The Frederick Seaver Home in Leominster - Post 291 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

I'm posting family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they aren't Wordless Wednesday posts like others do - I am incapable of having a wordless post.

Here is a photograph of an ancestral home taken on one of our vacation/genealogy trips to Massachusetts:

This is a 2007 photograph of the house that my father, and his younger siblings,  remembered growing up in.  It is at 290 Central Street in Leominster, Massachusetts, and is still standing on the east side of Central Street. 

Frederick W. Seaver (1876-1942) and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver (1882-1962) had seven children, and six of them lived in this house with their parents from about 1911 until about 1927.

From my notes about my grandparents based on memories of several of their children:

In about 1911, Fred was offered a position as superintendent at the Patton Manufacturing Company in Leominster, which made hairpins from celluloid material.  The family moved to a large house on the factory site at 290 Central Street. The house was on the main road from Leominster to Sterling and Worcester, with streetcar tracks in the middle of the road.  There were several smaller buildings around the house - a barn which was used as a garage, chicken coops and rabbit hutches.  A brook ran beside the house to the factory.  The house was heated by warm air from the factory. 

As you can see, there are two stories to this house, and six windows on the upper floor.  The entry hall, living room, dining room, parlor, and kitchen were downstairs, and there were probably four or five bedrooms and a bathroom or two upstairs.  

A Google Map with the location of the house is below:

If you compare this location to the Hildreth/Seaver house at 149 Lancaster Street (just east of Graham Street, see (Not So) Wordless Wednesday - Post 290: The Hildreth/Seaver House in Leominster, Mass.), you can see that the Seaver children's grandparents' home was less than one mile away.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/the-frederick-seaver-home-in-leominster.html

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

A Family Tree Maker 2014 Source Citation for Anna Sjursdatter's Death Record

I wrote A Source Citation for Anna's Death Record in Voss, Norway on 13 December 2013, using the RootsMagic 6 software program.  Then I crafted a similar source citation in Legacy Family Tree 8 in A Legacy Family Tree 8 Source Citation for Anna Sjursdatter's Death Record on 16 January 2013.  I said that I would try to craft a source citation for this record  Family Tree Maker 2014 so that I could compare the source template results.  

I worked a bit in the Family Tree Maker source template feature in Family Tree Maker yesterday, and crafted a source citation for the death record of my wife's ancestor, Anna Sjursdatter, in Gjelle near Voss in 1826, which I reported finding in Finding Norwegian Church Parish Records in DigitalArkivet Website  (posted 12 December 2013).

The source I have for Anna's death record is an online digital image in a specific book for the Voss parish register on the Artkivverket website for DigitalArkivet Scanned Church Records (http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read).  

The process for crafting the source citation using the Evidence Explained quality source templates in the Family Tree Maker 2014 source template is:

1)  From the person's "Individual and Shared Facts" screen, I highlighted the Death "Fact," clicked on the "New" button on the "Sources" tab " icon, and picked "Add New Source Citation" from the dropdown list:

2)  The "Add Source" screen opened, and since I didn't have this source type already in my database, I clicked on the "New" button and then the "More" button and the "Select Source Template" screen opened:

On the screen above, I selected "Church Records" from the "Source group" list, then selected "Image Copies" in the dropdown "Category" list, and finally selected "Digitzed Online" in the dropdown "Template" list.

3)  I entered the source information (but not the citation detail information) into the "Source" fields that appeared:

4)  When I was finished, I clicked the "OK" button on the "Add source" screen above and the "Add Source Citation" screen appeared:

5)  I filled in the information in the "Citation Detail" field on the screen above.  Then I clicked on the "OK" button and was back to the "Add source" screen and clicked on the "Reference Note" tab to see the completed source citation:

6)  Hmmm, it didn't have the URL in the source citation for some reason.  That's important, I think.  I went back and edited the "Source" tab using "Edit" and moved the URL from the "URL" field to the end of the "Record Series" field.  The resulting "Reference Note" screen looks like this:

The source citation crafted by Family Tree Maker for this record is:

Voss (Vangen) Parish Church (Voss, Norway), DigitalArkivet Scanned Church Records ((http://www.arkivverket.no/URN:kb_read), "Voss: 1823-1837, Ministerialbok A12," Deaths and Burials, Page 324, item 93, Anna Sjursdtr of Gjelle (accessed 12 December 2013); digital images, Artkivverket.

This source citation has significant differences to the ones crafted in RootsMagic 6 and Legacy Family Tree 8, including:

* The Website name ("Artkivverket"), which is on the "Add Source" template, was placed at the end in Family Tree Maker for some reason. 

*  There was no template field for the "access date" information, so I added it at the end of the "Citation Detail" as opposed to being on the end of the database name and URL.

The Family Tree Maker 8 templates are well thought out and organized, and I had no trouble deciding which selections to make in Step 1 of the process.  This source "crafting" process enables a researcher trying to deal with an online record item on a page in a digitized multi-volume church register to create a useful source citation, although it is not a perfect EE citation IMHO.

When I was done, I noticed that I had clicked on the wrong Fact in the "Individual and Shared Facts" list, so I clicked on the "Copy" button on the left-hand bottom of the last screen above, and added it to the Death "Fact" and then deleted the Birth "Fact."  Did anyone else see that error in the screens above?  It pays to review your citations after you create them!

The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/a-family-tree-maker-2014-source.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver  

My Flipboard Magazine on my iPhone 5s and Samsung Galaxy Tab

After creating my magazine about my mother's life (see Trying Out Flipboard, a Curated Magazine Website/Mobile App for information, and https://flipboard.com/section/betty%27s-life-b5PwyZ to see the magazine), I wanted to add the FREE Flipboard app to my smart phone (iPhone 5s) and my Android (Samsung Galaxy) tablet.  

The two Flipboard apps downloaded and installed easily.  I logged into both of them with my Facebiook account, and they quickly showed me the Flipboard magazine I had created online.

Then I wanted to see what they looked like on the mobile devices.  Here are some images and comments:

1)  On my Apple iPhone 5s (iOS system):  

On the screen above, my "Betty's Life" magazine is shown under "My Magazines."

I clicked on it and saw the Cover page for the magazine:

On the iPhone 5s, you sweep up from the bottom (down arrow shown) to flip to the next page.  Here is one of the pages:

Each article was on its own page on the iPhone.  The photo is as large as it can be in portrait mode.  I can tap on the blog post link and see and read the blog post in my web browser on the phone.  

On the iPhone, I could not make the screen go to landscape mode.  

The photos on the relatively small screen are clear but small.  My wife liked the concept, but had trouble seeing the photos at times and complained about the lack of explanation (which is partially due to my Wordless Wednesday post text).  

2)  On my Samsung Galaxy Tab (about 3 years old):

The Cover page looks like this in portrait mode:

There is the Magazine title superimposed on the photograph and on one of the article titles, plus two more article titles.

One of the pages looks like:

On most of the pages, there is one article with a larger photo (with the article title obscuring most of the photo), and two more articles with a real small photograph and the article title.

I turned the phone into landscape mode, and the Cover page has similar problems as the portrait mode:

Each flip brings a page with several articles, and most of them use the small photograph:

The image above has three articles on the page.

If the purpose is to show images, then the Android app fails in my opinion.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/my-flipboard-magazine-on-my-iphone-5s.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Breaking News - Ancestry Expands Groundbreaking Collaboration with Family Search

I received this press release from Ancestry.com this morning:

============  start of press release  =========================

Ancestry.com Expands Groundbreaking Collaboration With FamilySearch

Additional 1 Billion Global Records From 67 Countries to be Available on Ancestry.com

PROVO, Utah, Jan. 21, 2014 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ancestry.com announced today an extension of their collaborative efforts with FamilySearch International that will make more than 1 billion additional records from 67 countries available on Ancestry.com. These already digitized records, provided by FamilySearch, are in addition to the agreement the two largest providers of family history resources announced a few months ago that will help digitize, index and publish an expected 1 billion global historical records never before published online from the FamilySearch vault over the next five years.

These additional records, which are already digitized collections, represent a significant expansion to Ancestry.com, which hosts the largest collection of global records available online. The records also add to the aggressive international digitization efforts already in place by Ancestry.com.

As stated previously by the company, Ancestry.com has a long-term content strategy, which is committed to investing $100 million to digitize and index new content over the next five years. The company is focused on providing access to a global collection of records and expand family history interest in its current markets and worldwide.

The additional collections include more than 1 billion digitized and indexed records and over 200 million images containing birth, marriage, death, census and church records from Europe, Latin America, South Africa, South America, Asia and more. These collections will provide Ancestry.com customers with rich details that will help them discover new information about their ancestors from around the world.

"We are excited to be expanding our exclusive, groundbreaking agreement with FamilySearch. In addition to the previously announced plan to together digitize 1 billion records never before published online, we're thrilled to be able to provide our members with access to this additional 1 billion records from 67 countries," said Tim Sullivan, CEO of Ancestry.com. "These new global records will mean even more discoveries for our members."

A focus on adding global content isn't new to Ancestry.com, who has offices around the world and 12 billion global records already on the website. The site currently hosts record collections dating back to the 1300's that include records around the census, immigration and naturalizations and military, just to name a few. In fact, hundreds of millions of records from Germany, Italy, Mexico, and Eastern Europe have been added in recent years to the billions of records from the company's primary operating markets and record digitization projects are underway for collections from many more countries.

These 1 billion additional records are expected to be available on Ancestry.com starting in January and fully published over the next few months. To search records from around the world currently available on Ancestry.com visit www.ancestry.com.

=============  end of press release  =============================

This is, of course, great news for subscribers to Ancestry.com - they will be able to access more digitized records that will show up in search results.  My guess is that these records are the extracted vital records that are in FamilySearch's International Genealogical Index (IGI) collections, which have been split up on FamilySearch into countries and then into "Births and Baptisms," "Marriages," and "Deaths and Burials."  Or, it may be some other set of records - I don't know for sure!

Of course, there will be the usual complaints of people that say that "Ancestry stole these records and are putting them behind their subscription wall."  Of course, any records they obtain from FamilySearch will still be freely accessible on FamilySearch, so they haven't "stolen" them - they reached an amicable agreement with FamilySearch to add them to the Ancestry.com collection.  

The URL for this post is:

copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Tuesday's Tip - Check Out the Stanford Newspaper Data Visualization website

This week's Tuesday's Tip is to find newspaper holdings using the Stanford University Newspaper Data Visualization website.

During Lisa Louise Cooke's seminar two Saturdays ago, she highlighted the Stanford Newspaper Data Visualization website (http://stanford.edu/group/ruralwest/cgi-bin/drupal/visualizations/us_newspapers) as a place to see the spread of newspapers across the United States, and to determine which newspapers were published in a specific time period.

Here is the home page of the Stanford Newspaper Data Visualization website:

There is a timeline across the top of the screen - it is initially set at 1690.

At the bottom of the "Introduction" screen is a link to "View the Map."  clicking on this hides the introduction and shows the map for 1690.  The map takes a long time to load the first time you click on that.  The map for 1690 has only one dot - for Boston, Massachusetts.

Here's the map for 1774:

I ran my mouse over the dot for Philadelphia and the place name appeared.

Here's the map for 1833 - you can really see the western migration to the Mississippi River and beyond:

The map for the 1890s.  I ran my mouse over a circle for the San Diego area:

Note the large orange circle in Chicago - the language filter is in the lower right-hand corner of the image above.  The orange indicates German language newspapers.

I clicked on the circle for National City, California (my home town) and saw the short list of newspapers in the bottom panel:

When I clicked on the name of the newspaper, the National City Record (1882-1898), a page on the Chronicling America website opened and described this newspaper:

There is a link for "Libraries That Have It" on the screen above, and when I clicked that, the list of repositories with some or all of the issues of the newspaper was provided:

The map was what drew my interest, of course, but the useful feature is the Chronicling America list of repositories that hold this particular newspaper.  Only one repository has the full run of this newspaper, the National City public library has it on microfilm.  I have used it to search for my Carringer families in the San Diego area.

I found that it is sometimes difficult to isolate one city or town on the map when the large circles overlap the small circles.  for instance, I could not make San Diego appear on the map for the 1890s, but several small towns did appear.

On the Chronicling America website, the researcher can input a place name on the "US Newspaper Directory, 1690-present" page (http://chroniclingamerica.loc.gov/search/titles/) and see all of the newspaper titles for a specific location.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/tuesdays-tip-check-out-stanford.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

2014 Top 100 Genealogy Websites from GenealogyInTime Magazine.

GenealogyInTime Magazine, the most popular online genealogy magazine, has published their list of the Top 100 Genealogy Websites for 2014 (probably based on statistics from 2013).  There are 9 pages to this report.  The methodology was described as:

"There are three main services that provide internet traffic rankings: Alexa, Compete and Quantcast. Compete and Quantcast measure US internet traffic, which is not particularly useful for a global top 100 list. Alexa, on the other hand, measures the global internet traffic of about 35 million websites worldwide. They are considered to be the leading provider of internet traffic statistics, which is why we use them. Details on the methodology are described in the article Top 100 Genealogy Websites of 2013 (please read it before sending us an email).

"This year, we have enhanced our top 100 list with new analytics and metrics. In particular, we have spent a good deal of time and effort converting internet traffic rankings into actual number of visitors to each website. This allows us to provide a deeper and richer understanding of the genealogy marketplace (please see the article How Popular is Genealogy? for more details on the methodology of this enhancement)."

The Top 100 list for 2014 is at http://www.genealogyintime.com/articles/top-100-genealogy-websites-of-2014-page02.html:

There are five genealogy blogs on this list:

#11:  Dick Eastman's Genealogy Newsletter (http://blog.eogn.com), #22 last year.

#27:  Genealogy.About.com (http://genealogy.about.com), #28 last year (this is listed as an "Articles" site but it is Kimberly Powell's blog and archived articles by Kimberly).

#63:  Canada's Anglo-Celtic Connections (http://anglocelticconnections.blogspot.com) - John D. Reid's blog (#95 last year).

#81:  Geneabloggers (http://www.geneabloggers.com) - Thomas MacEntee's blog (#89 last year)

#89:  Genea-Musings (http://www.geneamusings./com) - my blog (#80 last year).

Congratulations to the five of us that have cracked the Top 100.  It was difficult, because they found quite a few more genealogy websites worldwide that qualified for the Top 100.  It would be interesting to see the Top 200.

Alexa.com says this about "Global Rank:"

*The rank is calculated using a combination of average daily visitors to this site and pageviews on this site over the past 3 months.  The site with the highest combination of visitors and pageviews is ranked #1."

Down in the bottom part of the list above, the rankings can be quite volatile.  I went to www.alexa.com today to see the present rankings for the last three months.  They said:

*  Genea-Musings:  216,799 global rank.
*  Geneabloggers:  260,199 global rank.
*  Canada's Anglo-Celtic-Connections:  329,993 global rank.

GenealogyInTime doesn't say that the rankings are based solely on "Global Rank" but are based on "...actual number of visitors to the website."

I am honored and proud to be on this list.  This has been a labor of love and interest for the past eight years, and I enjoy investigating genealogy websites, databases and software, writing opinion pieces on genealogical issues, highlighting my own research problems and findings, participating in the social media scene, attending conferences and seminars, giving presentations, and helping others through my blog posts and research.

Interested readers should read the entire article, because they provide quite a bit of analysis as far as "who owns what" and the dominance of paid vs. free websites.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/2014-top-100-genealogy-websites-from.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Trying Out Flipboard, a Curated Magazine Website/Mobile App

After reading Lisa Louise Cooke's email about Flipboard last week, and seeing how the RootsTech 2014 magazine looked, I pondered (in Technology Tuesday: Read the RootsTech 2014 Flipboard Magazine) how I might use this program/app to introduce my extended family to the collected family pictures and stories about their ancestors.  I know that there are other programs and apps that can do this, but Flipboard really appealed to me, and it has on both browser and mobile app versions.  

Flipboard is a curated magazine - a magazine containing articles selected by a person to share with their family, friends, colleagues, readers, etc.

On Saturday I had some free time, so I spent several hours on the www.Flipboard.com site, registered with my Facebook account, figured out how to use the program (it is not easy to find all of the steps - I fumbled around a lot! There are several video tutorials linked from the home page), downloaded the bookmarklet for Google Chrome and put it on my Bookmarks bar, found the magazine "editor," and made my first curated magazine.  Here is the process I used, and the result as shown on the web browser:

1)  I eventually found the magazine "Editor" (https://editor.flipboard.com/, which has a FAQ link to help confused readers like me), and created my first magazine - I called it "Betty's Life."

Note that I took the image above after I made the magazine.

2)  The "gear" below the magazine image (for "Edit magazine") permits me to add or edit the information about the magazine:

3)  The "Flip It" Bookmarklet is the key to adding content to the magazine.  I have it in my Google Chrome Bookmarks bar on the image below:

4)  To save the above specific web page to my magazine, I need to click on the "Flip It" bookmarklet, and it asks me to pick one of the images on the web page, and then click the "Next" button:

After clicking "Next," the popup asks me to confirm the upload to the magazine.  I did that.

3)  I went through my blog post file using "wordless wednesday" and my mother's name as the search terms, and found 40 different blog posts with a family picture to add to the magazine.

When I was finished, I saw thumbnails for my 40 blog posts, and was able to move them into approximate date order by dragging and dropping on the "Editor Dashboard" page.

I selected one photo of my mother for the "Cover story."

After I had done that, the "Editor Dashboard" looked like this:

4)  In order to save the magazine, I had to share it to a social media outlet.  There is a "Share magazine" icon below the thumbnail on the "Editor" screen, and I can choose Email, Twitter or Facebook.  I chose Facebook, and a link appeared on my Facebook wall:

5)  When I clicked on the "Betty's Life" link on my Facebook wall I was taken to the webpage for my Flipboard magazine at https://flipboard.com/section/betty%27s-life-b5PwyZ:

The cover above shows the title and description of my magazine, along with links to articles within the magazine.  There is a right-arrow on the right side of the screen above, and that is how you "flip" to the successive magazine pages.

6)  Here is the magazine page for the blog post that I showed in step 3:

As you can see, there are two magazine articles linked on this page, one that takes about three quarters of the page, and one that takes about one quarter.  This is typical.  Each article shows the web page title, the magazine owner (not necessarily the article author), and the first 20 words or so for a "tease."  To read the entire article, the reader needs to click on the link and go to the web page.  This is done, of course, to protect the copyright of the author.  

The reader can use the right and left arrows on the side of the web page to go back or advance in the magazine.  

The placement of the wide and narrow articles seems to be in approximate date order, and sometimes depends on the size of the photographs.  A landscape photo will more often be in the wide section than a portrait photo.  Photo size in pixels may also play a part in the order of the articles - larger photos are usually on the wide portion of the page.

7) I learned a few things in how I can improve on this particular type of magazine:

*  Articles need shorter and catchy titles.  If I did this one over, I would use a title like "Betty in her Buggy - 1919" and would start the text with something more specific to the image.

*  The magazine has to be "Public" to be saved.

*  You have to "flip" a specific web page, not a home page or an archive page.  

*  You can "flip" a page with only text, but it's the photographs that catch the eye.

*  I doubt that document images will be of much interest to my readers.

*  Magazines can be added to or edited at any time.

*  Magazines don't have to be your own material - you can add articles from any web site.  It could be interesting articles that you found on any subject at any time.

8) I've thought of other opportunities for other magazines with a genealogy orientation:

*  Do a 52 Ancestor biography as a Flipboard magazine using Amanuensis, Wordless Wednesday and Treasure Chest posts with photos and document images.  

*  Do the "Best of Genea-Blogs" post as a Flipboard magazine.

*  Genealogical societies could create a magazine about their activities, and put it online - but it would need pictures.  It could also do a "Society in 2013" type of magazine to highlight what happened in a year as a historical record and a link in their membership materials.

*  An immediate photo album for a genealogical conference or even a society seminar or program meeting - take a picture, blog it, flip it, and update the magazine every hour or every day.  

*  Do a historical photo magazine of a place - e.g., "San Diego Historical Photos" - using articles found online.  

*  "My Family's Homes" using historical pictures of ancestral homes, workplaces, events, etc. 

I'm sure that others can figure out more interesting and fun things to do with Flipboard.  Please tell me any ideas you have and I'll be happy to publicize them.

9) I know that many other genealogists have already created Flipboard magazines for their personal research and society activities - please provide links and I'll highlight them.

The mobile apps for Apple iOS and Android are available, and I have downloaded them on my iPhone 5s and my Samsung Galaxy tablet, and have used them.  I'll share some images of my magazine above on the mobiles in a later post. 

Go forth and watch Flipboard - it's fun, and try it out.  Your extended family and friends may find that sharing family photos and stories this way may teach them more about their family history and their ancestors.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/trying-out-flipboard-curated-magazine.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Amanuensis Monday - Post 202: 1869 Deed of L.S. Munger to Samuel Vaux in Andrew County, Missouri

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent TransylvanianDutch blog) started his own 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 deed of L.S. and Mary Jane Munger to Samuel and Mary Ann Vaux (1814-1880) on 4 August 1869 in Andrew County, Missouri. 

The land record in the county deed recorder's book is:

The transcription of this land record is (all handwritten):

[in margin]
"Mary Jane Munger et al
to Warranty
Samuel Vaux
No. 1605

1  Know all men by these presents. That Mary Jane Munger and L.S.
2  Munger of the County of Buchanan in the State of Missouri have
3  this day for and in Consideration of the sum of Two thousand
4  Dollars to the said Mary Jane Munger and L.S. Munger in hand
5  paid by Samuel Vaux of the County of Andrew in the State of Missouri
6  have granted, bargained and sold and by these presents do
7  grant, bargain and sell unto the said Samuel Vaux the fol-
8  lowing described tracts or parcels of land situate in the County
9  of Andrew in the State of Missouri that is to say (The South East
10 quarter of the South East quarter of Section twenty one (21) Township
11 sixty one (61) of Range thirty three (33)) To have and to hold the prem-
12 ises hereby conveyed, with all the rights, privileges and appurtenances
13 thereto belonging or in anywise appertaining unto the said Samuel
14 Vaux his heirs and assigns forever we the said Mary Jane Munger
15 and L.S. Munger hereby covenanting to and with the said Samuel
16 Vaux his heirs and assigns for their heirs, executors and admin-
17 istrators to warrant and defend the title to the premises hereby
18 conveyed against the Claim of every person whatsoever.

19 In Witness whereof we have hereto subscribed our name and
20 affixed our seals this fourth day of August, 1869. 
21 Mary Jane Munger [ seal] 
22 L.S. Munger [seal]

23 "State of Missouri    } ss
24 County of Buchanan}

25 Be it remembered, that Mary Jane Munger and
26 L.S. Munger her husband who are personally known to the un-
27 dersigned a Notary Public within and for said County, to be the
28 persons whose names are subscribed to the foregoing deed in
29 parties thereto this day appeared before me, and acknowledged
30 that they executed and delivered the same as their voluntary
31 act and deed for the use and purposes theirin contained, and
32 the said __________________ being by me made acquanted with
33 the Contents of said Deed, acknowledged, on an examination apart
34 from the said husband: that she executed the same and
35 relinquishes her dower in the real estate therein mentioned, freely
36 and without Compulsion or undue influence of her said hus-
37 band. . given under my hand and Notarial Seal this fourth day of August, 1869. 
38 W.S. Johnson [L.S.] 
39 Notary Public

40 "Filed August 17th 1869       }
41 Wm Caldwell Recorder        }
42 By Jno. E. Wuldins Deputy. }

The source citation for this deed is:

Andrew County, Missouri, "Andrew County Deed Records, 1841-1900," , Deed Book 22: page 406, Mary Jane and L.S. Munger to Samuel and Mary Ann Vaux, 4 August 1869; FHL microfilm US/CAN 1,006,163 (accessed 12 January 2009).

An abstract of this deed might be:

Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux bought land in Andrew County, Missouri on 4 August 1869 from Mary Jane and L.S. Munger for $2,000. The land was the Southeast quarter of the Southeast quarter of Section 21 in Township 61 of Range 33, containing forty acres.  The deed was recorded on 17 August 1869 by the Andrew County, Missouri Deed Recorder.

Samuel and Mary Ann (Underhill) Vaux are my third great-grandparents.  They previously resided in Burnett, Dodge county, Wisconsin.

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/01/amanuensis-monday-post-202-1869-deed-of.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 12 to 18 January 2014

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 daily blog prompts or 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:

*  Tutorial: Searching Fulton History by Kathleen Scarlett O'Hara Naylor on the You Are Where You Came From blog.  Kathleen teaches us how to use the Old Fulton New York Postcards site with historical newspapers.

*  What's Better Than a Genealogy Conference In Salt Lake City? by Denise Levenick on The Family Curator blog.  Denise thinks it's a day at the FamilySearch Library.  And going out with genea-friends to eat.

*  Guide to Ancestor Middle Name Research by Duncan Kuehn on the GenealogyBank Blog.  Duncan discusses middle names, the reasons for them, how they are chosen, and some research examples.

*  Cousins Genealogy Research Teams by Lee R. Drew on the Family History With the Lineagekeeper blog.  Lee posits an excellent idea - cousins in research teams.

*  Do You Use Genealogy Lists? by Kenneth R. Marks on The Ancestor Hunt blog.  Kenneth links to his "Lists" page that provides useful and helpful ideas on how to find specific record types.

*  Curious & Funny Epitaphs of Famous People and the Not-So-Famous by Mary Harrell-Sesniak on the GenealogyBank Blog.  A challenge, and a great list of funny epitaphs.

*  Collaborative Genealogy by Kris Stewart on the My Link To the Past blog.  Kris discusses the benefits and drawbacks of a unified and collaborative family tree system (e.g., Geni, FamilySearch Family Tree, WikiTree).

*  Darned All-American Family by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog.  What a fascinating set of family names here!

*  Jimmy Lizardi: The Illegitimate Grandfather - Pt. 1, Pt. 2 and Pt. 3 by Lisa Wallen Logsdon on the Old Stones Undeciphered blog.  What a fascinating research story, and a difficult one to find out.  Well done, Lisa!

*  15 Reasons You Should Start a Genealogy Blog by Karin Hadden on The Art of Genealogy blog.  Karin has some unique reasons, an excellent list.

These genea-bloggers wrote weekly pick posts and news summary posts this week

*  NN Genealogy Things You Need to Know This Morning, Sunday, 12 Jan 2014; Monday, 13 Jan 2014; Tuesday, 14 Jan 2014; Wednesday, 15 Jan 2014; Thursday, 16 Jan 2014; Friday, 17 Jan 2014; Saturday, 18 Jan 2014 by Caroline M. Pointer on the 4YourFamilyStory.com blog.

*  Upfront Mini Bytes – Old Bailey, Whaling Voyages, Anglican Records (Ireland), War of 1812, Montefiore Census of Jewish Inhabitants, Early 20th Century Irish Speakers, City Directory Abbreviations, Preservation ... by Diane L. Richard on the UpFront With NGS blog.

*  Follow Friday ~ Fab Finds for January 17, 2014 by Jana Last on Jana's Genealogy and Family History Blog.

*  Genealogy News Corral, Jan. 13-17 by Diane Haddad on the Genealogy Insider blog.

*  Blog Posts and News Stories for Genealogists, January 17, 2014 by Michael J. Leclerc on the Mocavo Genealogy Blog.

*  Saturday Serendipity (January 18, 2014) by John D. Tew on the Filiopietism Prism blog.

*  Friday Finds - 01/17/14 (A LIttle Late) by Julie Cahill Tarr on Julie's Genealogy & History Hub blog.

Readers are encouraged to go to the blogs listed above and read their articles, and add their blogs to your Favorites, Feedly, another 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 1460 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, 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/2014/01/best-of-genea-blogs-12-to-18-january.html

Copyright (c) 2014, Randall J. Seaver