The Chula Vista Genealogical Society Fall Seminar titled "Where Do We Go From Here?" (a sequel to "Who Do You Think You Are?") was today at Norman Park Senior Center in Chula Vista. There were about 50 in attendance. See CVGS Seminar -- Where Do We Go From Here? for the program schedule.
The speakers, the titles and brief summaries of their talks are in Jean Wilcox Hibben is Featured Speaker at CVGS Fall Seminar on 2 October and Alfredo Pena to Speak at CVGS Fall Seminar on 2 October.
Jean's first presentation was "Graveyard Gumshoe: Lessons Written in Stone" which had the audience in stitches as she regaled us with examples of her taphophilia. Did you know that on her honeymoon they visited graveyards from the California Gold Country to Tombstone, Arizona (fitting, eh?). She managed to show us many ancestral gravestones and the stories that went with them, plus provide advice on searching for them. At the end, she sang an original song of hers about gravestones of young children in one of her families.
Gary Brock provided a short summary of what the Chula Vista Genealogical Society offers to members - monthly Wednesday programs, monthly weekend programs, a research group, a computer group, a newsletter, website and blog, plus a group of enthusiastic and helpful genealogists.
Jean's second talk was "This is Not Your Grandma's Genealogy: Making the Move from Paper to Electronic Record Keeping." This presentation covered decisions to be made, equipment to consider, and approximate cost estimates. A list of pros and cons about using a computer to organize your genealogical records was provided. Equipment discussed included computer systems (desktop, laptop or netbook) with pros and cons, Printers (inkjet or laser), Scanners (flatbed, handheld, or all-in-one), Storage media (external drive, USB drive), GPS systems, Digital Cameras and Mobile devices (PDAs, Camera phone, smart phone, etc.).
Lunch was provided by Jimmy's by the Park, a local restaurant, which served club sandwiches, Mexican pizza, spicy meatballs and cheesy bread, with a peach cobbler dessert.
Jean's third presentation was "Deliveries in the Rear! Getting Family History through the Back Door." She explained that her grandfather always said that "The best things come through the back door." She described searching for information to fill missing events in the lives of five ancestors - and finding data in newspaper articles, in military pension records, on eBay, in family letters, in wills and probate records, in local history books, in census records, in cemetery records, and many more. Often, the key to finding the records was the siblings, neighbors or associates of her ancestors. Jean sang an original song about the lives of some of these ancestors.
After a break, Alfredo I. Pena presented "Coming to the New World After the Conquest, 1600-1900" about Spanish and Mexican genealogical resources. Resources discussed included the Gary Felix Genealogy Page (http://garyfelix.tripod.com/~GaryFelix/index1.htm), the http://www.familysearch.org/ websites for databases and microfilm access, and the Portal de Archivos Espanoles (PARES, http://pares.mcu.es/) website for Spanish records.
Throughout the day, there were opportunity drawings for research services, books and genealogical supplies. The Door Prize was a one-year subscription to Footnote.com.
Jean Hibben's music CDs, CVGS books, genealogical forms, Chula Vista library information, and a computer table for research consultations were available at breaks throughout the day in an adjacent room. Several students from Chula Vista High School helped with the sales and information tables.
It was a major effort by CVGS to produce this seminar - the first held offsite in about ten years. The efforts of many CVGS volunteers were coordinated by Susi Pentico, the Seminar chairperson.
Saturday, October 2, 2010
Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - Best Genealogy Advice
Calling all Genea-Musings readers - it's Saturday Night, time for more Genealogy Fun!!
Are you ready? Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) Leah over at The Internet Genealogist blog, wrote The Best Genealogy Advice I Ever Got Was earlier this week. I thought that it would be a good challenge for SNGF.
2) Tell us what genealogy advice you received that helped you improve your understanding, knowledge and skills in genealogy research.
3) Write it up in your own blog post, in a comment to Leah's blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook.
Here's mine:
Early in my genealogical research, a wise San Diego Family History Center volunteer named Ray Dawley told me to use the Family History Library Catalog to find land records and probate records for my ancestors because they provide excellent original source material to prove relationships - especially for married daughters.
I have tried very hard to do this for all of my ancestral families and have crashed through several brick walls doing so. Of course, not everybody left these records, and that's why I still have quite a few brick wall ancestors.
Are you ready? Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to:
1) Leah over at The Internet Genealogist blog, wrote The Best Genealogy Advice I Ever Got Was earlier this week. I thought that it would be a good challenge for SNGF.
2) Tell us what genealogy advice you received that helped you improve your understanding, knowledge and skills in genealogy research.
3) Write it up in your own blog post, in a comment to Leah's blog post, in a comment to this blog post, or in a comment on Facebook.
Here's mine:
Early in my genealogical research, a wise San Diego Family History Center volunteer named Ray Dawley told me to use the Family History Library Catalog to find land records and probate records for my ancestors because they provide excellent original source material to prove relationships - especially for married daughters.
I have tried very hard to do this for all of my ancestral families and have crashed through several brick walls doing so. Of course, not everybody left these records, and that's why I still have quite a few brick wall ancestors.
Surname Saturday - SMITH (NJ)
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 115 - Maria Smith (1753 - ca 1842), one of my 4th-great-grandparents.
My ancestral line back through one generation of New Jersey SMITH families is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
6. Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
7. Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977)
14. Charles Auble (1849-1916)
15. Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952)
28. David Auble (1817-1894)
29. Sarah Knapp (1818-ca1900)
56. Johannes Auble (1780-1831?)
57. Anna Row (1787-1860)
114. Philip Jacob Row, born about December 1752 in prob. NJ; died 09 January 1817 in Tewksbury, Hunterdon County, NJ. He married July 1772 in probably Hunterdon County, NJ.
115. Maria Smith, born About November 1753 in probably NJ; died about 1842 in Hunterdon County, NJ.
Children of Philip Row and Maria Smith are:
.....i. Mary Row, born 19 July 1773 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married John Hubert March 1794 in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ.
.....ii. Elisabetha Row, born 13 January 1776 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married Jacob Apgar.
.....iii. John Jacob Row, born 07 April 1779 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married Rebecca Vesselus 19 April 1823 in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ.
.....iv. Peter Row, born about 1782 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married Catherine Case 12 March 1808 in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ.
+... v. Anna Row, born about 1787 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; died 12 June 1860 in Stillwater, Sussex County, NJ; married Johannes Auble 15 July 1804 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ.
.....vi. Phillip Johannes Row, born 11 October 1791 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; died 30 September 1858 in Des Moines County, IA; married Sophia Gray 06 February 1833 in Morris County, NJ; born 15 March 1815 in Morris, NJ; died 27 August 1879 in IA.
.....vii. Johannes Row, born about January 1795 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ.
The only record I have of Maria's maiden name, marriage date and approximate birth date is her affidavit taken in 1840 from the Revolutionary War Pension File for her husband, Philip Jacob Row. It does not provide the parents names for either person.
It is very likely that both Philip Jacob Row and Maria Smith were of German heritage, and therefore Maria's maiden name might be Schmidt.
If any researcher has more on Maria's ancestry, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you at rjseaver@cox.net.
My ancestral line back through one generation of New Jersey SMITH families is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
6. Lyle Lawrence Carringer (1891-1976)
7. Emily Kemp Auble (1899-1977)
14. Charles Auble (1849-1916)
15. Georgianna Kemp (1868-1952)
28. David Auble (1817-1894)
29. Sarah Knapp (1818-ca1900)
56. Johannes Auble (1780-1831?)
57. Anna Row (1787-1860)
114. Philip Jacob Row, born about December 1752 in prob. NJ; died 09 January 1817 in Tewksbury, Hunterdon County, NJ. He married July 1772 in probably Hunterdon County, NJ.
115. Maria Smith, born About November 1753 in probably NJ; died about 1842 in Hunterdon County, NJ.
Children of Philip Row and Maria Smith are:
.....i. Mary Row, born 19 July 1773 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married John Hubert March 1794 in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ.
.....ii. Elisabetha Row, born 13 January 1776 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married Jacob Apgar.
.....iii. John Jacob Row, born 07 April 1779 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married Rebecca Vesselus 19 April 1823 in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ.
.....iv. Peter Row, born about 1782 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; married Catherine Case 12 March 1808 in Oldwick, Hunterdon County, NJ.
+... v. Anna Row, born about 1787 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; died 12 June 1860 in Stillwater, Sussex County, NJ; married Johannes Auble 15 July 1804 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ.
.....vi. Phillip Johannes Row, born 11 October 1791 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ; died 30 September 1858 in Des Moines County, IA; married Sophia Gray 06 February 1833 in Morris County, NJ; born 15 March 1815 in Morris, NJ; died 27 August 1879 in IA.
.....vii. Johannes Row, born about January 1795 in New Germantown, Hunterdon County, NJ.
The only record I have of Maria's maiden name, marriage date and approximate birth date is her affidavit taken in 1840 from the Revolutionary War Pension File for her husband, Philip Jacob Row. It does not provide the parents names for either person.
It is very likely that both Philip Jacob Row and Maria Smith were of German heritage, and therefore Maria's maiden name might be Schmidt.
If any researcher has more on Maria's ancestry, I would greatly appreciate hearing from you at rjseaver@cox.net.
Friday, October 1, 2010
CVGS Program Review - "What Was Great-Grandpa Really Like?"
Paula A. Sassi, a Master Certified Graphologist, dazzled the audience of 50 at the 29 September program meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society with her presentation of "What Was Great-Grandpa Really Like?" You can read the description of Paula's program and her curriculum vitae here.
Paula said that a master graphologist can "see into the souls of your ancestors" - and can find clues to the intellect, personality, education, physical and emotional control, self-image and ego, and social tendencies of a person, based on their signature and their writings by hand.
Her presentation including different handwriting styles from the 17th century to the present, detailing colonial writing, copperplate and English round writing, Spencerian writing, Copybook and Palmer method handwriting styles. Examples of famous people from each time period were shown, with comments about what their writings reveal. The signers of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington (from youth to elder), Abraham Lincoln, Jesse James and others were some of the examples discussed. She said that signatures reveal a public self-image, but writings often reveal much more than a signature does.
Baseline slope (up indicates optimistic, down indicates pessimistic), letter slant (to the right indicates future-oriented and concern for others, to the left indicates past-oriented and concern for self), relative size of ascending or descending parts of letters, form control (consistency in writing), letter size, connectivity and shape, writing pressure (light or heavy), g and y descender details, loops in lower case d's and t's, shape of capital I's, and several more indicators tell the graphologist about the person. Paula has some free handwriting insights on her website at http://www.handwritinginsights.com/TransAP.html. She also sells a kit called Handwriting Insights - 64 connected, illustrated cards that teaches handwriting analysis as you use it.
After the formal presentation, Paula analyzed about 15 writing examples submitted by the audience. Gary scanned them into his computer, and then projected them on the screen while Paula analyzed each one. This was fascinating! Some attendees brought whole pages of writing, others had only signatures or entries in a vital or church record.
For instance, I presented a page from a family Bible that had the writing and signature of Devier J. Smith, his second great-grandfather. Based on the writing, Paula said that Devier was down-to-earth, logical, analytical, enthusiastic for ideas, opinionated and controlled.
Paula is an excellent presenter, an expert in her field, and her presentation and analysis of the writings was a big hit with the attendees.
Paula said that a master graphologist can "see into the souls of your ancestors" - and can find clues to the intellect, personality, education, physical and emotional control, self-image and ego, and social tendencies of a person, based on their signature and their writings by hand.
Her presentation including different handwriting styles from the 17th century to the present, detailing colonial writing, copperplate and English round writing, Spencerian writing, Copybook and Palmer method handwriting styles. Examples of famous people from each time period were shown, with comments about what their writings reveal. The signers of the Declaration of Independence, George Washington (from youth to elder), Abraham Lincoln, Jesse James and others were some of the examples discussed. She said that signatures reveal a public self-image, but writings often reveal much more than a signature does.
Baseline slope (up indicates optimistic, down indicates pessimistic), letter slant (to the right indicates future-oriented and concern for others, to the left indicates past-oriented and concern for self), relative size of ascending or descending parts of letters, form control (consistency in writing), letter size, connectivity and shape, writing pressure (light or heavy), g and y descender details, loops in lower case d's and t's, shape of capital I's, and several more indicators tell the graphologist about the person. Paula has some free handwriting insights on her website at http://www.handwritinginsights.com/TransAP.html. She also sells a kit called Handwriting Insights - 64 connected, illustrated cards that teaches handwriting analysis as you use it.
After the formal presentation, Paula analyzed about 15 writing examples submitted by the audience. Gary scanned them into his computer, and then projected them on the screen while Paula analyzed each one. This was fascinating! Some attendees brought whole pages of writing, others had only signatures or entries in a vital or church record.
For instance, I presented a page from a family Bible that had the writing and signature of Devier J. Smith, his second great-grandfather. Based on the writing, Paula said that Devier was down-to-earth, logical, analytical, enthusiastic for ideas, opinionated and controlled.
Paula is an excellent presenter, an expert in her field, and her presentation and analysis of the writings was a big hit with the attendees.
UVPAFUG Presentations
The Utah Valley PAF User's Group (UVPAFUG) has monthly meetings in Provo, Utah, and has an archive of some of the presentation handouts and some of the PowerPoint presentations in PDF format.
The Presentations page is at http://www.uvpafug.org/old.htm and is up-to-date. Some of the more interesting (to me!) presentations in 2010 have been:
Not every presentation has a handout or presentation provided. However, most of the programs listed since 2007 have a DVD available for a small cost to LDS church members here.
Some of the presentations available concern LDS church activities related to genealogy and family history, but the more general presentations are interesting and useful to researchers like me that are curious about FamilySearch projects and genealogy research in general.
The Presentations page is at http://www.uvpafug.org/old.htm and is up-to-date. Some of the more interesting (to me!) presentations in 2010 have been:
- January - Janet Hovorka: Comparing new FamilySearch Certified Software. Handout in pdf & Presentation in pdf
- March - Barry J. Ewell: How to Effectively Conduct Genealogy Research on the Internet. Presentation in pdf
- July - Bret Petersen: Are You My Mother? - Finding Maiden Names In Your Tree. Handout in pdf
Not every presentation has a handout or presentation provided. However, most of the programs listed since 2007 have a DVD available for a small cost to LDS church members here.
Some of the presentations available concern LDS church activities related to genealogy and family history, but the more general presentations are interesting and useful to researchers like me that are curious about FamilySearch projects and genealogy research in general.
"Information, Please" article about NewsBank operations
My distant cousin, Tom Kemp, passed along the article "Information, Please" written by Ken Picard, which appeared in the 29 September 2010 issue of the 7 Days online newspaper, published in Vermont.
The article highlights the operations of NewsBank in Chester, Vermont, which is the largest and oldest of their sites. The behind-the-scenes look at how the company operates is interesting and useful to understand.
The article notes:
As many readers know, Tom Kemp is the Director of GenealogyBank, which is one of the companies owned by NewsBank, Inc.
Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to http://www.genealogybank.com/, but have not been otherwise remunerated by NewsBank or anybody else to write this post.
The article highlights the operations of NewsBank in Chester, Vermont, which is the largest and oldest of their sites. The behind-the-scenes look at how the company operates is interesting and useful to understand.
The article notes:
NewsBank Inc. is the nation’s largest digital archiving service for the newspaper industry. Its on-site computers store 350 terabytes of information — that’s more than double the amount of data housed at the Library of Congress in Washington, D.C.and:
Each day, it archives the printed and online content of more than 2000 newspapers, magazines, wire services, business journals and other publications from around the globe — adding 1.2 million new articles to its database each month.The article describes how NewsBank has adapted over the years in order to stay in business, and highlights some of the technologies that are used to convert printed material to digital images that can be searched online.
As many readers know, Tom Kemp is the Director of GenealogyBank, which is one of the companies owned by NewsBank, Inc.
Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to http://www.genealogybank.com/, but have not been otherwise remunerated by NewsBank or anybody else to write this post.
Thursday, September 30, 2010
The Whittle Research Compendium
I've written so much in the past three weeks about Jane (Whittle) McKnew and her ancestry - especially about the lives of her parents, Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle who were born in England, married there, emigrated to Australia in 1841, had six children, emigrated to California in 1850 and died there, leaving three children that went on to have large families. Jane (Whittle) McKnew was my wife's great-grandmother.
Here is the compendium of posts that is included in this Whittle research saga:
* I Found Rachel in the 1852 California Census where I found Rachel "Wadle" and three children in San Francisco in the 1852 California State Census on Ancestry.com
* Jane's Birth Record, and more... - I found out that Jane's parents were Alexander and Rachel Whittle, not Joseph and Rachel.
* Finding the Whittles in Australia highlighted some of the newspaper articles about the family in The Sydney Morning Herald in the 1840 to 1850 time frame from the Historic Australian Newspapers , 1803-1954, Trove website.
* The Whittles Migrating to Australia - a Forrest Gump Genealogy Moment in which the immigration record was found and analyzed.
* Lesson Learned - Check the Image too! in which I learned (again!) that not all information on the immigration record was in the FamilySearch index entry.
* Whittle Marriage Record in England - I found the marriage of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley in Lancashire in two places online - the English Civil Registrations and the LDS IGI (and on the http://beta.familysearch.org/ site).
* Whittle Birth Records in Australia - birth records for the Whittle children were online in the FamilySearch Beta Australian Birth and Baptism collection
* Whittle Birth and Marriage Records in England - Alexander's birth record and his parent's marriage record were found in the English Birth and Christening Collection
* Rachel Morley's Birth and Parents which finds Rachel Morley's baptism record and her parents marriage.
* More on Rachel Morley's Parentage in which I find a record that indicates Rachel was illegitimate.
* The elder Alexander Whittle in English Census Records - Alexander's parents were found in the 1841 and 1851 English census records.
* What happened to Rachel (Morley) Whittle? - Rachel was in the San Francisco and Sacramento newspapers several times with the police involved, and then disappears without a trace.
* Alexander Whittle dies in California's Gold Country - the title says it all, plus Rachel's marriage to Thomas Spencer made the newspaper.
* The Children of Alexander and Rachel Whittle - Elizabeth - Elizabeth Whittle married twice and had 13 children. Her family had a mine in Tuttetown in Tuolumne County in California's Gold Country.
* FamilySearch Beta Fail? Lack of Patience? Success! - I found the death notice of Thomas Spencer, Rachel's second husband, but it wasn't easy.
* The Children of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle - Joseph Whittle - Joseph Whittle married and was a successful miner in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, California.
^ The Children of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle - Jane - Jane Whittle married Elijah McKnew and raised 11 children in Calaveras and San Francisco Counties, California.
* Whittle Children Deaths in Australia - Reader Cheryl Bailey obtained digital images of death records for two Whittle children in Australia.
* Whittle/Mansley/Morley Baptisms in Parish Register Records - digital images of parish register records.
* The Marriage Record of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley in 1840 - the parish register record.
* Elizabeth Whittle's Baptismal Record In Lancashire - Elizabeth may not have been Alexander's child.
* Jane (Haslam) (Bury) Morley (1780-1834) Summary - a summary of what I know about Jane Whittle's grandmother.
* California Voter Registers, 1866-1898 on Ancestry.com - information about the McKnew family in Tuolumne and San Francisco.
* California Pioneer and Immigrant Files, 1790-1950 Database on Ancestry.com - information about Elizabeth (Whittle) Swerer's life, including parents names, spouse's names and marriage information, immigration and education information.
Most of the family history research performed on this family since 9 September has been done in online record collections. Further research in the English parish church registers, the Lancaster Record Office archives, the New South Wales, Australia birth records, the California newspapers, especially in the gold country, San Francisco and Sacramento, and much more is still necessary to pursue in order to conduct a "Reasonably Exhaustive Search."
One of the unique features of this particular research quest is the active participation of some of my wonderful readers - especially Rod Van Cooten (in Australia?), Sharon (in Australia), Aussiemandas (in Australia), Cheryl Bailey (in Australia), bgwiehle (in ???), Geolover (in the USA), Magnus Persson (in Sweden) and Lorine McGinnis Schulze (in Canada). Thank you all for your suggestions and contributions - I never would have found some of the Australian and English records without your guidance.
I will update this list as necessary. The last update was 28 July 2011.
Here is the compendium of posts that is included in this Whittle research saga:
* I Found Rachel in the 1852 California Census where I found Rachel "Wadle" and three children in San Francisco in the 1852 California State Census on Ancestry.com
* Jane's Birth Record, and more... - I found out that Jane's parents were Alexander and Rachel Whittle, not Joseph and Rachel.
* Finding the Whittles in Australia highlighted some of the newspaper articles about the family in The Sydney Morning Herald in the 1840 to 1850 time frame from the Historic Australian Newspapers , 1803-1954, Trove website.
* The Whittles Migrating to Australia - a Forrest Gump Genealogy Moment in which the immigration record was found and analyzed.
* Lesson Learned - Check the Image too! in which I learned (again!) that not all information on the immigration record was in the FamilySearch index entry.
* Whittle Marriage Record in England - I found the marriage of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley in Lancashire in two places online - the English Civil Registrations and the LDS IGI (and on the http://beta.familysearch.org/ site).
* Whittle Birth Records in Australia - birth records for the Whittle children were online in the FamilySearch Beta Australian Birth and Baptism collection
* Whittle Birth and Marriage Records in England - Alexander's birth record and his parent's marriage record were found in the English Birth and Christening Collection
* Rachel Morley's Birth and Parents which finds Rachel Morley's baptism record and her parents marriage.
* More on Rachel Morley's Parentage in which I find a record that indicates Rachel was illegitimate.
* The elder Alexander Whittle in English Census Records - Alexander's parents were found in the 1841 and 1851 English census records.
* What happened to Rachel (Morley) Whittle? - Rachel was in the San Francisco and Sacramento newspapers several times with the police involved, and then disappears without a trace.
* Alexander Whittle dies in California's Gold Country - the title says it all, plus Rachel's marriage to Thomas Spencer made the newspaper.
* The Children of Alexander and Rachel Whittle - Elizabeth - Elizabeth Whittle married twice and had 13 children. Her family had a mine in Tuttetown in Tuolumne County in California's Gold Country.
* FamilySearch Beta Fail? Lack of Patience? Success! - I found the death notice of Thomas Spencer, Rachel's second husband, but it wasn't easy.
* The Children of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle - Joseph Whittle - Joseph Whittle married and was a successful miner in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, California.
^ The Children of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle - Jane - Jane Whittle married Elijah McKnew and raised 11 children in Calaveras and San Francisco Counties, California.
* Whittle Children Deaths in Australia - Reader Cheryl Bailey obtained digital images of death records for two Whittle children in Australia.
* Whittle/Mansley/Morley Baptisms in Parish Register Records - digital images of parish register records.
* The Marriage Record of Alexander Whittle and Rachel Morley in 1840 - the parish register record.
* Elizabeth Whittle's Baptismal Record In Lancashire - Elizabeth may not have been Alexander's child.
* Jane (Haslam) (Bury) Morley (1780-1834) Summary - a summary of what I know about Jane Whittle's grandmother.
* California Voter Registers, 1866-1898 on Ancestry.com - information about the McKnew family in Tuolumne and San Francisco.
Most of the family history research performed on this family since 9 September has been done in online record collections. Further research in the English parish church registers, the Lancaster Record Office archives, the New South Wales, Australia birth records, the California newspapers, especially in the gold country, San Francisco and Sacramento, and much more is still necessary to pursue in order to conduct a "Reasonably Exhaustive Search."
One of the unique features of this particular research quest is the active participation of some of my wonderful readers - especially Rod Van Cooten (in Australia?), Sharon (in Australia), Aussiemandas (in Australia), Cheryl Bailey (in Australia), bgwiehle (in ???), Geolover (in the USA), Magnus Persson (in Sweden) and Lorine McGinnis Schulze (in Canada). Thank you all for your suggestions and contributions - I never would have found some of the Australian and English records without your guidance.
I will update this list as necessary. The last update was 28 July 2011.
The Children of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle - Joseph Whittle
Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle brought three children to California from Australia.
The only surviving son, Joseph Whittle, was born 30 May 1843 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981, accessed on http://beta.familysearch.org/, extracted from FHL microfilm993955-6.), the son of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle.
Joseph married Mary Ann Quig on 29 October 1868 in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, California (I don't have a source for this - it's probably an online family tree). Joseph and Mary Ann (Quig) Whittle had at least nine children together.
I don't have a death date for either Joseph or Mary Ann (Quig) Whittle. Joseph died before 1900, since Mary Ann is a widow in the 1900 U.S. Census.
I have found no record for Joseph Whittle as a young man in the 1860 U.S. Census.
In the 1870 United States Census, this family was enumerated in Township #8 (Copperopolis post office), Calaveras County, California. The household included (1870 U.S. Census, Calaveras County, California, Population Schedule, Township #8, Page 230B (stamped), dwelling #243, family #204, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/, citing National Archives Microfilm Series M593, Roll 70):
* Joseph Whittle - age 27, male, white, a farmer, $600 in real property, $740 in personal property, born in Austria, both parents foreign born
* Mary Whittle - age 21, female, white, keeping house, born New York, both parents foreign born
* E. Whittle - age 11/12, female, white, at home, born California, father foreign born, born in July
* D. Miller - age 22, male, white, works on farm, born Austria, both parents foreign born
* C. Essex - age 62, male, white, works on farm, born Missouri
* Michael Quig - age 22, male, white, works on farm, born New York, both parents foreign born
In the 1880 United States Census, this family was enumerated in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, California. The household included (1880 U.S. Census, Calaveras County, California, Population Schedule, District 43, Page 408A (stamped), dwelling #333, family #565, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/, citing National Archives Microfilm Series T9, Roll 64):
* Joseph Whittle - white, male, age 37, married, a farmer, born Australia, parents born England/England
* Mary Whittle - white, female, age 30, wife, married, housekeeping, born NY, parents born Ireland/Ireland
* Lizzie Whittle - white, female, age 11, daughter, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Henry Whittle - white, male, age 9, son, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Joseph Whittle - white, male, age 6, son, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Katie Whittle - white, female, age 2, daughter, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
In the 1900 United States Census, the remnant of this family resided on Albany Flat in Township #5 (part of Angel Town), Calaveras County, California. The household included (1900 U.S. Census, Calaveras County, California, Population Schedule, Enumeration District 142, Page 25B (stamped), dwelling #520, family #536, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/, citing National Archives Microfilm Series T623, Roll 84):
* Mary A. Whittle - head, white, female, born Jun 1849, age 50, widow, for 9 years, 10 children born, 9 living, born New York, parents born Ireland/Ireland, owns farm free of mortgage
* Henry Whittle - son, white, male, born Feb 1871, age 29, married, born California, parents born Australia/New York, a quartz miner
* Joseph Whittle - son, white, male, born Sept 1875, age 24, married, born California, parents born Australia/New York, a laborer
* Mary H. Whittle - daughter, white, female, born Jan 1881, age 19, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Adelia Whittle - daughter, white, female, born Feb 1883, age 17, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
Their daughter, Elizabeth Whittle (born July 1869), married Frank Reister and they have six children in the 1900 census in Calaveras County. Daughter Catherine Whittle (born April 1879) married William Carpenter, and they have two small children in the 1900 census in Calaveras County.
According to family papers, Joseph and Mary Ann (Quig) Whittle also had triplets in 1885, but one or all may have died soon after.
An article in the Sacramento Daily Record-Union newspaper (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, dated November 11, 1885, page 5, notes (from the Tuolumne Independent newspaper), accessed on the Library of Congress Chronicling America site:
"It is reported that Joseph Whittle, the author of the famed triplets, has just struck another pocket in his claim, near Albany Flat, from which he has taken the large sum of $35,000."
Unfortunately, I can't find an article about the triplets themselves - there is probably an article in a smaller local newspaper that is not digitized and indexed yet.
The only surviving son, Joseph Whittle, was born 30 May 1843 in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia (Australia Births and Baptisms, 1792-1981, accessed on http://beta.familysearch.org/, extracted from FHL microfilm993955-6.), the son of Alexander and Rachel (Morley) Whittle.
Joseph married Mary Ann Quig on 29 October 1868 in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, California (I don't have a source for this - it's probably an online family tree). Joseph and Mary Ann (Quig) Whittle had at least nine children together.
I don't have a death date for either Joseph or Mary Ann (Quig) Whittle. Joseph died before 1900, since Mary Ann is a widow in the 1900 U.S. Census.
I have found no record for Joseph Whittle as a young man in the 1860 U.S. Census.
In the 1870 United States Census, this family was enumerated in Township #8 (Copperopolis post office), Calaveras County, California. The household included (1870 U.S. Census, Calaveras County, California, Population Schedule, Township #8, Page 230B (stamped), dwelling #243, family #204, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/, citing National Archives Microfilm Series M593, Roll 70):
* Joseph Whittle - age 27, male, white, a farmer, $600 in real property, $740 in personal property, born in Austria, both parents foreign born
* Mary Whittle - age 21, female, white, keeping house, born New York, both parents foreign born
* E. Whittle - age 11/12, female, white, at home, born California, father foreign born, born in July
* D. Miller - age 22, male, white, works on farm, born Austria, both parents foreign born
* C. Essex - age 62, male, white, works on farm, born Missouri
* Michael Quig - age 22, male, white, works on farm, born New York, both parents foreign born
In the 1880 United States Census, this family was enumerated in Angel's Camp, Calaveras County, California. The household included (1880 U.S. Census, Calaveras County, California, Population Schedule, District 43, Page 408A (stamped), dwelling #333, family #565, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/, citing National Archives Microfilm Series T9, Roll 64):
* Joseph Whittle - white, male, age 37, married, a farmer, born Australia, parents born England/England
* Mary Whittle - white, female, age 30, wife, married, housekeeping, born NY, parents born Ireland/Ireland
* Lizzie Whittle - white, female, age 11, daughter, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Henry Whittle - white, male, age 9, son, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Joseph Whittle - white, male, age 6, son, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Katie Whittle - white, female, age 2, daughter, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
In the 1900 United States Census, the remnant of this family resided on Albany Flat in Township #5 (part of Angel Town), Calaveras County, California. The household included (1900 U.S. Census, Calaveras County, California, Population Schedule, Enumeration District 142, Page 25B (stamped), dwelling #520, family #536, accessed on http://www.ancestry.com/, citing National Archives Microfilm Series T623, Roll 84):
* Mary A. Whittle - head, white, female, born Jun 1849, age 50, widow, for 9 years, 10 children born, 9 living, born New York, parents born Ireland/Ireland, owns farm free of mortgage
* Henry Whittle - son, white, male, born Feb 1871, age 29, married, born California, parents born Australia/New York, a quartz miner
* Joseph Whittle - son, white, male, born Sept 1875, age 24, married, born California, parents born Australia/New York, a laborer
* Mary H. Whittle - daughter, white, female, born Jan 1881, age 19, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
* Adelia Whittle - daughter, white, female, born Feb 1883, age 17, single, born California, parents born Australia/New York
Their daughter, Elizabeth Whittle (born July 1869), married Frank Reister and they have six children in the 1900 census in Calaveras County. Daughter Catherine Whittle (born April 1879) married William Carpenter, and they have two small children in the 1900 census in Calaveras County.
According to family papers, Joseph and Mary Ann (Quig) Whittle also had triplets in 1885, but one or all may have died soon after.
An article in the Sacramento Daily Record-Union newspaper (Sacramento [Calif.]) 1875-1891, dated November 11, 1885, page 5, notes (from the Tuolumne Independent newspaper), accessed on the Library of Congress Chronicling America site:
"It is reported that Joseph Whittle, the author of the famed triplets, has just struck another pocket in his claim, near Albany Flat, from which he has taken the large sum of $35,000."
Unfortunately, I can't find an article about the triplets themselves - there is probably an article in a smaller local newspaper that is not digitized and indexed yet.
Treasure Chest Thursday - Betty's Baptismal Record
It's Treasure Chest Thursday, time to share a document or artifact that provides genealogical or family history information. At last Sunday's Scanfest, I scanned a number of documents found in a notebook hidden in my bookcase.
Here is the baptismal record of my mother, Betty Virginia Carringer:
Here is the baptismal record of my mother, Betty Virginia Carringer:
The transcription of this record is:
In the Name of the Father,
And of the Son, and of The Holy Ghost, Amen.
"We do Certify:
That, according to the ordinance of Christ Himself, we did
administer to
_Betty Virginia Carringer_
the Sacrament of
Holy Baptism
thereby making _her_ a member of Christ, the Child of
God, and an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven; on the
_First_ day of _July_, in
the Year of our Lord, One Thousand Nine Hundred and
_Forty two_; the said administration being
in _All Saints Episcopal_ Church,
_San Diego - California_ in the
Diocese of _Los Angeles_
(Signed) _Frederick Y. Stevens_
Parents {_Mr. Lyle Lawrence Carringer_
_Emily Kemp (Auble) Carringer_}
Sponsors or witnesses {_Parents &_
_Mr. F.W. Seaver_}
Date of birth: _July 30 / 1919_ Place _San Diego, Cal._
The _underline symbols_ denote areas that are handwritten.
I did not know that my mother was ever baptized. I assumed that she had been because that was the custom, but figured it was performed when she was a child. For this baptism, she was 22 years old, and on the verge of being married on 12 July 1942 to Frederick Walton Seaver.
Wednesday, September 29, 2010
New Google Earth for Genealogy Video Released
Lisa Louise Cooke of the Genealogy Gems Podcast sent along this promotional video of Google Earth for Genealogy:
Lisa Louise Cooke has produced two videos about using Google Earth for Genealogy. She just sent out this press release:
The Google Earth for Genealogy Video Series Expands with Brand New Volume
Second Installment by Genealogy Gems Podcast Host Lisa Louise Cooke
SAN RAMON, CA, September 29, 2010 – Genealogy Gems announced today that the second installment of the Google Earth for Genealogy video series has been released at http://www.googleforgenealogy.com/.
“Google Earth has the power to geographically document and tell the stories of our ancestors' lives, and in this new video I show you how to do just that,” said Lisa Louise Cooke, Genealogy Gems owner and producer and host of the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast at www.GenealogyGems.com and in iTunes. “I’m excited to be expanding on the concepts covered in the first DVD, and in Volume II we take Google Earth from family history research tool to compelling genealogical storyteller.”
In the brand new step-by-step tutorial DVD Google Earth for Genealogy Volume II Cooke shows you how to:
• Pinpoint your ancestors’ property using land patent records
• Locate original land surveys
• Customize Google Earth place marks with photos and documents
• Add video to your Google Earth maps
• Incorporate custom and ready-made 3D models to your maps to add a new dimension
• Add focus with polygons and paths
• Pull it all together to tell your ancestors’ stories in riveting ways by creating and sharing Family History Tours
In addition to the seven videos, the DVD (for PC use only) includes an introduction video, a menu with convenient links to the websites mentioned in the tutorials to help you quickly get started, and a bonus podcast interview.
Watch the video at the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel to see it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7yS9IqggbY
About the Author:
Lisa Louise Cooke is the producer and host of the internationally popular Genealogy Gems Podcast, an online genealogy audio show. A national speaker, video producer, author and online instructor, Lisa's passion for geographic genealogy is out of this world!
Contact: Lisa Louise Cooke at genealogygemspodcast@gmail.com
Phone: (925) 272-4021
Disclosure: I enjoyed Lisa's first Google Earth video, which I received from Lisa for free at the SCGS Jamboree in June 2010. I have received no other remuneration for writing this post.
Lisa Louise Cooke has produced two videos about using Google Earth for Genealogy. She just sent out this press release:
The Google Earth for Genealogy Video Series Expands with Brand New Volume
Second Installment by Genealogy Gems Podcast Host Lisa Louise Cooke
SAN RAMON, CA, September 29, 2010 – Genealogy Gems announced today that the second installment of the Google Earth for Genealogy video series has been released at http://www.googleforgenealogy.com/.
“Google Earth has the power to geographically document and tell the stories of our ancestors' lives, and in this new video I show you how to do just that,” said Lisa Louise Cooke, Genealogy Gems owner and producer and host of the popular Genealogy Gems Podcast at www.GenealogyGems.com and in iTunes. “I’m excited to be expanding on the concepts covered in the first DVD, and in Volume II we take Google Earth from family history research tool to compelling genealogical storyteller.”
In the brand new step-by-step tutorial DVD Google Earth for Genealogy Volume II Cooke shows you how to:
• Pinpoint your ancestors’ property using land patent records
• Locate original land surveys
• Customize Google Earth place marks with photos and documents
• Add video to your Google Earth maps
• Incorporate custom and ready-made 3D models to your maps to add a new dimension
• Add focus with polygons and paths
• Pull it all together to tell your ancestors’ stories in riveting ways by creating and sharing Family History Tours
In addition to the seven videos, the DVD (for PC use only) includes an introduction video, a menu with convenient links to the websites mentioned in the tutorials to help you quickly get started, and a bonus podcast interview.
Watch the video at the Genealogy Gems YouTube Channel to see it in action: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=B7yS9IqggbY
About the Author:
Lisa Louise Cooke is the producer and host of the internationally popular Genealogy Gems Podcast
Contact: Lisa Louise Cooke at genealogygemspodcast@gmail.com
Phone: (925) 272-4021
Disclosure: I enjoyed Lisa's first Google Earth video, which I received from Lisa for free at the SCGS Jamboree in June 2010. I have received no other remuneration for writing this post.
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