First Look at RootsMagic 7 WebHints

I posted RootsMagic 7 is Now Available - with WebHints (FamilySearch and MyHeritage) last night and mentioned the new WenHints feature.

Note that you need to have a MyHeritage data subscription and a MyHeritage tree (and a tree subscription also if you have a large tree), and be registered with FamilySearch (free) in order to use the RootsMagic WebHints effectively.  You will have to be logged into the two sites in order to obtain the WebHints.

1)  The first thing I did was check the Help function in RootsMagic 7 to see what it says about WebHints.

2)  From the Pedigree, Family or Descendant View in RootsMagic 7, the WebHint "light bulb" is on the right side of the person's name.  Here is a Family View for one of my ancestors:

Do you see the "light bulb" to the right of the person names on the screen above?  That is the "WebHint" indicator.

3)  I clicked on the WebHint indicator for Frank Walton Seaver:

The WebHints screen shows me that there are 15 total Hints in Family Search;  of these, 5 are pending, 9 are already confirmed, and 1 is rejected.

4) I clicked on the "Pending" FamilySearch Hint number ("5"), and my browser opened the FamilySearch Family Tree page for Frank Walton Seaver, showing the Pending Record Hints:

I clicked on the first one, reviewed the information, and attached the record to Frank Walton Seaver.  I will do the remainder later.

5)  I closed the FamilySearch tab down, and back in RootsMagic, I closed the WebHints screen, and then opened it again to see:

As you can see, the "Confirmed" number for the FamilySearch profile has increased to 10.  But the "Pending" number stayed at 5 for some reason.

6)  On the screen above, I clicked on the MyHeritage "Pending" number link and my browser opened into my MyHeritage tree:

There were three Record Matches for Frank Walton Seaver on the MyHeritage screen above.  I reviewed and confirmed (with the check mark) all three of them.

7)  I closed the MyHeritage browser tab down, and closed the RootsMagic WebHint window, and then reopened the WebHints for Frank Walton Seaver:

The screen above shows that the 3 MyHeritage Record Matches are confirmed - in MyHeritage.

8)  Note that nothing has been added to my RootsMagic database (except the Light Bulbs).  No Events were added using these WebHints.  No source citations were created using these WebHints.  All that was changed was the number of Confirmed (or Rejected) Record Hints in FamilySearch Family Tree, and Confirmed (or Rejected) Record Matches in MyHeritage.

If the Record Hints in FamilySearch, or the Record Matches in MyHeritage, were new events for me, I could have captured a document image from the website, added an event to my RootsMagic database, created a source citation for the event (citing the appropriate website), and attached the downloaded Media item to the person and tagged it to the Event.

This is probably the most efficient way to add a Record Hint to the FamilySearch Family Tree, and a Record Match to my MyHeritage family tree.  I can go through my RootsMagic database one person at a time and add these Hints and Matches to the website trees rather than doing it within the website trees.

9)  Some potential issues:

*  I don't know why the FamilySearch "Pending" number did not reduce by one when I confirmed a Record Hint.

*  I don't know if I have to shut down the browser window in order to record the Confirm/Reject (I guess that I don't), but I think I do have to close the WebHints window in RootsMagic and then reopen it in order to see the changed Pending/Confirmed/Rejected Hint/Match count.

10)  I will look at other new features in RootsMagic in later posts.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/first-look-at-rootsmagic-7-webhints.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Register Now for San Diego Genealogical Society January Seminar with D. Joshua Taylor

The San Diego Genealogical Society's (SDGS) Family History Seminar is Saturday, 10 January 2015, in the Captain's Room at Marina Village (1936 Quivira Road) on Mission Bay in San Diego.  The seminar will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Information about the seminar can be found here:

The featured speaker will be D. Joshua Taylor, whose presentations will be:

Session 1: Bridging the Gap: Finding Ancestors in the United States between 1780 and 1830.

Session 2: The Modern-Genealogist: Timesaving Tips for Every Researcher.

Session 3: Our States Archives: Digital Collections and More.

Session 4: New Tools and Ideas in Research.

D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS is the President of the Federation of Genealogical Societies and a nationally known and recognized genealogical author, lecturer, and researcher.  He has been a featured genealogist on the hit PBS show, Genealogy Roadshow and NBC’s Who Do You Think You Are? with Sarah Jessica Parker, Ashley Judd, Reba McEntire, and Rob Lowe.

We are honored to have D. Joshua Taylor, MA, MLS, as our speaker and his sessions will be held in the Captain's Room at Marina Village.  The fee for this event is members $40 and for non-members $50.  This price includes four sessions by our speaker as well as the welcoming coffee/tea and pastries and a sandwich box lunch.  We have invited Elijah's Catering as a new partner to provide coffee/tea and boxed lunches. Remember Marina Village has free parking.

Please register early as seating is limited. We expect the seminar to fill rapidly.  The registration form is here.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/register-now-for-san-diego-genealogical.html

Randy and His Girls at the Beach -- Post 335 of (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

I am posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they aren't "Wordless" - I am incapable of having a wordless post.

Here is a photograph from the Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill family collection handed down from my Aunt Marion in 2000 after her passing.

When Aunt Marion came to San Diego to visit in 1982, we took her to the beach - she wanted to dip her toe in the Pacific Ocean.  I think we went to the Silver Strand State Beach in San Diego because it provided easy access to the sand and the water from the parking lot.  It was also our favorite beach to jump the waves, build sand castles, bury kids in the sand, hunt for shells, find sand crabs, etc.  And it had bathrooms and a snack bar nearby.

The photo above shows me in the background joyfully working on a sand castle with my daughters, Lori and Tami.  The girls loved the beach, and have extended their joy to their children also.  

This may be the only swimsuit picture I have of myself!  I was skinnier in those days!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/post-335-of-not-so-wordless-wednesday.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

RootsMagic 7 is Now Available - with WebHints (FamilySearch and MyHeritage)

RootsMagic 7 genealogy software has been released and can be purchased at the www.RootsMagic.com website - check on "Store."  If you're a new user, it costs $29.95, if you are updating an earlier version it costs $19.95.

I downloaded the program tonight as an update, received my registration key via email, and had it working within about two minutes of pressing the Download button.

The RootsMagic website says that the updated features in Version 7 include:

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WebHints

• RootsMagic automatically searches your favorite genealogy records sites including FamilySearch and MyHeritage for possible matches to your data
• As matches are found, a light bulb appears next to each person's name
• Clicking on the light bulb opens up a web browser with the matching records (some records may require a subscription)

    

DataClean

• NameClean finds and corrects many common problems in personal names in your file
• PlaceClean finds and corrects many common problems in place names in your file

     

Compare Files

• Compare any two RootsMagic files and display their differences
• Share data between the compared files with the click of a button

Publish Online

• Publish your family information to MyRootsMagic.com
• Dynamic, database-driven sites with pedigree, family and individual views for each person
• Can include notes, sources, and media for each person
• Password protect your site to control access to your family data
• See a sample website

  

Import Lists

• Like to customize your files? Import lists of fact types, media, places, and more from another RootsMagic file to save time and effort

Backup and Restore with Media

• Optionally include your media when you backup or restore your database

QuickGroups

• See which groups a person belongs to with the click of a mouse
• Check and uncheck a person's groups from a single screen

Drag-and-Drop Media

• Drag-and-drop pictures and other files right onto a person's media screen to add them quickly

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

I will have to explore the WebHints later this week.  The WebHints are for MyHeritage and FamilySearch records that can are pushed to the software - a light bulb is shown when there is a WebHint.  For instance, here is a screenshot from my database:

See the yellow light bulbs on the right side of the person's name?  Those are the Web Hints.  I had to use this family because there aren't many WebHints on the earlier families!

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/rootsmagic-7-is-now-available-with.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

RootsMagic Adds MyHeritage Matching Technologies for Powerful Automatic Research Capabilities

This press release was received today from MyHeritage:

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

TEL AVIV, Israel & SPRINGVILLE, Utah – November 25, 2014: MyHeritage, the popular family history network, and RootsMagic, Inc., today jointly announced that MyHeritage’s Smart MatchingTM and Record Matching technologies have been integrated into RootsMagic’s latest version of its popular genealogy software. This enables RootsMagic users to discover the life stories of their ancestors thanks to highly accurate matching between their family trees and millions of family trees and billions of global historical records available on MyHeritage. 

RootsMagic, first released in 2003, is an award winning genealogy program for documenting and preserving family history. Its latest version 7, released this week, includes among its highlights a new feature named WebHints powered by MyHeritage matching technologies that transforms the program into a powerful research tool. WebHints also include hints from genealogy website FamilySearch for authenticated users. Information sent by RootsMagic to MyHeritage for matching is never collected or shared, and is deleted after matching to ensure the complete privacy of RootsMagic users and their data.

MyHeritage enables millions of families around the world to discover, share and preserve their family history on the MyHeritage website, mobile apps and desktop applications. In addition, MyHeritage is well known as a technology innovator. Its flagship technologies, 

Smart MatchingTM and Record Matching, which generate automatic discoveries based on MyHeritage’s huge international database of family trees and historical records, are sought after within the family history space. Leading genealogy organizations are partnering with MyHeritage to integrate these technologies into their products.

“MyHeritage matches are a very exciting feature”, said RootsMagic, Inc.’s Vice President, Michael Booth. “It was like magic to me when the WebHints were first wired into RootsMagic and I opened my file and saw all the matches appear. I spent hours exploring and discovering newspaper articles, certificates, and records that I had never seen before. Our initial testers are also reporting that they have been having so much fun exploring the MyHeritage matches that they have had to pull themselves away to test the other features.”

“We’re thrilled to provide RootsMagic – an acclaimed genealogy software among the most popular in the USA – with our powerful matching technologies” said MyHeritage’s Founder & CEO Gilad Japhet. “This partnership will significantly accelerate discoveries for RootsMagic users and will expand the tremendous reach of MyHeritage.”

This announcement follows other integrations of MyHeritage matching technologies by British genealogy software, Family Historian and Dutch genealogy services Aldfaer and Coret Genealogie. Available on MyHeritage and through a wide set of partnerships, MyHeritage matching technologies have become the de facto standard for automatic discoveries for everyone interested in their family history.

About MyHeritage

MyHeritage is the leading destination for discovering, sharing and preserving family history.  As technology thought leaders and innovators, MyHeritage is transforming family history into an activity that’s accessible and instantly rewarding. Its global user community enjoys access to a massive database of historical records, the most internationally diverse collection of family trees, and ground-breaking search and matching technologies. MyHeritage is trusted by millions of families and provides them an easy way to share their story, past and present, and treasure it for generations to come. MyHeritage is available in 40 languages. 
www.myheritage.com

About RootsMagic, Inc.

For over 20 years, RootsMagic, Inc. has been creating computer software with a special purpose - to unite families. One of its earliest products, the popular Family Origins software, introduced thousands of people to the joy and excitement of family history. That tradition continues today with RootsMagic, its award-winning genealogy software which makes researching, organizing, and sharing family history fun and easy. 
www.rootsmagic.com

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

The URL for this post is:

The Ultimate Challenge - Building a Family Tree From Sources - Post 2: Meyers Family

Noted geneablogger James Tanner wrote Building a Pedigree From Sources -- The Ultimate Challengeon his Genealogy's Star blog on 22 November 2014.  See the post for more background.

I wrote The Ultimate Challenge - Building a Family Tree From Sources - Post 1: Crawford Family yesterday,  I was able to take the paternal half of the ancestry of Betty Lee Crawford back four more generations using only Ancestry.com leaf Hints and judgment.

1)  In this post, I'm going to try to do the same thing with another family - the Frances Meyers family - in the 1940 U.S. Census.  I used a neighbor of my great-grandparents in San Diego, California - actually a renter residing in 2119 30th Street, the address where I lived from 1947 to 1968.  

Here is a screen shot of the census page from Ancestry.com:

I have highlighted Virginia Meyers on the screen above.  The household consists of:

*  Frances Meyers - head, female, white, age 48, widow, born in Washington.
*  Virginia Meyers - daughter, female, white, age 25, single, born in California.
*  Marcella Meyers - daughter, female, white, age 20, single, born in California.

The Ancestry.com indexing gave the surname as "Theyere" - I read it as Meyers.  FamilySearch indexed it as Meyers.  The first letter of Meyers does not look like any other M on the page, but it doesn't look like a T either.  I think the enumerator overwrote with the M.

2)  I entered these three persons into an Ancestry Member Tree, and added a husband for Frances named "Meyers," since she was a widow and the daughters seem to be her offspring.

A few minutes after entering the names, I received no green leaf Hints.  Three days later, there are still no green leaf Hints for any of them (I took the screen shot above today).

Apparently, there are no birth, marriage, death, census, family tree, or other record types hints for the three persons in the 1940 U.S. Census entry in Ancestry.com databases.

3)  I decided to do a Search for all three of these persons using the "Search Records" link on the profile page for Frances:

Here are the results - note the search criteria in the left-hand column, and 1,372,477 matches (two screens shown):

I didn't look at all 1,372,477 matches because I know that the best matches are almost always in the first 50 matches.

I found no other record that showed Frances with a spouse and a daughter named either Virginia or Marcella.  I found no other record for Virginia or Marcella either.  Based on what I knew (name, age, birthplace), I searched for these three females, in selected Ancestry.com databases:

*  1930 U.S. Census
*  1920 U.S. Census
*  California Birth Index, 1905-1995
*  California Marriage Index, 1949-1959, and 1960-1985
*  California Death Index, 1940-1997
*  Find A Grave index (only for Frances)

I also checked GenealogyBank, which has an excellent San Diego newspaper collection, and found nothing in the 1940-1980 time frame.

I searched FamilySearch records and found only the 1940 U.S. Census above.  There are no entries for these three persons in the FamilySearch Family Tree.

By searching in databases, I did find one City Directory for San Diego in 1941 that listed Frances Meyers residing at 2119 30th Street.

Evidently, during or after World War II, these three females either died, or married, and/or left San Diego and moved to another state where there are no online vital records on Ancestry.com.

4)  If I only used Ancestry.com, I would say that I struck out on this investigation of the ancestry of Virginia (and Marcella) Meyers.  If a client had come to me saying that Virginia was her mother or her grandmother, I would have asked for information about the family so that I could find more information about Mr. Meyers and Frances.

5)  So I've done two of these "Ultimate Challenge" searches, and have had a good experience with the first one and a total shutout with the second.

I have done two more already, and am considering doing more over the next few weeks.  To obtain a decent statistical percentage of tests like this - i.e., to be able to say that Ancestry leaf Hints can be used to find your ancestry 67.4% of the time - I would have to do several hundred.  Right now the number is 50% plus or minus about 40%.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/the-ultimate-challenge-building-family_25.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday's Tip - AmericanAncestors.org Has Free Databases

This week's Tuesday's Tip is:  The AmericanAncestors.org website, which is a subscription site, has some FREE online databases.

AmericanAncestors.org is the website of the New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS), located in Boaston, Massachusetts.  Their emphasis is New England and New York.  There is a large collection of searchable databases behind their subscription wall, but there are some FREE searchable databases.

You can find them at http://www.americanancestors.org/free-databases/ (two screens below):

The FREE searchable public databases (no guest registration required) include:

*  NEHGS Library Catalog
*  Massachusetts Vital Records to 1850
*  Boston, MA: Taking Records, 1800
*  Suffolk County Court of Common Pleas -- Index and Abstract of Cases, 1756-1776
*  Middlesex County, MA:  Index to Probate Records, 1648-1909
*  Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871
*  Essex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1638-1881
*  Jewish Cemetery Association of Massachusetts
*  Sharon Memorial Park Cemetery
*  Armenian Immigrant Marriages in MA, 1880-1915
*  Family Tree Samplers

There are Guest Databases (requires a free guest registration), including:

*  New England Ancestors Magazine
*  American Ancestors Magazine
*  Rhode Island Roots
*  Massachusetts Society of the Cincinnati
*  Gloucester, MA: Burials
*  Ware, MA Families
*  Mass. Historical Data Relating to Cities and Towns
*  Social Security Death Index
*  New York Wills, 1626-1836
*  Index to Revolutionary War Pensioners
*  Irish Immigrant Advertisements, 1831-1920

The current short-term Guest Databases (requires a free guest registration) include:

*  Rhode Island Vital Records, 1636-1850
*  Connecticut Vital Records to 1870 (Barbour Collection)
*  Early Families of New England
*  Western Massachusetts Families in 1790

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/tuesdays-tip-americanancestorsorg-has.html

Copyright (c) 2-014, Randall J. Seaver

The Ultimate Challenge - Building a Family Tree From Sources - Post 1: Crawford Family

Noted geneablogger James Tanner wrote Building a Pedigree From Sources -- The Ultimate Challenge on his Genealogy's Star blog on 22 November 2014.

1)  In his blog post, James makes the points that:

*  Traditional genealogy began with a pedigree chart and a search for names. From my experience, nearly all beginning researchers start out the same way. They begin filling in names and they follow the suggestions from countless books, classes and websites that teach the Research Cycle.

*  It is past due time to revise this traditional approach and realize that it is no longer necessary... [an alternate way is] building a pedigree strictly from sources.

*  Today, [John] Doe can go onto any one of several online database websites and begin by filling out his name and his parents' names on a pre-constructed family history form. He could use Ancestry.com, MyHeritage.com,findmypast.com, Geni.com, FamilySearch.org or other programs. 

*  If he is using either MyHeritage.com or Ancestry.com or FamilySearch.org, all he has to do is enter a minimal amount of information about himself and his parents and perhaps a name or two of grandparents. The programs then begin to suggest sources for further information.

2)  Is this correct?  Is it foolproof?  What about "proving" your research?  My answers are:

*  Yes, it is correct.  A person can often build an online family tree and the tree provider can provide records for persons in the tree - for example, Ancestry.com leaf Hints, or MyHeritage Record Matches, or FamilySearch Record Hints.  

*  No, it's not foolproof.  You may get stuck and have no leafs, hints, or matches.  Or you may get only one more generation back.  It all depends on the names and data entered, and whether there are records available or other researchers with trees with those persons in them.

*  "Proving your research"  is really a concept that beginners usually have no understanding of, but if they continue they eventually should come to understand that they need to cite their sources, look in other resources, consider the evidence collection for each conclusion made, etc.

3)  However, in my opinion, it is a viable way to start a family tree, and to find records and relationships for ancestors in a relatively quick process.  The records found are "low hanging fruit."  Finding other records for persons and their life events in other resources may be a longer process.  


One problem is that the leaf Hints an Ancestry.com and Record Matches on MyHeritage requires a subscription.  Building an Ancestry Member Tree is free, and building a small tree on MyHeritage is also free.  Adding information to the FamilySearch Family Tree is free, as are the Record Hints for persons in the tree.

This online family tree process may "hook" beginners on finding out more about their family history. That is good for the beginner, for their family members, for local repositories, for local genealogical societies, and for online data providers.  It's a win-win for almost everybody for a relatively small amount of money.  

4)  I decided to try it out.  I couldn't use my own ancestral families, since I already have online family trees that would be easily found.

I chose persons born between 1900 and 1940 who were in the 1940 U.S. census.  Those would be representative of parents and grandparents of persons interested in starting genealogy research today.  I used the San Diego County census pages near those of my grandparents.  

Initially, I chose four census entries.  I may do more in the future.  I will write a separate blog article about each census entry.

My plan was to chose a person, create a new Ancestry Member Tree (kept private), enter as much information as possible from the 1940 U.S. census record, and then follow the green leaf Hints that Ancestry.com provides nearly instantaneously.  How far back could I go? 

5)  Here is the 1940 U.S. Census page for the Earl Jas. Crawford family in San Diego, California:

I started with Betty Lee Crawford (granddaughter of head, age 5 months born in California), whose parents were Lowell A. Crawford (son of head, age 29 born in Minnesota) and Betty R. Crawford (daughter-in-law of head, age 18 born in Illinois), and Earl Jas. Crawford (head of family, age 57 born in Minnesota) and Eva A. Crawford (wife of head, age 59 born in Minnesota).  This gave me three generations to start with.

Here is the Family view in my new Ancestry Member Tree:

After just a minute or two, I received green leaf Hints for Lowell A. Crawford and Earl James Crawford.  There were no Hints for Betty R. (--?--) Crawford, mother of Betty Lee, or for Eva A (--?--) Crawford, mother of Lowell A. Crawford.

I clicked on the Hints for Lowell A. Crawford - there were 6 Unreviewed Hints:

There was a Hint for Ancestry Member Trees, one for the California Death Index, a U.S. City Directory for San Diego, a 1940 Census record, a 1920 Census record, and a Find A Grave record.

There were two existing Ancestry Member Trees with Lowell A. Crawford in it:

I could select one or both of the trees and click on "Review selected tree hints" to add names and events to my new tree.

At this point, I don't know if any of the information in these existing trees are correct, but they do have all of the information that was in the Hints for Lowell A. Crawford, and have the parents correct.  I added the family members to my tree (mainly siblings of Lowell), and then did the same for his father Earl James Crawford and his mother Eva A. Crawford.  The information provided birth and death dates for Lowell and Earl, and information on his mother, Eva Adelle Jennings.  I was able to go back two more generations on both the Crawford and Jennings lines in a short period of time.

I accepted all of the Hints except for some of the Ancestry Member Trees.  By accepting the Hints, events were added to each person, and a Source was added for each of the Events accepted.

I stopped there, although there were leaf Hints for all four of the earliest generation, and for siblings of the direct line:

If there had been no existing Ancestry Member Trees, I would have been able to add most of the information above from the leaf Hints provided.

However, there were no Hints for my starting person, Betty Lee Crawford or her mother Betty R. (--?--) Crawford.  So further research in other resources (family, repository, online) is necessary to find information about them.  There is a chance that the daughter Betty is still alive.

All in all, this effort took me about one hour - but I knew what I was doing.  What I did was not a new process for me.  I have been making and using Ancestry Member Trees for years.  

6)  In this first example, the process worked really well.  I was able to add two generations in one line in a short period of time.  If I was working with a client, I think that they would be somewhat overwhelmed and pretty happy with what was found.  I would emphasize that more information was required to draw conclusions about each of the names, dates and places - birth, marriage and death certificates, other census records, cemetery records, obituaries, military records, family records, etc.  But its a pretty good start on  a family tree.

In a real case with a client or colleague, they would probably have at least some family information, such as a Bible, vital record certificates, newspaper clippings, or living relatives that they could glean information from.

7)  I will do another one of these each day this week trying to uncover problems and find benefits to building a pedigree with sourced information.  

I won't do a similar process with MyHeritage because it takes some time for their search engines to find Record Matches for persons.  I may check out the FamilySearch Family tree to see if this family (starting with Lowell and Betty R. (--?--) Crawford) is included.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/the-ultimate-challenge-building-family.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

New or Updated FamilySearch Record Collections - November 16-22, 2014

I'm trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list).  As of 22 November, there were 1,853 record collections on FamilySearch (up 3 from last week).

Here are the 10 new or updated collections for the week of 16 November to 22 November 2014:

*  Utah, Weber County Marriages, 1887-1938; Browse Images, added or updated 21 Nov 2014

*  Massachusetts, Boston Crew Lists, 1917-1943; 140,843 indexed records with images, added or updated 21 Nov 2014

*  Washington, County Records, 1803-2010; Browse Images, added or updated 20 Nov 2014

*  Michigan Obituaries, 1820-2006; 69,395 indexed records with images, added or updated 19 Nov 2014

*  Idaho, Southern Counties Obituaries, 1943-2013; 67,646 indexed records with images, added or updated 19 Nov 2014

*  Tennessee, White County Records, 1809-1975; Browse Images, added or updated 18 Nov 2014

*  Pennsylvania Obituaries, 1977-2010; 99,894 indexed records with images, added or updated 18 Nov 2014

*  Montana, Lake County Records, 1857-2010; 35,202 indexed records with images, added or updated 18 Nov 2014

*  Montana, Sanders County Records, 1866-2010; 5,416 indexed records with images, added or updated 18 Nov 2014


*  Find A Grave Index; 124,060,301 indexed records with images, added or updated 16 Nov 2014

Unfortunately, it is difficult to tell which collections are brand new and which ones are updated.  The asterisk they use is for "Recently added or updated."  I am particularly interested in new collections, for the obvious reasons.

In order to select a specific collection, go to https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner.

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link).  It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the major updates also.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/11/new-or-updated-familysearch-record_24.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - Post 245: 1873 Deed of Land in Taylor County, Iowa from Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to C.S. Meeks

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

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

The subject today is an 1870 deed in the Taylor County, Iowa deed books for Devier J. Smith and Abby A. Smith selling land to C.S. Meeks:

The transcription of this deed is (handwritten text in italics, form fields underlined):

DEED RECORD, TAYLOR CO., IOWA

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

 D.J. Smith & Wife     }       Filed for record:  27    day of  August  A.D. 

                                   }       18 73   , at    9    o'clock,    A.  M.

To:   C. S. Meeks       }                                               E.G. Medford    Recorder

                                  }                        

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

Know all Men by these Presents,       That      We                                      

   Devier J. Smith and Abbie A. Smith                                                            

of the County of   Taylor   and State of    Iowa   in consideration of the sum of

                                      Six Hundred                                              Dollars,

in hand paid by                      C. S. Meeks                                                                     

of     Taylor     County and State of     Iowa    do hereby sell and convey unto the 

said                          C. S. Meek                                      the following 

described premises, situated in the County of   Taylor    and State of   Iowa   to-wit:

       Lots 1, 2, 3, 16, 17, 18 and 19 Situated in the South West fourth of the South West fourth of 

Section Twenty three (23) in Township Sixty eight (68) North of Range Thirty four (34) West

according to the official Platt of the survey of said tract of land as Recorded in Book "B"

of Surveyors  Rec ord Taylor Co. Iowa Recorded on page 366.  Except 30 feet off south Side of  18 and

19, and 30 feet off East Side of  16, 17 and 19 of said Lots for the purpose of Street

The Grantor to lift a certain Mortgage given by him to Saml Fisher 2nd for 16 or upon the

payment of the Amount by the Grantee.

 and   We   hereby covenant with the said        C. S. Meek                      

______________________ that   we   hold said premises by good and perfect title; 

that   We   have good right and lawful authority to sell and convey the same; that they are 

free and clear of all liens and incumbrances whatsoever; and   We  covenant   to Warrant and Defend the said premises, against the lawful claims of all persons whomsoever.  And the said                        

       Abbie A. Smith                   hereby relinquishes her right of dower in and to 

the above described premises.

           Signed this    26th       day of     August      A.D.  18  73 

IN PRESENCE OF                                                         Devier J. Smith     

                                                                                          Abbie A. Smith       

STATE OF IOWA,      Taylor       County, SS

 On this   26th   day of     August    A.D. 18 73  , before me

                  E. G. Medford                        a    Notary Public      within and for said County, 

                                                personally came   Devier J. Smith and Abbie A. Smith his wife    

                                    personally known to be the identical person s whose name s are      

                                    affixed to the above instrument as grantor s , and acknowledged the

                                    same to be   Their   voluntary act and deed, for the 

                                    purposes therein expressed.

                                      In Testimony Whereof, I have hereunto subscribed my name and 

                                   affixed my official seal at     Bedford , Iowa    on the date last

                                   above written.

                                                                                            E.G. Medford          

                                                                                             Notary Public        

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

     I hereby certify that the foregoing is a true and correct copy of the original deed, as filed for record

on the     27th     day of      August       18 73  

                                                                                          E.G. Medford      Recorder.

The source citation for this Deed is:

Taylor County, Iowa, Taylor County, Iowa, deed records, 1855-1953; index, 1855-1902, "Deed Records (Land) v. O (cont'd), 1873-1874, v. P 1871-1873, v. Q (to p.391)" Volume Q, page 33 (stamped), Deed of Devier J. and Abbie A. Smith to C.S. Meeks, 1873; accessed 4 February 2014 on FHL US/CAN microfilm 1,535,635.

Devier J. Smith bought the southwest quarter of Section 23 in Township 68 North Range 34 West from Tobias and Lydia Denny on 10 December 1867.  He then sold half of it to his father, Ranslow Smith, on 2 March 1868 for $500.  He bought that half back from Ranslow Smith on 15 September 1869.  From 1870 to 1875, Devier Smith partitioned the southwest quarter of the southwest quarter of Section 23, and then subdivided that 40 acre parcel into about 40 separate lots (probably about 1 acre each) and sold them individually or in groups, such as this transaction.

You can see the Section location and the boundaries of the Devier Smith properties in Finding the Taylor County, Iowa Properties of Devier J. Smith.  

There are a total of 16 deeds similar to this one sold between 1870 and 1875 - only the lot numbers, the grantee, the date and the price varies.  

Devier J. and Abby A. Smith are my second great-grandparents.  By 1875, they were residing in Concordia, Cloud County, Kansas.  Subsequently, they moved to McCook, Red Willow County, Nebraska in 1885, and then bought land in Cheyenne County, Kansas before Devier died in 1894 in McCook.  Abby came to San Diego to live with her daughter's family in the early 1890s.

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Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver