One of the very best genealogy educators and writers I have ever known has passed away. Ken Aitken, who was a genealogy librarian, researcher, writer, educator, speaker, blogger, encourager and friend died of complications due to ALS in Penticton BC today.
You can read Ken's obituary at http://genealogyeducation.wordpress.com/2007/04/21/kens-passing/ and find Neil Aitken's musings about his father at http://www.lone-crow.com/PoetryBlog/?p=312. You can comment about his passing at both sites.
I never met Ken, but I feel like I "know" him well. I enjoyed reading and commenting on his Genealogy Education blog because his posts and opinions challenged me to think. Ken was a true professional in everything he did. His passion for genealogy research and education was inspirational. He walked the walk and talked the talk. I encourage each of you to go to his blog and read his posts - you will understand what I mean.
My heart is heavy, but I am glad that he is out of his physical pain. My prayers are with his family and friends - may they celebrate a life well lived (although way too short), appreciate him as a spouse, parent, grandparent and friend, and remember him for his goodness and love for life.
Saturday, April 21, 2007
The Crystal Ball: Part 1 - Will all records be digitized?
The first question I asked in my April 11th post titled "What is in the Genealogy Future?" , hoping for comment, was:
"1) Will we ever get to the point in online Internet genealogy when all genealogical or historical records are available in digital form at any time of day to a researcher sitting at home?"
This is probably the easiest one to answer - I'm quite sure that the answer will be "NO - there is no way that ALL genealogical or historical records are available in digital form."
By my reckoning, we are perhaps 5% to 10% of the way there. There are substantial collections of records available on freely accessible sites (e.g., Rootsweb, USGenWeb, WorldGenWeb, FamilySearch, etc.), on government web sites (National Archives, official state and county web sites, etc), on subscription services (e.g., Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, GenealogyBank, WorldVitalRecords, Footnote, and others) and on genealogy society web sites(e.g., NEHGS, NGS, NYGBS, etc.).
Even after the LDS completes their digitizing and indexing of the 2.5 million microfilms and 1.5 million microfiches with over 5 billion pages, and if the commercial companies and the dedicated volunteers continue their digitizing efforts, there will still be billions of pages that are not available online. Even worse, if identity theft concerns heighten and states shield their vital records from genealogists, even more records will not be available online.
The government records since 1900 are massive - each county and state has massive record archives that have probably not been filmed, and only recent year holdings have been digitized. In addition, there are hundreds of genealogy and historical societies with paper holdings in file cabinets or on shelves that are not available on film, fiche or images. And this considers only the USA - what about the rest of the world?
On the positive side, when the LDS digitizing and indexing is substantially complete (will it ever be finished?), those records will be available and searchable online - that means that most of the pre-1900 records that are on film and fiche - the town, tax, land, probate, census, military, church, manuscripts, books, directories, etc. records. And the volunteer researchers, the commercial companies, and many genealogical societies will continue to digitize records as the years go by.
What about the researcher contributed online databases? Will they grow much larger? Will they improve in accuracy? Will "everybody" be included? I sincerely doubt it!
Perhaps by 2020, the percentage of available online records will be something like 40% to 50%. While that may be wonderful, I still love to go to the library, the FHC, the historical society, the county office and the cemetery to do my research. I love the challenge of the search and the thrill of discovery.
What about you - what do you think about all of this? Please pontificate! If you post on this topic in your own genealogy blog, I will add the link to this post, but please let me know about it.
"1) Will we ever get to the point in online Internet genealogy when all genealogical or historical records are available in digital form at any time of day to a researcher sitting at home?"
This is probably the easiest one to answer - I'm quite sure that the answer will be "NO - there is no way that ALL genealogical or historical records are available in digital form."
By my reckoning, we are perhaps 5% to 10% of the way there. There are substantial collections of records available on freely accessible sites (e.g., Rootsweb, USGenWeb, WorldGenWeb, FamilySearch, etc.), on government web sites (National Archives, official state and county web sites, etc), on subscription services (e.g., Ancestry.com, Genealogy.com, GenealogyBank, WorldVitalRecords, Footnote, and others) and on genealogy society web sites(e.g., NEHGS, NGS, NYGBS, etc.).
Even after the LDS completes their digitizing and indexing of the 2.5 million microfilms and 1.5 million microfiches with over 5 billion pages, and if the commercial companies and the dedicated volunteers continue their digitizing efforts, there will still be billions of pages that are not available online. Even worse, if identity theft concerns heighten and states shield their vital records from genealogists, even more records will not be available online.
The government records since 1900 are massive - each county and state has massive record archives that have probably not been filmed, and only recent year holdings have been digitized. In addition, there are hundreds of genealogy and historical societies with paper holdings in file cabinets or on shelves that are not available on film, fiche or images. And this considers only the USA - what about the rest of the world?
On the positive side, when the LDS digitizing and indexing is substantially complete (will it ever be finished?), those records will be available and searchable online - that means that most of the pre-1900 records that are on film and fiche - the town, tax, land, probate, census, military, church, manuscripts, books, directories, etc. records. And the volunteer researchers, the commercial companies, and many genealogical societies will continue to digitize records as the years go by.
What about the researcher contributed online databases? Will they grow much larger? Will they improve in accuracy? Will "everybody" be included? I sincerely doubt it!
Perhaps by 2020, the percentage of available online records will be something like 40% to 50%. While that may be wonderful, I still love to go to the library, the FHC, the historical society, the county office and the cemetery to do my research. I love the challenge of the search and the thrill of discovery.
What about you - what do you think about all of this? Please pontificate! If you post on this topic in your own genealogy blog, I will add the link to this post, but please let me know about it.
Alan Jones on USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb
Seven of us from CVGS went to the CGSSD meeting today as a research trip. We carpooled from Chula Vista to UCSD - about 20 miles each way.
During the first hour, we attended the FamilyTreeMaker software users group meeting led by Lance Dohe. He usually demonstrates how to use the different features of FTM and if he doesn't know the answer, he invites guidance from the audience. Today, there were questions about creating a list of individuals who were born or died in a certain locale, correcting locality names using Find and Replace, adding data from one database to another, and several others.
During the refreshment break, Alan Jones set up a slide show on the screen with humorous cartoons taken from the newspapers (Frank and Ernest, Family Circle, and others) that had everybody in stitches. After a short business meeting led by John Kracha introduced the guest speaker.
Alan's presentation on "Using USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb" highlighted the FREE information that can be found on those web sites. He used screen shots, with text box comments to illustrate the heirarchy - state, county, and sometimes town - of web sites, and showed the various resources that might be found on the sites. Alan also went through several of the USGenWeb Projects and described them and showed results. He emphasized contacting the volunteers on these pages who have books or records, or have written queries, or are on a surname list, in order to obtain more information. The information on WorldGenWeb was sparser as he ran out of time, but he encouraged people to use the Translation service on Google - he has used it to write a letter to Italy and to translate one from Italy. Alan's talk was interspersed with anecdotes and stories from his own research.
It was a wonderful presentation and our CVGS members enjoyed themselves tremendously.
All of us were amused that Alan was driven to do genealogy research because when he was a teenager, they had a 16 generation pedigree chart for the family dog with certificates, but he didn't know who all of his great-grandparents were. So they embarked on the genealogy journey together. I sincerely doubt that he has his 16-generation pedigree chart completely filled out yet. Does anybody?
During the first hour, we attended the FamilyTreeMaker software users group meeting led by Lance Dohe. He usually demonstrates how to use the different features of FTM and if he doesn't know the answer, he invites guidance from the audience. Today, there were questions about creating a list of individuals who were born or died in a certain locale, correcting locality names using Find and Replace, adding data from one database to another, and several others.
During the refreshment break, Alan Jones set up a slide show on the screen with humorous cartoons taken from the newspapers (Frank and Ernest, Family Circle, and others) that had everybody in stitches. After a short business meeting led by John Kracha introduced the guest speaker.
Alan's presentation on "Using USGenWeb and WorldGenWeb" highlighted the FREE information that can be found on those web sites. He used screen shots, with text box comments to illustrate the heirarchy - state, county, and sometimes town - of web sites, and showed the various resources that might be found on the sites. Alan also went through several of the USGenWeb Projects and described them and showed results. He emphasized contacting the volunteers on these pages who have books or records, or have written queries, or are on a surname list, in order to obtain more information. The information on WorldGenWeb was sparser as he ran out of time, but he encouraged people to use the Translation service on Google - he has used it to write a letter to Italy and to translate one from Italy. Alan's talk was interspersed with anecdotes and stories from his own research.
It was a wonderful presentation and our CVGS members enjoyed themselves tremendously.
All of us were amused that Alan was driven to do genealogy research because when he was a teenager, they had a 16 generation pedigree chart for the family dog with certificates, but he didn't know who all of his great-grandparents were. So they embarked on the genealogy journey together. I sincerely doubt that he has his 16-generation pedigree chart completely filled out yet. Does anybody?
Friday, April 20, 2007
Searching for Cornelia's Family - Part 2 - Traditional Resources
I posted last month about my online search for the parents of my newly identified ancestor Cornelia BRESEE (and variants like Brazee, Brazie, Bressey, Brisee, Brusee, Bries, Brees, Breese, etc) here. And I posted my progress in tracking down information in online resources here. If nothing else, these posts serve as a research log for my work. Perhaps other researchers can use the to-do list, and the web sites searched, and tailor it to their own needs.
During this online search effort, I input as much data as I could find into a FamilyTreeMaker database so that I could organize and sort the information I have.
Unfortunately, a clear set of parents was not identified from the online search effort. However, a set of perhaps 10 potential families were identified, but, at this time, there is no guarantee that any of them are her parents.
The second major step in my search for Cornelia's parents is to search for traditional resources - books, periodicals, manuscripts, other researchers, etc.
This search will take a longer time than the online search because of the difficulty of accessing the records from the San Diego area. I will try to post about my findings as I gather them.
My To-Do list for traditional resources include:
1) Search the LDS Family History Library Catalog online for books and manuscripts for the Bresee (and variants) surname. Order microfilms as needed at the FHC and review them.
2) Search the LDS Family History Library Catalog online for books and manuscripts for Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York. Concentrate on church, town, tax, land and probate records. Order microfilms as needed at the FHC and review them.
3) Search the OCLC WorldCat online (www.worldcat.org) for books and manuscripts for the Bresee (and variants) surname. Order potentially helpful books via InterLibrary Loan if possible.
4) Search the OCLC WorldCat online (www.worldcat.org) for books and manuscripts for Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York. Order potentially helpful books via InterLibrary Loan if possible.
5) Search the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) online for periodical articles that might contain information on the Bresee surname and records in the Hudson River area of New York. Try to find the periodicals in the San Diego area, or order the articles via snail mail from Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.
6) Contact via email or snail mail the people who have submitted queries on the surname and locality message boards and mailing lists. Determine if they have information about my Cornelia Bresee. Even though I have had few responses to my posted queries, it is probable that some of these researchers don't read the boards and lists regularly.
7) Contact via email or snail mail the genealogical and historical societies in Rensselaer and Columbia Counties NY to determine if they hold Bresee surname resources or unique county resources available nowhere else.
8) If necessary, take a research trip to Salt Lake City to view manuscripts and books there that are not available on microfilm or microfiche.
9) If necessary, take a research trip to the Hudson River valley to view manuscripts and books there that are not available online, via ILL or by mail.
My best guess is that, if I am going to solve this research problem, it is going to be by finding primary records in original sources - probably church, cemetery, probate and land records in the Hudson River counties.
I am sure that there are many more things I can do in Traditional Resources - please make suggestions and help me out here. I will appreciate it! I will add to this list when I get suggestions or think of additions as time goes on.
During this online search effort, I input as much data as I could find into a FamilyTreeMaker database so that I could organize and sort the information I have.
Unfortunately, a clear set of parents was not identified from the online search effort. However, a set of perhaps 10 potential families were identified, but, at this time, there is no guarantee that any of them are her parents.
The second major step in my search for Cornelia's parents is to search for traditional resources - books, periodicals, manuscripts, other researchers, etc.
This search will take a longer time than the online search because of the difficulty of accessing the records from the San Diego area. I will try to post about my findings as I gather them.
My To-Do list for traditional resources include:
1) Search the LDS Family History Library Catalog online for books and manuscripts for the Bresee (and variants) surname. Order microfilms as needed at the FHC and review them.
2) Search the LDS Family History Library Catalog online for books and manuscripts for Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York. Concentrate on church, town, tax, land and probate records. Order microfilms as needed at the FHC and review them.
3) Search the OCLC WorldCat online (www.worldcat.org) for books and manuscripts for the Bresee (and variants) surname. Order potentially helpful books via InterLibrary Loan if possible.
4) Search the OCLC WorldCat online (www.worldcat.org) for books and manuscripts for Rensselaer and Columbia Counties, New York. Order potentially helpful books via InterLibrary Loan if possible.
5) Search the PERiodical Source Index (PERSI) online for periodical articles that might contain information on the Bresee surname and records in the Hudson River area of New York. Try to find the periodicals in the San Diego area, or order the articles via snail mail from Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.
6) Contact via email or snail mail the people who have submitted queries on the surname and locality message boards and mailing lists. Determine if they have information about my Cornelia Bresee. Even though I have had few responses to my posted queries, it is probable that some of these researchers don't read the boards and lists regularly.
7) Contact via email or snail mail the genealogical and historical societies in Rensselaer and Columbia Counties NY to determine if they hold Bresee surname resources or unique county resources available nowhere else.
8) If necessary, take a research trip to Salt Lake City to view manuscripts and books there that are not available on microfilm or microfiche.
9) If necessary, take a research trip to the Hudson River valley to view manuscripts and books there that are not available online, via ILL or by mail.
My best guess is that, if I am going to solve this research problem, it is going to be by finding primary records in original sources - probably church, cemetery, probate and land records in the Hudson River counties.
I am sure that there are many more things I can do in Traditional Resources - please make suggestions and help me out here. I will appreciate it! I will add to this list when I get suggestions or think of additions as time goes on.
WhitePages.com adds a name search tool
Leland Meitzler at Everton Publishers's Genealogy Blog informs us that there is a name frequency calculator at http://names.whitepages.com/.
This is pretty cool - you can input a surname and see a state map with the frequency of the surname by state, get a list of the top 5 states, and a rank of the surname in the entire country.
For instance, Seaver is #8,065 out of over 6 million surnames with 1,052 entries in their database. Massachusetts leads with 92 entries, and California is second with 77.
You can click on an alpha list to see the number of people with a given name - for instance, there are 4 Randy's, 3 Randall's and 2 Randell's in the database.
In order to see the state lists for a given surname, you have to click the "People Search" tab at the top and enter the surname and the state. Clicking on the state and entering the surname in the "Search the People Information database" box doesn't get a list for some reason. When I do this, it says that there are 133 California entries for Seaver, not 77. My guess is that they include spouse names also, and work phone numbers too.
The top 10 surnames in the USA, according to WhitePages listings, are:
1. Smith
2. Johnson
3. Williams
4. Brown
5. Jones
6. Miller
7. Davis
8. Anderson
9. Wilson
10. Taylor
In California, the 10 most common surnames are:
1. Garcia
2. Hernandez
3. Lopez
4. Smith
5. Martinez
6. Rodriguez
7. Gonzalez
8. Johnson
9. Lee
10. Ramirez
That's interesting! There are also listings for first name frequency by state or for the entire country. Canadian provinces are included in these listings.
Thanks, Leland, for the tip and the link.
This is pretty cool - you can input a surname and see a state map with the frequency of the surname by state, get a list of the top 5 states, and a rank of the surname in the entire country.
For instance, Seaver is #8,065 out of over 6 million surnames with 1,052 entries in their database. Massachusetts leads with 92 entries, and California is second with 77.
You can click on an alpha list to see the number of people with a given name - for instance, there are 4 Randy's, 3 Randall's and 2 Randell's in the database.
In order to see the state lists for a given surname, you have to click the "People Search" tab at the top and enter the surname and the state. Clicking on the state and entering the surname in the "Search the People Information database" box doesn't get a list for some reason. When I do this, it says that there are 133 California entries for Seaver, not 77. My guess is that they include spouse names also, and work phone numbers too.
The top 10 surnames in the USA, according to WhitePages listings, are:
1. Smith
2. Johnson
3. Williams
4. Brown
5. Jones
6. Miller
7. Davis
8. Anderson
9. Wilson
10. Taylor
In California, the 10 most common surnames are:
1. Garcia
2. Hernandez
3. Lopez
4. Smith
5. Martinez
6. Rodriguez
7. Gonzalez
8. Johnson
9. Lee
10. Ramirez
That's interesting! There are also listings for first name frequency by state or for the entire country. Canadian provinces are included in these listings.
Thanks, Leland, for the tip and the link.
CGSSD meeting on Saturday
I am a member of the Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego and enjoy their monthly meetings and leaders tremendously. Here is the announcement of Saturday's CGSSD meeting:
--------------------------------------------------------
The Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego meets Saturday, April, 21, 2007 from 9:00 am to noon.
9:00 - User groups for Family Tree Maker, Legacy and RootsMagic
A break and refreshments will begin at 10:15.
10:30 - Announcements followed by Program.
"Using USGenWeb & WorldGenWeb" presented by Alan Jones
Learn about these free websites that all researchers should have in their tool box of tricks. One is a MUST for research in the USA; it has many nationwide sources, state resources, and county gems. The other site has the entire planet! So if your research is on this planet, you need these websites.
Alan Jones holds degrees in both Business (El Camino College) and Computer Science (Brigham Young University). He currently works as a senior IT consultant for Southern California Edison. He has been involved in family history for over 30 years, serving as an LDS Stake & Ward family history consultant and director of a Family History Center. He completed the Family History Training Program in Provo, Utah, and has taught classes in FHCs, colleges, and genealogy societies, and published several books. He also maintains several genealogy websites. He and his family live in southern Orange County. Alan loves genealogy on the Internet and often gives presentations on related topics. When Alan was a teenager, his dog, Mugs, had a full and complete pedigree chart with all the ancestors verified and certified, but Alan didn’t know all of his own great-grandparents. He and his mother decided they were as important as their dog and began the quest for their ancestors.
--------------------------------------------------------
You can find directions to the meeting at the www.cgssd.org web site.
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society research trip this month is to attend this meeting at UCSD. We thought the user groups and Alan Jones presentation would be informative and helpful to our members. We will carpool from Chula Vista, leaving the parking garage at 8:20 AM. We will probably have 8 to 10 attend this meeting from CVGS.
--------------------------------------------------------
The Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego meets Saturday, April, 21, 2007 from 9:00 am to noon.
9:00 - User groups for Family Tree Maker, Legacy and RootsMagic
A break and refreshments will begin at 10:15.
10:30 - Announcements followed by Program.
"Using USGenWeb & WorldGenWeb" presented by Alan Jones
Learn about these free websites that all researchers should have in their tool box of tricks. One is a MUST for research in the USA; it has many nationwide sources, state resources, and county gems. The other site has the entire planet! So if your research is on this planet, you need these websites.
Alan Jones holds degrees in both Business (El Camino College) and Computer Science (Brigham Young University). He currently works as a senior IT consultant for Southern California Edison. He has been involved in family history for over 30 years, serving as an LDS Stake & Ward family history consultant and director of a Family History Center. He completed the Family History Training Program in Provo, Utah, and has taught classes in FHCs, colleges, and genealogy societies, and published several books. He also maintains several genealogy websites. He and his family live in southern Orange County. Alan loves genealogy on the Internet and often gives presentations on related topics. When Alan was a teenager, his dog, Mugs, had a full and complete pedigree chart with all the ancestors verified and certified, but Alan didn’t know all of his own great-grandparents. He and his mother decided they were as important as their dog and began the quest for their ancestors.
--------------------------------------------------------
You can find directions to the meeting at the www.cgssd.org web site.
The Chula Vista Genealogical Society research trip this month is to attend this meeting at UCSD. We thought the user groups and Alan Jones presentation would be informative and helpful to our members. We will carpool from Chula Vista, leaving the parking garage at 8:20 AM. We will probably have 8 to 10 attend this meeting from CVGS.
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Interesting 1722 town record for Christopher Champlin of Westerly RI
As I continue working through the Rhode Island probate records for my ancestors, I found the following:
On 21 August 1722, Christopher Champlin and his second wife, Elizabeth (--?--), widow of William Danell, made an agreement. It reads (transcribed from "Westerly (Rhode Island) Town Council and Probate Records, 1699-1888," Volume 2, Page 74-5, on FHL Microfilm 0,930,805, very difficult to read):
"To all Christian people to whome these presents shall come Know ye that whereas there is a Legacy Given to Elizabeth Champlin wife to Christopher Champlin Senr who was formerly Relict to Mr. William Danell deceased & he being of the town of Westerly in his Majesties Colony of Rhoad Island and Providence Plantations in New England (Viz.)
"Twenty Pounds mony twenty Loads of wood & the keeping of four Cretures ?? ?????? and yearly and every year during the whole course of her naturall life to be paid by the Son William Danel of sd Town & Colony as may appear by the last Will & Testament of the sd William Danel deceased who did make by sd last Will make and ordain William Danel her son an Executor to sd Last Will and testament and upon probation of sd will before the town Counsel of the town of Westerly the sd Councel did Require Bond of sd Danel with two sureties for his ??? Administration and performance of sd will & In Compliance with the sd Request Samuel Clark and Christopher Champlin Junr Both of the said town and Colony were both bound with the sd William Danel unto the aforesd Counsel as may appear by their Bond of two thousand pounds Currant mony of New England which is upon Record for the due performance of sd will the Bond haves date March the thirteenth day in the year one thousand seven hundred and Eighteen Coming nineteen & for the Better Securing the sd Sureties or bondsmen Clark and Champlin their Estates Heirs & Succesers which is altogether Requisite and needfull by Reason that it ????? Evident that the aforesd William Danel hath ??paid a Great part of his Estate & doth Still go on Wasting & Embezzling of the same Reference being had to the above written precept and Every Article & Clause yrof ???? of one Sd Elizabeth Champlin having Considered the Difficulty that may arise to said Bondsmen by ???? [an unreadable line inserted] of these presents for Ever Exhonorate Requit and Discharge the aforesd Samuel Clark and Christopher Champlin Sr and their heirs Executors and admr for Ever of and from all and Every part and parcel of the Legacy of twenty pounds mony twenty Loads of wood and keeping of four Cretures that is to say I do for Ever Requitt and Discharge the sd Clark and Champlin their heirs and Succesors from all that hath been due unto me by the above mentioned will from the begining of the world to the Date of these presence and from the Date of these presents to the end of the world. I the Sd Christopher Champlin Senr do by these presents allow and confirm all the above writen premises and in token and Confirmation that this is our lone and voluntary act and deed we have hereunto Sett our hands and seales this twenty first day of August Annoq Domini 1722.
......................his
Christopher CC Champlin (seal)
.....................mark
......... ..........her
. .Elizabeth EC Champlin (seal)
.... ...........mark
Signed Sealed and Delivered
n the presents of us
Edward Greenman
Robert Austin
Joanna Champlin
G Davisson"
"Mr. Christopher Champlin and Mrs. Elizabeth Champlin the Subscribing both presents appeared in Westerly this 29 Day of August 1722 and acknowledged the above writen instrument to be their voluntary act and deed before me, Joseph Stanton, Justice."
=====================================
Can you believe how long that sentence is? Amazing - I found no end to it - almost the whole page!
The really interesting thing here is that Christopher Champlin's second wife, Elizabeth (widow of William Danell), made an agreement on 13 March 1718/19 with the executor of her deceased husband, her son William Danell. In 1722, this record shows that she relieved the other two sureties, Samuel Clark and Christopher Champlin (her now husband) from their responsibility because the Executor has not settled the estate.
Some records list Elizabeth's first husband as William Davol or Davell, but the handwriting in this record is consistently Danell or Danel. The March date is right after the will of William Danell was proved.
My purpose in presenting this in its entirety is to show that not all probate records are administrations, wills or inventories. Occasionally you find agreements or indentures of this nature that shed light on the lives of your ancestors.
After I transcribed this today, I Googled ["christopher champlin" elizabeth westerly] and was rewarded with several web pages with early Westerly deed book abstracts, which included deeds for this Christopher Champlin. When I go to the RI USGenWeb site, I can't find the early Westerly deed abstracts!
UPDATE 3:45 PM: I finally found the Westerly deed abstracts (Vols 4-9) at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/articles.html. You would think that they would be linked to Westerly somehow!
On 21 August 1722, Christopher Champlin and his second wife, Elizabeth (--?--), widow of William Danell, made an agreement. It reads (transcribed from "Westerly (Rhode Island) Town Council and Probate Records, 1699-1888," Volume 2, Page 74-5, on FHL Microfilm 0,930,805, very difficult to read):
"To all Christian people to whome these presents shall come Know ye that whereas there is a Legacy Given to Elizabeth Champlin wife to Christopher Champlin Senr who was formerly Relict to Mr. William Danell deceased & he being of the town of Westerly in his Majesties Colony of Rhoad Island and Providence Plantations in New England (Viz.)
"Twenty Pounds mony twenty Loads of wood & the keeping of four Cretures ?? ?????? and yearly and every year during the whole course of her naturall life to be paid by the Son William Danel of sd Town & Colony as may appear by the last Will & Testament of the sd William Danel deceased who did make by sd last Will make and ordain William Danel her son an Executor to sd Last Will and testament and upon probation of sd will before the town Counsel of the town of Westerly the sd Councel did Require Bond of sd Danel with two sureties for his ??? Administration and performance of sd will & In Compliance with the sd Request Samuel Clark and Christopher Champlin Junr Both of the said town and Colony were both bound with the sd William Danel unto the aforesd Counsel as may appear by their Bond of two thousand pounds Currant mony of New England which is upon Record for the due performance of sd will the Bond haves date March the thirteenth day in the year one thousand seven hundred and Eighteen Coming nineteen & for the Better Securing the sd Sureties or bondsmen Clark and Champlin their Estates Heirs & Succesers which is altogether Requisite and needfull by Reason that it ????? Evident that the aforesd William Danel hath ??paid a Great part of his Estate & doth Still go on Wasting & Embezzling of the same Reference being had to the above written precept and Every Article & Clause yrof ???? of one Sd Elizabeth Champlin having Considered the Difficulty that may arise to said Bondsmen by ???? [an unreadable line inserted] of these presents for Ever Exhonorate Requit and Discharge the aforesd Samuel Clark and Christopher Champlin Sr and their heirs Executors and admr for Ever of and from all and Every part and parcel of the Legacy of twenty pounds mony twenty Loads of wood and keeping of four Cretures that is to say I do for Ever Requitt and Discharge the sd Clark and Champlin their heirs and Succesors from all that hath been due unto me by the above mentioned will from the begining of the world to the Date of these presence and from the Date of these presents to the end of the world. I the Sd Christopher Champlin Senr do by these presents allow and confirm all the above writen premises and in token and Confirmation that this is our lone and voluntary act and deed we have hereunto Sett our hands and seales this twenty first day of August Annoq Domini 1722.
......................his
Christopher CC Champlin (seal)
.....................mark
......... ..........her
. .Elizabeth EC Champlin (seal)
.... ...........mark
Signed Sealed and Delivered
n the presents of us
Edward Greenman
Robert Austin
Joanna Champlin
G Davisson"
"Mr. Christopher Champlin and Mrs. Elizabeth Champlin the Subscribing both presents appeared in Westerly this 29 Day of August 1722 and acknowledged the above writen instrument to be their voluntary act and deed before me, Joseph Stanton, Justice."
=====================================
Can you believe how long that sentence is? Amazing - I found no end to it - almost the whole page!
The really interesting thing here is that Christopher Champlin's second wife, Elizabeth (widow of William Danell), made an agreement on 13 March 1718/19 with the executor of her deceased husband, her son William Danell. In 1722, this record shows that she relieved the other two sureties, Samuel Clark and Christopher Champlin (her now husband) from their responsibility because the Executor has not settled the estate.
Some records list Elizabeth's first husband as William Davol or Davell, but the handwriting in this record is consistently Danell or Danel. The March date is right after the will of William Danell was proved.
My purpose in presenting this in its entirety is to show that not all probate records are administrations, wills or inventories. Occasionally you find agreements or indentures of this nature that shed light on the lives of your ancestors.
After I transcribed this today, I Googled ["christopher champlin" elizabeth westerly] and was rewarded with several web pages with early Westerly deed book abstracts, which included deeds for this Christopher Champlin. When I go to the RI USGenWeb site, I can't find the early Westerly deed abstracts!
UPDATE 3:45 PM: I finally found the Westerly deed abstracts (Vols 4-9) at http://www.rootsweb.com/~rigenweb/articles.html. You would think that they would be linked to Westerly somehow!
The Genealogist's Spouse
I found this list while searching for links, and thought it was funny:
You know you're a Genealogist's Spouse when:
* You're the only person in the bridge/poker club who knows what a Soundex is.
* Some of your best friends live over 200 miles away.
* You have more pictures of tombstones than of the kids.
* "I need a little help at the courthouse" means to forget the cleaning, washing, dinner, chores; the day is shot.
* The mailman can't believe you get this much mail from someone you don't know.
* You explain to Mom why you can't go 25 miles for Sunday dinner, but can go 100 miles to check out another cemetery."
* "As soon as I check this census record, I'll fix the leaky faucet" means "call the plumber."
* You get home from a trip to an out-of-state courthouse with the kids needing scrubbing, car needing fixing, and clothes needing washing to find the housework, bills and lawnmower to greet you.
* Your neighbors think you're crazy, your friends wonder, and you know you are.
* Despite it all, even you are a little anxious for the next family reunion.
Author unknown.
I did find some humorous articles about being a genealogy spouse - you can find links to them at http://geneaholic.blogspot.com/2007/04/spouse-of-geneaholic.html. Enjoy!
You know you're a Genealogist's Spouse when:
* You're the only person in the bridge/poker club who knows what a Soundex is.
* Some of your best friends live over 200 miles away.
* You have more pictures of tombstones than of the kids.
* "I need a little help at the courthouse" means to forget the cleaning, washing, dinner, chores; the day is shot.
* The mailman can't believe you get this much mail from someone you don't know.
* You explain to Mom why you can't go 25 miles for Sunday dinner, but can go 100 miles to check out another cemetery."
* "As soon as I check this census record, I'll fix the leaky faucet" means "call the plumber."
* You get home from a trip to an out-of-state courthouse with the kids needing scrubbing, car needing fixing, and clothes needing washing to find the housework, bills and lawnmower to greet you.
* Your neighbors think you're crazy, your friends wonder, and you know you are.
* Despite it all, even you are a little anxious for the next family reunion.
Author unknown.
I did find some humorous articles about being a genealogy spouse - you can find links to them at http://geneaholic.blogspot.com/2007/04/spouse-of-geneaholic.html. Enjoy!
April 19 is Patriots Day
Frankly, April 19 should be a national holiday to celebrate the "Shot Heard Round the World."
I sometimes think "what would I have done on that morning" after the rider came down the road shouting that the British were marching to Concord. Would I have put down my farm tools, grabbed my musket, hugged my kids, kissed my wife goodbye and run off to join my fellow militiamen as they streamed to Lexington and Concord?
One of my favorite sayings is "There are things that happen in a second that take a lifetime to explain." This is one of those "seconds" that affected the life of many people in New England. Many acted to support the cause of liberty and most of them returned to their families. Some husbands and sons did not return, dying after the skirmishes along the road to Lexington and Concord.
In Westminster MA, about 20 miles west of Concord, Norman Seaver (my ancestor), his brothers Ethan, Daniel, and Moses, and his son Benjamin (also my ancestor) gathered their arms and marched off toward Concord. They all soon returned and several of them served later in the War.
My ancestor Isaac Buck was a young man of 18 who served the entire war - he was part of Henry Knox's regiment that went to Fort Ticonderoga and hauled the cannons to Dorchester Heights in the middle of the winter of 1775-6. I posted his biography here and his Revolutionary War service records here.
However, the man that I wish I was descended from is my very distant cousin - Samuel Whittemore. Here is an article about him from an obituary notice of the Columbian Centinel (a newspaper in Boston) of 6 February 1793:
"Died at Menotomy, the 2d instant, Capt. Samuel Whittemore, AEt. 96 years and 6 months. The manly and moral virtues, in all the varied relations of a brother, husband, father, and friend, were invariably exhibited in this gentleman. He was not more remarkable for his longevity and his numerous descendants (his progeny being 185, one of which is the fifth generation) than for his patriotism.
"When the British troops marched to Lexington, he was 79 years of age, and one of the first on the parade; he was armed with a gun and horse-pistol. After an animated exhortation to the collected militia to the exercise of bravery and courage, he exclaimed, 'If I can only be the instrument of killing one of my country's foes, I shall die in peace.' The prayer of this venerable old man was heard; for on the return of the troops he lay behind a stone wall, and discharging his gun a soldier immediately fell; he then discharged his pistol, and killed another; at which instant a bullet struck his face, shot away part of his cheekbone; on which a number of the soldiers ran up to the wall, and gorged their malice on his wounded head. They were heard to exclaim, 'We have killed the old rebel.'
"About four hours after, he was found in a mangled situation; his head was covered with blood from the wounds of the bayonets, which were six or eight; but providentially none penetrated so far as to destroy him. His hat and clothes were shot through in many places; yet he survived to see the complete overthrow of his enemies, and his country enjoy all the blessings of peace and independence.
"His funeral will be held to-morrow at 4 o'clock P. M. from his house at Menotomy, which his relatives and friends are requested to attend."
We have all benefited from the heroism of Norman Seaver, Isaac Buck, Samuel Whittemore and many more patriots. May God bless them all! And may we remember them for what they did on a spring morning in New England.
I sometimes think "what would I have done on that morning" after the rider came down the road shouting that the British were marching to Concord. Would I have put down my farm tools, grabbed my musket, hugged my kids, kissed my wife goodbye and run off to join my fellow militiamen as they streamed to Lexington and Concord?
One of my favorite sayings is "There are things that happen in a second that take a lifetime to explain." This is one of those "seconds" that affected the life of many people in New England. Many acted to support the cause of liberty and most of them returned to their families. Some husbands and sons did not return, dying after the skirmishes along the road to Lexington and Concord.
In Westminster MA, about 20 miles west of Concord, Norman Seaver (my ancestor), his brothers Ethan, Daniel, and Moses, and his son Benjamin (also my ancestor) gathered their arms and marched off toward Concord. They all soon returned and several of them served later in the War.
My ancestor Isaac Buck was a young man of 18 who served the entire war - he was part of Henry Knox's regiment that went to Fort Ticonderoga and hauled the cannons to Dorchester Heights in the middle of the winter of 1775-6. I posted his biography here and his Revolutionary War service records here.
However, the man that I wish I was descended from is my very distant cousin - Samuel Whittemore. Here is an article about him from an obituary notice of the Columbian Centinel (a newspaper in Boston) of 6 February 1793:
"Died at Menotomy, the 2d instant, Capt. Samuel Whittemore, AEt. 96 years and 6 months. The manly and moral virtues, in all the varied relations of a brother, husband, father, and friend, were invariably exhibited in this gentleman. He was not more remarkable for his longevity and his numerous descendants (his progeny being 185, one of which is the fifth generation) than for his patriotism.
"When the British troops marched to Lexington, he was 79 years of age, and one of the first on the parade; he was armed with a gun and horse-pistol. After an animated exhortation to the collected militia to the exercise of bravery and courage, he exclaimed, 'If I can only be the instrument of killing one of my country's foes, I shall die in peace.' The prayer of this venerable old man was heard; for on the return of the troops he lay behind a stone wall, and discharging his gun a soldier immediately fell; he then discharged his pistol, and killed another; at which instant a bullet struck his face, shot away part of his cheekbone; on which a number of the soldiers ran up to the wall, and gorged their malice on his wounded head. They were heard to exclaim, 'We have killed the old rebel.'
"About four hours after, he was found in a mangled situation; his head was covered with blood from the wounds of the bayonets, which were six or eight; but providentially none penetrated so far as to destroy him. His hat and clothes were shot through in many places; yet he survived to see the complete overthrow of his enemies, and his country enjoy all the blessings of peace and independence.
"His funeral will be held to-morrow at 4 o'clock P. M. from his house at Menotomy, which his relatives and friends are requested to attend."
We have all benefited from the heroism of Norman Seaver, Isaac Buck, Samuel Whittemore and many more patriots. May God bless them all! And may we remember them for what they did on a spring morning in New England.
Genealogy Jokes I Missed the First Time
The blog http://www.rootstelevision.com/blogs/climbing-family-trees.php (you do visit the four blogs at Roots TV, don't you?) has two jokes that are somewhat genealogy related, and gave me a chuckle:
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A census taker in a rural area went up to a farmhouse and knocked. When a woman came to the door, he asked her how many children she had and their ages.
Adjusting her teeth a little she said, "Les' see now, there's the twins, Sally and Billy, they're thirty-two. And the twins, Seth & Beth, they're twenty-six. And the other twins, Penny and Jenny, they're twenty-four .. "
"Hold on!" said the census taker, "Did you get twins EVERY time?"
The woman answered, " Heck no, there were hundreds of times we didn't get nothin."
---------------------------------------------------------
A guy goes to the supermarket and notices a beautiful blond woman wave at him and say hello. He's rather taken aback, because he can't place where he knows her from. So he says, "Do you know me?"
To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids."
Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, "Oh no! Are you the stripper from my bachelor party?"
She looks into his eyes and calmly says, "No, I'm your son's math teacher."
--------------------------------------------
I'll probably use the first one in my Census talk next month.
Thanks to Tracey and Trina at the Climbing Family Trees Vlog for the jokes.
Anybody have other "fresh" genealogy related jokes?
--------------------------------------------------
A census taker in a rural area went up to a farmhouse and knocked. When a woman came to the door, he asked her how many children she had and their ages.
Adjusting her teeth a little she said, "Les' see now, there's the twins, Sally and Billy, they're thirty-two. And the twins, Seth & Beth, they're twenty-six. And the other twins, Penny and Jenny, they're twenty-four .. "
"Hold on!" said the census taker, "Did you get twins EVERY time?"
The woman answered, " Heck no, there were hundreds of times we didn't get nothin."
---------------------------------------------------------
A guy goes to the supermarket and notices a beautiful blond woman wave at him and say hello. He's rather taken aback, because he can't place where he knows her from. So he says, "Do you know me?"
To which she replies, "I think you're the father of one of my kids."
Now his mind travels back to the only time he has ever been unfaithful to his wife and says, "Oh no! Are you the stripper from my bachelor party?"
She looks into his eyes and calmly says, "No, I'm your son's math teacher."
--------------------------------------------
I'll probably use the first one in my Census talk next month.
Thanks to Tracey and Trina at the Climbing Family Trees Vlog for the jokes.
Anybody have other "fresh" genealogy related jokes?
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