Saturday, July 1, 2023

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Top 10 Genealogy Related Books That Helped You

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:

It's Saturday Night again -

time for some more Genealogy Fun!!

Here is your assignment, should you decide to accept it (you ARE reading this, so I assume that you really want to play along - cue the Mission Impossible music!):

1) What are the Top 10 genealogy related books that helped you the most in your family history research?

2) Write your own blog post, or leave a comment on this post, or write something on Facebook.

Here's mine:

I have been collecting genealogy related books since 1988, so I've experienced both the reliance on printed books and the availability of digitized books. I'm going to concentrate on the printed books that have helped me the most.

* Evidence Explained, Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace, by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

* The Great Migration Begins, Immigrants to New England, 1620-1633, and The Great Migration, Immigrants to New England, 1634-1635, by Robert Charles Anderson.

* Professional Genealogy, edited by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

* Mastering Genealogical Proof, by Thomas W. Jones.

* Genetic Genealogy in Practice, by Blaine T. Bettinger and Debbie Parker Wayne.

* New Englanders in the 1600s, by Martin E. Hollick.

* The Royal Descents of 900 Immigrants to the American Colonies, Quebec, or the United States, by Gary Boyd Roberts.

* In Search of Your British & Irish Roots, by Angus Baxter.

* Courthouse Research for Family Historians, by Christine Rose.

* Genealogy and the Law, by Kay Haviland Freilich and William Freilich.

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The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/07/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-top-10.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not appear immediately.

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, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Added and Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - Week of 24 to 30 June 2023

I am keeping track of the new and updated historical record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list) every week.

As of 30 June 2023, there are 3,219 historical record collections on FamilySearch (an increase of 0 from last week):

The new and updated collections this week from FamilySearch are:

--- Collections Deleted ---

* Africa, Oral Genealogy, 1500-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000018); 1 indexed records with 1 record images, DELETED

* China Collection of Genealogies (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1787988); Browse 13,247,185 Images only, no index, DELETED

--- Collections Added ---

* Gibraltar, Civil Records, 1777-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000043); 6,416 indexed records with 3,039 record images, ADDED 30-Jun-2023

* Iceland, Census, 1860 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4460200); 66,075 indexed records with 1,037 record images, ADDED 29-Jun-2023

--- Collections Updated ---

Antigua and Barbuda, Civil Registration, 1856-1979 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000081); 262,349 indexed records with 37,926 record images (was 171,582 records with 24,918 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Argentina, Catamarca, Catholic Church Records, 1724-1971 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1974178); 199,282 indexed records with 102,718 record images (was 196,758 records with 102,718 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Argentina, Corrientes, Catholic Church Records, 1734-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1974183); 456,761 indexed records with 207,943 record images (was 455,168 records with 207,943 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Argentina, Jujuy, Catholic Church Records, 1662-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1974186); 163,729 indexed records with 69,981 record images (was 160,919 records with 69,981 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Australia, Victoria, Wills, Probate and Administration Files, 1841-1926 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2207846); 154,702 indexed records with 3,998,555 record images (was 151,183 records with 3,998,555 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023

Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration, 1588-1913 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138481); 886,924 indexed records with 3,208,709 record images (was 883,920 records with 3,208,709 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
Belgium, Brabant, Civil Registration, 1582-1914 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1482191); 49,113 indexed records with 6,411,594 record images (was 48,334 records with 6,411,594 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Bolivia Catholic Church Records, 1566-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1922463); 9,284,338 indexed records with 1,649,601 record images (was 9,277,949 records with 1,649,601 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Brazil, Mato Grosso, Civil Registration, 1845-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001286); Index only (341 records), no images (was 189 records with 0 images), UPDATED 29-Jun-2023
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Civil Registration, 1879-1949 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3479702); 852,437 indexed records with 355,992 record images (was 851,595 records with 355,671 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

Brazil, Paraná, Civil Registration, 1852-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2016194); 2,947,923 indexed records with 1,689,031 record images (was 2,937,129 records with 1,689,031 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Brazil, Pará, Civil Registration, 1815-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4473609); 61,218 indexed records with 21,103 record images (was 59,499 records with 20,510 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Civil Registration, 1860-2006 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3741255); 1,675,683 indexed records with 855,810 record images (was 1,674,695 records with 855,276 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Brazil, Rio de Janeiro, Civil Registration, 1829-2012 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1582573); 6,900,226 indexed records with 5,100,470 record images (was 6,890,070 records with 5,100,470 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Brazil, Santa Catarina, Civil Registration, 1850-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2016197); 672,390 indexed records with 1,037,638 record images (was 668,131 records with 1,037,638 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

California, County Birth and Death Records, 1800-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001287); 6,497,877 indexed records with 2,841,076 record images (was 6,497,725 records with 2,841,076 images), UPDATED 26-Jun-2023
Chile, Catholic Church Records, 1633-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3405096); 7,766,136 indexed records with 974,379 record images (was 7,750,657 records with 971,907 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Colombia, Catholic Church Records, 1576-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1726975); 26,416,579 indexed records with 12,659,776 record images (was 26,405,329 records with 12,659,776 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Costa Rica, Catholic Church Records, 1595-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1460016); 4,192,387 indexed records with 962,203 record images (was 4,188,920 records with 962,203 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1823-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1925429); 6,181,072 indexed records with 404,718 record images (was 6,180,283 records with 404,718 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

Croatia, Church Books, 1516-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2040054); 2,986,454 indexed records with 1,421,761 record images (was 2,986,242 records with 1,421,761 images), UPDATED 29-Jun-2023
Dominican Republic Civil Registration, 1801-2010 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1619814); 2,406,124 indexed records with 3,416,801 record images (was 2,396,096 records with 3,416,801 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1918910); 2,273,926 indexed records with 238,265 record images (was 2,273,721 records with 238,265 images), UPDATED 29-Jun-2023
Ecuador, Catholic Church Records, 1565-2011 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1923402); 6,149,170 indexed records with 1,454,787 record images (was 6,149,009 records with 1,454,787 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Ecuador, Cemetery Records, 1862-2019 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3755446); 991,860 indexed records with 367,457 record images (was 991,725 records with 366,418 images), UPDATED 25-Jun-2023

El Salvador Catholic Church Records, 1655-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1919582); 2,268,473 indexed records with 592,191 record images (was 2,268,454 records with 592,191 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
England, Cumberland Parish Registers, 1538-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2340274); 524,552 indexed records with 32,123 record images (was 523,979 records with 32,112 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
England, Middlesex Parish Registers, 1539-1988 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3734475); 6,064,138 indexed records with 360,579 record images (was 6,061,389 records with 354,365 images), UPDATED 29-Jun-2023
Florida, Funeral Home Records, 1887-1971 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000003); 36,736 indexed records with 21,623 record images (was 36,118 records with 21,311 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
France, Calvados, Census, 1876 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279948); 43,661 indexed records with 2,956 record images (was 41,735 records with 1,240 images), UPDATED 26-Jun-2023

France, Calvados, Census, 1891 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279959); 74,116 indexed records with 4,190 record images (was 70,033 records with 2,563 images), UPDATED 27-Jun-2023
Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Wuppertal, Civil Registration, 1810-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000010); 26,469 indexed records with 26,134 record images (was 22,341 records with 22,045 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2102016); 1,054,226 indexed records with 17,770 record images (was 1,053,739 records with 17,770 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Guatemala, Baja Verapaz, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2106095); 319,473 indexed records with 24,503 record images (was 319,359 records with 24,503 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Hawaii, Hawaii State Archives, Probate Packet Records, 1814-1917 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3463463); 7,569 indexed records with 7,346 record images (was 6,752 records with 6,547 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023

Hawaii, Registrar of Bureau of Conveyances, Deed Records, 1846-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3478266); 29,103 indexed records with 15,766 record images (was 27,687 records with 16,632 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2820100); 3,359,183 indexed records with 111,760 record images (was 2,957,563 records with 107,041 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Italy, Ravenna, Ravenna, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1947700); 26,711 indexed records with 1,759,182 record images (was 26,054 records with 1,759,182 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Italy, Sassari, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1803-1942 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4464417); 35,696 indexed records with 12,179 record images (was 35,439 records with 12,095 images), UPDATED 25-Jun-2023
Italy, Treviso, Treviso, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1941 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1947831); 4,302 indexed records with 427,232 record images (was 4,280 records with 427,232 images), UPDATED 28-Jun-2023

Italy, Venezia, Venezia, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2043809); 14,602 indexed records with 628,744 record images (was 14,111 records with 628,744 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Mexico, Puebla, Catholic Church Records, 1545-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837906); 8,622,732 indexed records with 6,124,553 record images (was 8,599,689 records with 6,124,553 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Mexico, Querétaro, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1881200); 3,026,904 indexed records with 1,380,077 record images (was 3,026,770 records with 1,380,077 images), UPDATED 29-Jun-2023
Mexico, Sinaloa, Civil Registration, 1861-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2290241); 1,326,726 indexed records with 1,403,105 record images (was 1,313,046 records with 1,403,105 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Netherlands, Noord-Holland, Civil Registration, 1811-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2020117); 1,959,932 indexed records with 6,635,049 record images (was 1,954,467 records with 6,635,049 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023

Nicaragua Civil Registration, 1809-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1601210); 2,570,344 indexed records with 2,591,542 record images (was 2,569,563 records with 2,591,542 images), UPDATED 29-Jun-2023
Nicaragua, Catholic Church Records, 1740-1960 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1494432); 823,331 indexed records with 86,119 record images (was 823,327 records with 86,119 images), UPDATED 25-Jun-2023
North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1726957); 7,839,541 indexed records with 1,509,652 record images (was 7,832,031 records with 1,509,652 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Norway, Probate Index Cards, 1640-1903 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1661306); Index only (529,592 records), no images (was 528,627 records with 0 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
Ohio, Stillbirths, 1918-1953 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000024); 71,151 indexed records with 98,301 record images (was 70,653 records with 97,803 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

Palau, Church Records, 1921-1940 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4491580); 2,755 indexed records with 249 record images (was 2,731 records with 247 images), UPDATED 25-Jun-2023
Peru, Catholic Church Records, 1603-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1877097); 21,051,462 indexed records with 4,192,353 record images (was 21,046,756 records with 4,192,353 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Portugal, Setúbal, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1911 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1935451); 1,082,112 indexed records with 829,309 record images (was 1,081,939 records with 829,309 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1807092); 3,354,274 indexed records with 191,547 record images (was 3,353,166 records with 191,547 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates, 1833-1885 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1469151); 285,778 indexed records with 128,317 record images (was 285,242 records with 128,317 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

Russia, Tver Confession Lists, 1728-1913 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1929531); 226,491 indexed records with 954,651 record images (was 201,493 records with 954,651 images), UPDATED 27-Jun-2023
Spain, Province of Gerona, Municipal Records, 1566-1956 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2015355); 1,205,572 indexed records with 390,067 record images (was 1,154,728 records with 390,067 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

Sri Lanka, Colombo District, Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1677-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1780708); 36,980 indexed records with 33,965 record images (was 35,445 records with 33,965 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
Sweden, Stockholm City Archives, Index to Church Records, 1546-1927 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2057674); 1,190,176 indexed records with 59,465 record images (was 1,188,524 records with 67,917 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
Texas, County Marriage Records, 1837-1965 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1803985); 2,113,071 indexed records with 538,510 record images (was 2,113,029 records with 538,510 images), UPDATED 27-Jun-2023

Texas, Hardin County, Deed Records, 1840-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3502091); 34,737 indexed records with 32,108 record images (was 29,653 records with 25,992 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023
United States, Missouri, Naturalization Records, 1843-1991 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279962); 490,668 indexed records with 467,160 record images (was 482,463 records with 463,654 images), UPDATED 28-Jun-2023
Uruguay Civil Registration, 1879-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837849); Index only (746,953 records), no images (was 736,568 records with 0 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Venezuela Civil Registration, 1873-2003 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1823609); 1,024,131 indexed records with 586,312 record images (was 1,020,707 records with 586,312 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Venezuela, Archdiocese of Caracas, Catholic Church Records, 1638-2020 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4465438); 79,226 indexed records with 34,845 record images (was 77,304 records with 34,262 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023

Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Birth Records, 1853-1896 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000046); 1,859,887 indexed records with 39,949 record images (was 1,858,340 records with 39,908 images), UPDATED 30-Jun-2023
Washington, County Death Registers, 1881-1979 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3438698); 1,629,400 indexed records with 22,592 record images (was 1,629,400 records with 22,582 images), UPDATED 26-Jun-2023
Zimbabwe, Voter Registration, 1938-1973 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3740407); 315,057 indexed records with 313,427 record images (was 306,337 records with 304,739 images), UPDATED 23-Jun-2023

--- Collections with new images ---

France, Saône-et-Loire, Parish and Civil Registration, 1530-1892 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2840171); 7,237,336 indexed records with 1,973,983 record images (was 7,237,336 records with 1,972,689 images), last updated 30-May-2022
Hawaii, Collector of Customs, Ships' Passenger Manifests, 1843-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3463100); 527,525 indexed records with 224,658 record images (was 527,525 records with 220,980 images), last updated 06-Nov-2020
New York, Church Records, 1660-1954 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2787817); 127,105 indexed records with 6,354 record images (was 127,105 records with 5,994 images), last updated 07-Apr-2021
United States, New York, Index to Passengers Arriving at New York City, compiled 1944-1948 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3029266); 1,129,668 indexed records with 1,112,549 record images (was 1,129,668 records with 1,112,544 images), last updated 18-Mar-2020
United States, Veterans Administration Master Index, 1917-1940 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2968245); 6,932,344 indexed records with 5,611,122 record images (was 6,932,344 records with 5,610,894 images), last updated 29-Nov-2022
Uruguay, Passenger Lists, 1888-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2691993); 3,641,119 indexed records with 156,196 record images (was 3,641,119 records with 155,365 images), last updated 19-Nov-2020

--- Collections with images removed ---

Germany, Rhineland, Diocese of Trier, Catholic Church Records, 1704-1957 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2790268); 2,967,130 indexed records with 299,158 record images (was 2,967,130 records with 300,053 images), last updated 03-Nov-2020

--- Collections with records removed ---

England and Wales Birth Registration Index, 1837-2008 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2285338); Index only (132,174,267 records), no images (was 132,174,269 records with 0 images), last updated 02-Oct-2014

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

My friend and SDGS colleague, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED, and to alphabetize the entries in each category. Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here!

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 keywords (e.g. "church england") to find collections with those keywords.

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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The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/07/added-and-updated-familysearch-record.html

Note that all comments are moderated, so they may not be posted immediately.

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, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Friday, June 30, 2023

Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 24 to 30 June 2023

The following genealogy record collections were listed on the Recently Added and Updated Collections on Ancestry.com during the period from 24 to 30 June 2023:

The Updated and ADDED collections include:

* Web: France, Death Records, 1970-2021; indexed records without record images, Updated 6/29/2023

* UK, Records of the Removal of Graves and Tombstones, 1601-2007; indexed records with record images, Updated 6/29/2023

* West Midlands, England, Criminal Registers, 1850-1933; indexed records with record images, Updated 6/29/2023

* UK and Ireland, Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 6/28/2023

* Australia and New Zealand, Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 6/28/2023

* Canada, Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 6/28/2023

* Czech Republic, Aviation Cards of RAF Members; indexed records without record images, ADDED 6/28/2023

* U.S., Newspapers.com™ Marriage Index, 1800s-current; indexed records without record images, Updated 6/28/2023

* 1939 England and Wales Register; indexed records with record images, Updated 6/26/2023

* Prince Edward Island, Canada, Baptisms, Marriages, Burials, 1780-1982; indexed records with record images, Updated 6/26/2023

* Nevada, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 6/26/2023

* New Mexico, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 6/26/2023

* Canada, Chinese Exclusion Act Records, 1923-1947; indexed records with record images, ADDED 6/26/2023

* Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, Manifests of Chinese Arrivals, 1906-1912, 1929-1941; indexed records with record images, Updated 6/26/2023

* Pennsylvania, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 6/26/2023

* Vermont, U.S., Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's-current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 6/26/2023

* Scotland, Postal Directories, 1825-1910; indexed records with record images, ADDED 6/26/2023

* North Dakota and Washington, U.S., Chinese Arriving Passenger Arrivals and Disposition, 1903-1944; indexed records with record images, Updated 6/26/2023

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

The complete Ancestry.com Card Catalog is at https://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx.

By my count, there were 7 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above. There are now 33,320 collections available as of 30 June, an INCREASE of 6 from last week.

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

Disclosure: I receive a complimentary all-access subscription from Ancestry.com, for which I am thankful. Ancestry.com has provided material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and has hosted events and meals that I have attended in Salt Lake City, in past years.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/06/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_30.html

Please note that all Comments are moderated so they may not appear immediately.

Findmypast Friday: Exciting New Records From Canada, U.S. and Ireland

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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

Discover duels and exciting new records from the US and Canada

From Dublin to Manhattan, there is over 200 years of history to explore within this week's release.

We've been particularly busy this week, working to bring you an exciting batch of new records from Britain, North America, and beyond. We've added a total of 10,406,256 records within six new sets. Read on for a full rundown of all that's been added.

Canada Census 1931

This Findmypast Friday, we're delighted to announce the addition of the 1931 Canadian Census, with 234,606 images now available for you to browse. This joins our wide selection of existing census records from across Britain, Ireland, and the Commonwealth, which already includes the 1921 Census of England and Wales, the 1880 US Census and so much more.

This valuable collection is a highly-detailed account of the population which was taken on 1 June 1931. At this time, Canada's population stood at 10.3 million. It is the seventh comprehensive census taken in Canada since confederation in 1867, and was recorded in both English and French.

If you've got Canadian relatives, you can expect to learn key information about their household from this census. Each return includes the names of each family member, their address, a description of their home (whether it was owned or rented, the number of rooms, and even whether or not it contained a radio), birth dates and places, nationality and racial origins, languages spoken, education and work information, and religious denomination.

A 1931 Canada census return from Alberta, which you can explore for yourself here.

While the exact details included on each return varies, you may be able to learn the head of household's annual earnings, whether or not they immigrated to Canada, and when they were naturalised. If a person was unemployed, the return will include information like the length of time out of work and the reason for unemployment.

When exploring these browse-only records, you can narrow your results down by province, registration district, and sub-district, and you can even input optional keywords.

Challenges and Duels

This week's second exciting addition is the all-new Challenges and Duels set, which recounts 1,855 honour-based challenges that have been waged and fought throughout history.

This unique collection is taken from the research of Lorenzo Sabine, in particular his book Notes on Duels and Duelling (1855) which recorded almost 2,000 duels and challenges that took place in England, Ireland, the United States, as well some in Scotland and France. To bring Sabine's research to life, we've made each entry fully searchable.

Lorenzo Sabine's Notes on Duels and Duelling, published in Boston in 1885.

You can search for duels and challenges by name, place, and year.

The longest entries are for historically-renowned events, like the duel between American Revolutionary Alexander Hamilton and Vice-President Aaron Burr, but there are many lesser-known challenges recounted too. You never know - you may just be surprised by discovering the participation of your ancestor in this centuries-old tradition.

Record of the 1804 duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr. Explore it for yourself here.

The details included in these records vary. While some entries include just a name (or two names, of both parties involved), place and date, others are rich in historical context and feature a description of the challenge or duel and its outcome.

You can learn more about the historical background of duels by heading to the 'Learn more about these records' section on this page.

New York, St Lukes Evangelical Lutheran Church records

In addition to all-new Canada records, we also bolstered our US collection this week.

We've added four new sets from St Luke's Evangelical Lutheran Church in Manhattan, New York. This church was founded as a Dutch reformed parish in 1850, before reorganising as Lutheran in 1853. Many of its congregation were European immigrants to the US, and interestingly, lots of these records prior to 1920 were originally recorded in German.

With a total of 45,861 new records, covering 75 years of history, researching those New Yorkers on your family tree is now easier than ever.

Baptisms

First up is this new collection of baptisms from St Luke's Church. There are 20,488 records to explore from the period 1850 to 1925, with images and unique transcriptions for each record.

Baptism record from 1900, which you can explore for yourself here.

From these records, you can expect to learn a name, baptism date, and birth date, as well as both parents' names and where they were born. As always, we recommend looking closely at the original records, in case there's any additional information missed in the transcription.

Confirmations

We also added 1,065 confirmation records from St Luke's, which document when members of the church professed their faith in a kind of 'affirmation of baptism' ceremony.

This new set spans the years 1850 to 1925. From these records, you can expect to learn a person's name and the date of their confirmation.

Marriages

But that's not all - we also added a brand new set of marriages from St Luke's, with 16,406 records covering from 1850 to 1925. If you've got roots in New York in the late 19th century, these may just help you to unlock key biographical details that you need for your tree to flourish.

St Luke's Church.

These records are consistent, meaning you can expect to learn the wife and groom's names and dates of birth and their marriage date with relative certainty.

Deaths and Burials

Lastly, our fourth new set from St Luke's is this collection of death and burial records. There are images and unique transcriptions to explore for 6,947 records, from the period 1853 to 1925.

Taken from the church's death and burial registers, these records will typically tell you the name of the deceased and their death date. Earlier records list the name of the cemetery where they are buried, while later ones contain a cause of death, birth date, and birth location.

Some of the later records also include a note on the last known residence of the deceased, but this can only be spotted by scouring the original image. Review the record itself in each instance, to make sure that you obtain the full value from these records.

Over 50,000 new Irish newspaper pages

Continuing on from last week's theme, we have added five brand-new Irish titles to our newspaper collection. From Dublin to Wexford, there are so many stories to discover within these 52,710 new pages.

The first of our new additions is the Constabulary Gazette, which was the organ of the Royal Irish Constabulary (R.I.C) - Ireland's police force from 1822 to 1922. This newspaper, which was published each Saturday at the price of two pence, first appeared in April 1897.

Constabulary Gazette, 3 April 1897.

It catered to the 13,000 men that made up Ireland's police force. Each issue consisted of three main sections: 'Our Album', which featured portraits of those in the R.I.C, the 'Editor's Letter Box', which featured letters from the R.I.C's members and a teaching column, intended to educate readers with lessons on grammar, geography, arithmetic, and handwriting. Interestingly, it also contained a 'literary portion', designed to encourage men in the Constabulary to read and engage with literary questions.

We also added three new titles from County Wexford this week.

Founded by Irish nationalist politicians William Sears and Sir Thomas Esmonde, the Enniscorthy Echo and South Leinster Advertiser reported on local and international news as well as all manner of town proceedings, like the meetings of the Wexford Petty Sessions and the Enniscorthy Town Tenants' Association.

Enniscorthy Echo and South Leinster Advertiser, 16 January 1916.

This week's other new County Wexford titles are the Free Press (Wexford) and the Wexford and Kilkenny Express. From the South-West of Ireland, we've also added the bi-weekly Kerry Evening Star.

Here's a full rundown of all that's been added.

New titles:

Constabulary Gazette (Dublin), 1897-1922
Enniscorthy Echo and South Leinster Advertiser, 1905-1906, 1910-1912, 1916
Free Press (Wexford), 1905-1912, 1916
Kerry Evening Star, 1913-1914
Wexford and Kilkenny Express, 1875-1884, 1886-1896, 1903-1905, 1907

Whether you've got roots in Canada, Ireland, the US, or beyond, we'd love to hear what your research has uncovered. Maybe you've connected the dots to solve a family mystery, or found out something surprising about one of your ancestors. Whatever you've discovered, you can now share your story with us using this handy form.

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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.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/06/findmypast-friday-exciting-new-records.html

Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

52 Ancestors - Week 486: #880 Sampson Underhill (1692-1732) of Salisbury, Massachusetts and Chester, New Hampshire

Sampson Underhill (ca1692-1732) is #880 on my Ahnentafel List, my 7th great-grandfather, who married #881 Elizabeth Ambrose (1698-1782) in 1718 in Salisbury, Massachusetts.

I am descended through:

* their son, #440 John Underhill (1721-1793), married $441 Joanna Healey (1718-1908) in 1741.

* their son, #220 John Underhill (1745-1816), married #221 Hannah Colby (1745-????) in 1767.

* their son, #110 Amos Underhill (1772-1865), married #111 Mary Metcalf (1780-1855) in 1801.

* their daughter, #55, Mary Ann Underhill (1815-1882) in 1839. married #54 Samuel Vaux (1816-1880) in 1839.

* their daughter, #27 Abigail A. Vaux (1844-1931), married #26 Devier James Lamphear Smith (1839-1894) in 1861.

* their daughter, #13 Abbey Ardell Smith (1862-1944), married #12 Henry Austin Carringer (1853-1946), in 1887.

* their son, #6 Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976), who married #7 Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977) 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-....)

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

* Name: Sampson Underhill[1–5]

* Sex: Male

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

* Birth: about 1692, England[1-3]

* Death: before 27 March 1732 (before about age 40), widow Elizabeth Underhill sold land; Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States[1-2]

* Probate: 15 May 1732 (about age 40), administration granted to wife Elizabeth; Chester, Rockingham, New Hampshire, United States[5]

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

* Spouse 1 Elizabeth Ambrose 1698-1782

* Marriage 1: 15 January 1717/8 (about age 25), Salisbury, Essex, Massachusetts, United States[1,4]

* Child 1: John Underhill 1720-1793

* Child 2: Jeremiah Underhill 1724-

* Child 3: Moses Underhill 1726-1804

* Child 4: Hezekiah Underhill 1727-1800

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

Two significant Underhill family surname books have been published, and they agree on the particulars of the ancestry and life of Sampson Underhill. The books are:

(1) Josephine C. Frost (editor), Underhill Genealogy, Volume IV (n.p. : Myron C. Taylor in the Interests of The Underhill Society of America, 1932)[1].

(2) Edwin R. Deats (compiler) and Harry Macy, Jr. (editor), Underhill Genealogy, Volume VI (Baltimore, Md. : Gateway Press, Inc., Baltimore MD, 1980).

Nearly all descendants of Sampson Underhill claim Captain John Underhill as his ancestor, but research does not reveal the connection. If Sampson descended from Captain John, he would have had to have been his grandson. Capt. John left northeastern Massachusetts and New Hampshire and was residing in Stamford CT prior to October 1642. It would seem that all of his children were too young to have been left behind, and the period of his stay in NH was too short to form lasting attachments[1].

Charles Bell, who wrote the History of Chester, New Hampshire in 1863, distinctly states that Sampson Underhill was born in England and emigrated to Ipswich MA[1,3]; he must have had some reason for making this statement.

Sampson Underhill was born in about 1692, probably in England[1,3]. He came to America and settled in Ipswich. On 15 January 1717/8, he married Elizabeth Ambrose, daughter of John and Sarah (Eastman) Ambrose, in Sandwich, Massachusetts by the Reverend Caleb Cushing[1-2,4]. They had four children, all born and recorded in Salisbury:

* John Underhill (1721-1793), married 1741 Joanna Healey (1718-1809).

* Jeremiah Underhill (1724-????).

* Moses Underhill (1726-1804) married 1753 Anna Glidden (1738-1808).

* Hezekiah Underhill (1727-1800), married 1751 Tabitha Sargent (1726-1803).

The Frost book provides summaries of many events in the life of Sampson Underhill[1]:

* Sampson Underhill first appears in the available public records in Essex County, Massachusetts land records, when on 2 January 1716/7 he, styled clothier, purchased from Ebenezer Hackett of Salisbury MA, cordwainer, for 105 pounds, his homestead and about 35 acres of land in Salisbury, and had for his neighbors Robert Carr, James Purrington and Jacob Bradbury. The sale was agreed upon by Hackett's wife, Hannah, and acknowledged 9 May 1717 (Liber 28, p281)[1].

* The Archives of the State of New Hampshire show that on 3 April 1717, Samson, of Salisbury MA, conveyed to Samuel Smith of Haverhill MA his right to the common land in Kingston NH which is certainly convincing that he must have been in Kingston before residing in Salisbury (V13 p247)[1].

* On 8 May 1717 he sold the above property to Jacob Bradbury, retaining four acres, which included the dwelling house, barn and orchard. The description of the boundaries are about the same, except he adds the name of Nathaniel Ambrose as a neighbor. (Liber 28, p379). On 30 September 1717 he conveyed the four acres to Thomas Flanders (Liber 67, p104)[1].

* On 28 November 1717, Samson Underhill of Salisbury MA, received land and buildings in Hampton NH from James and Mary Hall of that place, indicating contemplated removal (V10 p131). However, Essex County land records show that on 14 June 1720 he was still in Salisbury, when he and his wife Elizabeth conveyed 11 acres there to William Dannels, tanner (Liber 38, p92). On 10 December 1722 he purchased five acres in Salisbury from Jacob Hook in the "Cow Common so called", bounded on the north by his own land (Liber 44, p217). He sold this property 6 September 1723 to Samuel Fowler "late of Amesbury, now of Salisbury." (Liber 31, p88)[1].

* On 2 January 1723/4, the NH land records state that Samson and Elizabeth Underhill of Salisbury MA convey to Nicholas Perryman, shopkeeper of Exeter NH, all their right or equity that he should have in the estate of David Leavitt, late of Exeter, conveyed 12 December 1723, by Edward West and wife Alice of Hampton. This deed suggests a relationship to the Leavitt family, but a search has not discovered the connection[1].

* Sampson Underhill of Salisbury conveyed to Gideon Counn (?) on 21 September 1726 all his right, etc, that he has or ought to have in the real and personal estate which he bought of Cornelius Couer, deceased, which was his and part his mother's, Elizabeth Couer, her thirds, as widow of John Couer (Liber 50, p67)[1].

* Nathaniel Ambross of Salisbury MA on 20 December 1724 sold to Samsom Underhill certain land in that place "situated near ye province line between MA and NH, which my father Henry Ambross lived upon and died seized upon", consisting of 28 acres with dwelling house "bounded easterly by land of Benjamin Gill; to enjoy after the death of my mother Susanna Ambross - lease to said Underhill the farm during the life of his said mother Susanna" (Liber 47, p263)[1].

* Samson Underhill, clothier of Salisbury, on 1 November 1725 conveyed for 80 pounds to John Webster and Ephraim Eaton of the same place, "which money the said Webster and Eaton (hired of the Rev Mr Theophilus Cotton of Hampton) stand bound for the payment of same which money the said Underhill received for his use" - convey "my homestead land where I now dwell in Salisbury." (Liber 47, p264)[1].

* On 26 June 1727, Sampson Underhill of Salisbury conveyed to Samuel Hutchins of the same place, a farm there, near the Province line between MA and NH which formerly belonged to Mr Henry Ambross, "saving the old home in which said Henry lived." This was acknowledged 3 January 1727/8 in the Province of NH (Liber 54, p42)[1].

* Samson Underhill of Salisbury, alias Hampton, purchased land in Chester of Peter Weare of Hampton on 27 March 1730. (NH Archives, v21 p322)[1].

* The manuscript of H.B. Underhill states that "on April 1 1730, Sampson Underhill sold his farm of 50 acres in Salisbury MA, upon which he had lived and kept tavern, for 500 pounds and went to Chester NH where he bought Lot No. 28 and settled. This lot was situated on the south side of the road nearly opposite the present location of the Congregational Church and on the main street of the village as it now is."[1]

* On 28 September 1731, Samson Underhill of Chester NH conveyed to Page Bachelder land there (NH Archives, v51 p364)[1].

* Sampson Underhill was apparently ill at this time, for he replied to an order to appear before the Court on 7 December 1731, he wrote: "I am very much lame in my hips and knee yt I cannot ride on a horse nor gett up on a horse but in very much pain to me."[1]

* On 27 March 1732, Elizabeth Underhill, widow of Samson, of Chester, received land there from William Powell. (NH Archives v29 p146)[1].

It is evident that Sampson Underhill's family resided in Salisbury, Massachusetts until 1730, when he bought land in Chester, New Hampshire.

Sampson Underhill died between 16 December 1731 and 27 March 1732[1,5]. He is probably buried in the area near the Old Liberty Pole and Soldier's Monument in Chester, New Hampshire.

The probate records of the Province of New Hampshire show that on 15 May 1732, Elizabeth Underhill was appointed administratrix of the estate of her husband, Sampson Underhill. Elizabeth Underhill gave bond, with Jacob Stanyan and Joseph Norton both of Hampton NH, as sureties, for the administration of her husband's estate 15 May 1732. An inventory was taken 31 May 1732 by Jacob Sargent and Samuel Emerson, showing the value of the estate as 483 pounds 19 shillings 6 pence[1,5].

In the settlement of the estate of Sampson Underhill, clothier, the amount of the estate was £360.0.6, the expenditures was £590.15.10, which was allowed 25 August 1742; expenses were asked for and allowed to: "bringing up a son named Hezekiah for 4-1/2 years; to bringing up another son named Moses for 6-1/2 years; to the maintaining, supporting and clothing a sick son named Jeremiah for 10 years as he having fits, in one of them he fell into the fire and burned his hand so that it is useless." On 25 August 1742, the executors were licensed to sell the real estate[1,5].

5. SOURCES

1. Josephine C Frost (editor), Underhill Genealogy, Volume IV (N.p.: Myron C. Taylor, in the interests of the Underhill Society of America, 1932), pages 16-22, #1 Sampson Underhill family sketch.

2. Benjamin Chase, History of Old Chester From 1719 to 1869 (Auburn, N.H. : the author, 1869), pages 602-603, Sampson Underhill family sketch.

3. Charles Bell, Facts Relating to the Early Inhabitants of Chester, N. H. (Concord, N.H. : G. Psrker Lyon, 1863), page 37, Sampson Underhill family sketch.

4. Topsfield Historical Society, Vital Records of Salisbury, Massachusetts, to the End of the Year 1849 (Topsfield, Mass. : Topsfield Historical Society, 1915), Marriages, page 503, Sampson Underhill and Elizabeth Ambrose entry, 15 January 1717/8.

5. Henry Harrison Metcalf (editor), Probate Records of the Province of New Hampshire, Vol. II, 1718-1740; State Paper Series Vol. 32 (Bristol, N.H. : R.W. Musgrove, Printer, 1914), pp 439-440, Sampson Underhill of Chester, 1732.

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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 in 2014. I have extended this theme in 2023 to 520 Ancestors in 520 Weeks.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/06/52-ancestors-week-486-880-sampson.html

Note that all comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately.

Thursday, June 29, 2023

Free Access on MyHeritage for Canada Records Until 2 July 2023

I received this information from Daniel Horowitz of MyHeritage today:

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As Canada Day approaches, I’m thrilled to share that MyHeritage is offering free access to all our Canadian records from June 29 to July 2, 2023! Our vast range of Canadian records includes 176 collections featuring 103,662,055 records, including immigration documents, military records, census data, and more.

This limited-time free access provides an unparalleled opportunity for those with Canadian heritage to explore their roots and learn more about their ancestors.

Feel free to share the news with your friends and followers so they can take advantage of the free access while it lasts and learn more about their Canadian heritage over the weekend!

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Disclosure: I receive a complimentary subscription to MyHeritage, and have received other material consideration in past years. I uploaded my autosomal DNA raw data to their DNA product. I am a subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it. I am a paid subscriber to the Reimagine mobile app. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products.

The URL for this post is:

Rabbit Holes With Randy - Scanning Typed Text to Digital Text

I'm in pretty deep with this one.

When I started doing genealogy research in 1988, one of the first things I did was to ask my father's four living siblings for their memories of their family life in Massachusetts. Of course, I immediately forgot what they told me because I made no notes.

In 1990, I attended the 50th wedding anniversary of my aunt and uncle (Edward and Janet Seaver) in Leominster, Massachusetts with the aunts, uncles, and cousins in attendance, and we discussed the family ancestry. By then I had enough information to claim that their mother was descended from William White of the Mayflower, which everyone was excited about. I asked everyone there to write down their family memories and their own life story.

I received several letters from two of my aunts during the next year, and then, the big prize, four audio cassette tapes from my wonderful aunt, Geraldine (Seaver) Remley. Aunt Gerry was her mother's caregiver for the last 20 years of her mother's life and was the family historian at the time.

I typed the letters that I received from the siblings and transcribed the audio tapes from Gerry into my word processor on my 1983 IBM PC (DOS, two floppy drives, no hard drive, Easywriter software), and printed them out (single space on a dot matrix printer), put them in a binder, and put the binder on the bookshelf. Transcription was difficult because Gerry had a wonderful New England accent, interspersed her phrases with ums and ers, and she spoke too fast for my hunt-and-peck fingers. It took many hours over many days to transcribe them - 40 pages!

In the 30 years since then, I have read through these documents several times, and always said to myself "I need to find these files and get the information in a digital format." I don't have the files, or the software, so I needed to find a way to digitize then, hopefully not by re-typing them.

I knew that there were mobile apps that could do this job - take a photo of a page, transcribe the text, and put it in a PDF file or an email message. I could then copy and paste the text into a word processing document and edit it.

I looked in the Apple Store and there were plenty of apps to do this. But which ones are free to use, will do what I want, and not take a lot of time to learn? I already had CamScanner in my iPhone, and it said it could transcribe text, so I tried that. It never was able to transcribe the 40 lines of single-spaced text in Gerry's stories.

I Googled for other mobile apps, and I found an app called TextScanner. I am using that, but it lets me do only three pages a day for free, but I can do another page if I watch a 30 second video and wading through several popup ads with every tap of the screen.

Here is the first page of Gerry's memories in the binder:

When I convert this to digital text using the TextScanner app and send the text transcription to myself in an email, it looks like this (top two paragraphs):

I have found that I need to edit the transcription after I copy and paste it into a word processing file. Some letters are not transcribed correctly, the left margin is very tight, and I have edited some words with a pen. On many pages, there are "loose" words or phrases that are out of order (there were not any of those on the page above). Using the app does save me typing time. I've done 20 pages so far over a week's time.

Then there are other documents to do - the letters from the siblings, our early Christmas letters, and other typed transcriptions that I typed before 1995.

When I have these tasks completed, I will put the PDF of the transcribed documents into my family history archives, my Google Drive account, and on my FOREVER account. I will probably distribute them to the "next generation" of the family - there are 11 first cousins and 20 second cousins descended from my grandparents. They may not be interested now, but they my be later.

I'm sure that there are other mobile apps that can do this job, and do it better, but I find this TextScanner app to be useful and I've learned how to use it. If you know of a better and free mobile app to do this task, please let me know.

Time for my carrots to keep my energy up for the next round of scanning and editing.

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Saturday, July 1, 2023

Friday, June 30, 2023

Discover duels and exciting new records from the US and Canada

Thursday, June 29, 2023