I updated my Hallowe'en Names in the WorldConnect Database post from last year:
There are a number of families in the Rootsweb WorldConnect database at http://wc.rootsweb.ancestry.com/ that have surnames connected to Hallowe'en. For instance:
1) The GHOST surname - there are 561 entries, including the descendants of Philip Ghost of Westmoreland County PA - see 6 generations here. It looks like at least one GHOST from this family is still living.
2) The GOBLIN surname - there are 51 entries. It looks like there are no real GOBLIN family trees - only isolated GOBLIN women who married men with other surnames.
3) The SKELETON surname - there are 438 entries but few trees with many generations. Methinks these are mostly misspelled SKELTON people (68,129).
4) The FRANKENSTEIN surname - There are 1,342 entries, and most of them are of German origin. One family that settled in Rochester NY is here. There is one Frank N. Stein here.
5) The WITCH surname - there are 139 entries, but no long family lines in the database. Some of those listed were accused of witchcraft.
6) The PUMPKIN surname - there are 73 entries, but no long family lines. There are 351 entries for a given name of PUMPKIN.
7) The HAUNT surname - there are only 6 entries, none with a family line. There are 2 persons with the first name of HAUNT.
8) The SPOOK surname - there are 28 entries, and only one with a three generation family. There are 42 entries for people with a given name of Spook and 28 for the first name of Spooky (at least one dog!)
9) The GHOUL surname - there are 47 entries.
10) The JACKO surname has 333 entries, and there are 99 entries with a given name of Jacko..
11) The LANTERN surname has 297 entries. But there are no people named Jack O. Lantern.
12) There are 254 CAT surname entries and 11,268 CATT entries. There is one Black Cat name.
13) There are 20 SCARY surname entries - many of them still living. There are 80 entries for a given name of Scary.
14) There are 56 DRACULA surname entries, many of them are related to The Count. There are 50 entries for a given name of DRACULA.
15) There are 536 CEMETERY entries, some of them the name of actual cemetery databases.
16) There are 4,245 GRAVE surname entries, and 313,214 GRAVES surname entries.
17) There are 147,785 entries for the surname COFFIN.
18) There are 2,498 MONSTER entries. No Monster Mash, though (there are 3,015 surname entries for MASH). There are no "Boris Pickett" persons, but there are 13 entries for BOBBY PICKETT.
19) There are 926 SKULL surname entries.
20) There are 95 SPIRIT entries. There are 3 entries for a Holy Spirit with a spouse named Mary, with a child.
21) There are 544,479 surname entries for WEBB, but only 5 entries for "Spider WEBB" (all nicknames)
22) There are 208 entries for SCREECH surname. And 44 entries for a given name or nickname of Screech.
23) There are 5 entries for HALLOWEEN surname - even a Mary Halloween. There are 110 given name entries for HALLOWEEN (including maiden names).
24) There are no VAMPIRE surname entries, and 1 given name entry.
25) There are 18,764 BROOM surname entries.
26) There are 149 BAT surname entries, 16,822 BATT surname entries and 10,829 BATTY surname entries. There are 725 entries for BATTY as a given name.
27) There are no ZOMBIE surname entries or given name entries. Whew!
28) There are 54,197 entries for the surname BLOOD.
29) The surname DEATH has 11,225 entries.
30) The TRICK surname has 3,935 surname entries and TREAT surname has 62,237 entries!
31) he surname WARLOCK has 75 entries, but there are 40 given name entries
32) There are 2 surname entries for WEREWOLF, both married to the same Lucky guy!
33) There are 78 given name entries for BOO.
Enough!! What other Hallowe'en oriented surnames can you think of? Are they in WorldConnect?
Happy Hallowe'en!! Trick or Treat?Ancestry.com published a press release back in 2006 with Hallowe'en census entries - see the list here.
The Ancestry.com blog published some entries from death records in Who would name their daughter Halloween? Just check the records.
John D. Reid posted some Hallowe'en names and occupations in Halloween fun from Ancestry.ca in 2009.
Craig Manson posted Halloween Census Whacking in 2009 for some of the names above.
Chris Dunham did some Census Whacking on Hallowe'en names in Censuswhacking for Halloween in 2005.
Did I miss a post on Hallowe'en names? If so, please tell me and I'll add it to my list.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/halloween-name-whacking.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Wednesday, October 31, 2012
(Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 229: 1960 Hallowe'en Costumes
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 Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill family collection handed down from my Aunt Marion in 2000 after her passing.
This is a Hallowe'en costume picture from about 1960 in San Diego. The three kids are Randy, Scott (in the Lion costume, holding his head) and Stan. Our mother made the costume (or bought it ... I'm not sure). Why don't Randy and Stan have a costume? Well, we've outgrown the deal (I was 17!) - we just went trick or treating for the candy on the way down to and back from to the Hallowe'en carnival at Brooklyn School. Scotty was really into it, though, and was a great lure for the candy contributors to open the door.
Check out the flattops! Butch Wax worked! Stan had a ducktail in back, but I could never get my hair to do it.
I think that this is the only Hallowe'en picture that I have in my digital photo collection. It took awhile to find it!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-229-1960.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Here is a photograph from the Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill family collection handed down from my Aunt Marion in 2000 after her passing.
This is a Hallowe'en costume picture from about 1960 in San Diego. The three kids are Randy, Scott (in the Lion costume, holding his head) and Stan. Our mother made the costume (or bought it ... I'm not sure). Why don't Randy and Stan have a costume? Well, we've outgrown the deal (I was 17!) - we just went trick or treating for the candy on the way down to and back from to the Hallowe'en carnival at Brooklyn School. Scotty was really into it, though, and was a great lure for the candy contributors to open the door.
Check out the flattops! Butch Wax worked! Stan had a ducktail in back, but I could never get my hair to do it.
I think that this is the only Hallowe'en picture that I have in my digital photo collection. It took awhile to find it!
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/not-so-wordless-wednesday-post-229-1960.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Tuesday, October 30, 2012
Dear Randy: How Do You Craft a World War Draft Registration Citation
A reader asked this question last week: "I'm in the process of updating my source citations from Free Form to the appropriate one for the type of source. I wonder what you use for the draft registrations you find?"
My response:
Asking me about source citations is dangerous! I use Free-form sources crafted in RootsMagic 5 for almost everything, but I also used the "Draft Registration, Images" template in RootsMagic 5 in order to use as a model for the free-form citation. (I use free-form because it GEDCOMs better than any template citation.)
Here is the source citation (Footnote) crafted using the "Draft Registration, Image" template in RootsMagic 5:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2010), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
The text in red is in the Source fields, and the text in blue is in the Source Detail fields.
Here is the free-form source citation (red for Source, blue for Details) which I crafted based on the RootsMagic 5 source template:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com :, accessed 9 October 2010); Frederick Walton Seaver entry, 18 September 1918; ), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Here is a sample source citation (First Reference Note) from Evidence! Explained:
“World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2007), Christopher Ferraci, serial no. 1251, order no. 367, Draft Board 7, Rochester, Monroe County, New York; citing World War I Selective
Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509; no specific roll cited.
So, I was pretty close with both crafted citations. I should have included the serial and order numbers on the registration card. Some differences: I put the county, state and city before the person's name; included the "Selective Service System" creator name; did not italicize the "World War I ..." part in the free-form citation; and there is an extraneous comma before "citing..." in the Free-form citation that I cannot eliminate.
Now I'm curious how well the source citation templates in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 and Family Tree Maker 2012 perform this task.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/dear-randy-how-do-you-craft-world-war.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
My response:
Asking me about source citations is dangerous! I use Free-form sources crafted in RootsMagic 5 for almost everything, but I also used the "Draft Registration, Images" template in RootsMagic 5 in order to use as a model for the free-form citation. (I use free-form because it GEDCOMs better than any template citation.)
Here is the source citation (Footnote) crafted using the "Draft Registration, Image" template in RootsMagic 5:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 9 October 2010), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
The text in red is in the Source fields, and the text in blue is in the Source Detail fields.
Here is the free-form source citation (red for Source, blue for Details) which I crafted based on the RootsMagic 5 source template:
"U.S. World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918," digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com :, accessed 9 October 2010); Frederick Walton Seaver entry, 18 September 1918; ), Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster City, Draft Board 14, Frederick Walton Seaver entry, dated 18 September 1918; citing Selective Service System. World War I Selective Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917-1918. Washington, D.C., National Archives and Records Administration. M1509, 4,582 rolls.
Here is a sample source citation (First Reference Note) from Evidence! Explained:
“World War I Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918,” digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 1 February 2007), Christopher Ferraci, serial no. 1251, order no. 367, Draft Board 7, Rochester, Monroe County, New York; citing World War I Selective
Service System Draft Registration Cards, 1917–1918, NARA microfilm publication M1509; no specific roll cited.
So, I was pretty close with both crafted citations. I should have included the serial and order numbers on the registration card. Some differences: I put the county, state and city before the person's name; included the "Selective Service System" creator name; did not italicize the "World War I ..." part in the free-form citation; and there is an extraneous comma before "citing..." in the Free-form citation that I cannot eliminate.
Now I'm curious how well the source citation templates in Legacy Family Tree 7.5 and Family Tree Maker 2012 perform this task.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/dear-randy-how-do-you-craft-world-war.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Winner of Second Genea-Musings Ancestry Membership Contest
The second Genea-Musings Contest to Win a 3-Month Ancestry World Explorer Membership is over...
There were 78 entrants with the correct answer to my questions, and almost everyone obeyed the rules to the letter. I saved them all in one email file folder, listed by email reception time.
After the contest was closed on Sunday night, I went to www.random.org and entered 78 into the maximum number field and clicked on the "Generate" button.
#46 was the winner! On my email list, the 46th entry was Debi Austen of Black Diamond, Washington.
I passed Debi's email to my contact at Ancestry.com, and then I emailed Debi with my congratulations.
As part of this contest sponsored by Ancestry.com, Debi can select one of her friends to win another 3-Month Ancestry.com World Explorer Membership. How cool is that?
Only one entry missed the right answer. The answer to the question was from the Social Security Death Index:
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/winner-of-second-genea-musings-ancestry.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
There were 78 entrants with the correct answer to my questions, and almost everyone obeyed the rules to the letter. I saved them all in one email file folder, listed by email reception time.
After the contest was closed on Sunday night, I went to www.random.org and entered 78 into the maximum number field and clicked on the "Generate" button.
#46 was the winner! On my email list, the 46th entry was Debi Austen of Black Diamond, Washington.
I passed Debi's email to my contact at Ancestry.com, and then I emailed Debi with my congratulations.
As part of this contest sponsored by Ancestry.com, Debi can select one of her friends to win another 3-Month Ancestry.com World Explorer Membership. How cool is that?
Only one entry missed the right answer. The answer to the question was from the Social Security Death Index:
Name: Ronald Wilson Reagan
Born: 6 Feb 1911
Died: 5 Jun 2004
State and date issued: Iowa (before 1951)
Last residence: 90024, Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
Most of the entrants used Ancestry.com, which had all of the requested information. Some used GenealogyBank.com, WorldVitalRecords.com, Archives.com, FamilySearch.org and Fold3.com to find the right answers.
Don't forget that Ancestry's Death Records Contest continues this week - check it out at www.ancestry.com/deathcontest.
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Tuesday's Tip - Check Out Iowa Record Collections on FamilySearch
This week's Tuesday's Tip is: Look for Iowa ancestral records in the FamilySearch Record Collections.
There are 8 collections for Iowa records in the FamilySearch Record Collections (put "Iowa" in the search box in the upper left-hand cvorner at https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list).
The available collections include:
* Iowa Births and Christenings, 1830-1950 (676,909 indexed records)
* Iowa, Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 (398,901 indexed records)
* Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992 (1,128,389 indexed records)
* Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 (1,818,450 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1895 (526,916 indexed records)
* Iowa, Fayette County Probate Records, 1851-1927 (browse images only)
* Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 (696,160 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1885 (503,573 indexed records)
Not all of these collections are complete - the record collection description will usually describe the percentage complete and the counties included. For instance, the Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 collection is 86% complete, and the page lists the counties included.
These records are all from state indexes or records that were microfilmed over the years by the LDS Family History Library and recently digitized by FamilySearch and indexed by volunteers for researchers to use for free.
I use records like these to enrich my family tree - I have Seaver, Carringer, and Vaux families in my database with Iowa vital records events.
One lesson here is to check the collection list periodically for updates. The screen shown above is in Date Updated order - 5 of the 8 collections have been updated since late September 2012.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/tuesdays-tip-check-out-iowa-record.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
There are 8 collections for Iowa records in the FamilySearch Record Collections (put "Iowa" in the search box in the upper left-hand cvorner at https://www.familysearch.org/search/collection/list).
The available collections include:
* Iowa Births and Christenings, 1830-1950 (676,909 indexed records)
* Iowa, Deaths and Burials, 1850-1990 (398,901 indexed records)
* Iowa Marriages, 1809-1992 (1,128,389 indexed records)
* Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 (1,818,450 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1895 (526,916 indexed records)
* Iowa, Fayette County Probate Records, 1851-1927 (browse images only)
* Iowa, County Births, 1880-1935 (696,160 indexed records)
* Iowa State Census, 1885 (503,573 indexed records)
Not all of these collections are complete - the record collection description will usually describe the percentage complete and the counties included. For instance, the Iowa County Marriages, 1838-1934 collection is 86% complete, and the page lists the counties included.
These records are all from state indexes or records that were microfilmed over the years by the LDS Family History Library and recently digitized by FamilySearch and indexed by volunteers for researchers to use for free.
I use records like these to enrich my family tree - I have Seaver, Carringer, and Vaux families in my database with Iowa vital records events.
One lesson here is to check the collection list periodically for updates. The screen shown above is in Date Updated order - 5 of the 8 collections have been updated since late September 2012.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/tuesdays-tip-check-out-iowa-record.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Monday, October 29, 2012
Anyone Else Notice that Right Answer to Today's Ancestry Death Records Contest was Incorrect?
I just went to the Ancestry Death Records Contest ( www.ancestry.com/deathcontest) to try to win an iPad... (note that this particular contest ends on Tuesday, 30 October). Here is the question to be answered:
"It’s the 6th of February, 1925 and there’s a drama unfolding on the pages of the Charleston Daily Mail. William Floyd Collins is trapped in Sand Cave, near Cave City, Kentucky. He’s been there since January 30th.
"The country has been riveted by the daily reports on the story–and today is an especially poignant time in the continuing saga. This was supposed to be William’s wedding day. But instead, his betrothed, Alma Clark, waits at the mouth of the cave for news of his rescue.
Did anyone else note this? I'll update this post on Tuesday with the correct answer (IMHO) along with the evidence.
UPDATED Wednesday, 31 October: The record that contains the answers to this contest is:
The newspaper page is dated 16 February 1925, and the article clearly states that William Floyd Collins was found dead on 16 February 1925, not died on 17 February 1925 as the closest correct answer to the contest question indicates.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/anyone-else-notice-that-right-answer-to.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
"It’s the 6th of February, 1925 and there’s a drama unfolding on the pages of the Charleston Daily Mail. William Floyd Collins is trapped in Sand Cave, near Cave City, Kentucky. He’s been there since January 30th.
"The country has been riveted by the daily reports on the story–and today is an especially poignant time in the continuing saga. This was supposed to be William’s wedding day. But instead, his betrothed, Alma Clark, waits at the mouth of the cave for news of his rescue.
"How does this story end?
- He dies from exposure on the 17th of February.
- He is rescued on the 7th of February and married that afternoon.
- He dies exactly one year later in a car accident.
- He is rescued on the 10th of February, but his fiancée refuses to marry him."
Did anyone else note this? I'll update this post on Tuesday with the correct answer (IMHO) along with the evidence.
UPDATED Wednesday, 31 October: The record that contains the answers to this contest is:
The newspaper page is dated 16 February 1925, and the article clearly states that William Floyd Collins was found dead on 16 February 1925, not died on 17 February 1925 as the closest correct answer to the contest question indicates.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/anyone-else-notice-that-right-answer-to.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Ancestry.com has General Land Office Record Collection
I was perusing the long list of new record collections on Ancestry.com this morning (at http://www.ancestry.com/cs/reccol/default) and noticed that the U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 was added on 8 October 2012, with over 2.4 million records.
I had worked in the government website (http://glorecords.blm.gov) for these records previously, but it become difficult to use (I'm still waiting after 5 minutes for the capability to search - maybe a hurricane problem?) and wondered if I had missed any of my ancestral families when I searched one person at a time. The Ancestry.com indexing makes this task a lot easier.
The Ancestry collection description is:
This database contains approximately 2.2 million land patents, primarily cash and homestead, from 1820-1908 for the following states:
2) There were two matches for Ranslow Smith:
3) I clicked on the earliest one and the record summary appeared:
4) I clicked on the "View Original image" link and the document appeared:
Original data: United States. Bureau of Land Management, General Land Office Records. Automated Records Project; Federal Land Patents, State Volumes.http://www.glorecords.blm.gov/. Springfield, Virginia: Bureau of Land Management, Eastern States, 2007.
I'll work on an Evidence! Explained quality source citation for this record sometime soon and add it here.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/ancestrycom-has-general-land-office.html
copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
I had worked in the government website (http://glorecords.blm.gov) for these records previously, but it become difficult to use (I'm still waiting after 5 minutes for the capability to search - maybe a hurricane problem?) and wondered if I had missed any of my ancestral families when I searched one person at a time. The Ancestry.com indexing makes this task a lot easier.
The Ancestry collection description is:
This database contains approximately 2.2 million land patents, primarily cash and homestead, from 1820-1908 for the following states:
- Alabama
- Arkansas
- Florida
- Illinois
- Indiana
- Iowa
- Louisiana
- Michigan
- Minnesota
- Mississippi
- Missouri
- Montana
- Ohio
- Wisconsin
A land patent is a document recording the passing of a land title from the government, or other proprietor, to the patentee/grantee. This is the first-title deed and the true beginning of private ownership of the land. The patent describes in legal terms the land to which the title is given.
I wanted to capture the documents for Ranslow Smith, the adoptive father of my second great-grandfather, Devier J. Smith. I knew that he was in these records.
1) The U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 record search page has the typical search fields:
2) There were two matches for Ranslow Smith:
3) I clicked on the earliest one and the record summary appeared:
4) I clicked on the "View Original image" link and the document appeared:
I can download and save this record for my computer files, and attach it to Ranslow Smith in my Ancestry Member Tree.
The source citation that Ancestry provides for this record is:
Ancestry.com. U.S. General Land Office Records, 1796-1907 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2008.
I'll work on an Evidence! Explained quality source citation for this record sometime soon and add it here.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/ancestrycom-has-general-land-office.html
copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Amanuensis Monday - Will of Edward Larkin (1611-1652) of Charlestown, Mass.
Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own Monday blog theme several years 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 probate file of Edward Larkin (1611-1652) of Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married Joanna Hale (??) in 1639 and they had six children: John Larkin (1640-1678), Elizabeth Larkin (1641-1719); Hannah Larkin (1643-1704); Thomas Larkin (1644-1677), Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), and Joanna Larkin (1649-1713).
Edward Larkin died testate, having written a will on 15 7th month 1651, which was proved in the Probate Court on 6 2nd month 1652. The will reads (Middlesex County [Mass.] Probate Records, Probate Packet 13,609, accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 0,416,788, original papers in probate packet, transcribed by Randy Seaver):
"15th of ye 12th month 1651
"I Edward Larkin being weake in body yitt having perfitt memory and understanding doe make this my last will and Testament in manner and forme following.
"Imprimus I committ my soule to God who made it and gave it And I only rely and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, I comitt my body to bee decently buried,
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin A full third pt of my estate: it being rightly valewed, to bee first deducted, And more I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin the full sume of five pounds likewise to be first deducted out of my estate: and these twoo parts to remaine with my whole estate in her hands untill the tyme of the division of My Estate and payment of my childrens portions as hereunder is specified.
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my eldest son John Larkin a dubbell portion of my estate after my wife has hers out of the whole and my will is that my son John shall let his portion remaine in my wifes hands until he bee twenty and one years ould and then my wife with the other executer to pay his portion to him upon demand: but if hee or any of my children also doe dye before they have receaved their portions then it to be equally divided to my wife and the other children who remaine then alive: provided alsoe that if the Lord shall please to take away my wife by death before the childrens portions bee payd then my will and I desire the Deacons of our church to joyne with the other executor to so order and dispose of that portions wch I bequeath to my children as may be most advantagious to their benefitt until they have them payed unto them, Alsoe if my wife shall marry before the legacies bee paid then my will is that he whom she marries and shee shall retaine the legacies in their hands till the due tyme aforementioned provided they put in sufficient security that the childrens portions may be preserved for them.
As for my son Thomas and my daughters Elizabeth, Sarah, Johanna: and the child with which my wife now goes and is bigg wth I doe hereby will and bequeath unto each of them a equal portion of my estate which remains after my wife and son John have theirs to be paid them by my executors if they live or by the Deacons (of sd church then Being) at their ages of twenty years: but as before if any of them Decease in the meane tyme then the survivors or survivor to have it equally amongst them or given to him or her if only one surviving:
"John Green .............................................................. Edward Larkin
John Pentecost
"This will was presented to ye Court the 6th of ye (2) 1652 and by them accepted upon Record.
P me Tho: Danforth Recorder"
On the reverse of the will was:
"As for my daughter Hannah whom my beloved brother and sister Penticost have taken into their hands to keep and provide for I doe give and bequeath unto her ten shillings to bee layed out in good books for her at her Age of eighteen years to be delivered unto her
"And I Edward Larkin doe entreat my beloved brother Robert Hale to Joyne with my beloved wife Jone Larkin and to bee my full and sole execitors of this my last will and Testament the day and date before written"
An inventory was taken on 14 11th month 1651:
"A True Inventory of the lands, housing and goods of Edward Larkin wheelmaker of Charltowne Lately Desesed Prised and truly vallewed by Robert Hale, Thomas Brigden and John Penticost."
The inventory totaled 123 pounds, 19 shillings and 6 pence. The real property included a dwelling house and a yard, a marsh, hay lot, two acres of planting ground on "mysticke syde" valued at 90 pounds. The personal property included his wearing apparel, furniture, household possessions, firearms, tools, lumber and books.
Edward Larkin is one of my 9th great-grandfathers, through his daughter, Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), who married John Wheeler (1643-1713) in 1664 in Concord, Massachusetts.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/amanuensis-monday-will-of-edward-larkin.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."
The subject today is the probate file of Edward Larkin (1611-1652) of Charlestown, Massachusetts. He married Joanna Hale (??) in 1639 and they had six children: John Larkin (1640-1678), Elizabeth Larkin (1641-1719); Hannah Larkin (1643-1704); Thomas Larkin (1644-1677), Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), and Joanna Larkin (1649-1713).
Edward Larkin died testate, having written a will on 15 7th month 1651, which was proved in the Probate Court on 6 2nd month 1652. The will reads (Middlesex County [Mass.] Probate Records, Probate Packet 13,609, accessed on FHL US/CAN Microfilm 0,416,788, original papers in probate packet, transcribed by Randy Seaver):
"15th of ye 12th month 1651
"I Edward Larkin being weake in body yitt having perfitt memory and understanding doe make this my last will and Testament in manner and forme following.
"Imprimus I committ my soule to God who made it and gave it And I only rely and trust in the Lord Jesus Christ for salvation, I comitt my body to bee decently buried,
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin A full third pt of my estate: it being rightly valewed, to bee first deducted, And more I alsoe give and bequeath unto my beloved wife Jone Larkin the full sume of five pounds likewise to be first deducted out of my estate: and these twoo parts to remaine with my whole estate in her hands untill the tyme of the division of My Estate and payment of my childrens portions as hereunder is specified.
"I alsoe give and bequeath unto my eldest son John Larkin a dubbell portion of my estate after my wife has hers out of the whole and my will is that my son John shall let his portion remaine in my wifes hands until he bee twenty and one years ould and then my wife with the other executer to pay his portion to him upon demand: but if hee or any of my children also doe dye before they have receaved their portions then it to be equally divided to my wife and the other children who remaine then alive: provided alsoe that if the Lord shall please to take away my wife by death before the childrens portions bee payd then my will and I desire the Deacons of our church to joyne with the other executor to so order and dispose of that portions wch I bequeath to my children as may be most advantagious to their benefitt until they have them payed unto them, Alsoe if my wife shall marry before the legacies bee paid then my will is that he whom she marries and shee shall retaine the legacies in their hands till the due tyme aforementioned provided they put in sufficient security that the childrens portions may be preserved for them.
As for my son Thomas and my daughters Elizabeth, Sarah, Johanna: and the child with which my wife now goes and is bigg wth I doe hereby will and bequeath unto each of them a equal portion of my estate which remains after my wife and son John have theirs to be paid them by my executors if they live or by the Deacons (of sd church then Being) at their ages of twenty years: but as before if any of them Decease in the meane tyme then the survivors or survivor to have it equally amongst them or given to him or her if only one surviving:
"John Green .............................................................. Edward Larkin
John Pentecost
"This will was presented to ye Court the 6th of ye (2) 1652 and by them accepted upon Record.
P me Tho: Danforth Recorder"
On the reverse of the will was:
"As for my daughter Hannah whom my beloved brother and sister Penticost have taken into their hands to keep and provide for I doe give and bequeath unto her ten shillings to bee layed out in good books for her at her Age of eighteen years to be delivered unto her
"And I Edward Larkin doe entreat my beloved brother Robert Hale to Joyne with my beloved wife Jone Larkin and to bee my full and sole execitors of this my last will and Testament the day and date before written"
An inventory was taken on 14 11th month 1651:
"A True Inventory of the lands, housing and goods of Edward Larkin wheelmaker of Charltowne Lately Desesed Prised and truly vallewed by Robert Hale, Thomas Brigden and John Penticost."
The inventory totaled 123 pounds, 19 shillings and 6 pence. The real property included a dwelling house and a yard, a marsh, hay lot, two acres of planting ground on "mysticke syde" valued at 90 pounds. The personal property included his wearing apparel, furniture, household possessions, firearms, tools, lumber and books.
Edward Larkin is one of my 9th great-grandfathers, through his daughter, Sarah Larkin (1648-1725), who married John Wheeler (1643-1713) in 1664 in Concord, Massachusetts.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/amanuensis-monday-will-of-edward-larkin.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Sunday, October 28, 2012
CVGS Program on 31 October: "Discovering Jane's Roots..."
The October general meeting of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society will be Wednesday, 31 October, at 12 noon in the Chula Vista Civic Center Branch Library Auditorium.
The Program Speaker is CVGS Member Randy Seaver, on “Discovering Jane's Roots in California, Australia and England”
In this presentation, Randy will explore the research journey to find the ancestors of his wife's great-grandmother, Jane (Whittle) McKnew (1847-1921). She married in Gold Country, had a family of 11 children, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and died in San Francisco. Jane was born in Australia to parents who were born and married in England. Most of the research was done with online resources and in a collaborative environment. Come watch Randy unveil a fascinating family history worthy of a “Who Do You Think You Are?” television episode.
Randy Seaver is a native San Diegan. His ancestry is mainly colonial New England and Upper Atlantic, with some colonial German, French and Dutch forebears, and several 19th-century English immigrants. He has been pursuing his elusive ancestors since 1988, and has been online since 1992.
Randy is a former President of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, and is currently the Newsletter Editor and Research Chair. He speaks to Southern California societies, libraries and groups, teaches "Beginning Computer Genealogy" adult classes at OASIS, and writes the Genealogy 2.0 column for the FGS FORUM magazine. He is a member of NGS, NEHGS, SCGS, SDGS, CGSSD and CVGS. Randy blogs daily about genealogy subjects at Genea-Musings (www.geneamusings.com) and the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe (http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com).
There will be a short business meeting before the speaker, and refreshments before and after the meeting at the back of the Auditorium.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/cvgs-program-on-31-october-discovering.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
The Program Speaker is CVGS Member Randy Seaver, on “Discovering Jane's Roots in California, Australia and England”
In this presentation, Randy will explore the research journey to find the ancestors of his wife's great-grandmother, Jane (Whittle) McKnew (1847-1921). She married in Gold Country, had a family of 11 children, survived the 1906 San Francisco earthquake, and died in San Francisco. Jane was born in Australia to parents who were born and married in England. Most of the research was done with online resources and in a collaborative environment. Come watch Randy unveil a fascinating family history worthy of a “Who Do You Think You Are?” television episode.
Randy Seaver is a native San Diegan. His ancestry is mainly colonial New England and Upper Atlantic, with some colonial German, French and Dutch forebears, and several 19th-century English immigrants. He has been pursuing his elusive ancestors since 1988, and has been online since 1992.
Randy is a former President of the Chula Vista Genealogical Society, and is currently the Newsletter Editor and Research Chair. He speaks to Southern California societies, libraries and groups, teaches "Beginning Computer Genealogy" adult classes at OASIS, and writes the Genealogy 2.0 column for the FGS FORUM magazine. He is a member of NGS, NEHGS, SCGS, SDGS, CGSSD and CVGS. Randy blogs daily about genealogy subjects at Genea-Musings (www.geneamusings.com) and the Chula Vista Genealogy Cafe (http://CVGenCafe.blogspot.com).
There will be a short business meeting before the speaker, and refreshments before and after the meeting at the back of the Auditorium.
The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2012/10/cvgs-program-on-31-october-discovering.html
Copyright (c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Best of the Genea-Blogs - 21-27 October 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:
* The "Literature Search" in the Internet Age by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. Michael asks if this is still necessary. What do you think?
* Michael Hait's Perfect Genealogy Program by Louis Kessler on the Behold Genealogy blog. Louis parses Michael's April description of a perfect program, and defines if Louis's Behold! program has incorporated each feature.
* Ancestry's Mythical Admixture Percentages by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Roberta thinks that Ancestry's autosomal DNA test results are wrong, and shows us her own numbers.
* What Next for Ancestry.com? by Debbie Kennett on the Cruwys News blog. Debbie summarizes the DNA test and analysis offerings from Ancestry.com, and discusses the drawbacks of the Ancestry autosomal DNA test.
* IGI Q and A - Part 1 and Part 2 by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Information from Robert Kehrer about the International Genealogical Index on FamilySearch.
* 8 Tips and a Tool for Self-Editing Your Family History Blog by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog. What - I have to self-edit too? Who knew? I'm lucky just to remember to spell check them... Excellent ideas here!
* Fishing Expedition (AKA Cluster/Collateral Genealogy) - A Brick Wall Buster by Michele Simmons Lewis on the Ancestoring blog. Michele discusses why you should do this type of research, and provides an example of her own, to solve brick wall problem.
* Forensic Genealogy Institute - Day One, Day 2 and Day 3 by Cinnamon Collins on The (Mis)Adventures of a Genealogist blog. Cinnamon summarizes her days at this new institute - it sounds challenging and fascinating.
* Producing a Self-Published Book in Ten Steps by Diane Beumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog. Diane describes her book publishing process, including the challenges she faced. There are lessons here!
* The Future of Genetic Genealogy - Dream Big! by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Some great DNA testing history and some big picture predictions here from Roberta.
* The Old Trappe Church by Becky Wiseman on the Kinexxions blog. Becky visited a church of her colonial ancestors in Pennsylvania, but it was closed. No matter - great pictures and story!
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 14-20 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
* Ruth's Recommendations by Ruth Blair on The Passionate Genealogist blog. Ruth's back! Cool.
* Monday Morning Mentions ... A Little Late by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.
* Monday Recap for October 22, 2012 by Amanda on the Geni Blog.
* From the Blogs, October 26 by Michael Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.
* Follow Friday - Fab Finds for October 26, 2012 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and family History Blog.
* Genealogy News Corral, October 22-26 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.
* Friday Finds - 10/26/12 by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog.
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 21-27 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch 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 1290 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/2012/10/best-of-genea-blogs-21-27-october-2012.html
Copyright(c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
Here are my picks for great reads from the genealogy blogs for this past week:
* The "Literature Search" in the Internet Age by Michael Hait on the Planting the Seeds blog. Michael asks if this is still necessary. What do you think?
* Michael Hait's Perfect Genealogy Program by Louis Kessler on the Behold Genealogy blog. Louis parses Michael's April description of a perfect program, and defines if Louis's Behold! program has incorporated each feature.
* Ancestry's Mythical Admixture Percentages by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Roberta thinks that Ancestry's autosomal DNA test results are wrong, and shows us her own numbers.
* What Next for Ancestry.com? by Debbie Kennett on the Cruwys News blog. Debbie summarizes the DNA test and analysis offerings from Ancestry.com, and discusses the drawbacks of the Ancestry autosomal DNA test.
* IGI Q and A - Part 1 and Part 2 by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog. Information from Robert Kehrer about the International Genealogical Index on FamilySearch.
* 8 Tips and a Tool for Self-Editing Your Family History Blog by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog. What - I have to self-edit too? Who knew? I'm lucky just to remember to spell check them... Excellent ideas here!
* Fishing Expedition (AKA Cluster/Collateral Genealogy) - A Brick Wall Buster by Michele Simmons Lewis on the Ancestoring blog. Michele discusses why you should do this type of research, and provides an example of her own, to solve brick wall problem.
* Forensic Genealogy Institute - Day One, Day 2 and Day 3 by Cinnamon Collins on The (Mis)Adventures of a Genealogist blog. Cinnamon summarizes her days at this new institute - it sounds challenging and fascinating.
* Producing a Self-Published Book in Ten Steps by Diane Beumenot on the One Rhode Island Family blog. Diane describes her book publishing process, including the challenges she faced. There are lessons here!
* The Future of Genetic Genealogy - Dream Big! by Roberta J. Estes on the DNAeXplained-Genetic Genealogy blog. Some great DNA testing history and some big picture predictions here from Roberta.
* The Old Trappe Church by Becky Wiseman on the Kinexxions blog. Becky visited a church of her colonial ancestors in Pennsylvania, but it was closed. No matter - great pictures and story!
Several genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week, including:
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 14-20 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch blog.
* Ruth's Recommendations by Ruth Blair on The Passionate Genealogist blog. Ruth's back! Cool.
* Monday Morning Mentions ... A Little Late by Lynn Palermo on The Armchair Genealogist blog.
* Monday Recap for October 22, 2012 by Amanda on the Geni Blog.
* From the Blogs, October 26 by Michael Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.
* Follow Friday - Fab Finds for October 26, 2012 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and family History Blog.
* Genealogy News Corral, October 22-26 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.
* Friday Finds - 10/26/12 by Julie Cahill Tarr on the GenBlog blog.
* Weekly Genealogy Picks, October 21-27 by John Newmark on the TransylvanianDutch 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 1290 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/2012/10/best-of-genea-blogs-21-27-october-2012.html
Copyright(c) 2012, Randall J. Seaver
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