:

  
Consumer DNA kits reveal Elbert County woman’s dad is not biological father

Roanoke man reconnects with long-lost sister

Did you miss the last Genealogy News Bytes - 22 May 2018?


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Copyright (c) 2018, 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, 25 May 2018

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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

New Records Available To Search This Findmypast Friday

There are over 141,000 new records available to search this Findmypast Friday, including:



Over 64,000 additional 'open' records have been added to the 1939 Register. Since the Register was launched, Findmypast has matched more than four million 'closed records' to multiple data sources to correctly confirm the date and location of death for individuals recorded.

The 1939 Register now contains more than 33.9 million searchable records. Each record includes the names of inhabitants at each address, their date of birth, marital status and occupation. A wealth of contextual information, including period photographs never before seen online, infographics, region-specific newspaper articles and historical and contemporary maps, are personally tailored to each record, offering a rich and unique user experience unrivaled by any other family history research tool to date.



Browse through more than 60,000 images of case files of Chinese immigrants arriving in Philadelphia. These images comprise the National Archives and Records Administration (NARA) publication M1144: Case Files of Chinese Immigrants, 1895-1920, from District No. 4 (Philadelphia) of the Immigration and Naturalization Service. Records will reveal a combination of your ancestor's name, age, birth place, occupation, ship name and arrival date.

The original records were created by the regional office of the Immigration and Naturalization Service in an effort to enforce the Chinese exclusion acts passed by Congress during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The information was provided by the immigrant or their traveling companion but was recorded by a staff member. As such, mistakes exist in the official records, particularly in relation to the spelling of names.



Discover your military ancestor in this index of over 1,500 records obtained through the Our Heroes website. Our Heroes provides photographs and biographical notes of the officers of Irish regiments as well as Irish officers of British regiments who were killed in action or who were mentioned for distinguished conduct between August 1914 and July 1916.

Transcripts will reveal a variety of details including the officer's birth year, rank, regiment, death date, age at death, burial plot, whether or not they were killed in action and a link to their portrait on the source's website. Many will also include additional notes revealing details of their service and next of kin.



Discover your South Lancashire Regiment ancestor in this index of over 2,800 prisoners of war from 1914 to 1918. This collection has been obtained through the Warrington Museum & Art Gallery. Additional information about these records can be found on the source's website.

Each result will provide you with a transcript of some or all of the following fields: last name, soldier number, rank, regiment, year, where held and any additional notes. Some records may even contain details of the soldier's "adopter" as the Regimental Care Committee for Prisoners of War of the South Lancashire Regiment encouraged individuals to sponsor prisoners. Sponsors would then take on the responsibility of paying for their adopted soldier. 



Over 11,000 additional records have been added to the Worcestershire probate index. There are four types of records in this index: grants of administration, administrations with will annexed, limited (where the entire estate of the deceased is not covered), and wills. The Bishop's Court had jurisdiction over all the probate in the diocese, which covered part of Warwickshire as well as Worcestershire, until 1858.

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Disclosure:  I have a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador.  This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

Copyright (c) 2018, 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.

52 Ancestors - Week 228: #353 Abigail (Thurston) White (1700-1770) of Dartmouth, Massachusetts

Abigail Thurston (1700-1770) is #353 on my Ahnentafel List, my 6th great-grandmother, who married #352 William White (1708-1780)   in 1729 in Little Compton, Rhode Island.


I am descended through:

*  their son #176 Jonathan White (1732-1804) who married #177 Abigail Wing (1734-1806) in 1756. 
*   their son, #88 Humphrey White (1757-1814) who married #89 Sibel Kirby (1764-1848) in 1786.
*  their son, #44 Jonathan White (1803-1850) who married Miranda Wade (1804-1850) in 1824.
*  their son #22 Henry Arnold White (1824-1885) who married Amy Oatley (1826-1864) in 1844.
*  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) married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) in 1942.
*  their son #1 Randall Jeffrey Seaver (1943-living)

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

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


*  Name:                      Abigail Thurston[1–3]    
*  Alternate Name:      Abigail White[4]

*  Sex:                          Female    

*  Father:                     Jonathan Thurston (1658-1740)    
*  Mother:                   Susannah  --?-- (1659-1711)  

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

*  Birth:                       7 May 1700, Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island, United States[1–2]    

*  Distribution:            15 April 1740 (age 39), father's will proved; Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States[4]    

*  Death:                      before 1770 (before about age 70), probably Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States      

3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):


*  Spouse 1:           William White (1708-1780)    

*  Marriage 1:        2 October 1729 (about age 29), Little Compton, Newport, Rhode Island, United States[1,3]    

*  Child 1:             Sarah White (1730-    )    
*  Child 2:             Hannah White (1731-1819)    
*  Child 3:             Jonathan White (1732-1804)    
*  Child 4:             Elizabeth White (1734-    )    
*  Child 5:             Abigail White (1736-    )  

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

The Thurston Genealogies book[1] describes the Jonathan and Susannah (--?--) Thurston family, including Abigail Thurston who married William White.

Abigail Thurston was born on 7 May 1700 in Little Compton, Rhode Island, the daughter of Jonathan and Susannah (--?--) Thurston[1-2].  She was the 11th child of 15 born and recorded in the Little Compton town records.

On 2 October 1729, Abigail Thurston married William White in Little Compton, Rhode Island[1,3]. William White was the son of William and Elizabeth (Cadman) White of Dartmouth, Massachusetts. William and Abigail had five children between 1730 and 1736, one son and four daughters, all probably born in Dartmouth.  There are no town records for the births of the children.

Abigail's father, Jonathan Thurston (1658-1740) of Dartmouth, wrote a will on 22 August 1735, and it was probated at Taunton, Massachusetts on 15 April 1740.  In the will, he bequeathed 30 pounds of money to daughter Abigail White, plus one half of the remaining "household stuff" be given to daughters Abigail and Susannah[4].

Abigail died before 1770, probably in Dartmouth.  There are no death or burial records for her.  There are no probate records for Abigail (Thurston) White in Bristol County, Massachusetts probate records.

5)  SOURCES


1. Brown Thurston Compiler, Thurston Genealogies, 1635-1892 (Portland, Maine: Published by Brown Thurston, 1892), pages 263-264, Jonathan Thurston sketch.

2. "Rhode Island, Vital Records Extracts, 1636-1899," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Volume 4, "Newport County Births, Marriages, Deaths," Little Compton Births and Deaths, page 174, Abigail Thurston entry.

3. "Rhode Island, Vital Records Extracts, 1636-1899," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Vol. 04: Newport County, Births, Marriages, Deaths > Little Compton -- Intentions & Marriages, page 64, Abigail Thurston and William White entry.

4. "Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991," indexed database with digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : Bristol County, Probate Records, "Thurston, Gardner - Tillinghast, Joseph," images 848-854, Jonathan Thurston estate packet, proved 1740.

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NOTE:  Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post 
 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  I have extended this theme in 2018 to 260 Ancestors in 260 Weeks.

Copyright (c) 2018, 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.

Thursday, May 24, 2018

Seavers in the News - Roland Burrage Dixon Death in 1934 in Boston

It's time for another edition of "Seavers in the News" - a semi-regular feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the Boston [Mass.] Herald newspaper dated Friday, 21 December 1934:


The transcription of this obituary is:

"RITES TOMORROW FOR PROF. DIXON



"Was Member of Harvard Faculty for 37 Years

"Funeral services for Prof. Roland Burrage Dixon of Harvard University, who died Wednesday night at his home at Bare Hill in the town of Harvard, will be held tomorrow at 2:30 P.M. in the Forest Hills crematory chapel, The Rev. Henry Wilder Foote will officiate.

"Prof. Dixon had been a member of the anthropology department at Harvard for 37 years, and was distinguished in his field.  He was born in Worcester, Nov. 6, 1875, the son of Lewis Seaver and Ellen R. Burrage Dixon.  He was graduated from Harvard with the class of 1897, immediately joining the staff of the anthropology department as an assistant.  At the same time he continued his studies and received a master's degree in 1899 and a doctor's degree in 1900, both from Harvard.

"In 1901, he became an instructor in his field at Harvard and in 1906 he was made an assistant professor.  Full professorship was awarded him in 1916.  He was also the curator of ethnology and librarian of the Peabody Museum of archaeology and ethnology at Harvard.

"In 1918 and the following year Prof. Dixon was a member of the staff of the American commission to negotiate the peace at Paris.  He was a member of the Harvard clubs of Boston and New York, the Cosmos club of Washington, the Union Club and the Faculty Club of Cambridge.

"He was also a fellow of the American Academy of Arts ansd Science, the Philosophical Society and the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

"Prof. Dixon was a member of numerous scientific societies, both here and abroad, including the American Anthropological Society of which he was president from 1913 to 1915, the American Folk-Lore Society over which he presided from 1907 to 1909, the Linguistic Society of America and the Royal Anthropological Institute of Great Britain and Ireland.  He was the author of numerous scientific books and papers.

"He was unmarried, the nearest survivor being a cousin."


The source citation for this record is:

"Rites Tomorrow for Prof. Dixon,Boston [Mass. Herald newspaper, 21 December 1934, page 35, column 3, Roland Burrage Dixon obituary; digital image, GenealogyBank (www.genealogybank.com : accessed 24 May 2018), Newspaper Archives collection.

I was attracted to this obituary by the name "Lewis Seaver" named as the father of Roland Burrage Dixon, then I realized the last name was Dixon.  Was Roland's father a Seaver or a Dixon?  What was the Seaver connection?  So I did some research.  I easily found Roland with his parents, Lewis S. and Ellen R. Dixon in the 1880 census, and found Lewis S. Dixon in the 1870 census before he married Ellen Rebecca Burrage in 1875 (where Lewis's parents were named as Lewis W. and Susan W. Dixon).  

It turns out that Susan W. Dixon (1825-1909) married Lewis Wheaton Seaver in 1844 in Dedham, Massachusetts, and they had son Lewis Seaver (born 1845 in Dedham).  However, the father Lewis Wheaton Seaver died in 1847, and Susan Seaver and son Lewis Seaver (age 4) resided with her parents, George and Eliza (Fales) Dixon in the 1850 U.S. census.  Susan married again, to Rufus Ellis Dixon (1816-1897), perhaps a first or second cousin of Susan) before 1855, and they are on the 1855 Massachusetts State Census with Susan's parents and Lewis S. Dixon.  Then I found a name change record that changed the name of Lewis Seaver to Lewis Seaver Dixon in 1855.

Lewis Seaver, son of Lewis W. and Susan W. (Dixon) Seaver, used the name "Lewis Seaver Dixon" from at least 1855 on, and died 5 August 1923 in Boston, Massachusetts.  He was a physician.  A passport application in 1900 gave me Lewis Seaver Dixon's birth date.  Lewis Seaver Dixon (1845-1923) is my 6th cousin 4x removed, so Roland Burrage Dixon is my 7th cousin 3x removed.  

Apparently, Roland Burrage Dixon left no known descendants, but he sure was a smart and accomplished Seaver cousin.

That was fun, and solved a long-standing mystery about what happened to Lewis Seaver, son of Lewis Wheaton and Susan Waters (Dixon) Seaver.  Solving one mystery at a time.  This only took an hour to work through!

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Copyright (c) 2018, Randall J. Seaver

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Announcing "Unlock the Past in Seattle" Conference with Blaine Bettinger and Maurice Gleeson

I received this information from Unlock the Past today:

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Announcing Unlock the Past in Seattle with Blaine Bettinger and Maurice Gleeson

Adelaide, South Australia, 24 May 2018 – Unlock the Past Cruises announces Unlock the Past in Seattle, a full day two stream “land conference” in Seattle, a companion event to our 14th Unlock the Past cruise to Alaska. It is open to all – whether on the cruise or not.
Date & time: Thursday 6 September 2018, 9am-5pmVenue: Seattle Public Library, 1000 4th Ave, Seattle, WACost: AU$57 (approx US$45, £33, CA$59, NZ$62)
The conference program will feature 10 presentations in two streams – a DNA stream and an Irish/general stream. There will be an exhibition with supporting/sponsoring partners, plus prizes totaling over AU$1000.

The presenters:

BLAINE BETTINGER (USA) – Blaine is a professional genealogist specialising in DNA evidence. He is the author of the long-running blog The Genetic Genealogist and the books The Family Tree Guide to DNA Testing and Genetic Genealogy.

DR MAURICE GLEESON (UK) – Maurice was voted Genetic Genealogist of the Year 2015 (SurnameDNA Journal) and Rockstar Genealogist, Ireland 2016 (Anglo-Celtic Connections). He runs
a variety of Y-DNA Surname projects and organises the DNA Lectures at Genetic Genealogy Ireland.

CYNDI INGLE (USA) – Cyndi is the creator and owner of the award-winning web site Cyndi’s List of Genealogy Sites on the Internet www.cyndislist.com, a categorised index to more than 333,000 online resources. In its first three years, Cyndi’s List was voted the best genealogy site.

WAYNE SHEPHEARD (Canada) – A retired geologist, Wayne now spends most of his time on family history research. This has resulted in the pioneering publication Surviving Mother Nature’s tests: The effects climate change and other natural phenomena have had on the lives of our ancestors.

For details and bookings go to www.utpinseattle.com.

The cruise – the 14th Unlock the Past cruise to Alaska departs from Seattle the day after this land
conference. It will offer 40 topics by 18 presenters in three streams during the 7-day cruise to Alaska. There are still places. Why not join us and 150 other cruisers in our group. www.unlockthepastcruises.com/alaska.

About Unlock the Past
Australian based Unlock the Past was established in 2009. It is the event and publishing division of Gould Genealogy & History which has served family and local historians since 1976. It is a collaborative venture involving an international team of expert speakers, writers, organisations and commercial partners to promote history and genealogy through innovative major events and a new publishing brand. It also maintains general and events directories online. Since 2010 Unlock the Past has run over 130 events, including expos, roadshows, regional seminars, history and genealogy
cruises around the world – even Australia’s first ever battlefield tour. They’ve published over 100 guide books and handy guides for researchers, all of them offered in print and ebook editions.

Further information
Alan Phillips
p: +61 8 8263 2055
e: alan@unlockthepast.com.au
w: www.utpinseattle.com
w: www.unlockthepastcruises.com

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Disclosure:  I have no material connections to Unlock the Past.



Copyright (c) 2018, 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.

1700 Birth Record of Abigail Thurston in Little Compton, R.I. - Post 413 for Treasure Chest Thursday

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a chance 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 1700 birth record of Abigail Thurston in the Little Compton, Rhode Island vital records:


The birth records of all of the children of Jonathan and Susannah (--?--) Thurston are:

The transcription of Abigail's record is:

"THURSTON, Abigail (m. White), May 7, 1700."

The source citation for this record is:

"Rhode Island, Vital Records Extracts, 1636-1899," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Volume 4, "Newport County Births, Marriages, Deaths," Little Compton Births and Deaths, page 174, Abigail Thurston entry.

Abigail Thurston (1700-1770) was the daughter of Jonathan and Susannah (--?--) Thurston of Little Compton, Rhode Island.  She married William White in 1729 in Little Compton.  William White (1708-1780) was the son of William and Elizabeth (Cadman) White of Dartmouth, Massachusetts.  They had five children born between 1730 and 1736 in Dartmouth.

William and Abigail (Thurston) White are my 6th great-grandparents.  I am descended from their son, Jonathan White (1732-1804), who married Abigail Wing (1734-1806) in 1756 and resided in Dartmouth and Westport, Massachusetts.

This record for the marriage is a Derivative Source record, because it was copied from town and/or church record books.  The Ancestry summary page says that the original data is from Arnold, James Newell. Rhode Island Vital Extracts, 1636–1850. 21 volumes. Providence, R.I.: Narragansett Historical Publishing Company, 1891–1912. Digitized images from New England Historic Genealogical Society, Boston, Massachusetts.

The original town record is probably in Little Compton, Town and Vital Records, 1697-1907 on FamilySearch digital microfilm.  The record image can only be seen at FamilySearch libraries.  I've put it on my FSL to-do list. 

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Copyright (c) 2018, 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.