Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 208: Hannah (Rich) Richmond 1911 Obituary

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

The treasure today is the Obituary for Hannah Rich (1824-1911) of Putnam, Connecticut.

My cousin, Laura, sent a number of newspaper clippings six years ago after we found each other (her great-grandmother is Grace Richmond, and my grandmother is Alma Bessie Richmond, both daughters of Thomas and Julia (White) Richmond). One of the clippings was the obituary of Hannah (Rich) Richmond (1824-1911), who died 7 August 1911 in Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut. Hannah was the wife of James Richman/Richmond (1821-1912), and the mother of Thomas Richmond and eight other children.

The obituary reads:

"MRS. JAMES RICHMOND

    "Mrs. Hannah Richmond, wife of James Richmond, died at her home on the Pomfret road Monday evening. Mrs. Richmond had lived in Putnam over forty years and was well-known throughout this vicinity. She was born in Wiltshire, England, in April, 1825, the daughter of John and Rebecca Rich and came to this country in 1856, coming to Pascoag, R.I. For the past 36 years, however, she has lived with her husband on the farm homestead where she died, known as the Richmond farm. She was married to Mr. Richmond 66 years ago, before coming to this country. She was always of a quiet disposition and was content to make a happy home for the large family which she reared.

      "Besides her husband, who is known as 'Father' Richmond in the Methodist church, she leaves seven children, Thomas of Putnam, James of Stroudburg, Pa., Louisa living on the home farm, Mrs. Elizabeth Prentice of Danielson, Mrs. Emma Fitts of Pomfret, John, living on the home farm, Charles of Manchester, besides a large number of grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also leaves one brother, William Rich, of Putnam, who is the only surviving member of eight.

      "The funeral will be at the Methodist church, of which the deceased was a member, Thursday afternoon at 1 o'clock. Rev. Mr. Belcher will officiate and burial will be in Grove street cemetery."

The source citation for this obituary article is:

"Mrs. James Richmond," undated clipping, 9 August 1911, from unidentified newspaper; Laura [name removed for privacy reasons] collection, provided to Grace (Richmond) Shaw at time of event, passed to descendants; privately held 2014 by third cousin, Laura [name removed for privacy reasons, address for private use], Boulder, Colorado.

The obituary doesn't mention two other children - Ann who died in Wiltshire as a child, and Hannah (Richmond) Smith, who may have died in Connecticut before her mother.

This obituary is the only record I have that describes the life of Hannah (Rich) Richmond, especially her demeanor and religion. It also provides a list of her living children and their residence at the time of her death, which has been helpful in tracking them down.

I have not been able to identify the newspaper from which this clipping was obtained.  It is probably a local newspaper in Putnam or a nearby town.  I need to visit Putnam again to find newspaper articles for this Richmond family, and also land and probate records.  More for the To-Do list!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/treasure-chest-thursday-post-208.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

The RAGU Challenge: 3-2-1 CITE! - Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith's Birth Date

DearMYRTLE posted "You Are Bigger Than Your Genealogy Program" yesterday and "The RAGU Challenge: 3-2-1 CITE!" today.  In the first post, she wrote:

"You ARE bigger than your genealogy program. You won't settle for "fill in the blank" thinking. You will put your genealogy database program to the test, make it bend to your will and add multiple sources of information for each event in an ancestor's life."

Please read the whole post!

The second post about the RAGU Challenge (no, I have no clue if RAGU is an acronym - maybe that can be this week's SNGF challenge - make up the words) is to show three documents, write two paragraphs for the one event in an ancestor 's or relative's life.  Again, read the whole post.

OK, I'm up for a challenge like this, and have many candidates to pick from.  I choose to do Abigail A. (Vaux) Smith's birth as the Event.  I have three records that provide an exact date of birth for Abbie!  Here they are, along with their source citations:

1)  A Bible record (in the hand of her husband, Devier J. Smith):

Source citation (in First Reference Note format):

Devier J. Smith Family Bible Records, 1889-1920, Unknown title, Unknown edition (Unknown place: Unknown publisher, before 1889), loose page, Births, Abbey A. Smith entry, 28 October 1844; privately held by Randall J. Seaver, [address for private use], Chula Vista, Calif. 91911, owned 1988 to present. Devier J. Smith to Abbie A. (Vaux) Smith in 1894, to Della (Smith) Carringer in 1931, to Lyle L. Carringer in 1946, to Betty (Carringer) Seaver in 1977, to Randall J. Seaver (2nd great-grandson) in 1988.

2)  Abbie Smith's list of family names and dates (in Abbie's hand):

Source citation  (in First Reference Note format):

Smith/Carringer Family Correspondence (Loose Letters, 1888–1902), Abigail (Vaux) Smith list of family births and deaths, Abbie A. Smith birth entry, 28 October 1844, originals privately held by Randall J. Seaver, [address for private use], Chula Vista CA 91911, 1988 (great grandson). Family letters to and from Abigail (Vaux) Smith, Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer, and Della (Smith) Carringer. written by Abbie (Vaux) Smith in about 1895, passed to Della (Smith) Carringer in 1931, to Lyle L. Carringer in 1946, to Betty (Carringer) Seaver in 1977, and to Randall J. Seaver (2nd great-grandson) in 1988.

3)  Death Certificate:

Source citation  (in First Reference Note format):

Abbie A. Smith, death certificate (Certificate of Vital Record) No. 31-050190 (certificate dated 18 June 1996) (11 September 1931), State of California, Department of Public Health, San Diego County, San Diego, California.

The two paragraphs:

Abbie A. (Vaux) Smith was born on 28 October 1844 according to three available records - a Births page from a family Bible, a handwritten list of family names, birth, marriage and death dates and places, and a death certificate issued by a county registrar of vital records.  In addition, United States Census records (1850 to 1930) indicate a birth year between 1843 and 1846, especially the 1900 census which states "Oct 1844."  I have been unable to find a family Bible for Abbie's parents, Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux, nor a church record in Aurora, Erie county, New York, and there are no vital records for the 1844 time period in Erie County, New York.

The Bible record is an original source in the hand of Abbie's husband (Devier J. Smith), but the information is Secondary Information (because it was recorded in 1889 according to another loose page in the hand of Devier J. Smith), and it is Direct Evidence (because it answers the research question explicitly).  Abbie Smith's list of names and dates is also an Original Source, Secondary Information and Direct Evidence.  The County Death Certificate is also an Original Source (because it is an official document with information provided soon after her death), Secondary Information (as to the birth date) and Direct Evidence.  The three documents are probably derived from the same informant - Devier asked Abbie what her birth date was for the Bible entry, Abbie wrote her own birth date entry on her list, and Della (Smith) Carringer (Abbie's daughter) was probably the informant to the funeral parlor person that provided the information to the San Diego County registrar.

So how did I do?  I will enter this into DearMYRTLE's challenge contest, and look forward to the next challenge.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/the-ragu-challenge-3-2-1-cite-abigail.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Working With the Mocavo Search Engine Sliders - Post 1

One of the recently added features of the Mocavo.com search engine is the use of sliders to vary the search parameters.  I explored some of these capabilities today and want to share what I found.

After logging in (I have a complimentary Mocavo Gold account), here is the Mocavo.com home page with a first name, last name, and a keyword entered into the Basic search form:

I clicked on the green "Search" button and saw my results:

There were 44 results for my search terms.  On the screen above, there are slider "Filters" under the two names and four slider "Filters" over on the left side of the page.  The sliders are for each "Filter:"

*  First name = "Exact," "Similar" and "Initials or Similar"
*  Last name = "Exact" or "Sounds like"
*  Proximity = "Exact," three intermediate settings, and "Far"
*  Freshness = "New," "1 Week," "1 month, " "3 months," "6 months," "1 Year" and "All Time"
*  Keyword Appearance = "Only Title," a mid-point setting, and "Only Content"
*  Dataset Size = "Small," a mid-point setting, and "Large"

For the Basic search on the screen above, the settings were First Name = "Exact," Last Name = "Exact," Proximity = "near Exact," Freshness = "All Time," Keyword Appearance = mid-point," and Dataset Size = "mid-point."

I clicked on the "Show Advanced Search Fields," and more search fields - for "Event," "Year," "Month," "Day," "Range" and "Location."  I took out the Keyword and added a Location to that search field. The search results screen adjusted immediately:

I received 70 search results after doing that one change, and the sliders remained the same.

I moved the slider for Keyword Appearance setting to "Only Content" and saw:

There were 91 results with the "Only Content" setting.  That's confusing to me.  I don't have a Keyword in the search.  Is the Location acting as a Keyword?  If I move the slider back to "Only Title" there are no results.

The slider settings make a big difference, and the results from one search to another for the same search terms may be different if close attention is not paid to all six slider settings.

Some questions arise about these settings, such as:

*  How are First Names "Similar"?  I understand Initials and Exact.  Is there a First Name dictionary that chooses what is Similar?

*  How are Last Names "Sounds like"?  Is this a Soundex match only?  Or are other algorithms used?

*  How does the Proximity setting work?  "Exact" is understandable.  How far is "Far"?   What are the three gradations between "Exact" and "Far"?

*  Freshness is very clear to me!

* Keyword title" is clear for "Only Title" and "Only Content."  Does the intermediate setting search both Title and content?

*  Dataset Size" - what is "Small" and "Large?"  What does the intermediate setting do - search them all?  Or those datasets not large or small?

The Slider Setting I really appreciate is the Freshness setting.   I like it!  It will be very useful if I can train myself to go through a list of names/locations on a regular basis (weekly, monthly or yearly).

I will do some more studying of these slider settings so that I can understand them better.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/working-with-mocavo-search-engine.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

The Fern Street Apartment House in San Diego -- Post 301 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I simply am incapable of having a wordless post.

Here is a photograph of an ancestral home from the Seaver//Carringer family collection handed down by my mother in the 1988 to 2002 time period:

The photo above is the two-story apartment house at 2114 (downstairs) and 2116 (upstairs) Fern Street in San Diego.  The photograph was probably taken in the 1925 to 1930 time frame by my grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer.  

The apartment house was built in the 1925 to 1927 time frame by Lyle's parents, Henry Austin and Della (Smith) Carringer on land they owned since the late 1890's.  To the rear of this Fern Street apartment house was the two story apartment house at 2115/2119 30th Street, and to the north of the Fern Street house was Lyle Carringer's home at 2130 Fern Street.  The building footprint was about 32 feet east-west by 26 feet north-south.  

A current street view of the 2114/2116 Fern Street house from Google Maps is:

My recollection of the downstairs flat (2114 Fern Street) is that the front door opened into a living room, then there was a kitchen, a bathroom, and one or two bedrooms.  My parents rented this flat in 1946-1947 from my great-grandparents, and moved in 1947 across the way to 2119 30th Street in 1947.  My very first memory of life is my mother walking in the front door with my baby brother, Stanley, in September 1946.  

I don't think that we lived in the upstairs flat (2116 Fern Street), although I visited the people in this flat from time to time.  It had a larger living room, a bigger kitchen and dining area, a bathroom, and two bedrooms.  The open porch opened off the living room.  

There was a garage on the bottom floor that took significant space away from the flat at 2114.  My father used it for his car from 1946 to about 1970, and it was also his workshop.  I spent hours in that garage on Friday nights (his bowling night) listening to the radio for faraway stations in the 1962 to 1965 time period on the old Zenith radio he had there.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/the-fern-street-apartment-house-in-san.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Genealogists Celebrate April Fools Day

There were several April Fool's Day posts today, and I thought it would be fun to highlight them.  Here are the ones I found:

*  Family Tree Magazine's Skimpiest Issue Ever on the Genealogy Insider blog.

*  6 April Fool's Day Pranks From History on the Genealogy Insider blog.

*  LANDMARK BREAKTHROUGH:  Death Records for Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde Discovered on FindMyPast on the FindMyPast.co.uk Blog.

*  April Fools on the My Maine Ancestry blog.

*  On This April Fool's Day, Tell Us Which Ancestor Made a Fool Out Of You on the Ancestry.com Blog.

*  Scientist's Discover Oldest Citation Ever on The Ancestry Insider blog.

*  Ancestry Airlines on Tamura Jones' Google+ Feed.

*  New on GeneaNet:  Send Your GEDCOM by Phone on the GeneaNet Blog. (thank you, Louis!)

*  For technology lovers:  Your 2014 April Fool's Day Prank Spoiler on Lifehacker.

If you know of others, please let me know in a comment or email and i'll add them to the list.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/genealogists-celebrate-april-fools-day.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

UPDATED;  1 April 2014, 10 p.m.

Tuesday's Tip: FamilySearch Learning Center Has Over 480 Genealogy Instructional Videos

This week's Tuesday's Tip is:  Check out the genealogy instructional videos in the FamilySearch Learning Center.

On the FamilySearch home page (https://familysearch.org), the quickest way to get to the Learning Center is by clicking on the "Get Help" link at the top right of the page:

After clicking the "Get Help" link, the "Help and Learn" popup window opened, as shown above.  The instructional videos are in the "Learning Center Video Courses" link.

I clicked on the "Learning Center Video Courses" and the Learning Center page appeared (two screens below):

There are about 480 courses in this Learning Center at present (I obtained that number by adding the number of Beginner (119), Intermediate (309), and Advanced (50) courses).

There are major categories on the right-hand side of the page for RootsTech 2014 videos, for Featured Courses, for Most Popular Courses, for New Courses, and for Beginning Genealogy Courses.  The user can click on any one of the links provided for a specific course.  Each course listed notes the length of time for the video.

There are 21 Beginning Genealogy Courses that are five minutes each.

On the left-hand side of the screens above are Filters for Place, Skill Level, and Subject.  You can click any one of the filters and see a list of videos for that Filter.

One of the links in the "Place" filter list was for "Pennsylvania."  I clicked on that and saw the three courses specifically for Pennsylvania research:

Those look interesting.  I clicked on the link for the  "Pennsylvania Research: County Court and Probate Records" lesson and saw:

The screen above has a link to "View this lesson."  Under that frame are "Course Supplements" - in this case, "Give course feedback" and "Course Handout (pdf)."

If I click on the "View this lesson" link, the video player opens and I can watch the video (usually Powerpoint slides), and hear and see the presenter speak:

I can also click on the "Course Handout (pdf)" link and read the supporting material for the lesson:

I can save or print the handout using the icons in the little bar at the bottom right of the screen.

The FamilySearch Learning Center is the most complete and extensive set of online video educational lessons available.  If you want to advance your genealogical knowledge, using this site can be very helpful.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/tuesdays-tip-familysearch-learning.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Tombstone Tuesday - Is This My Thomas J. Newton?

While using the Google search engine the other day, I tried different name spellings for my Thomas J. Newton (second husband of Sophia (Buck) Brigham (1797-1882) and father of Sophia Newton (1834-1922) and Thomas J. Newton (1835-1915)).   I tried "nuton" and "neuton" and "knewton" instead of "newton."

Lo and behold, a website was found with a gravestone for a Thomas J. Neuton (1797-1839), taken in West Cambridge, Lamoille County, Vermont.  Here is the gravestone that they published (yes, I know i'm violating their copyright - let them sue me!):

So is this my third great-grandfather Thomas J. Newton?  The dates are in the ballpark.  The death date indicates that he died young, leaving a widow and two small children.  The place is approximately where his children were supposedly born.  Why isn't his daughter Sophia, my 2nd great-grandmother, listed on the stone?

I'm a bit suspicious of this website - it wasn't there when I checked back today.  The gravestone looks pretty new -- it isn't weathered.  Is someone trying to spoof me?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/04/tombstone-tuesday-is-this-my-thomas-j.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

"Shaking the Family Tree" Community Family History Fair on 12 April in Chula Vista

The Chula Vista, California Stake of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints (LDS) is offering a FREE community Family History Fair on Saturday, 12 April 2014 from 10 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.

The event will occur at the Stake building at 1590 East H Street in Chula Vista 91913.  Any person interested in genealogy can register for this FREE event at http://bit.ly/M4lQPv.

The flyer above says:

"Come join us for this FREE Family History Fair and learn how to find out who’s in your family tree. Whether you’re an experienced genealogist or just wanting to get started, there are classes for you. These seminars are appropriate for adults and youth ages 12 and up, no childcare will be provided, so please make outside arrangements for younger children. A light lunch will be provided for all who register online by April 6th (see directions below). Invite your family and friends! For additional information please contact Mark Donnelly at chulavistafamilyhistory@gmail.com."

The Keynote Address is at 10 a.m. by Mary Hill, author of Paper Dolls, A Family History, in the Chapel).

There are six class tracks with classes at four different times - 10:30 a.m., 11:30 a.m., 12:30 p.m. and 1:30 p.m.:

1)  Family Research Lab (walk-in)

2)  FamilySearch Indexing Lab (walk-in)

3)  Live Instruction (in Relief Society Room)

** 10:30 a.m.:  Diane Godinez on "Genealogia para Antepasadoes Latinos" (in Spanish)
** 11:30 a.m.:  Diane Godinez on "Genealogy for Hispanic Ancestors" (in English)
**  12:30 p.m.: Mark Donnelly on "Paleography: Deciphering Ancient Handwriting"
** 1:30 p.m.:   Jerry Jill on "BSA Genealogy Merit Badge"

4)  Family Stories Track (in Multi-Purpose Room)

**  "Storytelling Super Powers: How to Come Off as Your Family's Genealogy Hero"
**  "Crowd-sourcing Events to Glean the Most Out of the Current Generation"
**  Connecting Past, Present, and Future Through Stories"
**  Top 10 Online Resources When You're Short On Time"

5)  Beginner Track (in Young Women's Room)

** "Finding Your British Roots"
** "Basic Online Resources for the Beginning Genealogist"
**  "5 Recursos Estenciales para Genealogical Latina" (in Spanish)
**  "5 Ways to Do Genealogy In Your Sleep"

6)  Advanced Track (in Primary Room)

**  "Introduction to DNA for Genealogists"
**  "Advanced Techniques for Use of Autosomal DNA Tests to Break Through Genealogical Brick Walls"
**  "How to Scan an Elephant: Digitizing Your Family History From Artifact to Zombie"
**  "Metadata for Digital Images"

The presentations for Tracks 4, 5 and 6 are videos from the RootsTech 2014 Conference in Salt Lake City, but they are available only to LDS Family History Fairs like this event.

Note that you need to register before April 6th to receive the free "light lunch."

The flyer notes that free wi-fi will be available and you can bring your laptop or tablet to do family history work.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/03/shaking-family-tree-community-family.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Family Tree Issues discussed on Mondays With Myrt for 31 March

Almost every Monday, Pat Richley-Erickson (AKA DearMYRTLE) moderates a lively discussion in a Google+ Hangout On Air called Mondays With Myrt.  The video is archived by Google+ on YouTube, and can be watched during or after the live event on DearMYRTLE's YouTube Channel (https://www.youtube.com/user/DearMYRTLE).

This morning's Mondays With Myrt can be watched on YouTube at http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1gYx1KIgxDI&feature=share, or below:




Comments from the YouTube community and the Google+ DearMYRTLE's Genealogy Community page can be read, and responded to, at  https://plus.google.com/107941607363534146959/posts/TSBAz33K1Dc (you do need to be registered on Google+ - it's free).

There can be up to ten persons on the panel who discuss the issues of the day, and Pat asks each panelist before the broadcast begins what they might want to talk about in the "green room."  Pat's cousin and fellow geneablogger Russ Worthington manage the broadcast, making sure the camera is on the speaker, showing their screens, and monitoring the comments in the community.  I try to be on the panel on most Mondays and enjoy the conversation.

The discussion today had several items for discussion - Pat's blog post at http://blog.dearmyrtle.com/2014/03/mondays-with-myrt-31-march-2014.html shared her plans.  But the conversation often expands to topics not covered, and sometimes doesn't get to all of the planned issues.

The discussion items today included:

1)  Cynthia asked: "We are encouraged to add hyperlinks to websites and records in our source citations.  What happens if that link is not there any more?"

Several of us responded - Russ Worthington noted that most source citations in Evidence Explained have only the host website URL, rather than the specific URL for a specific record.  He also noted that the Internet Archive Wayback Machine often has some of the web pages from an inactive or removed website.  The "Access date" in the source citation is useful also.

My comment was that I only add hyperlinks to the host site (e.g., Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org), but that I try to add a breadcrumb trail - the "Waypoints" - to help a reader of my source citation find the specific record (e.g., I try to quote the database, a specific volume of a set of digitized book, then the page number and image number).

Pat added that Thomas W. Jones in Mastering Genealogical Proof suggests including source citation elements for Who, What, When, Where In, and Where At.

2)  Cynthia's second question was "Are future generations going to be able to access our information?"

Hilary Gadsby in Wales offered that GEDCOM files provide a way to share information with other researchers.

Russ Worthington suggested adding information to an online family tree like Ancestry.com or FamilySearch Family Tree so that the tree is available for other researchers to access.

Pat has an issue with putting her current, unproven, research into a public or searchable online family tree.  She's concerned that someone may collect her information that turns out to be erroneous, and she'll get a bad reputation.

I noted that I made a decision several years ago that I would use free-form source citations because I want to be able to transfer my tree file to other software programs and online trees so that my sources don not get mangled.  Source citations created by source templates in genealogy software (like RootsMagic, Legacy Family Tree and Family Tree Maker which use Evidence Explained template models) use special GEDCOM codes to incorporate the EE source template features, and the other programs, or online trees, won't recognize them.  Therefore, I use the free-form source citation template in the software to add a "Master Source" portion and a "Citation Detail" portion and those transfer fine in GEDCOM  to everything else.  The drawback is that they are not "perfect" as to the Evidence Explained format.

Ann Royal suggested that using a Private Ancestry Member Tree, even with a "don't make this database searchable" option, works well, and the owner can invite others to collaborate and share information in order to drive to a conclusion that can be added to a Public Member Tree.  During this discussion, Pat showed how easy it was to start a new Ancestry Member Tree and make it public or private, and searchable or not-searchable.  Ann also noted that when you find a Private Member Tree with information you might need, you can message them and request the information they have.

3)  Pat noted that: "You wrote about having a problem with other researchers using your online information in their online trees without attribution."  I described my blog post (Should I Add My Own Family Stories to my Ancestry Member Tree?) and Judy G. Russell's commentary on it (in Courtesy, ethics and law).  There were several comments in the community:

*  Cyndy Bray said:  "I had this happen that someone told me, not very nicely, to take something down.  I did that.  I did not know that I was infringing on a copyright.   I'm thinking there are many people like me that just didn't know and when given an explanation will change behavior."

*  Bill West commented:  "I had one of my blogposts show up in 12 different trees on Ancestry without crediting my blog as the source. I wrote them all emails. Only 3 added my name to the story. "

*  June Butka commented:  "I make every attempt to request permission to use any "public" list photos or stories onancestry.com before adding them to my tree. 90-95% of the people respond that I have permission to use. The other percent haven't logged in for years. I haven't used those photos or stories. I'm not sure where to go from there to find permission."

*  Andrew Hatchett offered:  "There is no doubt whatsoever that the major Genealogy Sites fail to put enough emphasis on Copyright info to train newbies as to the proper handling. It is usually buried someplace the newbie may only see it once."

*  Bruce Cortis added:  "My pet peeve is people who refuse to share by making their trees private but fell perfectly fine using my data. "

4)  Pat asked if we had seen Thomas MacEntee's blog post about Genealogy and Family History Industry – Boom or Bust? and the impact of technology on genealogy.  Pat noted how the younger generations don't want to read books or journals or watch 90 minutes of Mondays With Myrt.

Dave Robison noted that genealogists he encounters as a teacher encompass a broad range of persons with a variety of styles and skills.  Some can't find a website or know what a right-click is, and others are technology and social media whizzes.  Russ said the latter want it in 140 characters (ala Twitter).

Pat noted that "Cloud Technology" is the current standard and will be used more and more.  The Internet is now the World Book encyclopedia, and book encyclopedias are obsolete.  But not everyone has the same skills.

5)  Pat showed how to join a Google+ Community and some of the features of Google+ including finding people and groups.

6)  Pat highlighted Bernice Bennett's new book (with four other authors), Our Ancestors, Our Stories about African-American memory keepers in South Carolina.  The "official" history of South Carolina was written by the slave owners and did not include slave families and their descendants.  The research principles used by the authors for their stories are what all researchers and authors should employ.

7)  This 100 minutes of conversation about genealogy is unique at the present time - and may be the future of genealogy collaboration.  Google+ Hangouts, and Hangouts On Air (which are archived on YouTube), are free and could be used for family discussions, genealogical society board meetings or presentations, and much more.  My thanks to Pat and Russ and everyone else involved for making this possible and enjoyable.  I look forward to the opportunity each Monday morning at 9 a.m. Pacific time (your time may vary!).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/03/issues-discussed-on-mondays-with-myrt.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - Post 212: 1881 Deed of David J. and Rebecca Carringer to Mary and Louisa M. Carringer in Louisa County, Iowa

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme many months ago called Amanuensis Monday. What does "amanuensis" mean? John offers this definition:

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is a land deed in Louisa County, Iowa dated 28 September 1881 in Boulder, Colorado, recorded on 4 February 1882, transferring 40 acres in Louisa County for 1 dollar paid by Mary and Louisa M. Carringer to David J. Carringer and wife.

1 David J. Carringer /wife     }

2             To                       } Filed for Record Feb 4^th 1882 at 9 AM

3 Mary and Louisa Carringer}                           A W McKay Recorder

4                                            Know all men by these presents that

5 we David J. Carringer and Rebecca Carringer his wife of the County

6 of Boulder State of Colorado for and in consideration of the sum

7 of One Dollar to us in hand paid by Mary and Louisa M. Carringer

8 of the County of Louisa and State of Iowa we hereby sell and

9 convey as one of the heirs at law of the Estate of Henry Carringer

10 late of the County of Louisa and State of Iowa deceased, an

11 individual One Sixth interest in the following Real Estate

12 Situate in the County of Louisa and State of Iowa to wit:

13 The North east quarter ¼, of the South East quarter, ¼, of section

14 number Twenty nine 29; township number Seventy five “75,”

15 Range number five “5”. West containing 40 acres more or less

16 and in the event of the sale of said property by an order of

17 the court we authorize and empower the said Mary and Luisa

18 M. Carringer or their legal representatives to draw and use

19 our allotment from the sale thereof. In testimony whereof

20 we have hereunto set our hands and seals this the 28^th day of

21 September A D 1881.                      David J. Carringer {seal}

22 State of Colorado }                         Rebecca Carringer {seal}

23 Boulder County   } SS

24                         On this the 28^th day of September A D 1881

25 before me Oscar F. A. Greene a Notary Public in and for the

26 County and State aforesaid personally came David J. Carringer

27 and Rebecca Carringer his wife personally known to be

28 the identical persons whose names are affixed to the foregoing

29 instrument of Writing as grantors and acknowledged the

30 same to be their voluntary act and deed for the purposes

31 therein expressed. In testimony whereof I have hereunto

32 set my hand and seal Notarial this the 28^th day of September

33 A D 1881 at Boulder Colorado.             Oscar F. A. Greene

34                                                     Notary Public Boulder Co

35 { Oscar F A Greene }                                Colorado

36 {     Notary Public   }

37 {   Boulder Co Col  }

[In left margin]

See affidavit in Book 118, Page 241

The source citation for this deed is:

Louisa County, Iowa, "Louisa County, Iowa, deeds records, 1839-1935; index, 1839-1901," "Deeds, v. 32, 35, 1876-1882", Volume 35, Page 618 (stamped), David J. Carringer and wife to Mary and Louisa Carringer, accessed on FHL microfilm US/CAN 1,005,869.

I found this record on 5 February 2014 at the Family History Library in Salt Lake City on microfilm.  First, I found the deed index books for the county on microfilm.  After noting the volume and page numbers, I found the correct microfilm and was able to find the deed above.  I photographed the image on the microfilm machine and was able to transcribe the deed.

David J. and Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer are my second great-grandparents.  They were heirs of Henry Carringer, David's father, along with the other siblings (or children of deceased siblings). In this deed, they sold their portion of the land bequeathed to the heirs by Henry Carringer, to David's unmarried sisters, Mary Carringer and Louisa M. Carringer.  David J. and Rebecca (Spangler) Carringer moved from Washington County, Iowa to Boulder County, Colorado in about 1874.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/03/amanuensis-monday-post-212-1881-deed-of.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver