Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Did You Rabbit Hole This Week?

 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)  Did you follow a research trail down a genealogy rabbit hole this week?  Tell us about it.

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

Here's mine:

I go down rabbit holes almost every day, and this week was no exception.  Rabbit holes are fun and may pay off big, but you never know until you climb out of the hole.  Here are a few of mine:

*  I was looking for my binder with information about the Metcalf and White families in it and saw several loose notebooks on the shelf - rabbit!  In one, there were notes I took on several trips to New England for genealogy an family.  In 1991, I sat down with my aunt Geraldine and aunt Ruth and uncle Ed Seaver and just talked.  They all gave me "tidbits" of information about Seaver family members that are unique.  There were notes about the 1990 trip to visit the Richmonds in Putnam, Connecticut.  I need to type all of this up.

*  I made an ancestor chart on the Exploring Family Trees ( https://learnforeverlearn.com/ancestors/) website to check on endogamy - rabbit!  There is some back in 1600s New England where my parents have several common ancestors.  Here it is:

*  While exploring my new AncestryDNA matches with ThruLines/Common Ancestors, I added the line from four matches back to our Common Ancestor to my RootsMagic file.  I did check the information for the persons in those lines.

*  Several of my new ThruLines were to my 5th great-grandparents George Ruth and Anna Bentz, and didn't look right.  The ThruLines look like two persons were conflated into my George Ruth - one with the Ruth surname and one with a Rhodes surname.  I did some research on my George Ruth and found his 1812 will in Berks County, Pennsylvania on Ancestry.  It mentioned his wife Barbara, son George, and daughters Elisabeth and Catherina Konig, but not the Rhodes children in the ThruLines.  I didn't have the will before this.  Unfortunately, there are quite a few unreadable lines where the will was taped together.  

*  I posted a new-to-me photograph of my mother and the 1940s automobile on Wordless Wednesday, ad did a Google Image reverse search to identify the car as a Hudson Super Six.  

*  I did find the Metcalf and White family information I was seeking - it was in the last binder on the shelf.

*  I had carrots for dinner last night.

Enough!!! 

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/08/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-did-you.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 19 to 25 August 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 25 August 2023, there are 3,239 historical record collections on FamilySearch (an increase of 1 from last week):

The new and updated collections this week from FamilySearch are:

--- Collections Added ---

*  Zimbabwe, Archdiocese of Bulawayo, Catholic Church Records, 1896-2022 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000106); 131 indexed records with 522 record images, ADDED 25-Aug-2023

--- Collections Updated ---

Argentina, Catamarca, Catholic Church Records, 1724-1971 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1974178); 228,340 indexed records with 102,718 record images (was 225,205 records with 102,718 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Argentina, Cemetery Records, 1882-2019 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2363123); 662,810 indexed records with 621,246 record images (was 660,033 records with 621,013 images), UPDATED 21-Aug-2023
Argentina, Corrientes, Catholic Church Records, 1734-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1974183); 476,631 indexed records with 207,943 record images (was 473,380 records with 207,943 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Argentina, Córdoba, Censuses, 1778-1874 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4475260); 192,466 indexed records with 5,520 record images (was 177,575 records with 5,117 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Argentina, Jujuy, Catholic Church Records, 1662-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1974186); 188,538 indexed records with 69,981 record images (was 184,043 records with 69,981 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Australia, Victoria, Wills, Probate and Administration Files, 1841-1926 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2207846); 176,731 indexed records with 3,998,555 record images (was 168,232 records with 3,998,555 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Belgium, Antwerp, Civil Registration, 1588-1913 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138481); 916,017 indexed records with 3,208,709 record images (was 906,935 records with 3,208,709 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Belgium, Brabant, Civil Registration, 1582-1914 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1482191); 57,396 indexed records with 6,411,594 record images (was 56,879 records with 6,411,594 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Belgium, Namur, Civil Registration, 1800-1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2138511); 631,929 indexed records with 372,768 record images (was 628,861 records with 372,768 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Bolivia Catholic Church Records, 1566-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1922463); 9,332,094 indexed records with 1,649,601 record images (was 9,328,204 records with 1,649,601 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Brazil, Alagoas, Church Records, 1802-2016 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2820768); 1,163,212 indexed records with 171,436 record images (was 1,162,170 records with 171,206 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Brazil, Cemetery Records, 1850-2021 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2137269); 994,677 indexed records with 150,972 record images (was 994,637 records with 150,972 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Brazil, Mato Grosso, Civil Registration, 1845-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001286); Index only (527 records), no images (was 525 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Brazil, Minas Gerais, Civil Registration, 1879-1949 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3479702); 868,972 indexed records with 362,028 record images (was 866,780 records with 361,252 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Brazil, Paraná, Civil Registration, 1852-1996 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2016194); 3,058,129 indexed records with 1,689,031 record images (was 3,049,508 records with 1,689,031 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Brazil, Pará, Civil Registration, 1815-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4473609); 108,686 indexed records with 33,884 record images (was 100,794 records with 31,766 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Brazil, Rio Grande do Sul, Civil Registration, 1860-2006 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3741255); 1,690,437 indexed records with 863,497 record images (was 1,687,843 records with 862,100 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Brazil, Santa Catarina, Civil Registration, 1850-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2016197); 706,988 indexed records with 1,037,638 record images (was 702,707 records with 1,037,638 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Brazil, Sergipe, Catholic Church Records, 1785-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2177298); 1,229,761 indexed records with 273,847 record images (was 1,228,768 records with 273,847 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Cape Verde, Catholic Church Records, 1787-1957 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2246703); 352,475 indexed records with 105,781 record images (was 352,106 records with 105,781 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023

Chile, Catholic Church Records, 1633-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3405096); 7,988,180 indexed records with 1,006,381 record images (was 7,976,505 records with 1,004,583 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Colombia, Archivo Distrital de Bogotá, Cemetery Indexes, 1887-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000131); 58,191 indexed records with 3,029 record images (was 3,794 records with 194 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Colombia, Catholic Church Records, 1576-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1726975); 26,305,062 indexed records with 12,659,776 record images (was 26,302,958 records with 12,659,776 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Colombia, Civil Registration, 1553-2021 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469480); 815,158 indexed records with 849,359 record images (was 815,110 records with 849,343 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Colombia, Costa, Church Records, 1778-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4469405); 1,989 indexed records with 957 record images (was 233 records with 117 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Connecticut, County Coroner's Records, 1883-1934 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000080); 76,296 indexed records with 44,583 record images (was 76,276 records with 44,568 images), UPDATED 20-Aug-2023
Costa Rica, Catholic Church Records, 1595-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1460016); 4,329,996 indexed records with 962,203 record images (was 4,329,224 records with 962,203 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Costa Rica, Civil Registration, 1823-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1925429); 6,189,580 indexed records with 404,718 record images (was 6,189,568 records with 404,718 images), UPDATED 20-Aug-2023
Croatia, Church Books, 1516-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2040054); 2,991,844 indexed records with 1,421,761 record images (was 2,991,628 records with 1,421,761 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Czech Republic, Church Books, 1552-1981 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1804263); 8,195,638 indexed records with 4,668,489 record images (was 7,657,153 records with 4,668,489 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Dominican Republic Civil Registration, 1801-2010 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1619814); 2,454,722 indexed records with 3,416,801 record images (was 2,418,144 records with 3,416,801 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Dominican Republic, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1975 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1918910); 2,275,384 indexed records with 238,265 record images (was 2,273,031 records with 238,265 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
England, Middlesex Parish Registers, 1539-1988 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3734475); 2,010,432 indexed records with 360,583 record images (was 2,010,432 records with 357,657 images), UPDATED 21-Aug-2023
France, Haute-Garonne, Toulouse, Church Records, 1539-1793 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2363045); 604,659 indexed records with 95,073 record images (was 604,493 records with 95,073 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Germany, North Rhine-Westphalia, Wuppertal, Civil Registration, 1810-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000010); 52,435 indexed records with 51,690 record images (was 50,149 records with 49,436 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Gibraltar, Civil Records, 1777-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000043); 336,744 indexed records with 217,019 record images (was 329,302 records with 215,364 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Guatemala, Alta Verapaz, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2102016); 1,059,032 indexed records with 17,770 record images (was 1,058,376 records with 17,770 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Guatemala, Catholic Church Records, 1581-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1614809); 6,170,713 indexed records with 1,160,338 record images (was 6,175,815 records with 1,160,338 images), UPDATED 21-Aug-2023
Guatemala, Chiquimula, Civil Registration, 1877-2008 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2790265); 442,668 indexed records with 347,135 record images (was 442,511 records with 347,033 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Guatemala, Huehuetenango, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2451045); 985,612 indexed records with 17,993 record images (was 985,460 records with 17,993 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Guatemala, Izabal, Civil Registration, 1877-1994 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2443319); 412,896 indexed records with 9,848 record images (was 412,880 records with 9,848 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Haiti, Archdiocese of Port-au-Prince, Catholic Church Records, 1866-2017 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279947); 59,881 indexed records with 9,090 record images (was 59,107 records with 6,781 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Hawaii, Hawaii State Archives, Probate Packet Records, 1814-1917 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3463463); 12,303 indexed records with 11,880 record images (was 7,569 records with 7,346 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Hawaii, Registrar of Bureau of Conveyances, Deed Records, 1846-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3478266); 31,434 indexed records with 19,989 record images (was 29,103 records with 18,386 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Hungary Civil Registration, 1895-1980 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1452460); 12,869,677 indexed records with 5,864,285 record images (was 12,857,923 records with 5,864,285 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023

Ireland, Catholic Parish Registers, 1740-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2820100); 3,917,879 indexed records with 143,830 record images (was 3,851,406 records with 140,841 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Italy, Ravenna, Ravenna, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1866-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1947700); 34,410 indexed records with 1,759,182 record images (was 33,319 records with 1,759,182 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Italy, Roma, Civil Registration (State Archive), 1863-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2390532); 230,397 indexed records with 5,066,067 record images (was 230,397 records with 5,066,067 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Italy, Sassari, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1803-1942 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4464417); 45,949 indexed records with 15,812 record images (was 45,649 records with 15,691 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Italy, Treviso, Treviso, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1941 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1947831); 4,683 indexed records with 427,232 record images (was 4,598 records with 427,232 images), UPDATED 22-Aug-2023

Italy, Venezia, Venezia, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1871-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2043809); 20,815 indexed records with 628,744 record images (was 20,412 records with 628,744 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Luxembourg, Church and Civil Registration, 1601-1923 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000012); 921,407 indexed records with 269,155 record images (was 143,906 records with 51,776 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Mexico, Oaxaca, Catholic Church Records, 1559-1988 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1909191); 8,706,797 indexed records with 3,458,764 record images (was 8,866,599 records with 3,458,764 images), UPDATED 22-Aug-2023
Mexico, Puebla, Catholic Church Records, 1545-1977 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837906); 8,839,426 indexed records with 6,124,553 record images (was 8,826,941 records with 6,124,553 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Mexico, Querétaro, Catholic Church Records, 1590-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1881200); 3,027,810 indexed records with 1,380,077 record images (was 3,027,805 records with 1,380,077 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023

Mexico, Sinaloa, Civil Registration, 1861-1929 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2290241); 1,353,821 indexed records with 1,403,105 record images (was 1,336,406 records with 1,403,105 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Nicaragua, Catholic Church Records, 1740-1960 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1494432); 823,621 indexed records with 86,119 record images (was 823,524 records with 86,119 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023
Norway, Probate Index Cards, 1640-1903 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1661306); Index only (532,539 records), no images (was 531,598 records with 0 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Ohio, Stillbirths, 1918-1953 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000024); 76,928 indexed records with 104,072 record images (was 75,823 records with 102,967 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Pennsylvania, Western District, Naturalizations, 1820-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000034); 360,085 indexed records with 281,186 record images (was 349,032 records with 271,081 images), UPDATED 22-Aug-2023

Peru, Arequipa, Catholic Church Records, 1660-2020 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4447275); 365,786 indexed records with 66,609 record images (was 356,226 records with 71,536 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Peru, Catholic Church Records, 1603-1992 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1877097); 21,178,693 indexed records with 4,192,353 record images (was 21,172,345 records with 4,192,353 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Portugal, Setúbal, Catholic Church Records, 1555-1911 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1935451); 1,083,519 indexed records with 829,309 record images (was 1,083,320 records with 829,309 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Puerto Rico, Catholic Church Records, 1645-1969 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1807092); 3,370,456 indexed records with 191,547 record images (was 3,366,992 records with 191,547 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Romania, Civil Registration, 1865-1903 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4325043); 796 indexed records with 382 record images (was 768 records with 367 images), UPDATED 24-Aug-2023

Russia, Lutheran Church Book Duplicates, 1833-1885 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1469151); 312,740 indexed records with 128,317 record images (was 309,495 records with 128,317 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Slovakia Church and Synagogue Books, 1592-1935 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1554443); 21,933,952 indexed records with 1,615,473 record images (was 21,932,988 records with 1,615,473 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Slovenia, Ljubljana, Funeral Accounts, 1937-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1491143); 37,896 indexed records with 96,045 record images (was 34,742 records with 96,045 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Spain, Catholic Church Records, 1307-1985 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1784529); 18,529,415 indexed records with 3,008,340 record images (was 18,598,600 records with 3,008,340 images), UPDATED 21-Aug-2023
Spain, Madrid, Municipal Census Records, 1910-1923 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000004); 901,924 indexed records with 177,706 record images (was 390,854 records with 65,609 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Sri Lanka, Colombo District, Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1677-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1780708); 46,185 indexed records with 33,965 record images (was 45,715 records with 33,965 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Sweden, Stockholm City Archives, Index to Church Records, 1546-1927 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2057674); 1,195,862 indexed records with 60,440 record images (was 1,195,105 records with 75,615 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Sweden, Västerbotten Church Records, 1619-1896; index, 1688-1860 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1979430); 377,203 indexed records with 170,304 record images (was 377,106 records with 170,304 images), UPDATED 21-Aug-2023
Sweden, Örebro Church Records, 1613-1918; index 1635-1860 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1647578); 821,112 indexed records with 647,469 record images (was 815,574 records with 647,469 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023
Texas, Hardin County, Deed Records, 1840-1920 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3502091); 37,487 indexed records with 34,755 record images (was 37,481 records with 30,611 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023

United States Bureau of Land Management Tract Books, 1800-c. 1955 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2074276); 7,210,784 indexed records with 942,374 record images (was 7,130,227 records with 942,374 images), UPDATED 22-Aug-2023
Uruguay Civil Registration, 1879-1930 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1837849); Index only (958,421 records), no images (was 942,733 records with 0 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Venezuela Civil Registration, 1873-2003 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/1823609); 1,051,541 indexed records with 586,312 record images (was 1,049,023 records with 586,312 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Venezuela, Archdiocese of Caracas, Catholic Church Records, 1638-2020 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4465438); 134,007 indexed records with 57,444 record images (was 129,875 records with 56,136 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023
Virginia, Bureau of Vital Statistics, Birth Records, 1853-1896 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000046); 1,881,194 indexed records with 40,577 record images (was 1,878,114 records with 40,480 images), UPDATED 25-Aug-2023

Zimbabwe, Voter Registration, 1938-1973 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3740407); 335,998 indexed records with 334,357 record images (was 315,057 records with 262,752 images), UPDATED 23-Aug-2023

--- Collections with new images ---

Alaska, Village Census Rolls, 1919-1972 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4465440); 11,278 indexed records with 1,360 record images (was 11,278 records with 611 images), last updated 05-Jun-2023
Germany, Rhineland, Diocese of Trier, Catholic Church Records, 1704-1957 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2790268); 2,967,130 indexed records with 297,309 record images (was 2,967,130 records with 292,444 images), last updated 03-Nov-2020
Hawaii, Collector of Customs, Ships' Passenger Manifests, 1843-1900 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3463100); 527,525 indexed records with 226,446 record images (was 527,525 records with 226,382 images), last updated 06-Nov-2020
Norway, Oslo, Census, 1912 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4445453); 33,185 indexed records with 7,233 record images (was 33,185 records with 6,220 images), last updated 11-Aug-2023
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Record of Members (Worldwide), 1836-1970 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3714676); 399,983 indexed records with 55,385 record images (was 399,983 records with 46,729 images), last updated 07-Jul-2023

--- Collections with images removed ---

Aruba, Civil Registration, 1823-2004 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4285043); 1,716 indexed records with 364 record images (was 1,716 records with 439 images), last updated 12-Apr-2023
Democratic Republic of the Congo, Census, 1984 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3288450); 1,626,276 indexed records with 521,825 record images (was 1,626,276 records with 536,232 images), last updated 28-Jul-2023
Finland, Tax Lists, 1809-1915 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2704794); 946,416 indexed records with 10,611 record images (was 946,416 records with 15,332 images), last updated 14-Aug-2023
France, Calvados, Census, 1876 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279948); 44,012 indexed records with 1,567 record images (was 44,012 records with 3,515 images), last updated 08-Aug-2023
France, Calvados, Census, 1891 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4279959); 74,296 indexed records with 2,198 record images (was 74,296 records with 5,271 images), last updated 08-Aug-2023

French Polynesia, Civil Registration, 1780-1999 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2549721); 76,850 indexed records with 151,530 record images (was 76,850 records with 171,653 images), last updated 16-Jul-2023
Iceland Church Census, 1744-1965 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2697871); 1,849,355 indexed records with 45,743 record images (was 1,849,355 records with 47,830 images), last updated 08-Aug-2023
New York, Church Records, 1660-1954 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2787817); 127,105 indexed records with 5,531 record images (was 127,105 records with 6,354 images), last updated 07-Apr-2021
Paraguay, Military Records, 1870-1965 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2506770); 975,313 indexed records with 927,254 record images (was 975,313 records with 972,619 images), last updated 16-Aug-2023
Puerto Rico, San Juan, Cemetery Records, 1888-1988 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4376727); 56,549 indexed records with 20,765 record images (was 56,549 records with 29,559 images), last updated 03-Aug-2023

South Africa, Pietermaritzburg Estate Files 1846-1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2573604); 441,574 indexed records with 316,359 record images (was 441,574 records with 316,616 images), last updated 05-Aug-2020

--- Collections with records removed ---

California Birth Index, 1905-1995 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2001879); Index only (24,589,456 records), no images (was 24,589,457 records with 0 images), last updated 01-Mar-2012

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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/2023/08/added-and-updated-familysearch-record_01685328999.html

Copyright (c) 2023 Randall J. Seaver

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.

Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 19 to 25 August 2023

  The following genealogy record collections were listed on the Recently Added and Updated Collections on Ancestry.com during the period from 19 to 25 August 2023: 

The Updated and ADDED collections include:

*  London, England, Selected Poor Law Removal and Settlement Records, 1698-1922, indexed records with record images, Updated 8/23/2023

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

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

By my count, there were 0 NEW record collections ADDED this past week, per the list above.  There are now 33,292 collections available as of 25 August, an INCREASE of 0 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/2023/08/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_25.html

Please 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.

Guest Post: What Happened at AncestryDNA This Week?

My friend and SDGS colleague, Marshall Clow, passed this to me in email this morning:

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Background: I manage five DNA tests. I will refer to them as 'ME', 'LF', 'LC', 'RA' and 'JS'. 

 * 'LF' is a parent of 'ME'. 

* 'RA' and 'JS' are parents of 'LC'. 

 I consider DNA matches which Ancestry has tagged as "Common Ancestors" as a fertile hunting ground for improving my family tree. Ancestry is not always correct in their determination, but it's always worth looking at these matches. 

 Matches that are both "Common Ancestors" and "Unviewed" are like found gold. Here are people that you've never looked at, and Ancestry wants to tell how you and they are related. A few years ago, I worked my way through all these matches for the tests I administer, seeing if I can place them on my tree. 

 Now that I've driven the count of "Unviewed Common Ancestors" to zero, I check it regularly (most days). Occasionally someone appears in this list, and I start researching them. 

 The month of August has been very slow. Usually, I see 10-12 "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches each month (spread across the five tests that I manage) From 25-July until 21-August (4 weeks) there was only one. 

 On the morning of the 22nd, I checked for new "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches. There were none. In the afternoon, I checked again: 

* 'ME' had two "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches. 

* 'LC' had seven "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches. 

* 'LF' had six "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches.

* 'RA' had *twenty* "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches. 

* 'JS' had no "Unviewed" "Common Ancestors" matches. 

 I looked at these matches. They were all over the map; it was not like Ancestry had made one new connection, and a lot of people were all the same set of descendants. But there's more to it than just that. 

There were new "Common Ancestor" matches that I had looked at before as well, as well as people who had been tagged with "Common Ancestors" in the past and then had that tag removed. 

 And a lot of matches that had previously had the "Common Ancestors" tag no longer did so: 

 * 'ME' had the "Common Ancestors" tag removed on 114 DNA matches. 

* 'LF' had the "Common Ancestors" tag removed on 79 DNA matches. 

* 'LC' had the "Common Ancestors" tag removed on 35 DNA matches. 

* 'RA' had the "Common Ancestors" tag removed on 114 DNA matches. 

* 'JS' had the "Common Ancestors" tag removed on no DNA matches. 

 Here's the summary of the changes in table form:

DNA Kit: ME
Previous CA Matches: 327
Added Matches: 38
Removed Matches: 114
Current CA Matches: 251

DNA Kit: LFPrevious CA Matches: 278
Added Matches: 35
Removed Matches: 79
Current CA Matches: 234

DNA Kit: LC
Previous CA Matches: 178
Added Matches: 13
Removed Matches: 35
Current CA Matches: 156

DNA Kit: RA
Previous CA Matches: 362
Added Matches: 46
Removed Matches: 114
Current CA Matches: 294

DNA Kit: JS
Previous CA Matches: 2
Added Matches: 0
Removed Matches: 0
Current CA Matches: 2

This is a big change for Ancestry. It appears to me that they have revamped their algorithm that matches up different trees, and the new matching is giving markedly different results than the old algorithm. I am also seeing a fair amount of churn in the Thrulines for the four accounts that have had all this activity, but not (in my opinion) enough Thrulines changes to account for all of the "Common Ancestor" removals. 

 For example, RA had three Thrulines changed, but none added or removed and yet he had 114 DNA matches with the "Common Ancestor" tags removed.

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Randy's comments:

After receiving Marshall's email, I checked my "Unviewed + Common Ancestor" DNA Match list, and saw 9 new ThruLines in my AncestryDNA matches. I don't have the capability, or the persistence, that Marshall has to keep track of how many matches have common ancestors and how many matches are removed from the ThruLines Match list. The last time I checked, I had about 480 Common Ancestors on my DNA Match list. I will calculate the new number soon.

I have worked through six of the new ThruLines that I have, and have added two lines from the Common Ancestor to the DNA Match to my RootsMagic family tree. I will work on the rest of the new ThruLines soon.

Here is the top of my AncestryDNA ThruLines summary. They have eliminated the "New" ThruLines number (I want it back - it was very useful!), and don't provide an "Overall" number of ThruLines (they never have - I wish they would!).



It appears to me that Ancestry.com has pruned and grown their "Big Tree" in the recent past (see my post A Reader's Take on Ancestry.com Problems - Part IV: The Ancestry Big Tree from 13 February 2019) that they use to come up with the Common Ancestors based on the family trees submitted by Ancestry.com users. Then they ran the Common Ancestors algorithm for the DNA Matches again earlier this week.

Thank you to Marshall for his work. I hope that we hear from AncestryDNA about this change sooner rather than later.

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

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/2023/08/guest-post-what-happened-at-ancestrydna.html

Please 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.

52 Ancestors - Week 494: #889 Lydia (White) Metcalf (1686-????) of Mendon and Medway, Massachusetts and Keene, New Hampshire

Lydia (White) Metcalf  (1686-????) is #889 on my Ahnentafel List, my 7th great-grandmother, who married  #888 Michael Metcalf (1680-1761)  in 1705 in Mendon, Massachusetts.

I am descended through:

*  their son #444 Michael Metcalf (1706-1771), married #445 Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751) in 1728.

*  their son #222 Burgess Metcalf (1741-1816), married #223 Jerusha --?--  (1750-1817) in 1770.

*  their daughter #111 Mary Metcalf (1780-1855), married #110 Amos Underhill (1772-1865) 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:                        Lydia White[1–3]

*  Alternate Name:        Ledia White[4–6]

*  Sex:                           Female

*  Father:                      Joseph White (1662-1757)

*  Mother:                    Lydia Copeland (1661-1727)

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

*  Birth:                        10 May 1686, Mendon, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[1–4]

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

*  Spouse 1:                     Michael Metcalf (1680-1761)    

*  Marriage 1:                  21 March 1704/5 (age 23), Mendon, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[3,5-6]

*  Child 1:                      Michael Metcalf 1706-1771

*  Child 2:                      John Metcalf 1709-1791

*  Child 3:                      Joseph Metcalf 1714-1759

*  Child 4:                      Jonathan Metcalf 1715-    

*  Child 5:                      Elizabeth Metcalf 1718-1758

*  Child 6:                      Lydia Metcalf 1721-    

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

Lydia White was born 10 May 1686, the daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Copeland) White,

 in Mendon, Massachusetts[1-4].

She married on 21 March 1704/5 in Mendon, Massachusetts to Michael Metcalf (1680-1761), the son of Michael and Elizabeth (Bowers) Metcalf[3,5-6].  They had six children, the first two were born in Medfield and the last four were born in Medway, Massachusetts:

*  Michael Metcalf (1706-1771), married 1728 Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751). 

*  John Metcalf (1709-1791), married 1733 Tamar Daniels (1714-????).

*  Joseph Metcalf (1714-1759), married 1739 Deborah Adams (1716-????).

*  Jonathan Metcalf (1716-????), married (1) 1733 Hannah Smith (1712-1744); (2) 1742 Mary Adams (1722-1754).

*  Elizabeth Metcalf (1718-1758), married 1737 Gideon Ellis (1714-1800).

*  Lydia Metcalf (1721-????), married 1747 Hopestill Lovell (1711-1776).

The family settled in Medway in about 1714.  As early as 11 February 1750, Michael and his son, Michael Jr. and grandson Oliver, were settlers at Upper Ashuelot, afterward called Keene, New Hampshire, and were among the founders of the town. 

It is not known when Lydia (White) Metcalf died - it may have been in Medway or in Keene, New Hampshire.

There is no known burial location for Lydia (White) Metcalf, and there are no known probate records.

5.  SOURCES

1. Warren Turner Copeland, The Copeland Family; A Copeland Genealogy (Rutland, Vt. : The Tuttle Publishing Company, 1937), page 15, #5 Lydia Copeland family sketch.

2. Thomas W. Baldwin, Vital records of Mendon, Massachusetts, to the year 1850 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1920), Births, page 211, Lydia White entry, 10 May 1686.

3. Howard H. Metcalfe, Some Descendants of Rev. Leonard Metcalf of Tatterford Parish,Norfolk, England (Westminster, Md. : Heritage Books, Inc., 2003), #90 Michael Metcalf family sketch.

4. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Mendon > Town Records and Earmarks, with Births, Marriages, and Deaths, page 47 (image 31 of 107), Ledia White birth entry, 10 May 1686.

5. Thomas W. Baldwin, Vital records of Mendon, Massachusetts, to the year 1850, Marriages, page 428, Ledia White and Micall Medcalf entry, 21 March 1704/5.

6. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," digital images, Ancestry.com, Mendon, "Town Records and Earmarks, with Births, Marriages and Deaths," page 69 (image 42 of 106), Micall Medcalf and Ledia White marriage entry, 21 March 1704/5.

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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/2023/08/52-ancestors-week-494-889-lydia-white.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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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.   

Findmypast Friday: New Norfolk and Wales Parish Records

  I received this information from Findmypast today:

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Explore stories of Norfolk and Wales ancestors this Findmypast Friday

Norfolk parish records

13,795 new original images and transcriptions have been released to help you discover more about your Norfolk ancestors. There are 3,853 new baptisms from 1923, 9,703 marriages and banns from 1939, and 239 burials from 1998.

Wales parish records

For Wales, a total of 15,428 baptism records have been added from 1923, with the largest updates to Glamorganshire and Monmouthshire. You can also delve into 10,236 marriages and banns records, covering the year 1938 and 13 Welsh counties. All include transcriptions and original images.

Newspapers

One new title, updates to a further five, and over 783,245 new pages make up this week’s newspaper release.

New titles:

• Farnworth Chronicle, 1906-1917

Updated titles:

• Belfast News-Letter, 1952-1953
• Campbeltown Courier, 1987-1988, 1990-1994
• Hoylake & West Kirby News, 1988
• Sheerness Times Guardian, 1975-1978, 1980
• Suffolk and Essex Free Press, 1949-1958, 1965, 1974-1975, 1979, 1981

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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/2023/08/findmypast-friday-new-norfolk-and-wales.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1705 Marriage Record of Micall Medcalf and Ledia White in Mendon, Massachusetts

 I looked in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings for Treasure Chest Thursday.

The treasure today is the 1705 marriage record of Micall Medcalf and Ledia White in Mendon, Massachusetts Bay:

The marriage record is near the middle of the right-hand page:

The transcription of this marriage record is:

"Micall Medcalf and Ledia White ware married the 21 of March 1704-5"

The source citation for this birth record is:

"Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," indexed database and digital images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com), Mendon, "Town Records and Earmarks, with Births, Marriages and Deaths," page 69 (image 42 of 106), Micall Medcalf and Ledia White marriage entry, 21 March 1704/5.

This record is probably an Original Source, with Primary Information and Direct Evidence of the marriage of Micall Medcalf and Ledia White in Mendon, Massachusetts..  

Michael Metcalf (1680-1761) was born 10 October 1680 to Michael and Elizabeth (Bowers) of Medfield, Massachusetts.  He married Lydia White (1686-????) on 21 March 1704/5 in Mendon, Massachusetts.  Lydia was born 10 May 1686  in Mendon, the daughter of Joseph and Lydia (Copeland) White.  Michael and Lydia had 6 children.

Michael and Lydia (White) Metcalf are my 7th great-grandparents.  I am descended through their son Michael Metcalf (1706-1771) 1728 to Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751). 

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/08/treasure-chest-thursday-1705-marriage.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

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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.

Genealogy Education Bytes - Week of 17 to 23 August 2023

 Welcome to Genealogy Education Bytes, posted on Wednesday afternoon for the past week, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history education items that came across our desktop since the last issue.

1) Upcoming Conferences, Institutes and Seminars

* Conference Keeper Calendar

*  THE Family History Show - In-person - London - 2 September 2023.

*  Ontario Ancestors "Diversity in Genealogy" Virtual Conference - 8-10 September 2023 

*  Southern California Genealogical Society: "SCGS 53rd Jamboree: Cherishing Your Family Inheritance" - Hybrid - 6-7 October 2023 

*  East Coast Genetic Genealogy Conference - Hybrid - 6-8 October 2023.

*  2023 APG Professional Management Conference: "Reset, Refresh, Refine Your Genealogy Career" - Hybrid - 19-20 October 2023

*  New York State Family History Conference: "Navigating New York: From Queens to the Queen City" - Hybrid - 2-4 November 2023

*  FHF Really Useful Family History Show - Virtual - 17-18 November 2023

*  SLIG 2024: The Family History Law Library - Virtual - 22-26 January 2024

*  2024 Institute for Genetic Genealogy (i4GG) Conference - 10-year Anniversary - Hybrid - 10-11 February 2024

2 ) Upcoming Seminars, Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

* Conference Keeper Calendar

* Legacy Family Tree Webinar Series

*  FamilySearch Library Classes and Webinars for August 2023

* MyHeritage 2023 Webinar Series

* Legacy Family Tree Webinar’s 2023 Mexico Research Series

* Southern California Genealogical Society Jamboree 2023 Webinar Series

* Utah Genealogical Association Pro Talk Webinar Series

* RootsTech 2023 On-Demand Sessions

*   Family Tree Webinars - Friday, 25 August, 11 a.m.:  Turning Witnesses into Evidence by Elizabeth Shown Mills.

*   Family Tree Webinars - Wednesday, 30 August, 11 a.m.:  Y DNA Discover Tool – What News Can Your Haplogroup Reveal? by Roberta Estes.

3) Recent Podcasts/Radio Shows:

*  Ancestral Findings:  AF-790: Eric Larson (Nine Old Men) Ancestral Findings Podcast

*  Ancestral Findings:  AF-791: Les Clark (Nine Old Men) Ancestral Findings Podcast

*  Family Tree Magazine:  Cyndi’s List – An Interview with Cyndi Ingle | Best Websites

*  Research Like a Pro:  RLP 267: Daniel Henrie and the Mormon Battalion

4) Recent YouTube Videos:

*  Aimee Cross - Genealogy Hints:  Inserting Citations (for BETTER family history)

*  BYU Family History Library:  HOW DO I...Use the Free BMD and the GRO? - Jerroleen Sorensen (13 Aug 2023)

*  BYU Family History Library:  What Happens To Your FamilySearch Memories When You Die? - James Tanner (13 Aug 2023)

*  BYU Family History Library:  The Old Northwest; Researching the Great Lake States – Maureen Brady (17 August 2023)

  

*  Cheri Hudson Passey:  GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Meli Alexander the DNA Chef!

*  Cheri Hudson Passey:  GenFriends Genealogy Chat Show: Ideas for Successful Societies - KYGS President Christopher Padgett

*  Family Tree Magazine:  The Family Search Historical Images Portal: A Quick Tour

*  Genealogy TV:  Maximize Your Ancestry Research: 3 Secrets the Pros Use (Edited Webinar)

*  Legacy Tree Genealogists:  How To Hire a Genealogist Part 1: What Kind of Genealogist Can I Hire?

*  LisaLisson:  5 Unique Types of Vintage Photographs | Beyond Black and White

5) Did you miss the last post in this series - Genealogy Education Bytes - 10 to 16 August 2023?

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2023/08/genealogy-education-bytes-week-of-17-to.html

Copyright (c) 2023, Randall J. Seaver

Note that all comments are moderated and 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 your comment on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at   randy.seaver@gmail.com.