Friday, December 17, 2021

Genealogy News and Education Bytes -- Friday, 17 December 2021

Welcome to Genealogy News and Education Bytes, posted on Tuesday afternoon and Friday afternoon, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history news and education items that came across our desktop since the last issue.    


1)  News Articles:



2)  New or Updated Record Collections:




3)  Genealogy Education -- Conferences and Institutes



4)  Genealogy Education - Seminars, Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Friday, 17 December, 11 a.m.: Effective Use of England’s National Archives Website, by Paul Milner

*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Tuesday, 21 December, 5 p.m.: Uncovering Immigrant Origins Through Cluster Research, by Dana Palmer.

*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Wednesday, 22 December, 11 a.m.:  Our Neanderthal Genetic Ancestry, by Ugo Perego

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar:   Looking Back & Peeking Ahead: 2021 at MyHeritage, by Daniel Horowitz

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar: Navigating the NARA Website, by Julie Miler

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar:  Tech Zone - How to Download Raw DNA Data from MyHeritage, by Paul Woodbury.

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar:  Tech Zone - How to Download Raw DNA Data from 23andMe, by Paul Woodbury.

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar:  Tech Zone - How to Download Raw DNA Data from AncestryDNA, by Paul Woodbury.

5)  Genealogy Education - Podcasts/Radio Shows:

6)  Genealogy Videos (YouTube and Facebook):






*  Family Tree Magazine:  Chronicling America: A Quick Tour

*  Family Tree Magazine:  Online Historic Newspapers: 3 Free Websites

*  FamilySearch:  DNA and Lineage Societies




*  Genealogy Quick Start: LIVE with Amy Johnson Crow

*  Genealogy TV:  Your Genealogy Legacy


*  Lisa Louise Cooke's Genealogy Gems:  How to Find School Records




7)  Did you miss the last post in this series -  Genealogy News and Education Bytes - 14 December 2021?

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Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

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Findmypast Friday: Discover Workhouse Records and More this Week

 I received this from Findmypast today:

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Discover workhouse records and more this week


Record sets from Coventry to California.

With two new record sets entirely unique to us, and a third documenting detainments on the US border, here's a rundown of everything that's new this week.

United States, California Immigration Office Special Inquiry Records

At the turn of the 1900s, all those trying to enter the US faced a 'primary inspection', in which personal details were taken such as name, age, and reason for migration. Should all be well, they were permitted to enter. Should there be a red flag or two, however, they were handed over to Special Inquiry. These cases included suspicion of infectious disease, such as hookworm or tuberculosis, suspicion of hiding a stowaway, or even suspicion of completing an overseas marriage by proxy. This involved marrying a woman from abroad - primarily Japan - based on a few photographs, and the bride then moving to the US with a marriage visa. Legal in Japan, though not in the US, this practice is now commonly called ordering a mail-order bride.

A snapshot of these records, with three travellers detained for dangerous or contagious disease. View this record here.

The Special Inquiry involved a hearing, in which the defendant and other witnesses could testify, and any relevant documents were examined. If found permissible, the migrant was released from detention immediately. If not, they were held and scheduled for deportation. Most of the travellers documented in these records are from the East, attempting to migrate to the US - so if your history involves travel, migration, or even photo marriages, perhaps this is the collection to trace it back to.

Warwickshire, Coventry Workhouse Deaths 1845-1943

The first of two collections entirely unique to us this week details the deaths recorded at the Coventry Union Workhouse over the course of 98 years.

The Coventry Union Workhouse, year unknown, courtesy of workhouses.org.uk.

People were sent to a workhouse if they were penniless, and commonly, workers labored long hours in order to keep one dime out of every shilling they made. The conditions were dangerous - beds were packed in together, disease spread quickly, and 12 hour work days left laborer's run-down and susceptible to illness. Husbands were separated from wives and children in an effort to stop them from asking for help where it was needed, though infants were allowed to stay with their mothers and put to work at nine years old. By 1843, the house could accommodate between 450 and 500 workers.
The Coventry Union Workhouse Infirmary.

Though the workhouse had an in-built infirmary - which was later expanded - workhouse deaths still occurred from infancy all the way until old age. Common causes included meningitis, whooping cough, tuberculosis and pneumonia, amongst various others. In 1856, The Coventry Standard released an article noting that of the 156 deaths of children over the last quarter, 109 were under five. It goes on to conclude that the issue must lie in the fact that mothers, occupied for many hours of the day with their positions at the workhouse, were not noticing the initial symptoms of their child's disease, leading to fatalities.

"Nothing can bring a remedy except releasing the mothers from occupations which call their attention elsewhere, and enabling them to devote their attention to that business which peculiarly belongs to mothers – the care of their children."

The Workhouse Infirmary later became the Gulson Road Municipial Hospital, which went on to become the main station for World War 2 casualties after bombings in the area.

Warwickshire Baptisms

These additions to the Warwickshire baptisms are, again, entirely unique to our site, and focus on the same workhouse. These records detail births that occurred inside its walls, including whether or not the child was legitimate. Tragically, but perhaps unsurprisingly, many of these births were documented as stillborn.

Giving birth was incredibly dangerous throughout the late 19th century, and even more so in the conditions of a workhouse. There was very little heating, the communal areas were unsanitary, and women were often attended to by unqualified midwives in order to cut costs. Given that abortions were illegal, many women resorted to consuming hazardous substances, which had no consistent success rate. This may be a focused collection of records, and it may be harrowing to read - but it tells the very real stories of the trauma that childbirth could bring upon a woman in the workhouse.

Newspapers

The focus is on Ireland this week, with eight new Irish titles. In these pages, you can find not only local history but documentations of overseas events. Dublin Weekly News, for example, decided to take a broader scope with its journalism and also publicized the affairs of Rome, Austria, Naples, Russia, and more. A closer look into these newspapers tells the story of economic and social unrest - even during times as usually joyous as Christmas - with local paper Kerry People going so far as to say that 'there is no peace in the country; and men of goodwill are not making much headway in their efforts to bring it home' in December 1920. In either case, whether you're looking further afield or closer to home, these titles hold a vast amount of Irish history within their pages. The full list of new and updated papers is below.

New titles:
Updated titles:
If you, like us, are getting just as excited for the 1921 Census as you are for Christmas (or in our case, even more so...) then why not discover more about the time? Delve into this article about infamous 1920s fashions, or explore the most popular professions of the 1920s in this go-to guide.

As we are hard at work over the festive period to bring you the 1921 Census on 6 January, there will be no Findmypast Fridays email or blog on 24 December and 31 December. Plus, we're taking a break from Findmypast From Home until 6 January. We can't wait to usher in the new year, and for you to start making exciting discoveries in the 1921 Census of England and Wales. Seasons greetings to you all.

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Disclosure: I receive a complimentary subscription to Findmypast, and have accepted meals and services from Findmypast, as a Findmypast Ambassador. This has not affected my objectivity relative to Findmypast and its products.

The URL for this post is: https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/12/findmypast-friday-discover-workhouse.html

Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

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52 Ancestors - Week 410: #633 Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence (1661-1737) of Charlestown and Stoneham, Massachusetts

Sarah Smith (1661-1737)  is #633 on my Ahnentafel  List, my 7th great-grandmother, who married #632  Andrew Phillips (1661-1717) in 1683 in Charlestown, Suffolk County,  Massachusetts Bay Colony.

I am descended through:

* their son #316 Ebenezer Phillips (1695-1746) who married #317 Mary Smith (1698-1746) in 1717 .
* their son #108 John Phillips (1722-1800) who married #109 Hannah Smith (1725-1774) in 1749.
*  their #79 Martha Phillips (1757-1830) who married #78 Isaac Buck (1757-1846) in 1791.
* their daughter #39 Sophia Buck (1797-1882) who married #38 Lambert Brigham (1794-1834)  in 1817.
* their daughter #19 Sophia Newton (1834-1923) who married #18 Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) in 1852.
* their daughter #9 Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920) who married #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922) in 1874.
* their son #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942) who married #5 Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) in 1900.
* their son #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983) who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) in 1942.
* their son #1 Randall Jeffrey Seaver (1943-living)

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1)  PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):  

*  Name:                    Sarah Smith[1–5]
*  Alternate Name:    Sarah Phillips[6]
*  Alternate Name:    Sarah Lawrence[7-8]

*  Sex:                   Female

*  Father:                   Michael Smith 1620-1692
*  Mother:                 Joan "Joanna" Best 1618-1692

2)  INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Birth:                    before 4 August 1661, Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States[2,5]
*  Baptism:               4 August 1661 (after age 0), Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States[2,5]

*  Distribution:        17 December 1717 (after age 56), husband's will proved; Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States[6]

*  Distribution:        5 April 1724 (after age 62), released her rights to husband's estate; Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States[7]

*  Death:                  before 28 March 1737 (before age 75), administration granted; Stoneham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[2,8]
*  Probate:               28 March 1737 (after age 75), administration granted to son Ebenezer Phillips; Stoneham, Middlesex, Massachusetts, United States[8]


3)  SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

*  Spouse 1:               Andrew Phillips 1661-1717
*  Marriage 1:            11 November 1683 (about age 22), Charlestown, Suffolk, Massachusetts, United States[1-4]

*  Child 1:                 Andrew Phillips 1687-1755
*  Child 2:                 Ebenezer Phillips 1695-1746
*  Child 3:                 Joanna Phillips 1697-1726
*  Child 4:                 Samuel Phillips 1699-1722
                   
4)  NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):  

There are no authored works for the birth family of Sarah Smith.  The family records for the Andrew Phillips family are included in Volume 2 of the book by Thomas Bellows Wyman, Genealogy and Estates of Charlestown, New England History Press, Somersworth NH, 1869[1].

Sarah Smith was born before 4 August 1661, when she was baptized n Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay[2].  She was the daughter of Michael and Joan (Best?) Smith of Charlestown and Malden.  

Sarah married, at age 22, Andrew Phillips (1661-1717) of Malden on 11 November 1683 in Charlestown, the son of Andrew and Elizabeth (--?--) Phillips of Charlestown[1-4].  They had four children, all born or baptized in the Charlestown records:

*  Andrew Phillips (1687-1755), married 1706 Mary Covell (1686-1734).
*  Ebenezer Phillips (1695-1746), married about 1717 Mary Smith (1698-1746).
*  Joanna Phillips (1697-1726), married 1723 Jonathan Lawrence (1696-1773).
*  Samuel Phillips (1699-1722).

Andrew and wife Sarah Phillips were deeded 10.5 acres of land in the 2nd Division in Malden, near Reading, by her father Michael Smith in 1686[1].  The land was bounded northwest by Peter Tufts, southwest by John Smith, northeast by John Tucker, and northwest by Samuel Phipps.

The family continued residing in Charlestown until Andrew's death.

Andrew Phillips of Charlestown died testate on 10 December 1717, and his probate papers are in Middlesex County Probate Court Records, Packet #17,297[6]. The will of Andrew Phillips of Charlestown was written on 5 December 1717, and proved 17 December 1721. He bequeathed to his widow Sarah:
"Imprimus I Give & Bequeath to Sarah my Dearly Beloved Wife One third of ye Income of my Estate Dureing her naturall life & all ye Moveable Goods within My house & Ten Cord of Wood yearly Cut & brought to her house & ye Best Room in my house as long as she remains my widow."
After Andrew's death, Sarah married, secondly, to Nathaniel Lawrence (1639-1724), a widower of Charlestown, in about 1718, probably in Charlestown[2].

Nathaniel Lawrence died on 14 April 1724 in Lexington, Massachusetts Bay, leaving Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence a widow[2,7].  In his will, he left nothing to his second wife, Sarah.

However, an affidavit written on 25 April 1724 for Sarah Lawrence is included in the probate file for Nathaniel Lawrence, in which she says that in consideration of a certain sum of money and diverse causes that she will release all her rights and dower and power in the estate of her husband[7].

After Nathaniel Lawrence's death, Sarah probably went to live with her son, Ebenezer Phillips in Stoneham, Massachusetts Bay.

Sarah Lawrence died intestate before 28 March 1737 at age 75 when her son Ebenezer Phillips was granted administration on the estate in Middlesex, County, Massachusetts[8].  He posted 300 pounds bond, and an inventory taken on 15 July totaled about 88 pounds.  By the will of Andrew Phillips, Ebenezer received the personal property but had to pay his brother Andrew 20 pounds and his sister Joanna 50 pounds after their mother's death.

There is no death record or burial record available for Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence.

5.  SOURCES

1. Thomas Bellows Wyman, Genealogy and Estates of Charlestown of the County of Middlesex and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, 1629-1818, Two Volumes  ( Boston, Mass. : David Clapp & Sons, 1879),, Volume 2, page 746, Andrew Phillips family sketch.

2. G. Andrews Moriarty, "The Family of Deacon Nathaniel Lawrence of Groton," The American Genealogist, Volume 19 (1942), pages 66-76, page 67, Sarah Smith christening entry, 4 August 1661, daughter of Michael Smith.

3. "Massachusetts, U.S., Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 23 July 2013), Charlestown > Archives Births Marriages Deaths > 1629-1800, Marriages, page 381 (image 250 of 385), Andrew Phillips and Sarah Smith entry, 11 November 1683.

4. Roger D. Joslyn, Vital Records of Charlestown, Massachusetts to 1850 (Boston, Mass. :  New England Historic Genealogical Society, 1984), 3 Volumes, Marriages, page 119, entry for Andrew Phillips and Sarah Smith of Malden, 11 November 1683.

5. "Massachusetts Births and Christenings, 1639-1915", database, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 15 December 2021), Sarah Smith baptism entry, 1661.

6.   Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Middlesex Cases 16000-17999 > Case 17297 (6 images) Andrew Phillips of Charlestown, 1717; "Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871," indexed database and digital images, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (https://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed 15 December 2021).

7. Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Middlesex Cases 12000-13999, Case 17357, Nathaniel Lawrence of Charlestown, 1724 (12 images), image 6 of 12, Sarah Lawrence release of rights of dower and power to husband's estate; New England Historical and Genealogical Society, American Ancestors   (https://www.americanancestors.org : accessed 15 December 2021), .

8. Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Middlesex Cases 12000-13999 > Case 13791 (4 images) Sarah Lawrence of Stoneham, 1737; "Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871," indexed database and digital images, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (https://www.AmericanAncestors.org : accessed 15 December 2021).

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NOTE: In 2014, Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog. I have extended this theme in 2021 for an eighth year to 416 Ancestors in 416 Weeks. The list of 52 Ancestors biographies from my great-grandparents to the 7th great-grandparents (in work) is in https://www.geneamusings.com/p/ancestor-biographies.html.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/12/52-ancestors-week-410-633-sarah-smith.html

Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post. Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below. Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

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Thursday, December 16, 2021

Seavers in the News - Rebecca (Seaver) Grandy Dies in 1960 in Gloucester, Massachusetts

It's time for another edition of "Seavers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Seaver that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from the Burlington [Vt.] Daily News newspaper dated 13 January 1960:

The transcription of the article is:

"Mrs. Rebecca Grandy

"GLOUCESTER, Mass. -- Mrs. Rebecca Seaver Grandy, 50, died unexpectedly this week at her home at 223 Washington St., Gloucester, Mass.

"Mrs. Grandy was a member of the College Women's Club and a local Hospital Auxiliary.

"She was born in Williamstown, Vt., daughter of Mrs. Musette (Hollbough) Seaver and the late Lewis Seaver.

"She is survived by her husband, L. Munro Grandy, Supt. of Gloucester High School; two daughters, Mrs. Thomas (Pat Ann) Conway of Fitchburg, Mass., and Miss Gail Grandy of Wellesley, Mass;  two sisters, Mrs. Aldo Franceschi of Burlington, Vt., and Mrs. Walter Simons of Lexington, Virginia, and one brother, Dr. H.M. Grandy of Asheville, N.C.

"The funeral will be held in St. John's Episcopal Church Friday, Jan. 15, at 2 p.m.  Cremation will follow.

"Friends and relatives are asked to omit flowers and send contributions to a scholarship fund in Mrs. Rebecca Grandy's honor, to the principal of Gloucester High School, Gloucester, Mass."

The source citation is:

"Mrs. Rebecca Grandy," Burlington [Vt.] Daily News newspaper, Wednesday, 13 January 1960, page 15, column 4, Rebecca Seaver Grandy obituary; Newspapers.com   (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 15 December  2021).

This obituary provides the name, age, approximate death date and place, parents' names, children names, spouse's name, and some information about associations.

Rebecca Rosette Seaver (1909-1960) was born 24 November 1909 in Williamstown, Vermont, the daughter of Lewis Mead and Mary Musette (Hollobough) Seaver.  She died 12 January 1960 in Gloucester, Massachusetts.  She married Lorenzo Munro Grandy (1907-1964) on 25 July 1932 in Williamstown, Vermont.  

The brother mentioned is probably Harrison Mead Seaver (1906-1970).  I did not have Mrs. Walter Simons as a child of Lewis nd Musette Seaver, and my guess is that she is a Grandy and not a Seaver since the 1910 to 1930 U.S. census records don't show another Seaver daughter.

Rebecca Rosette (Seaver) Grandy is my 7th cousin 3 times removed.  Our common Seaver ancestor is Robert Seaver (1608-1683) of Roxbury, Massachusetts.

There are over 10,000 Seaver "stories" in my family tree - and this was one of them.   Life happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a person's obituary has fairly complete family information. I am glad that I can honor Rebecca Rosette (Seaver) Grandy today.  

You never know when a descendant or relative will find this blog post and learn something about their ancestors or relatives, or will provide more information about them to me.

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Disclosure:  I have a complimentary subscription to Newspapers.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.


Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook,  or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

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Treasure Chest Thursday -- 1737 Death of Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence in Stoneham, Massachusetts

 It's Treasure Chest Thursday - a chance 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 1737 probate record entry for administration of the estate of Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence (1661-1737) in the Middlesex County, Massachusetts probate records:

The transcription of this record is:

"middx Cambridge March 28 1737
Administration on the Estate of Sarah Lawrence of Stoneham
dec'd is granted to Ebeneer Phillips of said town husbandman.
John Trenton Esq'r of said Town & Jon'a Lawance of woburn
sureties £300
                                      4's p'd Judge JP JP
                                      Reg'r p'd.
                                                    Letter delivered."

The source citation for this record is:

Middlesex County, Massachusetts, Probate case files, Middlesex Cases 12000-13999 > Case 13791 (4 images), Sarah Lawrence of Stoneham, 1737, image 2 of 4, administration granted; "Middlesex County, MA: Probate File Papers, 1648-1871," indexed database and digital images, New England Historical and Genealogical Society, American Ancestors (https://www.AmericanAncestors.org: accessed 15 December 2021).

This is an entry (image 2 of 4) in the original probate papers for Sarah Lawrence in the Middlesex County Probate Records on the American Ancestors website.  It indicates that administration of the estate of Sarah Lawrence of Stoneham was granted on 28 March 1737 to Ebenezer Phillips of Stoneham.  In addition, a bond and inventory were in the estate file.  This record indicates that Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence died before 28 March 1737 in Stoneham, Massachusetts.  There is no death record or burial record that better defines her death date.

Sarah Smith (1661-1737) was baptized on 4 August 1661 in Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay, the daughter of Michael and Joan (Best?) Smith of Charlestown and Malden.  She married, (1) on 11 November 1683 in Charlestown, Andrew Phillips (1661-1717),  the son of Andrew and Elizabeth (--?--) Phillips of Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay.  Andrew Phillips died on 10 November 1717 and Sarah married (2) in about 1718 to Nathaniel Lawrence (1639-1724) of Charlestown, who died 14 April 1724 in Lexington.  At some time in or after 1724, Sarah moved to Stoneham to live with her son, Ebenezer Phillips (1695-1746), and died in Stoneham before 28 March 1737.

Andrew and Sarah (Smith) (Phillips) Lawrence are my 7th great-grandparents through their son Ebenezer Phillips  (1695-1746) who married Mary Smith (1698-1746) in about 1717 in Charlestown, Massachusetts Bay.

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Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
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Wednesday, December 15, 2021

Rabbit Holes With Randy -- Wiltshire Probate Records

 I spent over two hours today going down this rabbit hole trying to find records for my ancestral families.  One of my great-grandparents, Thomas Richmond (1848-1917), was born in Hilperton, Wiltshire, England to James and Hannah (Rich) Richman.  I have been to Hilperton (in 1993) for research, but could access only probate record abstracts at the County Record Office in Trowbridge.

Ancestry.com added the Wiltshire, England, Wills and Probates, 1530-1858 collection back in 2018, but I have not done a deep dive into these records.  Since then I have been working on finding the ancestors of John and Ann (Marshman) Richman of Hilperton and have been fairly successful working in the parish registers and AncestryDNA matches.  I have working hypotheses for the parents, grandparents and some great-grandparents of John Richman (1789-1867) and Ann Marshman (1784-1856) of Hilperton, parents of James Richman and grandparents of Thomas Richmond.  My hope is that the probate records in Wiltshire will provide conclusive evidence of the ancestors of John and Ann (Marshman) Richmond.

I started off searching for Richman probates in the collection.  Here is the list of John Richman entries:   

Any one of these could be my ancestor, so I'm going to collect all of them, read them, and evaluate them.

Here is the record summary for John Ritchman of Hilperton Marsh, who died in 1717:

The will is handwritten, and I struggled to read it:

The source citation for this will is:

"Wiltshire, England, Wills and Probate, 1530-1858 ," indexed database with record images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 December 2021), P02: Probate records of the Archdeaconry of Salisbury, file P2/R/522, images 4470-4473 of 5942, Will of John Ritchman of Hilperton Marsh, dated 20 March 1717, proved 1718.

I looked for all of the Richman probate records for 1600 to 1858 and reviewed quite a few of them.  I think the above John Ritchman is the only one for my ancestral line I've found to date.  He is probably the 2nd great-grandfather of my John Richman (1789-1867), through his son Mark Richman, then Joseph, then John, and then John Richman (1789-1867).  I found no probate records for Mark, Joseph, John, or John or their spouses.  

The other surname is Marshman, and I found a beautiful probate record for John Marshman (1713-1761) of Melksham, who I think is the grandfather of Ann Marshman:

Jane Marshman was the widow of her husband, John Marshman, innkeeper, and the two administrators chosen and appointed were George Drinkwater and John Marshman (perhaps an uncle or a cousin of the deceased).  The record does not mention children, but they may all be underage.  

The source citation is;

Wiltshire, England, Wills and Probate, 1530-1858 ," indexed database with record images, Ancestry.com (https://www.ancestry.com : accessed 14 December 2021), P02: Probate records of the Archdeaconry of Salisbury, file P2/M/1144, images 4470-4473 of 5942, Letter of Administration for estate of John Marshman of Melksham, dated 3 October 1761.

John and Jane (Crook) Marshman may be the grandparents of Ann Marshman through their son, John Marshman (1747-????) who married Anne Angel (1749-1795) in 1767.

I suggest that you keep your eye out for new record collections as they become available.  Ancestry.com has a nice, indexed collection for Wiltshire probate records, and for other English counties, but not for all of them.  I'm looking for Somerset and Lancashire probate records when they become available.

So this was another fun escape into the rabbit hole of genealogy research and I had a lot of fun doing it.  I have more work to do in these records in the next week, since I haven't looked for the Rich family of Hilperton yet.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/12/rabbit-holes-with-randy-wiltshire.html

Copyright (c) 2021, Randall J. Seaver

Please comment on this post on the website by clicking the URL above and then the "Comments" link at the bottom of each post.  Share it on Twitter, Facebook, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

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National Archives: 1950 U.S. Census Release Will Offer Enhanced Digital Access, Public Collaboration Opportunity

 The National Archives News posted this information yesterday:

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WASHINGTON, DC, December 14, 2021 — With the scheduled April 1, 2022, release of 1950 Census records a little more than three months away, the National Archives is completing efforts to digitize those records and using technology to make them more accessible than ever.

“Employees from across the agency have worked on digitizing and indexing the records and developing and testing a new, dedicated 1950 Census website,” said Project Manager Carol Lagundo, who leads the 1950 Census project at National Archives. “It’s taken innovation and creativity to keep this project on track throughout the pandemic and to continue to meet our project milestones. We hope the public will benefit from our hard work.”

The new website will include a name search function powered by an Artificial Intelligence / Machine Learning (AI/ML) and Optical Character Recognition (OCR) technology tool. This is important for genealogists and other researchers who rely on census records for new information about the nation’s past.

“The OCR being used to transcribe the handwritten names from the census rolls is about as good as the human eye,” said Project Management Director Rodney Payne. “Some of the pages are legible, and others are difficult to decipher. So, the National Archives developed a transcription tool to enable users to submit name updates. This will allow other users to find specific names more easily, and it provides an opportunity for the public to help the agency share these records with the world.”

National Archives officials are encouraging interested members of the public to use the transcription tool and assist the agency to make the records as accurate as possible.

“This is an exciting project for the National Archives, and we know it is important information for so many Americans. We are looking forward to collaborating with the public to refine and enhance the first draft of OCR-created names. This is a great example of automating as much as we can and then collaborating with the public to make access happen,” said Chief Innovation Officer Pamela Wright.

The website is currently in development and will undergo rigorous testing in the coming months to ensure a successful launch.

The National Archives is also working to provide bulk download access of the full 1950 Census dataset on launch day. This will be of interest to digital humanists, web developers, social scientists, and anyone wanting to explore aggregations of the records. Other organizations and companies will be able to use this functionality to provide 1950 Census data on their own websites.

When made available on the Amazon Web Services Registry of Open Data, the 1950 Census dataset—over 165 terabytes of data—will include the metadata index, the population schedules, the enumeration district maps, and the enumeration district descriptions for the 1950 Census records. This is approximately 10 times the size of the 1940 Census dataset.

Included in the dataset are approximately:

  • 6.5 million digital TIFF images and corresponding JPEG derivative images of the microfilmed “1950 Census of Population and Housing” forms for U.S. states and territories
  • 33,215 TIFF images and corresponding JPEG derivative images of the original paper “1950 Census of Population and Housing: Indian Reservation Schedule” forms
  • 9,600 digitized images of the 1950 Census Enumeration District Maps, which are annotated maps of counties, cities, and other minor civil divisions that show enumeration districts, census tract, and related boundaries and numbers used for each census
  • 63,000 digitized images of the 1950 Census Enumeration District Descriptions, which are written descriptions of geographic areas included within enumeration districts
  • 232,000 1950 Census Enumeration District Descriptions, which were produced by generating OCR output of the Enumeration District Description images. More than 25 NARA staff reviewed and cleaned up the OCR output.

For more information see, NARA’s 1950 Census blog posts on History Hub.

Resources for earlier censuses as well as tips for searching these records are available on Archives.gov.

Reports and statistics from the 1950 census are available through the U.S. Census Bureau.

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What an interesting news article!!  I have questions:

*  How long it will take for any of us to access it on 1 April 2022. 
*  How good the OCR indexing by NA will be - this will be a great test of reading handwriting?
*  Will the commercial companies have to bulk download the records themselves? 
*  How long it will take the commercial companies to index it and provide Record Hints for it?


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