CGSSD Meeting on Saturday, 23 June Features Jean Wilcox Hibben

This month, the Computer Genealogy Society of San Diego (CGSSD) meets on the 4th Saturday of June (the 23rd) due to graduation at UCSD.  See our map page for directions.

The meeting on 23 JUNE 2012 is from from 9:00 a.m. to noon. Here are the details:

9:00   - User Group: Family Tree Maker. SIG: Ancestry.

10:00 - Break, refreshments.

10:15 - Announcements followed by program:

Clue to Clue: Tracking a Family over Time and Miles, by Jean Wilcox Hibben

Jean is Director, Corona (CA) Family History Center; Board Member, Association of Professional Genealogists; President, So. Calif. Chapter, Assoc. of Prof. Genealogists; President, Corona (CA) Genealogical Society; Secretary, Genealogical Speakers Guild.

Using various clues, this presentation shows how to move from one piece of information to the next to piece together the life of an ancestral family. The steps used are illustrated so that they can be followed by the beginner as well as the seasoned genealogist. Use of census, probate, property, and personal records are explained.

We meet at the Robinson Auditorium complex on the University of California, San Diego (UCSD) campus in La Jolla. From North Torrey Pines Road, turn at Pangea Drive into UCSD. Free parking is available in the parking garage on the left; use any space other than those specifically reserved for UCSD vehicles. Signs will mark directions to our meeting room. Please refer to our website www.cgssd.org; or the Graduate School of International Relations and Pacific Studies website (click here) for driving directions and a map.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/cgssd-meeting-on-saturday-23-june.html

(Not So) Wordless Wednesday -- Post 210: My Parents Wedding

 I am posting photographs from my family collections for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday (you know me, I can't go wordless!).    

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

My parents, Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) and Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), were married on 12 July 1942 at All Saints Episcopal Church in San Diego.  This photograph was probably taken by a professional photographer.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-210-my.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

The Winner of the Genea-Musings Father's Day Contest is ...

I announced the Genea-Musings Father's Day contest for some Ancestry.com prizes in Father's Day Contest at Genea-Musings - Win Ancestry.com Prizes last week.  The deadline was Sunday night at 8:59 p.m. PDT.

There were 25 entrants who fulfilled the entry requirements.  I used the random number generator at www.random.org, put 25 as the highest number, and it selected #23.

#23 on my list of entrants was Donna Jane Peterson in Texas.  Donna's entry about her favorite father said:

"My favorite father is my son-in-law. He teaches his children by example. He serves his country and his church and shows his respect to God and country."

Donna won these prizes, courtesy of Ancestry.com:

*  6-month U.S. Discovery membership to Ancestry.com
*  1-year membership to Fold3
*  Family Tree Maker (PC or Mac version)

Congratulations to Donna.  And thank you to Ancestry.com for offering this contest to me and for the prizes.  Ancestry.com has contacted Donna to get the prizes to her.

Interesting, isn't it, how much better the odds were for persons entering the Genea-Musings contest (which had only 25 entries) and the Ancestry.com contest on Facebook (which probably had hundreds or thousands of entries, although the 20 hours of consultation with ProGenealogists was a more valuable prize).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/winner-of-genea-musings-ancestrycom.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

England and Wales Census Records Summary on WorldVitalRecords.com

I've been updating my lists of websites with access to census records, and have found that the WorldVitalRecords site (www.worldvitalrecords.com) has some of the England and Wales census records, including family summaries and census page images, if you have a World Subscription.

Here's the list as of today:

*  1841 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

*  1851 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

*  1861 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

*  1871 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

*  1881 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

*  1891 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

*  1901 England and Wales Census:  searchable index, all page images.

 The UK and Ireland collection page looks like this:

I tried all of the links for the census records, and they all produce results similar to those below.  I clicked on the 1851 census link, and entered "john" "richman" in "wiltshire" into the search fields:

The results obtained did not find just the matches in Wiltshire, but all John Richmans in England and Wales:

I added a birth year of 1790 plus/minus 10 years to the search and it narrowed the search.  That search found my John Richman in Wiltshire in the 1851 England census.  I clicked on the "More Details" link and the family summary looks like this:

Each person in the family unit is listed with their relationship, condition, gender, age, occupation and birthplace.

I clicked on the "Census Image" link and saw:

The image can be zoomed in or out using a slide bar, can be printed, can be downloaded, or sent via email.  

Unfortunately, the researcher cannot navigate to a previous or next page so as to search for neighbors or relatives close by.

One more problem - the site does not have the 1911 England and Wales census records.

One benefit of the WorldVitalRecords subscription is that these records are searchable in a Super Search on MyHeritage.com for specific persons.

I was very happy to find these records, and they are fairly easy to search and use.  All in all, this is the best search and see website for England and Wales census records that I subscribe to (I don't have a World or UK Ancestry, or a FindMyPast or other UK site subscription).  

Disclosure:  I have received gifts from MyHeritage and WorldVitalRecords.com in the past, I currently have a complimentary World Subscription to the site.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/england-and-wales-census-records.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Which Site Provides "Best" Census Source Citations?

I've been accused of being a "Source Citation Nazi" by email correspondents, which I deny!  I do like well-crafted source citations, however.

I asked myself the question:  "Which website that provides census records does the best job at creating source citations?"  The concept of "best" is subjective, of course, but I will choose to define "best" as the Evidence! Explained source templates.

I chose the 1930 United States census entry for my grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer (1891-1976) who resided in San Diego, California in the 1930 U.S. Census.  Here are my findings:

1)  Ancestry.com (from collection):

Year: 1930; Census Place:  San Diego,  San Diego,  California; Roll:  192; Page: 5A; Enumeration District:  116; Image: 688.0; FHL microfilm:  2339927.

When attached to a person (in a Ancestry Member Tree synced to Family Tree Maker 2012), from FTM 2012:

Ancestry.com, 1930 United States Federal Census (Online publication - Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002. Original data - United States of America, Bureau of the Census. Fifteenth Census of the United States, 1930. Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, 1930. T626,)

2)  FamilySearch.org:

"United States Census, 1930," index and images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/pal:/MM9.1.1/XC6N-3VZ : accessed 19 June 2012), Lyle L Carringer, San Diego, San Diego, California.

3)  Fold3.com:

There is no crafted source citation.  The image of the Source Information box is:

4)  Archives.com:

There is no crafted source citation.  The image of the Source Information is:

5)  WorldVitalRecords.com:

There is no crafted source citation.  The image of the Source Information is:

6)  CensusRecords.com:

This site does not yet have the 1930 U.S. Census.  

7)  Evidence! Explained template:

A 1930 U.S. Census entry crafted by the census template in RootsMagic (Census: U.S. Federal (online images); using Ancestry.com image, developed from Evidence! Explained source templates) for the Lyle L. Carringer entry would be:

1930 United States Federal Census, San Diego County, California, population schedule, San Diego City, enumeration district (ED) 116, sheet 5A, Dwelling #142, Family #148, Lyle L. Carringer household; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 19 June 2012); citing National Archives microfilm publication T626, Roll 192.

Conclusions:

1)  None of the historical record collections creates a source citation crafted to Evidence! Explained principles.  It's not even close!

2)  None of the source information in the historical record collections contains all of the elements required to craft an Evidence! Explained style citation.

3)  FamilySearch is the only record collection that puts a link to the specific census image in their source citation.

4)  Any source citation created by the record providers and attached to a tree person will have to be edited in order to meet the Evidence! Explained template standards.

5)  Which historical record collection will be the first to include all of the source citation elements and craft source citations according to Evidence! Explained templates?

Some readers may be asking "Why does this matter?  As long as they provide some source information, you can craft it to your own standards."

My response is:  "With many Ancestry Member Tree users happily accepting shaky leaf Hints, and with the new Source Box on FamilySearch.org (that can be used to attach a source to a person in the FamilySearch Family Tree), it matters a lot.  Millions of poorly crafted 'source citations' will be attached to millions of persons in these trees.  I think that the historical record collection providers should do source citations better, and should do them to a recognized standard."

What do you think?  Am I being too hard on the providers?  Are the Evidence! Explained templates the best standard to aspire to?

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/which-site-provides-best-census-source.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Tombstone Tuesday - Norman Seaver (1734-1787) in Westminster, Mass.

Norman Seaver (1734-1787) is buried in Woodside Cemetery in Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. Woodside Cemetery is east of town and Norman's grave is in the oldest section of the cemetery, on the west side.

There is a rough hewn stone with his name on it, and several smaller unmarked stones in the same plot. The Sons of the American Revolution (SAR) have erected a new stone to commemorate his service in the Revolutionary War, and it is marked by a flag on Memorial Day.

Carol A. Purinton provided pictures of the two Norman Seaver stones to me recently (she added them to Find-a-Grave (see the memorial here).  Here are Carol's pictures:

The larger stone says:

"In Memory of

Cap. Norman Seaver

who deceased July

31st 1787

in the 53d year

of his age"

The smaller stone says:

"Capt Norman

Seaver"

My thanks to Carol A. Purinton for taking these pictures and adding the memorials to Find-A-Grave, and for permitting me to display the photos on my blog.

Norman Seaver is my 5th great-grandfather and was a Revolutionary War soldier.  He died from a fall from the Westminster Church building during construction, leaving a widow, Sarah (Read) Seaver, and 13 children.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/tombstone-tuesday-norman-seaver-1734.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

U.S. Census Records Summary on WorldVitalRecords.com

I've been updating my lists of websites with access to census records, and have found that the WorldVitalRecords site (www.worldvitalrecords.com) has all of the United States Census records, but they do not provide access to all of the census images.

Here's the list as of today:

1940 U.S. Census - all page images, and searchable for part of Rhode Island and New York.

1930 U.S. Census - searchable index, family unit listed, all page images on Fold3.com ($$)

1930 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1920 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1910 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1900 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1880 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1870 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1860 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.


1860 U.S. Census - searchable index, family unit listed, all page images on Fold3.com ($$)

1850 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1840 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1830 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1820 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1810 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1800 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

1790 U.S. Census Reels - no searchable index, page images browsable.

In summary, WorldVitalRecords.com has page images available for FREE only for the 1940 U.S. Census.  The census images for 1860 and 1930 are available if the user has a Fold3 subscription, but an index is available for these two years.  All of the census records 1790-1880 and 1900-1930 can be browsed using waypointing for microfilm reels of each State and County.

This means that searches on www.worldVitalRecords.com and www.MyHeritage.com will return matches only for the indexed U.S. census years of 1940 (partial), 1930, and 1860.  


Disclosure:  I have received gifts from MyHeritage and WorldVitalRecords.com in the past, I currently have a complimentary World Subscription to the site. 

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/us-census-records-summary-on.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

What is the Value of the 1940 U.S. Census?

There was an elaborate  "how-to access" cover article in the May/June 2012 issue of Family Tree Magazine.  The July/August issue of the magazine landed in my mailbox last week, and there is a long letter to the editor titled "Much Ado About Nothing" by G. Rodger Crowe of Cincinnati.  Mr. Crowe notes:

"The genealogy 'industry' is making much ado about very little -- i.e., the 1940 census."

After claiming that the Steve Morse ED finder is relatively useless in smaller towns, he states:

"Even when you are lucky enough to find your ancestor, you will find very little new information that you didn't already know..."

This got me thinking about the relative value of the 1940 U.S. census to genealogy researchers in general, and for me in particular.  Here re my thoughts:

1)  There is unique information for every person in the 1940 U.S. census, including:

*  The current street address and home value (or monthly rent) of their residence
*  Relationships of household members to the head of household
*  Birthplace and citizenship information
*  Education level of each person in the household
*  Residence of each person on 1 April 1935 (city, county, state or country)
*  Employment information as of 1 April 1940
*  Income in 1939
*  For 5% of the persons, there is additional information concerning number of children born to females, marital information, birthplaces of parents, etc.

Yes, many researchers know some of this information about their families, but there are many researchers for whom this will be vital information - clues to help them identify the residence, parents and/or siblings of their ancestors.

2)  Many researchers are trying to track down distant cousins to find family records of their ancestors, or to pursue a DNA match that might help them determine their own ancestry.  The 1940 U.S. Census provides another set of information that helps pursue these goals.

3)  Some genealogists conduct "One-Name Studies" where they collect records for a given surname and try to identify and connect these records to persons in a family tree.  I have One-Name Studies for Seaver/Sever, Carringer, Auble, Vaux and McKnew that extend to 1930 and whatever vital records and newspaper records I can find after 1930.  The 1940 U.S. Census permits me to extend these One-Name Studies to 1940.  

4)  Often, there are "surprises" in a census record - a spouse is missing (where are they?), a spouse has died, a child is missing (where are they?), extended family is living with a family (parents, siblings, grandchildren, nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, etc.), and so forth.  

Mr. Crowe finished his letter by saying:

"...but in the meantime, don't waste your time trying to use it."


I disagree with Mr. Crowe - in my humble opinion, every historical record set has value to the genealogist and should be fully explored to obtain information about persons in the family tree. I may have only a few ancestral families in the 1940 U.S. Census (two grandparent families, two great-grandparent families, some aunts/uncles/cousins, my wife's parents, grandparents, aunts/uncles/cousins), but I am patiently waiting for the every-name index in order to find my grandmother (she wasn't living with my grandfather for some reason), thousands of Seaver, Carringer, Auble, Vaux and McKnew persons, and much more.

I'm sure that my readers have other reasons about the value of the 1940 U.S. Census to them.  Please add them in Comments if you wish.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/what-is-value-of-1940-us-census.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - the Will of Nellie M. Seaver (1861-1933)

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started a 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 the will of Nellie M. Seaver (1861-1933) of Leominster, Massachusetts.  Nellie was the daughter of Isaac and Lucretia (Smith) Seaver, and never married.  Nellie Seaver died 26 June 1933 in Leominster, and her will was filed on 30 June 1933 and allowed 18 July 1933. 

The typewritten and signed will reads (Worcester County [Massachusetts] Probate Records, Probate Packet 109,635 B, accessed at Worcester County Courthouse in Worcester, Massachusetts):

"BE IT REMEMBERED that I, Nellie M. Seaver, of Leominster, Massachusetts, being of sound mind and memory, but knowing the uncertainty of this life, do make this my LAST WILL AND TESTAMENT, hereby revoking all former wills by me at any time heretofore made.

"After the payment of my just debts and funeral charges, I bequeath and devise as follows:

"Item 1:  I give, devise, and bequeath to my nephew, Frederic T. Blanchard, of Los Angeles, California, the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1000), to him, his heirs and assigns forever.

"Item 2:  I give, devise, and bequeath to my nephew, Laurence C. Blanchard, of National City, California, the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1000), to him, his heirs and assigns forever.

"Item 3:  I give, devise, and bequeath to my nephew, Frederick W. Seaver, of Leominster, Massachusetts, the sum of One Thousand Dollars ($1000), to him, his heirs and assigns forever.

"Item 4:  I give, devise, and bequeath to my nephew, Harry C. Seaver, of Leominster, Massachusetts, the sum of Two Hundred and Fifty Dollars ($250), to him, his heirs and assigns forever.

"Item 5:  I give, devise, and bequeath to my niece, Edith J. Russell, of Orlando, Florida, the sum of Two Hundred and fifty Dollars ($250), to her, her heirs and assigns forever.

Item 6:  I give, devise, and bequeath to Cathryn Morse, wife of Harry B. Morse, of South Acton, Massachusetts, all household furniture of every name and nature owned by me at the time of my decease, also all jewelry and wearing apparel owned by me at the time of my decease, to her, her heirs and assigns forever.

Item 7:  All of the rest and residue of my real and personal estate of every name and nature wherever situated, or to which I may be in any way entitled at the time of my decease, I give, devise, and bequeath to Emma E. Seaver, of Fitchburg, Massachusetts, said Cathryn Morse, Ida W. Preble of Somerville, Massachusetts, Alice P. Carpenter, of said Leominster, Irene I. Taylor of said Leominster, Nellie M. Emerton of said Leominster, and Lillian A. Emerton, of said Leominster, to be divided among them equally, share and share alike, to them, their heirs and assigns forever.

Item 8:  I hereby nominate and appoint my said nephew, Frederick W. Seaver, executor of this my last will and testament, and I request that he may be exempt from the giving of any surety or sureties upon his official bond.

"In testimony whereof I hereunto set my hand and in the presence of three witnesses declare this to be my last will this fifteenth day of August in the year one thousand nine hundred and twenty-three.

.........................................................  Nellie M. Seaver

"On this fifteenth day of August A.D. 1923, Nellie M. Seaver, of Leominster, Massachusetts, signed the foregoing instrument in our presence, declaring it to be her last will:  and as witnesses thereof we three do now, at her request, in her presence, and in the presence of each other, hereto subscribe our names.

......................................................  Lillian G. Barron
......................................................  ??????????????  [not on copy]
......................................................  ??????????????  [not on copy]"

Unfortunately, the copy made by the Probate Court for me back in 1991 cut off the last two witness names.

< The great thing about wills of unmarried persons is that they often name their siblings and/or the children of their siblings.  This is the case with Nellie Seaver's will - she names her five nephews and nieces, the children of her siblings.  It also names a number of seemingly unrelated persons, who are probably school teacher colleagues of Nellie Seaver.  

My grandfather, Frederick W. Seaver, was the executor of Nellie M. Seaver's estate.  I also have the inventory of her estate, and will publish that in a future Amanuensis Monday post.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/amanuensis-monday-will-of-nellie-m.html

Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 10 to 16 June 2012

Hundreds of genealogy and family history bloggers write thousands of posts every week about their research, their families, and their interests. I appreciate each one of them and their efforts.

My criteria for "Best of ..." are pretty simple - I pick posts that advance knowledge about genealogy and family history, address current genealogy issues, provide personal family history, are funny or are poignant. I don't list posts destined for the genealogy carnivals, or other meme submissions (but I do include summaries of them), or my own posts.

Here are my picks for great reads from the genealogy blogs for this past week:  

*  There Were Three Brothers Who Immigrated ... Yeah, Right! by Becky Wiseman on the Kinexxions blog.  Becky researches her own "three brothers" story and finds that the story wasn't totally accurate.

*  IGHR -- The Opening Bell,  IGHR Day 1 Highlights,  Gate Keeper of Secrets, IGHR Day 3: GovDocs, IGHR Day 4: Court Record Database and IGHR -- Wrapup by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist blog.  Judy's week at Samford describes her classes and networking.

*  Samford IGHR 2012 Gets Underway, IGHR Course on the South Begins,  IGHR Day 2 Research in the South,  Georgia on My Mind, Samford African-American Round Table A Hit Around the Country by Angela Walton-Raji on the My Ancestor's Name blog.  Angela shares her Samford experiences in the Research in the South course.

*   IGHR 2012 - Travel and Orientation,  IGHR 2012 - Day 1, IGHR 2012 - Day 2,  IGHR 2012 - Day 3, IGHR 2012 - Day 4, IGHR Thursday: Unintended Lessons by Anne Mamiya on Anne's Genealogy and Family History Blog.  Anne took the Intermediate Genealogy and Historical Studies course at Samford.

*  IGHR Samford Day 0, Resting Briefly in the Shade, IGHR Samford Day 1, IGHR Samford Day 2, IGHR Samford Day 3,  IGHR Samford Day 4, IGHR Samford Day 5, Why Law? by Harold Henderson on the Midwestern Microhistory: A Genealogy Blog.  Harold was in the Advanced Library Research: Law Libraries and Government Documents course.

*  IGHR Monday: A Whole Different Level of Serious,   IGHR Tuesday: Am I Ready for Certification?,  IGHR Wednesday: Slaves in the Family by Dawn Watson on the Digging In The Roots blog.  Dawn was in the Research in the South - Part 1 Course.

*  Elusive Maiden Names by Derek Davey on the Genealogy - Northwest Ohio blog.  Derek has a great list of resources to find maiden names of females.

*  The Complexity of Online Digital Records and Part 2 by Marian Pierre-Louis on the Marian's Roots and Rambles blog.  Marian reviews the different types of digital records and how they should be utilized.

*  A Big Hint About Genealogy Research in Spain by Heather Wilkiinson Rojo on the Nutfield Genealogy blog.  Don't we wish every country had done this for hundreds of years!

*  Scanning Books in the Family History Library: Not Everyone is Happy by Dick Eastman on Eastman's Online Genealogy Newsletter blog.  An interesting post - this means that we will be using the computer more at the FHL in years to come.

*  The Digital Library on American Slavery Review by Tina Sansone on the Genealogy @ Bella Online blog. Tina describes the records that can be found in this library.

Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:   

*  Monday Morning Mentions by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.

*  Ruth's Recommendations by Ruth Blair on The Passionate Genealogist blog.

*  Monday Recap for June 11, 2012 by Amanda on The Geni Blog.

*  Genealogy News Corral, June 11-15 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.

*  Friday Finds - 06/15/12 by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog.

I encourage readers to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Google Reader, RSS feed or email if you like what you read. Please make a comment to them also - all bloggers appreciate feedback on what they write.

Did I miss a great genealogy blog post? Tell me! I am currently reading posts from over 1200 genealogy bloggers using Google Reader, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/06/best-of-genea-blogs-10-to-16-june-2012.html

Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2012.