Surname Saturday - WEEDEN (England to colonial Rhode Island)

t's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week.  

I am in the 7th great-grandmothers and I'm up to Ancestor  #759 who is Mary WEEDEN (1673-1743) [Note: the earlier great-grandmothers and 7th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts].

My ancestral line back through four generations in this WEEDEN family line is:

1.  Randall J. Seaver (1943-living)

2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)

4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)

10.  Thomas Richmond (1848-1917)
11.  Julia White (1848-1913)

22.  Henry Arnold White (1824-1885)
23.  Amy Frances Oatley (1826-1864)

46.  Jonathan Oatley (1790-1872)
47.  Amy Champlin (1798-1865)

94.  Joseph Champlin (1758-1850)
93.  Nancy Kenyon (1765-????)

188.  Elijah Champlin (1730-1779)
189.  Phoebe Card (1730-1787)

378.  Job Card (1690-1760)
379.  Judith Greenman (1694-1786)

758.  Thomas Greenman, born 1669 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States; died before 14 October 1728 in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island, United States.  He was the son of 1516. Edward Greenman and 1517. Mary.  He married before 1690 in Rhode Island, United States.
759.  Mary Weeden, born about 1673 in Westerly, Washington, Rhode Island, United States; died before 08 August 1743 in South Kingstown, Washington, Rhode Island, United States.

Children of Thomas Greenman and Mary Weeden are:
*  Sylvanus Greenman (1690-1763), married 1721 Sarah Clarke (1692-1801).
*  Silas Greenman (1690-1778), married 1727 Anna Babcock (1701-1731).
*  Judith Greenman (1694-1786), married 1718 Job Card (1690-1760).

1518.  William Weeden, born about 1647 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States; died after 20 April 1718 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States.  He married before 1673 in Rhode Island, United States.
1519.  Sarah Peckham, born about 1653 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States; died 23 April 1724 in Dartmouth, Bristol, Massachusetts, United States.  She was the daughter of 3038. John Peckham and 3039. Eleanor Weaver.

Child of William Weeden and Sarah Peckham is:
*  Mary Weeden (1673-1743), married 1690 Thomas Greenman (1669-1728).

3036.  William Weeden, born before 30 May 1619 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England; died before 29 November 1676 in Newport, Newport, Rhode Island, United States.  He married before 1645 in Rhode Island, United States.
3037.  Abigail Bailey, born about 1623 in England.

Children of William Weeden and Abigail Bailey are:
*  James Weeden (1645-1711), married Mary (1649-1725).
*  William Weeden (1647-1718), married 1673 Sarah Peckham (1653-1724).
*  Philip Weeden (1649-1727), married Ann Sisson (1672-????).
*  John Weeden (1651-1710), married 1686 Jane Underwood (1669-1736).
*  Jeremiah Weeden (1653-1756), married 1688 Mary Clarke (1668-1726).
*  Hannah Weeden (1655-1722), married (1) 1672 William Clarke (1647-1683); (2) 1689 Thomas Peckham (1639-1709); (3) 1710 Joseph Clarke (1643-1727).
*  Joseph Weeden (1657-1745), married Hannah Davol (1675-1744).
*  Thomas Weeden (1659-1718), married Grace (1663-????).
*  Phoebe Weeden (1661-1745), married 1678 William Peckham (1647-1734).

6072.  James Weeden, born before 30 July 1585 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England; died before 17 December 1673 in Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island, United States.  He was the son of 12144. Richard Weeden and 12145. Joan Turner.  He married 11 September 1615 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England.
6073.  Phillipa Cocke, born before 14 January 1588 in Chesham, Buckinghamshire, England; died before 1650 in Portsmouth, Newport, Rhode Island, United States.  She was the daughter of 12146. William Cocke and 12147. Joan.

Children of James Weeden and Phillipa Cocke are:
*  John Weeden (1616-????).
*  William Weeden (1619-1676), married 1645 Abigail Bailey (1623-????).
*  Alice Weeden (1621-1629).
*  James Weeden (1625-1702).
*  Anna Weeden (1627-????)
*  Martha Weeden (1632-????).

Information about these families was obtained from:

*  Elizabeth French Bartlett, "Genealogical Research in England: Weeden," New England Historical and Genealogical Register, Volume 76, Number 2 (April 1922).

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/surname-saturday-weeden-england-to.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

We're Off to Palm Desert For the Weekend

Once in awhile, I am invited to speak at a far away (for me, that's more than 100 miles) place on a genealogy topic, and that's the case this weekend.

We will leave on Sunday morning for Palm Springs and Palm Desert.  We hope to get there for lunch time, so that we can be safely in our motel room to watch the Chargers/Broncos game on CBS starting at 1:40 PM PST.  After the game, a nice dinner someplace is probably in order to celebrate (hope springs eternal here in Charger-land!).

Then on Monday morning, 13 January, bright and early, I'm supposed to present "Searching Ancestry.com Effectively" to the Sun City Palm Desert Genealogy Club at 9:30 a.m. at the Mountain View Clubhouse, inside the Del Webb Sun City community, on Del Webb Blvd (about 0.4 miles from the entrance, on the right, before 38th Avenue).

If you're in the Palm Springs area, please consider stopping by and learning more about how to search Ancestry.com effectively.

I look forward to seeing my friends, and readers, when I speak at local genealogical societies!

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Ancestry.com Adds Selected Dutch Reformed Church Records, 1660-1926

I have at least two sets of Dutch immigrant families who came into colonial New York and New Jersey in my genealogy database, and  I have been lax in trying to find the actual church records that document their baptisms, marriages and deaths.  Usually, I've relied on derivative sources and authored works, like the town histories of Albany and Schenectady, to source the events.

Ancestry.com added a wonderful new database yesterday - the U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records from Selected States, 1660-1926.  I'm not sure how complete this collection is, but it surely adds significant online content in an area where the researcher had to rely upon visiting a repository or ordering sets of microfilm from the FamilySearch Library.

The description of this database says:

"This database will be comprised of records from the Reformed Church in America. This database will be updated with content from other states, and currently includes records from New York, New Jersey, and Pennsylvania.

"Founded in New York City in 1885, the Holland Society is home to collections relevant to the settlement and history of Dutch colonies in America, with an emphasis on New Amsterdam and Hudson River settlements. This Holland Society collection includes records of the Dutch Reformed Church dating back to 1642. Within the collections are records of baptisms, marriages, and burials, primarily from New York, with some from New Jersey and Pennsylvania."

The database page looks like this:

Like most databases, the researcher can search for a person (name, birth year/location, etc.) or browse the database in a State and Town (over on the right side of the page above), and select one of the books for that locality.

I was interested in finding baptism and marriage records for my Van Vorst families, so I picked Jacobus Van Vorst as an example, and entered First Name = jacob* (becuase the name might not be spelled consistently) and Last Name = Vorst (leaving off the "van").  There were 42 matches for the search:

I knew that Jacobus Van Vorst was born in 1703 to Jillis Van Vorst and Elisabeth Van Eps in Schenctady, New York from my earlier library work.  The birth record is the third one down the list above.  Here is the Record Summary:

The Record Summary provides the following information:

*  Name:  Jacobus Van Vorst
*  Event Type:  Baptism
*  Father's Name:  Jellis Van Vorst
*  Mother's Name:  Lysebet Van Neps
*  Baptism Date:  12 Dec 1703
*  Baptism Place:  Schenectady, Schenectady, New York, USA

I clicked on the link to "View Original Image:"

The page above shows the Date, the parent's names (on two lines), the child's name, and the sponsors names (on two lines).  The year is handwritten in the upper left-hand corner of the page.  This is page 16 of the typescript, and is on image 22 of 163 in this specific "Book."

As you can see, this is not the original handwritten church record - it is a typescript taken from the original church record (and we don't know how many transcriptions or abstracts came before this typewritten record).  But it's what we have, and it's probably closer to the original church record than the published Schenectady history book.

How do I know that it's for Schenectady?  Only by using the "back" arrow (at bottom of the screen above), or highlighting the image number and typing in another image number) to find the first page of this "book" (image 2 of 163 of this "book"):

And the column headings are on the next image (Image 3 of 163 in this "book"):

The bread crumb trail on the line above the image indicates that this is Schenectady Baptisms, Volume 1 Book 41.  The Ancestry.com source citation for my record is:

Ancestry.com. U.S., Dutch Reformed Church Records from Selected States, 1660-1926 [database on-line]. Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2014.

Original data: Dutch Reformed Church Records from New York and New Jersey. Holland Society of New York, New York, New York.

Astute source citation junkies will notice that Ancestry.com does not identify the state, town, book volume or number, or the specific item found.  That's why I don't rely upon them for my source citations and prefer to craft my own.  Here is how I would craft a source citation in Evidence Explained style for Jacobus Van Vorst's baptism record in the Ancestry.com database above:

U.S. Dutch Reformed Church Records from Selected States, 1660-1926, online database and digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), New York, Schenectady, "Schenectady Baptisms," Volume 1, Book 41, typescript, page 16 (mage 22 of 163), Jacobus Van Vorst entry.

I love doing this source citation stuff now!  I enjoy the challenge.

Now I have another resource to "mine" for this information on my Van Vorst, Bradt, Putman, Van Eps, Beck, Mol, Bresee, Van Deusen, and several other Dutch immigrant families in my database.

note that this database may not have every record for every Dutch Reformed Church record book - reading the database description, it seems to say that the database is incomplete.  I may provide a list of the states or towns presently available in another post.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

52 Ancestors Friday: Hattie Louisa (Hildreth) Seaver (1857-1920)

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post Challenge:  52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog.  I've been looking for a Friday theme post to highlight my genealogical research, so I choose to follow Amy's lead here and write about one ancestor every week (as best I can).  

Hattie Louisa (Hildreth) Seaver (1857-1920) is #9 on my Ancestor Name List, and is my great-grandmother.  She married #8, Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922). I am descended through:

*  her son, #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942), who married Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
*  their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
*  me, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

To create this post, I created an Individual Summary report in RootsMagic 6, then saved it into an RTF file.  I then copied and pasted the Individual Fact List and the Source Citations (with Detail Text information) into this blog post.  Unfortunately, the source citations superscripts did not survive this process as superscripts, so I put them in parentheses in the Individual Facts list below, and without parentheses in the Source Citation list.  I have images of many of these records, but have not included them in this blog post due to the length of the post.  Many of them have been transcribed or shown in Amanuensis Monday and Treasure Chest Thursday posts.

=================================================================
A) PERSON:

* Name: Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1–2, 16-17)    
* Sex: Female   
* Father: Edward Hildreth (1831-1899)   
* Mother: Sophia Newton (1834-1923)   
  

B) Individual Facts
  
* Birth:    28 November 1857, Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (1-2)   
* Census: 1 June 1860 (age 2), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (3)   
* Census: 29 August 1865 (age 7), Northborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (4)
* Census: 1 June 1870 (age 12), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (5)    
* Census: 1 June 1880 (age 22), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (6)   
* Census: 1 June 1900 (age 42), 149 Lancaster Street (ED 1645), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (7)   
* Census: 1 April 1910 (age 52), 149 Lancaster Street (ED 1772), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (8)   
* Census: 1 January 1920 (age 62), 149 Lancaster Street (ED 102), Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (9)   
* Death: 29 November 1920 (age 63), of carcinoma of the bladder; Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (10)   
* Burial: after 29 November 1920 (after age 63), Evergreen Cemetery, Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (11-12)
* Probate: 6 September 1923 (age 65), Administration filed; Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (13)   
* Description: 1980, audio conversation recorded on tape; Chula Vista, San Diego, California, United States (14)   
* Description: 13 August 1982,  audio conversation recorded on tape; Leominster, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States (15)   
  
C) Marriages/Children
  
* Spouse 1:   Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)   
* Marriage: 16 December 1874 (age 17), Keene, Cheshire, New Hampshire, United States (16-17)   
* Children: Frederick Walton "Fred" Seaver (1876-1942)   
  Harry Clifton Seaver (1885-1951)
                Howard Edward Seaver (1893-1900)  

D)  Sources (in Blue) with Research Notes (in Red):

1. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915, indexed database and digital images, American Ancestors (http://www.AmericanAncestors.org), Births: Volume 107, Page 232, Northborough: Hattie Louisa Hildreth entry.

Hattie Louisa Hildreth was born 28 November 1857 in Northborough, a girl, daughter of Edward (a comb manufacturer, born Mass.) and Sophia Hildreth (born Mass.), residents of Northborough.

2. Northborough, Massachusetts, Copy of Record of Birth, Hattie Louisa Hildreth, citing Volume 2, Page 28, Record 17 (1858); Town Clerk's Office, Northborough, Mass. (certificate dated 13 September 1994). 

The transcription of the birth certificate is:

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
COPY OF RECORD OF BIRTH
TOWN OF NORTHBOROUGH

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am the clerk of the Town of 
Northborough that as such I have custody of the records of birth required by
law to be kept in my office; that among such records is one relating to the birth of

                                               HATTIE LOUISA HILDRETH                      

and that the following is a true copy of so much of said record as relates to
said birth, namely:

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date of Birth         NOVEMBER 28, 1857          
Place of Birth         NORTHBOROUGH, MA     
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
                                    FATHER                                         MOTHER
Name               EDWARD HILDRETH     Maiden Name       SOPHIA HILDRETH          
Residence         NORTHBOROUGH, MA  Residence             NORTHBOROUGH, MA    
Place of Birth   MASSACHUSETTS          Place of Birth        MASSACHUSETTS           
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Date of Record:   JANUARY 15, 1858     Volume     2     Page   28    Record   17   
-----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

And I do certify that the foregoing is a true copy from said records.
Witness my hand and seal of said Town of Northborough on
this    13TH   day of    SEPTEMBER       19 94  

  { seal }                                                            Hillary Hamilton    
                                                                        Northborough Town Clerk.

3. 1860 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Northborough town; Page 955, Dwelling #794, Family 984, Edward Hildreth household; online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M653, Roll 528. 

In the 1860 US census, the Edward Hildreth family resided in Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts with the Theodore McNeil family. The household included:

*   Edward Hildreth -- age 28, male, born MA, a combmaker, with $500 personal property
*  Sophia Hildreth -- age 24, female, born MA
*  Hattie L. Hildreth -- age 2, female, born MA.

4. "Massachusetts, State Census, 1865", Worcester County, Massachusetts, Northborough; Image 7 of 31, Dwelling #30, family #40, Edward Hildreth household; online database and digital image,  FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 14 February 2013). 

The 1865 Massachusetts State Census entry for the Edward Hildreth household residing in Northborough, Worcester County includes:

*  Edward Hildreth - age 34, male, born Mass., married, a combmaker, ratable poll checked, legal voter checked
*  Sophia Hildreth - age 28, female, born Mass., married, a housekeeper
*  Hattie Hildreth - age 7, female, born Mass., single.

5. 1870 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Leominster town: Page 261, house #67, family #86, Edward Hildreth household; online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication M593, Roll 654. 

In the 1870 US census, the Edward Hildreth family resided in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts. The household included:

*  Edward Hildreth -- age 39, male, works in machine shop, $2,000 in real property, $500 in personal property, born MA
*  Sophia Hildreth -- age 34, female, keeping house, born VT
*  Hattie L. Hildreth --age 12, female, attends school, born MA.

6. 1880 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: Page 525C, dwelling # 354, family #436, Frank Seaver household; online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T9, Roll 565. 

In the 1880 U.S. Census, the Frank W. Seaver family resided in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The family included

*   Frank W. Seaver -- white, male, age 27, married, works in a comb shop, born MA, parents born MA/MA
*  Hattie S. Seaver -- white, female, age 22, wife, married, keeping house, born MA, parents born MA/MA
*  Frederick W. Seaver -- white, male, age 3, son, single, born MA, parents born MA/MA.

7. 1900 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts; Leominster: Enumeration District 1645, Sheet 16A, Dwelling #258, Family #377, Frank W. Seaver household; online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T623, Roll 692. 

In the 1900 U.S. Census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The Seaver family was renting the house.  The family included:

*   Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, white, male, born June 1852, age 47, married 26 years, born MA, parents born MA, a teamster, rents home
*   Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, white, female, born Nov 1856, age 43, married 26 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT
*  Fred W. Seaver -- son, white, male, born February 1876, age 24, single, born MA, parents born PA a painter of combs
*  Harry C. Seaver -- son, white, male, born March 1885, age 15, single, born MA, parents born MA, a painter of combs
*  Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, white, female, born September 1835, age 64, widow, mother of 1 child, 1 living,  born MA, father born ME, mother born MA.

8. 1910 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster: Enumeration District 1772, Sheet 13B, dwelling #149, family #257, line 96-98, Sophia Hildreth household; online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T624,  Roll 629. 

In the 1910 U.S. census, the Frank W. Seaver family resided at 146 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The family included:

*  Sophia Hildreth -- head of household, female, white, age 73, widow, mother of 2 children, 1 living, born VT, father and mother born MA, speaks English, no occupation, can read and write, owns the home, free of mortgage
*  Frank W. Seaver -- son-in-law, male, white, age 57, married once, 35 years, born MA, father and mother born MA, speaks English, foreman, works in horn supply, a worker, reads and writes
*  Hattie L. Seaver -- daughter, female, white, age 52, married once, 35 years, mother of 3 children, 2 living, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT, speaks English, can read and write
*  Harry C. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 25, single, born MA, father and mother born MA, speaks English, laborer, works in comb shop, a worker, can read and write.

9. 1920 United States Federal Census, Population Schedule, Worcester County, Massachusetts, Leominster; Supervisor District 3, Enumeration District 102, Sheet 5B, dwelling #68, family #132, lines 7-10, Frank W. Seaver household; online database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com); citing National Archives Microfilm Publication T625, Roll 747. 

In the 1920 U.S. census, the Frank Seaver family resided at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, Worcester County, Massachusetts.  The family included:

*  Frank W. Seaver -- head of household, male, white, age 66, married, born MA, father born MA, mother born MA, an assistant superintendent at a horn shop, a salaried worker, owns home free of mortgage, able to read, write, and speak English
*  Hattie L. Seaver -- wife, female, white, age 62, married, born MA, father born MA, mother born VT, no occupation, able to read, write and speak English
*  Harry C. Seaver -- son, male, white, age 34, single, born MA, father born MA, mother born MA, a button turner in a button shop, a wage worker, able to read, write and speak English
*  Sophia Hildreth -- mother-in-law, female, white, age 82, widow, born VT, father born MA, mother born MA, retired, able to read, write and speak English.

10. Leominster, Massachusetts, Death Certificate, Hattie L. Seaver, 29 November 1920; City Clerk's Office, Leominster, Mass. (certificate dated 28 August 1991). 

The transcription of the death certificate for Hattie L. Seaver is:

Commonwealth of Massachusetts
UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

CERTIFICATE of DEATH
From the Records of Deaths in the City of Leominster, 
Massachusetts, U.S.A.

1. Date of Death: November 29, 1920
2. Name:  Hattie L. Seaver
Maiden Name: Hildreth
3. Sex, and whether Single, Female
Married or widowed: Married
4. Age: 63 Years 0 Months  1 Days
5. Color: White
6. Disease or Cause of Death: Carcinoma of Bladder
7. Residence: Leomnster, Ma
8. Occupation:  At home
9. Place of Death: 149 Lancaster Street, Leominster, MA
10. Place of Birth: Notrhboro, Ma
11. Name of Husband or Wife: Frank W. Seaver
12. Name of Father:  Edward Hildreth
13. Maiden Name of Mother:  Sophia Newton 
14. Birthplace of Father:  Townsend, Ma
15. Birthplace of Mother: Cambridge, Vt.
16. Place of Interment: Evergreen Cem., Leominster, MA

I, AUDREY J. JOHNSON, depose and say that I hold the office of City Clerk of the City of Leominster, County of Worcester and Commonwealth of Massachusetts, that the records of Births, Marriages and Deaths required by law to be kept in said City are in my custody, and that the above is a true extract from the records of Deaths in said City, as certified by me.

Date of Recording: 1920
WITNESS my hand and seal of said City, on the 28th day of August 19 91.
/s/ Audrey J. Johnson, 
City Clerk.

11. Evergreen Cemetery (Leominster, Mass., on Main Street). 

The inscription of the gravestone of the Frank W. Seaver family in Evergreen Cemetery in Leominster, Massachusetts says:

Frank W. Seaver
1852-1922
Hattie L. Seaver his wife
1858-1920
Howard E. Seaver
1893-1900.

12. Find A Grave, online database and digital image (http://www.findagrave.com), Evergreen Cemetery (Leominster, Mass.), Hattie Louisa Hildreth Seaver memorial. 

13. "Worcester County, Massachusetts Probate Court Records" (Worcester County Probate Courthouse, Worcester, Mass.), Hattie L. Seaver, Probate Packet B-81,101. 

Hattie L. Seaver died intestate before her mother and her husband, and her estate was probated simultaneously with that of her husband (Worcester County (MA) Probate Records, Probate Packet B-81,101, accessed at Worcester County Court House, Worcester, Massachusetts). J. Ward Healey petitioned the court to be named administrator of her estate on 6 September 1923.  The heirs included husband Frank W. Seaver (who has since died), son Frederick W. Seaver and son Harry C. Seaver, both of Leominster.

An inventory was taken by J. Ward Healey on 10 September 1923 and found $33.10 in personal estate and $2,825 in real estate.  The latter was the two family dwelling house at 149 Lancaster Street in Leominster, including a barn and 10,890 square feet of land.  Bond of $4,000 was posted on 7 September 1923 by J. Ward Healey, Frederick W. Seaver and Frank C. Seaver.

The real estate was sold on 31 October 1923 for $6,000.  The land is described as "land owned by the heirs of Edward Hildreth, Leominster, Mass." by Wm. P. Ray, C.E.  It was on the southwesterly side of Lancaster Street, containing 19,317 square feet of land.

The final account of the estate of Hattie L. Seaver was submitted by J. Ward Healey on 10 December 1923, and approved by the court on 8 September 1924.  The estate of $6,546.99 was distributed:

*  To Harry C. Seaver, $2,700 in cash as his partial distributive share, including a $1,600 payment to Merchants National Bank which was borrowed by him.
*  To Frederick W. Seaver, $2,700 in cash as his partial distributive share.
*  The furniture was divided by Harry C. and Frederick W. Seaver.
*  $150 To the City of Leominster for perpetual care of the cemetery lots of Edward Hildreth and Frank W. Seaver.
*  $55 to Leominster Granite and Marble Works for gravestones, and $294 to Chas. H. Richardson, undertakers.

The balance went to the administrator for taxes, repairs on the house, insurance, and probate costs.

14. Edward R. Seaver's Memories (papers), 13 August 1982, Leominster, Mass., transcript of conversation recorded on audio tape, Randall J. Seaver family papers (in "Seaver Memories" notebook), Chula Vista, California. 

The memories of Hattie (Hildreth) Seaver of Edward R. Seaver, her grandson, were provided in an audio tape made in the summer of 1982 by Randy Seaver in a conversation at Ed's home in Leominster, Massachusetts.

"My grandmother, Harriet Hildreth was her maiden name, was a stern looking woman, red hair, which of course started to turn white by the time I came along, and I have it on hearsay that it was originally red.  She had a high forehead, and a stern look and bearing about her.  She was a great cook.  I remember all of the pies stashed way up in the pantry there, in a pie rack, I remember all the pies and the smell of the place, going to her kitchen and pantry, squash pies, raisin pies, apple pies, it was a real treat to go over there.  They lived on Lancaster Street, not too far from where we lived, so it was an easy walk."

15. Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill Memories, 1980, Chula Vista, California, description of Harriet (Hildreth) Seaver, transcript of conversation recorded on audio tape, Randall J. Seaver family papers (in "Seaver Memories" notebook), Chula Vista, California. 

The memories of Hattie L. Seaver pf her granddaughter, Marion (Seaver) (Braithwaite) Hemphill described Hattie (Hildreth) Seaver in 1980 in a recorded audio conversation with Randy Seaver as:

" My grandmother, Harriet Hildreth, was the redhead of the family, andi n the next generation there were two redheads.  She was a very handsome woman I would say, and dressed beautifully, she loved nice clothes and was a very accomplished needle worker.  They had a beautful home, and I was born in that home, they had a three room apartment in one end they had made for my mother and father when they married.  I was born there at 149 Lancaster Street, Leominster, Massacvhusetts, and Evelyn was also born there.  Harriet Hildreth died when she was 64, and grandfather died when he was 70."

16. New England Historic Genealogical Society, Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1915, indexed database and digital image, American Ancestors (http://www.americanancestors.org), Marriages: Volume 264, Page 286, Leominster, 1874: Frank W. Seaver and Hattie Hildreth entry. 

Frank W. Seaver, age 24, born in Medfield, son of Isaac and Lucretia T, first marriage; and Harriet L. Hildreth, age 17, born in Northborough, daughter of Edward and Sophia, first marriage; married 14 December 1874 in Keene, N.H. by Rev. G.W. Brown.

17. Keene, New Hampshire, Abstract of a Certificate of Marriage, Frank W. Seaver and Hattie L. Hildreth; Keene Town/City Clerk's Office (certificate dated 13 September 1994). 

The transcription of the marriage certificate is:

State of New Hampshire
CERTIFIED ABSTRACT OF A CERTIFICATE OF MARRIAGE
00035872                                                           FILE #   273

                                                                          GROOM

FULL NAME                                            FRANK W SEAVER
AGE                                                          0
RESIDENCE                                              LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS
MARITAL STATUS
NO. OF THIS MARRIAGE                          0
BIRTHPLACE
PLACE MARRIAGE INTENTIONS FILED  KEENE
PLACE OF MARRIAGE                              KEENE
FILE DATE                                                 ++ SEE BELOW **

                                                                              BRIDE

FULL NAME                                              HATTIE L. HILDRETH
AGE                                                           0
RESIDENCE                                              LEOMINSTER, MASSACHUSETTS
MARITAL STATUS                      
NO. OF THIS MARRIAGE                         0
BIRTHPLACE
DATE OF MARRIAGE                               DECEMBER 16, 1874
MARRIAGE PERFORMED BY                   REV. G.W. BROWN

** Filed in chronological order with records from 1872 to 1876.

I HEREBY CERTIFY THAT THIS IS A TRUE ABSTRACT ISSUED FROM THE OFFICIAL RECORDS ON FILE AT THIS OFFICE.

ATTEST:  Patricia Cutler            STATE/LOCAL REGISTRAR    Charles E. Sirc
                                                                                                  CHARLES E. SIRC
                                                                                                  STATE REGISTRAR

DATE ISSUED:  SEPTEMBER 13, 1994   STATE /CITY/TOWN OF:  KEENE

The New Hampshire marriage certificate obtained from the Keene, Cheshire County, New Hampshire town clerk's office lists their marriage date as 16 December 1874.  The New Hampshire Birth, Marriage and Deaths index card submitted by the town clerks has the same date.  However, the Massachusetts Vital Records, 1841-1910, marriage record (a transcription of the Leominster, Mass. town clerk's records, lists 14 December 1874, and as occurring in Keene, N.H.

All three sources are derivative in nature, they all reflect primary information and are direct evidence.  However, all three agree that the marriage occurred in Keene, and the first entry into a record book was certainly in Keene.  

The New Hampshire records are, in my opinion, more authoritative than the Massachusetts record.  My conclusion is that 16 December 1874 is the correct marriage date.

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

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/52-ancestors-friday-hattie-louisa.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

 

Recent Ancestry.com YouTube Videos

I try to stay up on the latest information on Ancestry.com and appreciate all of the social media connections posted by Ancestry.com on the Internet.

One of the social media outlets is YouTube - almost every week Ancestry.com posts 20 to 30 minute video tutorials online on the Ancestry.com YouTube Channel.  All of the videos are FREE to Watch.

The most recent YouTube video posted is Family History Goals for 2014 with the Barefoot Genealogist, Crista Cowan:




Other Ancestry.com YouTube videos from the past month include:

*  What's New at Ancestry.com: January 2014 Edition

*  Timely Tips to Trim the Family Tree

*  Revisit AncestryDNA

*  Rating Your Genealogy Sources

*  What's New at Ancestry.com: December 2013 Edition

You can view these videos at any time after they are produced live.  They are usually held on Tuesdays and Thursday at 1 pm. Eastern time.  You can watch the event live and participate in the online chat during the video on Ancestry's LiveStream page at  http://www.livestream.com/ancestry.

You can see the list of the upcoming webinars on the Ancestry.com blog - January's events are listed at   http://blogs.ancestry.com/ancestry/2014/01/06/upcoming-webinars-and-events-january-2014/ .

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/recent-ancestrycom-youtube-videos.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

More Problems with Mundia.com - Can't Start a New Tree

I wrote Looking at Mundia.com Again - a Free Family Tree Site on 7 January 2014, and had some problems working in one of my Ancestry Member Trees.  Mundia.com is owned by Ancestry.com, and seemingly provides a free access for researchers to search Ancestry Member Trees.

Today, I wanted to see how a non-subscriber to Ancestry.com (but a registered Guest) would fare in Mundia.com.  I have a Guest account on Ancestry.com in order to see what a non-subscriber sees on the site (mainly for my presentations).

Here is the sign-in page:

I had to check my gender, and check the "I agree to Mundia's Terms of Use and Privacy Policy."  I did that, then clicked on the green "Continue" button, and saw:

The site wants me to select myself in my Ancestry tree.  I have not added an Ancestry Member Tree using my Guest account so I clicked on the green "Continue" button.  The site insisted that I select myself in my tree, or if I clicked the box for "I'm not in this family tree" I was asked to select the root person in the tree.

I figured out that, for some reason, Mundia requires me to have a tree in order to use their site.  So I decided to click on the link to "Start a new tree" (up in the right-hand corner of the screen under "Or, you can choose to start a new tree."  I clicked that and saw:

Um, "Error Loading Page."  And it wants me to "Sign In" again?  Why in the world do I get this?  I already signed in.  Frustrating.  Stupid web site.

Don't the powers that be at Mundia.com (hmmm, perhaps there are no "powers that be?") know that they have these problems?  I'd like to think that I'm fairly knowledgeable about navigating family tree websites, but this site really doesn't work well.  

Being somewhat persistent, I'm going to keep at it - I will upload a GEDCOM file to a new Ancestry Member Tree using my Guest account.  Then I'll see if I can use the site to freely search for ancestors as a non-subscriber to Ancestry.com.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/more-problems-with-mundiacom-cant-start.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Treasure Chest Thursday - Birth Certificate for Hattie Louisa Hildreth, born in 1857

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

The treasure today is the birth certificate for Hattie Louisa Hildreth in 1857 in Northborough, Worcester County, Massachusetts: 

I obtained this birth certificate by postal mail from the Northborough town clerk's office on 13 September 1994.

Here is the transcription of the birth certificate (handwritten parts in italics, form lines underlined):

THE COMMONWEALTH OF MASSACHUSETTS 

UNITED STATES OF AMERICA

COPY OF RECORD OF BIRTH

TOWN OF NORTHBOROUGH

I, the undersigned, hereby certify that I am the clerk of the Town of 
Northborough that as such I have custody of the records of birth required by
law to be kept in my office; that among such records is one relating to the birth of

                                               HATTIE LOUISA HILDRETH                      

and that the following is a true copy of so much of said record as relates to
said birth, namely:

=============================================================
Date of Birth                    NOVEMBER 28, 1857          
Place of Birth                    NORTHBOROUGH, MA     
=============================================================
                                    FATHER                                         MOTHER
Name               EDWARD HILDRETH       Maiden Name       SOPHIA HILDRETH          
Residence         NORTHBOROUGH, MA    Residence             NORTHBOROUGH, MA    
Place of Birth   MASSACHUSETTS            Place of Birth        MASSACHUSETTS           
=============================================================
Date of Record:   JANUARY 15, 1858     Volume     2     Page   28    Record   17   
=============================================================

And I do certify that the foregoing is a true copy from said records.
Witness my hand and seal of said Town of Northborough on
this    13TH   day of    SEPTEMBER       19 94  

  { seal }                                                            Hillary Hamilton    
                                                                        Northborough Town Clerk

The source citation for this birth record is:

Northborough, Massachusetts, Copy of Record of Birth, Hattie Louisa Hildreth; citing Volume 2, Page 28, Record 17 (1858), Town Clerk's Office, Northborough, Mass. (document dated 13 September 1994). 

The only obvious errors in this record are the mother's maiden name - it was Sophia Newton, not Sophia Hildreth; and her birth place should have been Vermont if other records (marriage death, census) are correct.

Hattie Louisa Hildreth (1857-1920) married Frederick Walton Seaver (1852-1922) in 1874, and is one of my great-grandparents.

The URL for this post is:

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

RootsTech 2014 Live Streamed Sessions - Watch for FREE from Home - UPDATED

Are you ready for three days of genealogy and technology education?  I am.  I'm going to RootsTech 2014 in Salt Lake City, Utah from Thursday, 6 February to Saturday, 8 February.

If you cannot attend RootsTech 2014 in person, you can enjoy three days of streaming video from RootsTech on the RootsTech 2014 website (www.rootstech.org).  There is no link to the live-streaming video yet, but there should be a link on the home page when the conference starts.

I believe that all of the live-streamed video will occur from Hall E in the Salt Palace.  If so, then we can find them on the Schedule Session Viewer list and list them out.

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

UPDATE 29 January:  RootsTech announced the live-streaming sessions on 29 January - see the correct list at RootsTech 2014 Announces the FREE Live-Streamed Broadcast Schedule.

My post below was conjectural - and did not include all of the Saturday live-streamed sessions.

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

Here is the list of presentations to be made from Hall E (NOTE: all times are Salt Lake City time - Mountain Standard Time) -  which is GMT  minus 7 hours, EST minus 2 hours, CST minus 1 hour, and PST plus one hour.  So add 7 hours for GMT, 2 hours for EST, 1 hour for CST, and subtract 1 hour for PST):

1)  Thursday, 6 February 2014:

*  8:30 a.m. Keynote:  Ree Drummond (the Pioneer Woman) and Annelies van den Belt (DC Thomson Family History).

*  10:30 a.m.:  Tammy Hepps - "Top Ten Things I Learned About My Family From My couch: Beginning Genealogy"

*  1 p.m.:  Ron Tanner - "FamilySearch Family Tree: What's New and What's Next"

*  2:30 p.m.:  James Rader - "Introduction to DNA for Genealogists"

*  4 p.m.:  Randy Hoffman- "Genealogy In the Cloud"

2)  Friday, 7 February 2014:

*  8:30 a.m.:  Dr. Spencer Wells (The Genographic Project), and Judy R. Russell (The Legal Genealogist blog).

*  10:30 a.m.:  David Adelman - "Storytelling Superpowers: How to Come Off as Your Family's Genealogy Hero"

*  1 p.m.:  Lisa Alzo - "Tweets, Links, Pins and Posts: Break down Genealogy Brick Walls With Social Media"

*  2:30 p.m.:  Crista Cowan - "Getting the Most Out of Ancestry.com"

*  4 p.m.:  Alison Taylor - "From Chaos to C.A.L.M. - Organizing Digital Photos For Use In a Life Story Project"

3)  Saturday, 8 February 2013:

*  8:30 a.m.:  Stephanie Nielsen (the NieNie Dialogues blog) and Todd Hansen (host of The Story Trek).

*  10 a.m.:  Elder Bradley D. Foster - "LDS Member Devotional With Elder Bradley D. Foster"

*  11 a.m.:  Elder Allen F. Packer - "Igniting Family History in Your Wards, Quorums and Groups"

*  12 noon:  John Bytheway - "The Power of Youth: Making a Difference"

*  12:30 p.m:  Youth Panel - "Youth Leading Youth: : How to Get Involved With Family History"

*  3 p.m.:  Studio C - "Studio C"

*  4 p.m.:  Elder Neil L. Andersen - "Youth Devotional with Elder Neil L. Andersen"

Obviously, the events scheduled in Hall E for Saturday (8 February) after the Keynote talks are intended for LDS Church members at RootsTech and around the world.

It is possible, I guess, that there will be other live-streamed sessions on Saturday for the genealogy world at large.  If I get further word about that, then I will let my readers know.

If the genealogy-related topics on Thursday and Friday are of interest to you, then tune in and watch/listen to world-renowned speakers giving those presentations.  Put them on your calendar (and note the time in your location) and enjoy two days of free genealogy education.

I expect the live-streamed video sessions to be available soon after the RootsTech 2014 conference on the www.rootstech.org website for your viewing pleasure as in past years.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/rootstech-2014-live-streamed-sessions.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

SDGS Seminar on Saturday, 11 January Features Lisa Louise Cooke!

The next San Diego Genealogical Society Family History Seminar is on Saturday, 11 January 2014 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at the Captain's Room at Marina Village, 1936 Quivira Way on Mission Bay in San Diego.  Registration starts at 8 a.m.

UPDATE:  Advanced registration closed 4 January 2014, but Walk-in registration is still available.  Come early!

The featured speaker will be Lisa Louise Cooke, world famous Family History Author, Speaker and Media Producer.  Her topics will be:

*  Google Search Strategies for Common Surnames

*  Inspiring Ways to Capture the Interest of Non-Genealogists

*  Get Your Scoop on Your Ancestry With Newspapers

*  How to Save Your Research From Destruction and Ensure Its Future

A Welcome coffee/tea/Danish, a Box Lunch, and Door Prizes are included in the $40 (members) or $45 (non-members) registration fee. 

There is an online registration system at http://casdgs.org/files.php with a credit card, or you can download the registration form, print it out and mail it in with a check. 

I'm looking forward to attending and seeing all of Lisa's presentations.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/sdgs-seminar-on-saturday-11-january.html