Genea-Musings: 05/26/24

Saturday, June 1, 2024

Saturday Night Genealogy Fun -- Your Most Frustrating Research Challenge

Calling all Genea-Musings Fans:

It's Saturday Night Again -

Time For Some More Genealogy Fun!!

Come on, everybody, join in and accept the mission and execute it with precision.

1) One of the goals of every genealogy researcher is to solve difficult name and relationship problems. What is one of your most frustrating research challenge that you have not yet solved?

2) Share your challenging problem on your own blog or in a Facebook post. Please share a link in Comments on this post if you write your own post.

Here's mine:

My most frustrating and challenging research problem at this time is the parents of Sarah Fletcher (1802-c1848), the wife of Abraham James Kemp (1795-1881) of Ontario, Canada. They are my 3rd great-grandparents. The only record I have with her name and birth date, and her marriage date with Abraham, is a family Bible record from a grandson of Abraham and Sarah.

The source citation in my RootsMagic file is:

Unknown author, John Evans Kemp (1883-1956) Family Bible transcript (Transcript at Huntington Beach CA Public Library), Sarah Kemp birth entry.

Here is my note about the source:

“A Kemp family Bible was in the possession of a descendant of Abram Kemp (1795- after 1881) of Norfolk County, Ontario. A transcript of the Bible entry was typed at some unknown time by an unknown person and a copy of the transcript was donated to the Orange County (CA) Genealogical Society and placed in the Huntington Beach (CA) Public Library in Orange County, California at an unknown time, where I found it in the stacks in the early 1990s. I looked again for it about 10 years ago and could not find it."

The second page of the typed Bible record includes these notes:

“Abraham Kemp was married to Sarah Fletcher on 16th April 1818.

"BIRTHS

Ab'm Kemp 4 Nov 1795 (4 Dec 1795)
Sarah Kemp 7 July 1802 (about 1807)”

That’s all I have. I have searched for 36 years for Fletcher families in Ontario and Quebec without success. I searched for Fletcher families in the early 1800s in Prince Edward County and Lennox and Addington County in Ontario in that time frame with no results. Here is my 52 Ancestors post about her:

https://www.geneamusings.com/2015/01/52-ancestors-in-52-weeks-week-54-61.html.

I have many DNA matches with Abraham and Sarah as the common ancestors, and I have searched the Shared Matches for those people to see if I can find Mystery Matches using Diahan Southard’s methods, but since Sarah’s parents would be my 4th great-grandparents, the matches from her parents would be my 5th cousins or more. It’s not impossible, but it is difficult.

So Sarah Fletcher remains a brick wall ancestor!

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

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/06/saturday-night-genealogy-fun-your-most.html

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 25 to 31 May 2024

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

As of 31 May 2024, there are 3,311 historical record collections on FamilySearch (a decrease of 3 from last week):

The new and updated collections this week from FamilySearch are:

--- Collections Deleted ---

Argentina, Buenos Aires, Civil Registration, 1861-2018 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000041); 1 indexed records with 1 record images, DELETED
Argentina, Tierra del Fuego, Civil Registration, 1893-1932 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000048); 1 indexed records with 1 record images, DELETED
Brazil, Amazonas, Catholic Church Records, 1634-1878 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000038); 1 indexed records with 1 record images, DELETED
Colombia, DAS Civil Registration Alphabetic Cards, 1937-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/5000074); 1 indexed records with 1 record images, DELETED
Hawaii, Kauai County, Obituaries, 1982-2010 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2495093); 108,249 indexed records with 8,314 record images, DELETED

Indiana, Harrison County, Index Cards to Corydon Democrat Newspaper Obituaries, 1861-2008 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2844322); 376,350 indexed records with 45,697 record images, DELETED
Minnesota, Douglas County, Obituaries, 1860-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4373186); 72,740 indexed records with 4,266 record images, DELETED
Missouri, Phelps, Crawford, Dent, and Washington Counties, Obituaries, 1880-1990 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4373182); 584,634 indexed records with 11,117 record images, DELETED
Montana, Yellowstone Genealogy Forum, Yellowstone County Obituaries, 1955-1969 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3535182); 62,552 indexed records with 10,564 record images, DELETED
New Hampshire, Hillsborough County, Manchester, Obituaries, 1800-2007 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3047899); 30,249 indexed records with 3,958 record images, DELETED

Ohio, Washington County Newspaper Obituaries, 1884-2013 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2358414); 694,396 indexed records with 11,225 record images, DELETED
Oklahoma, Garfield County, Obituaries, 1963-1986 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4373179); 84,739 indexed records with 1,211 record images, DELETED
Spain, Civil Records, 1475-2003 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4474509); 1 indexed records with 1 record images, DELETED
United States Census, 1950 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/4464515); 7,849,989 indexed records with 7,849,989 record images, DELETED
Utah, Brigham City Family History Center, Obituary Collection, 1930-2015 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3657641); 350,005 indexed records with 21,451 record images, DELETED

--- Collections Added ---

* Alaska, State Archives (Juneau), Coroner's Inquests, 1913-1958 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3161312); 86 indexed records with 86 record images, ADDED 22-May-2024
* Illinois, Church Marriages, 1805-1985 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2534491); Index only (1,096 records), no images, ADDED 23-May-2024
* Illinois, Stark County, Circuit Court Naturalization Records, 1892-1913 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3158025); 56 indexed records with 56 record images, ADDED 22-May-2024
* Italy, Terni, Orvieto, Civil Registration (Tribunale), 1861-1910 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2043538); 128,749 indexed records with 43,316 record images, ADDED 26-May-2024
* Mexico, Distrito Federal, British Consulate Deaths, 1827-1926 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2313185); 1,241 indexed records with 29 record images, ADDED 27-May-2024

* New Hampshire, Church Records, 1771-1905 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2787826); 404 indexed records with 26 record images, ADDED 22-May-2024
* Texas, Church Marriages, 1839-1982 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/2534480); Index only (69 records), no images, ADDED 23-May-2024
* Utah, World War I County Draft Board Registers, Name Index, 1917-1918 (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/3019074); 137,805 indexed records with 1,973 record images, ADDED 22-May-2024

--- Collections Updated ---

Wait, there are over 2,000 more updated collections. That's more than 50% of all the collections.

Blogger wouldn't let me copy and paste them all, and I tried to do it in blocks but it still took too long.

The important ones are the collections deleted and added - they are listed above.

Perhaps the list will return to the "normal" 100 or so updated collections next week.

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

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 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.

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

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/06/added-and-updated-familysearch-record.html

Copyright (c) 2024 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.

Friday, May 31, 2024

Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 25 to 31 May 2024

The following genealogy record collections were added to the Ancestry.com Card Catalog page by Date Updated during the period from 25 to 31 May 2024:

The ADDED and Updated collections include:

* Gard, France, Births, Marriages and Deaths, 1791-1912 (in French); indexed records with record images, Updated 5/30/2024. This collection contains civil registries of births, marriages, and deaths from Gard, France.

* Ireland and Northern Ireland, Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's to current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 5/30/2024. This index allows you to search for your ancestor by name in Irish newspapers that are available on Newspapers.com™ from the 1800s to the present.

* Wales, Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's to current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 5/30/2024. This index allows you to search for your ancestor by name in Welsh newspapers that are available on Newspapers.com™ from the 1800s to the present.

* Scotland, Newspapers.com™ Stories and Events Index, 1800's to current; indexed records without record images, ADDED 5/30/2024. This index allows you to search for your ancestor by name in Scottish newspapers that are available on Newspapers.com™ from the 1800s to the present.

* Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, Birth, Marriage, and Death Records, 1874-1990 (in German); unindexed records with record images, ADDED 5/29/2024. This is an image only collection that contains birth, marriage, and death records from Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany between the years 1874 and 1990. Most records are in German.

* Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany, Address Books, 1847-1923 (in German); unindexed records with record images, ADDED 5/29/2024. This is an image only collection of address books from Brandenburg an der Havel, Germany between the years 1847 and 1923. Most records are in German.

* New South Wales, Australia, Assisted Immigrant Passenger Lists, 1828-1896; indexed records with record images, Updated 5/29/2024. This database contains a collection of assisted immigrant passenger lists to New South Wales, Australia for various years between 1828 and 1896.

* Geneanet Community Trees Index (in French); indexed records without record images, Updated 5/29/2024. This collection contains an index of more than 1.5 million family trees accumulated into a single database. The information in this collection was compiled through Geneanet, a collaborative ge...

* Finistère, France, Births, Marriages, and Deaths, 1600-1911; indexed records with record images, ADDED 5/29/2024. This collection contains civil registries of births, marriages, and deaths between 1600 and 1911 from Finistère, France.

* Web: Scotland, Select Poor Register Indexes, 1845-1930; indexed records without record images, ADDED 5/29/2024. All data in this third-party database was obtained from the source’s website. Ancestry.com does not support or make corrections or changes to the original database.

* United Kingdom, Red Cross Volunteers During WWI, 1914-1918; indexed records without record images, Updated 5/24/2024. This collection contains records of over 90,000 Red Cross volunteers from Britain between 1914 and 1918. Documents in the collection were handwritten on index cards.

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

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 33,486 collections available as of 31 May, an INCREASE of 7 from last week.

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

Note: The Blogger editor won't let me enlarge the image above.

Disclosure: I pay for an All-Access subscription from Ancestry.com. In past years. Ancestry.com provided a complimentary All Access subscription, material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and hosted events and meals that I have attended in Salt Lake City.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/05/added-and-updated-ancestrycom-record_31.html

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

52 Relatives: Howard Edward Seaver (1893-1900) of Massachusetts

I have posted over 500 genealogical sketches of my ancestors back through the 7th great-grandparents and a number of close relatives - see the list in 52 Ancestors/Relatives Biographies.

This "52 Relatives" theme is a weekly series to document the lives of siblings of my ancestors with relatively short genealogical sketches, including important events, and with source citations. These relatives lived and died within a family structure, and deserve a genealogical sketch - they were integral parts and important persons in the lives of my ancestral families. I will post the sketches on my Ancestry Member Tree and in the FamilySearch Family Tree.

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

Howard Edward Seaver was born 6 July 1893 in Leominster, Worcester Count, Massachusetts, the third and last child of Frank Walton and Hattie Louisa (Hildreth) Seaver.[1,3] The birth record indicates that Frank and Hattie Seaver were residents of Leominster. Frank W. Seaver was a Teamster born in Medfield, and Hattie L. was born in Northboro.

Howard E. Seaver died 10 April 1900 in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts of meningitis from disease of the middle ear.[2-3] The death record indicates that he was male, single, aged 6 years, 8 months and 4 days, a resident of Leominster, born in Leominster, died in Leomnster, buried in Leominster, and a son of Frank W. (born in Medfield) and Hattie L. (Hildreth) Seaver (born in Northboro).

The inscription of the gravestone of the Frank W. Seaver family in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts says:[3]

Frank W. Seaver
1852-1922

Hattie L. Seaver his wife
1858-1920

Howard E. Seaver
1893-1900

SOURCES:

1. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," indexed database and digital images, New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (https://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Births: Volume 432, Page 463, Howard Edward Seaver entry, 8 August 1893.

2. "Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915," New England Historic Genealogical Society, American Ancestors, Deaths: Volume 506, Page 389, Howard E. Seaver entry, 10 April 1900.

3. Find A Grave, indexed database and digital image, (https://www.findagrave.com), Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, Mass., Howard E. Seaver (1893-1900) memorial #52207915.

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

Howard Edward Seaver (1893-1900) was my grand-uncle, the brother of my paternal grandfather, Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942).

----------------------------------------------------------------------

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/05/52-relatives-howard-edward-seaver-1893.html

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

Discover New Naval Records this Findmypast Friday

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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

If there are marines, naval officers or coastguards in your family's past, this week's record releases are worth a look.

This week, explore a brand new collection of 19th and 20th-century coastguard records in addition to updated Navy, Marines and Women's Navy officer files. There's also a brand new newspaper title for you to discover. Read on for all the details on our latest releases.

Coastguards 1801-1952

If your ancestor worked as a coastguard between 1801 and 1952, their name may appear within this new set's 212,426 images and transcripts. This collection is published in association with The National Archives and includes establishment books, service records and more. It provides a unique glimpse into the lives and careers of those who kept Britain's shores safe.

British Royal Navy and Royal Marines Service and Pension Records 1704-1939

We've added 101,555 transcriptions to this existing collection, which spans over 250 years of British history. These latest arrivals comprise series ADM 139 from The National Archives, service records dating from 1853-1872.

Women's Royal Naval Service Officer Records

With images for 59,448 Women's Royal Naval Service Officer records added to existing transcripts, it's now easier to make exciting naval discoveries about your female forebears. We've added digitised images of the original National Archives records to series ADM 318 (officer files) and ADM 321 (appointments, promotions and resignations). Both collections cover the period between 1917 and 1919.

New newspaper pages from Belfast to Bexhill

We've released a brand new Scottish newspaper to our collection this week and updated 26 existing publications, with a total of 441,915 pages added. Explore the full release list below.

New titles

Ellon Times & East Gordon Advertiser covering 1991-1994

Updated titles

Alnwick Mercury from 2001-2002
Arbroath Herald from 1992
Banbury Guardian from 1993-1994
Belfast News-Letter from 1768-1769, 1771, 1773-1774, 1781, 1783, 1786, 1804 and 1810-1815
Belper News from 1930-1931, 1956-1957, 1992 and 1995
Beverley Guardian from 1993-1994
Bexhill-on-Sea Observer from 1988, 1990 and 1992
Brighouse Echo from 1990
Bucks Herald from 1987-1988 and 1994
Coleraine Times from 2001
Driffield Times from 1988
Falkirk Herald from 1987 and 1990
Hastings and St Leonards Observer from 1991
Larne Times from 1992 and 2000-2002
Londonderry Sentinel from 1978-1983, 1988, 1991 and 2000-2001
Market Rasen Weekly Mail from 1993-1994
Morpeth Herald from 1994-1995 and 2000-2001
Motherwell Times from 1992-1993
Northampton Mercury from 1988 and 1995-2003
Northamptonshire Evening Telegraph from 1996, 1999-2000 and 2002
Shields Daily Gazette from 1993 and 1995
Shields Daily News from 1928-1930 and 1936
Southern Reporter from 1985 and 1993-1994
St. Andrews Citizen from 1993-1994
West Sussex County Times from 1995
Whitby Gazette from 1988 and 1990

To focus your research on any particular newspaper title, visit our search page where you can select the publication and timeframe you're interested in.

As the only family history website with weekly new releases, a Findmypast subscription continually grows in value. If you missed last week's new releases, you can catch up here or check out all previous Findmypast Fridays on our What's New page.

===============================================.

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/2024/05/discover-new-naval-records-this.html

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

Thursday, May 30, 2024

11.6 million Nordic Newspaper Pages Added To OldNews.com

I received this information from Daniel Horiwitz, the genealogy expert at MyHeritage.

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

We're excited to announce the addition of 11.6 million new Nordic newspaper pages to OldNews.com, the innovative website for historical newspapers, by MyHeritage. OldNews.com enables genealogists, researchers, and history enthusiasts to search, save, and share articles about people and events throughout history.

The new content includes historical local, regional and national newspapers, periodicals and gazettes from Sweden, Finland, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Greenland, and the Faroe Islands, with articles dating back to 1666, but mostly from the 19th century.

They are incredibly useful for anyone researching Nordic roots: we’ve gathered them from various sources into one place, making it easier than ever to search through them.

These newspapers have been indexed and are searchable on OldNews.com. You can also find them on MyHeritage here, with the full images for the newspaper pages available on OldNews.com via direct links from MyHeritage.

You can read more about the collections on our blog.

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

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. This does not affect my objective analysis of MyHeritage products. I am a subscriber to Family Tree Webinars and love it.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/05/116-million-nordic-newspaper-pages.html

Randy's Cousins -- 6th Cousin 3x Removed Susan B. Anthony (1820-1906), the Famous Social Reformer and Women's Rights Activist

This week's famous cousin is my 6th cousin 3x removed Susan Brownell Anthony (1820-1906), the famous social reformer and women's rights activist.

Here is her FamilySearch Family Tree short biography:

When Susan Brownell Anthony was born on 15 February 1820, in Adams, Berkshire, Massachusetts, United States, her father, Daniel Anthony, was 26 and her mother, Lucy Read, was 26. She lived in Battenville, Washington, New York, United States in 1826 and Gates, Monroe, New York, United States for about 10 years. She died on 13 March 1906, in Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States, at the age of 86, and was buried in Mount Hope Cemetery, Rochester, Monroe, New York, United States.

The Wikipedia profile for Susan B. Anthony is here.

Susan B. Anthony (born Susan Anthony; February 15, 1820 – March 13, 1906) was an American social reformer and women's rights activist who played a pivotal role in the women's suffrage movement. Born into a Quaker family committed to social equality, she collected anti-slavery petitions at the age of 17. In 1856, she became the New York state agent for the American Anti-Slavery Society.

Here is the Relative Finder chart showing my relationship to Susan B. Anthony:

My most recent common ancestors with 6th cousin 3x removed cousin Susan Brownell Anthony are my 8th great-grandparents Edward Thurston (1616-1706) and Elizabeth Mott (1629-1694)..

Are you related to Susan Brownell Anthony? Check out her profile on the FamilySearch Family TreeFamilySearch Family Tree and click the "View Relationship" link at the top of the page. Note that you have to have your profile connected to the FamilySearch Family Tree in order for this to work.

This shows that you never know to whom you might be related!!! I'm having lots of Genealogy Fun. Click here to see all of my famous cousins.

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

Note: Blogger's image editor is not working properly at this time - I cannot resize the images to be readable. My apologies.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2024/05/randys-cousins-6th-cousin-3x-removed_01743590625.html

Treasure Chest Thursday - 1693 Birth Record of Jonathan Partridge (1693-1756) in Medfield, Massachusetts Bay

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - an opportunity to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history research and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1693 birth entry for Jonathan Partridge in the Medfield, Norfolk County, Massachusetts vital records:

The birth record is near the middle of the Partridge items on the image:

The transcription of this record is::

"[PARTRIDGE] Jonathan, s. John [and] Elisebeth, Nov. 25, 1693"

The source citation for this record is (using Evidence Explained 4th edition template):

Vital Records of Medfield, Massachusetts to the Year 1850 (Boston, Mass. : New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1903), Births, page 77, Jonathan Partridge entry, 25 November 1693, son of John and Elisebeth.

This is an entry abstracted from the Medfield, Massachusetts town records, which are not available online. It is a Derivative Source, with Primary Information and Direct Evidence of Jonathan Partridge's birth date and place, and his parents names.

Jonathan Partridge (1693-1756) was born 25 November 1693 in Medfield, Suffolk County, Massachusetts Bay, the son of John Partridge and Elizabeth (Adams) Partridge. Jonathan died 6 November 1756 in Barre, Worcester County, Massachusetts Bay. He married (1) Elizabeth Learned (1696-1738) on 13 November 1717 in Framingham, Middlesex County, Massachusetts Bay. They had 11 children. After Elizabeth died, Jonathan married (2) Anna Phipps (1717-1748) on 18 January 1739 in Medway, Suffolk county, Massachusetts Bay; they had 5 children. After Anna died, Jonathan married (3) Abigail Lovett (171721-1806) on 10 September 1749 in Suffolk county, Massachusetts Bay. They had 4 children.

Jonathan and Elizabeth (Learned) Partridge are my 7th great-grandparents, through their son Jasper Partridge (1732-1821) who married Mary Rice (1737-1767) in 1756.

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

Disclosure: I have a paid All-Access subscription to Ancestry.com now. Ancestry.com has provided a complimentary subscription and 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/2024/05/treasure-chest-thursday-1693-birth-of.html

All comments are moderated, and may not appear immediately after posting.