Treasure Chest Tuesday - Baptism of Adolph Elai Hegg (1876-1910) in Stoughton, Wisconsin

Yes, I know it's supposed to be Treasure Chest Thursday, but I can't help it - I want to share some of the records that I (and others) have found in my/their repository and online searches for my ancestral families.

This week's Treasure is the 1876 baptism of Adolph Elai Hegg (1876-1910) in the First Luthran Church of Stoughton, Wisconsin:

The snippet of the baptism record:

The information extracted from this record is:

*  No.  282
*  Fodfels Datum [Natal Date]:   7/1/76
*  Daabs Datum [Baptism]:          27/2/76
*  Barnets Navn [Baby Name]:     Adolph Elai
*  Foraeldrens Navne [Parents Names]:  T. Olsen Hegg, Richal Solfestdtr
*  Fadderes Navne [Godparents Names]:   Andrew O. Flom, Kari O. Flom, Regelio Thompson, Torger S. Leland

The source citation for this record is:

"Evangelical Lutheran Church of America Records, 1875-1940," indexed database and digital image, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), Wisconsin > Stoughton > First Lutheran Church, Dobte, page 16 (stamped), No. 282, Adolph Elai Hegg entry.

Adoph Eli Hegg was the son of Thorvald Olsen Hegg and Ragnhild Solfestdtr (usually listed as Richal in the records).  Ragnhild is the daughter of Solfest Johannesen (1812-1845) and Anna Ellingsdtr (1812-1901), and the step-daughter of Elling Eriksen Natvig (1820-1896), the second husband of Anna Ellingsdtr.  Her children were bequeathed money in Elling Eriksen Natvig's 1895 will.  

One reason to cite this record is to get Richal's (Ragnhild's) father's name on the record - her last name indicates that Richal's father was a man named Solfest.  I don't know why she was listed as Richal rather than Ragnhild - perhaps they sound the same.  The Google Translate pronunciation for both is not recognizable.  

I haven't bothered with the diacritical marks in this post - I should but I cannot easily find them right now.  I tried to translate the column headings from Norwegian to English using Google Translate, and I'm not sure I did a good job with them.  It was fun, though!

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/treasure-chest-tuesday-baptism-of.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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

Family Tree Maker News from Software MacKiev

I signed up for the emails from Software MacKiev about Family Tree Maker back in February, and I finally received one over the weekend:

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A word from your (very happy) publisher.
After six years as the developer of the Mac editions of Family Tree Maker, we are having the time of our lives taking over for Ancestry as publisher of Family Tree Maker, the most popular family history software of all time.  As most of you know, we have already released updated Mac and Windows editions and are happily getting acquainted with our many new friends in the genealogy world.

A year of conferences, from Seattle to Springfield.
We're going to lots of genealogy conferences this year. Hope to see you at one. Next up is the 36th IAJGS International Conference on Jewish Genealogy in Seattle from August 7-11, which this year includes a day for educators teaching genealogy. You'll find us in the Exhibit Hall (tables #48 and #49) right across from Ancestry. Then from September 1-3, we will be in Springfield, Illinois at the Federation of Genealogical Societies (FGS) conference. Duff Wilson will be presenting FTM at two sessions and be in our booth (#409) the rest of the time. Admission to the exhibits is just $10. See you there!

Free Update for current editions.
We are hard at work finalizing a free update for FTM 2014 and Mac 3 users. Note that this is not a new edition, but rather an update patch, which is why it will be free.  We have focused on stability and performance improvements, and if you are like most FTM users, all is well with your copy and you should wait for the official update. Since you have signed up for the FTM mailing list, you will be notified as soon as the official update is ready. But if you are experiencing any problems, please submit a support request (see "Helpful Links" below) and we'll give you a copy of the latest beta right away.

Still works with Ancestry.com.
Our updated versions for Mac and Windows pick up right where Ancestry left off so you'll still get Ancestry's "shaky leaf" hints, and use TreeSync® to keep your Ancestry online tree in synch with the Family Tree Maker tree on your computer. You won't need to transfer your Ancestry subscription if you have one – it will just work. And all your tree files will just open on the new edition, no conversion utilities required. Free updaters for FTM 2014 and Mac 3 users will be available soon. There's also a discounted upgrade for users of older versions (see below), and full versions for new users in our Web store.

Discounted upgrades from older editions.
If you know anyone who has FTM 2012 or older (or Mac 2 or older), let them know that for a limited time they can download an upgrade copy for just $29.95 (vs. $69.95 regular price) by clicking here. They'll get a full free–standing installer for one computer, so they won't need to worry if they don't still have their old edition installed or they're moving to a new computer. They'll also have a chance to purchase a backup CD for $10 or get our apple wood USB drive for $14 when they order (plus $5.95 for shipping and handling).

We'd love to hear from you.
We have set up a number of links at www.familytreemaker.com for you. Stop by to suggest a feature you'd like to see, report a bug, or sign up to be a beta tester. You will also find an FAQ answering the most common questions, and a feedback form to tell us, well, anything you think we ought to know.

It's the start of a new era for Family Tree Maker, and we're awfully glad that Ancestry chose us to take it from here!

JACK

Jack Minsky
President
Software MacKiev
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Family Tree Maker

HELPFUL LINKS

1. FTM Home Page
Most everything you will need to know can be found on our Family Tree Maker home page:
www.familytreemaker.com

There you can:

• Read our FAQ
• Provide Feedback
• Report a Bug
• Suggest a Feature
• Sign up to be a Beta Tester
• Learn about FTM
• Check the System Requirements

2. Buying Family Tree Maker
If you or someone you know is thinking of purchasing Family Tree Maker they can do so at our Online store (go to www.mackiev.com and follow the links to Store).  If you already have a copy of FTM 2012 or older (or Mac 2 or older), you should sign up for the FTM Mailing List (at www.familytreemaker.com) and you'll get a link back right away by email for a discounted upgrade offer. If you have FTM 2014 or FTM Mac 3, you will be notified soon about a free update to our latest editions.

3. Technical Support
To get technical support for Family Tree Maker, please start here:

support.familytreemaker.com

Software MacKiev now supports all versions of Family Tree Maker, old and new.

4. Any Questions?
If you have questions for us, please first read our FAQ as we've tried to answer the most common ones there. If you don't find the answer you are looking for in the FAQ, please send your question through our Feedback Form which you'll find on our FTM Home Page (see #1 above). Thanks!

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Well, that is encouraging.  They're still working on it, but they aren't ready to release the updated version yet.  I'll be patient.  I hope the next version (2017?) includes the new synchronization with Ancestry.com and adds synchronization with FamilySearch Family Tree.  

The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/family-tree-maker-news-from-software.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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

Added or Updated Databases at Ancestry.com - Week of 31 July to 6 August 2016

The following databases were added or updated on Ancestry.com during the period from 31 July  to 6 August 2016:

The databases added or updated include:

*  Guerrero, Mexico, Civil Registration Marriages, 1863-1954; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/5/2016

*  Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Civil Registration Births, 1859-1947; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/5/2016

*  Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Civil Registration Deaths, 1859-1962; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/5/2016

*  Guerrero, Mexico, Civil Registration Deaths, 1860-1987; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/5/2016

*  Nuevo Leon, Mexico, Civil Registration Marriages, 1859-1960; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/5/2016

*  Guerrero, Mexico, Civil Registration Births, 1860-1947; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/5/2016

*  UK & Ireland, Queen's Nursing Institute Roll of Nurses, 1891-1931; indexed database with record images, ADDED 8/4/2016

*  UK & Ireland, Nursing Registers, 1898-1968; indexed database with record images, ADDED 8/4/2016

*  New Jersey, Episcopal Diocese of Newark Church Records, 1809-1816, 1825-1970; indexed database with record images, ADDED 8/4/2016

*  Scotland, Nursing Applications, 1921-1945; indexed database with record images, ADDED 
8/4/2016

*  Angermünde, Germany, Births, 1874-1903; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/3/2016

*  Lancaster, Pennsylvania, Mennonite Vital Records, 1750-2014; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/3/2016

*  Angermünde, Germany, Deaths, 1874-1950; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/3/2016

*  Angermünde, Germany, Marriages, 1874-1923; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/2/2016

*  Eastern Prussian Provinces, Germany [Poland], Selected Civil Vitals, 1874-1945; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/2/2016

*  Web: Chester County, Pennsylvania, Naturalization Index, 1798-1935; indexed database without record images, ADDED 8/1/2016

*  Arizona, Passenger and Crew Manifests of Airplanes, 1958-1962; indexed database with record images, Updated 8/1/2016

The recently added and updated page on Ancestry.com is at http://www.ancestry.com/cs/recent-collections.

The complete Ancestry.com Card Catalog is at  http://search.ancestry.com/search/CardCatalog.aspx.  

By my count above there were 5 NEW databases ADDED this past week, per the list above.  There are now 32,683 databases available as of 7 August, an increase of 5 from last week. 
 

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/added-or-updated-databases-at.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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

Amanuensis Monday - 1896 Letter of Resignation from Executor of Elling Erickson Natvig (1820-1896) Estate

Genea-blogger John Newmark (who writes the excellent  TransylvanianDutch blog) started a Monday blog theme years ago called "Amanuensis Monday."  John offers this definition for "amanuensis:" 

"A person employed to write what another dictates or to copy what has been written by another."

The subject today is the 1896 letter of resignation from one of the named executors of the estate of Elling Erickson Natvig (1820-1896) of Cottage Grove, Dane County, Wisconsin to the other executor:

The transcription of this letter is:

                                           Valton, May 10^th, 1896

T.S. Leland

London, Wis.

Most Esteemed Friends:

                                                          Your letter of April 26^th re-

ceived about a week ago. The reasons I have not answered are

two: One is, that Betsy has talked of going down there, but now

she has given it up; the second is that I was so surprised when I

heard hat we were to have a share or inheritance from Elling

Natvig. This is something I had never dreamed of, so I hardly

know what I am to write about. But this I do know that I cannot

acvt as executor, and I positively refuse to act, so I will have to

leave that with you for you to do as you think best. Betsy thinks

that you and Solfest could settle it amongst yourselves, without

having any probate, but you will have to do as you think best for

all parties concerned. I do not want to have anything to say

in the matter. You must excuse me for answering your letter in

Norwegian. I thought it would make no difference between you and me

and I am aso poor at spelling the English language that it would be

difficult for you to read it. I have made up my mind to make

you a visit this summer, but I have been so poorly all spring that

K have had to leave everything in the boys' care and at times we

are now having, it is very difficult to go anywhere. We have had

so much rain that we have at this time just finished mowing our

oats. This will be all at this time.

With friendly greeting, from us all,

                                                                Thos. Johnson

State of Wisconsin }

                               } ss

Dane County         } N.P. Stenjam, being first duly sworn on oath,

says that he has translated the annexed letter into English, and

that the above is a true translation of the same.

Subscribed and sworn to before me

this 12 day of Oct. A.D. 1896. N.P. Stenjem

100. Henderson
     N.P. Wisconsin

The source citation for this letter of resignation is:

Dane County, Wisconsin, Dane County Probate Records, "Dane County Probate Records, Box 159 - 160," Box 160, images 1076-1108 of 1335, Estate of Elling Erickson Natvig, image 1087, letter of resignation from Thos. Johnson to T.S. Leland, "Wisconsin, Wills and Probates, 1800-1987," digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 10 September 2015).

Thomas Johnson is the husband of Britha "Betsy" (Solfestdatter) Johnson, the step-daughter of Elling Eriksen Natvig.  He lived in Valton, Sauk County, Wisconsin, while Elling Natvig lived in Cottage Grove, Dane County, Wisconsin - about 84 miles away (Valton is northwest of Cottage Grove).  It would probably be a two or three day journey to travel in good weather.  

Why did Thomas Johnson not expect anything from Elling Eriksen Natvig's estate?  Because he married a step-daughter of Elling Natvig's, not a natural daughter. Of course Britha was a natural daughter of Elling's wife, Anna Ellingsdatter Natvig. This makes some sense, since he raised the three step-daughters after their natural father died and Elling married their mother, Anna Ellingsdatter (1812-1901) in 1845 in Sogndal, Norway. Anna's first husband was Solfest Johannessen (1812-about 1845) of Sogndal, Norway.  

One of the interesting features of the will of Elling Eriksen Natvig (1820-1896) is that he left money to his three step-daughters and their heirs, and also to his wife and one of his own natural daughters, but not to his two sons or to another natural daughter.  

Elling Eriksen Natvig and his wife, Anna Ellingsdatter Natvig, are my wife's second great-grandparents.  Persons who have one or both of these persons in their ancestry would be Linda's 3rd cousins (if in the same generation) - close enough for DNA matches to appear if the cousins have tested their autosomal DNA.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/amanuensis-monday-1896-letter-of.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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

Added or Updated Record Collections at FamilySearch.org - Week of 31 July to 6 August 2016

I'm trying to keep up with the new and updated record collections at FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list).  

As of 7 August 2016, there were 2,115 record collections on FamilySearch (an increase of 3 from last week):

The added or updated collections are:

*  Czech Republic Land Records, 1450-1889; Browse Images only, no indexed record, Updated 05 Aug 2016

*  England and Wales Census, 1851; 18,369,674  indexed records with record images, Updated 03 Aug 2016

*  New York Book Indexes to Passenger Lists, 1906-1942; 5,487,573 indexed records with record images, Updated 03 Aug 2016

*  Utah, Tremonton and Garland Obituaries, 1959-2013; 18,360 indexed records with record images, Updated 03 Aug 2016

*  United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of Freedmen's Complaints, 1865-1872; 140,985 indexed records with record images, ADDED 03 Aug 2016

*  District of Columbia, Freedmen's Bureau Field Office Records, 1863-1872; 90,597 indexed records with record images, Updated 03 Aug 2016

*  Czech Republic, School Registers, 1799-1953; Browse Images only, no indexed records, Updated 02 Aug 2016

*  United States, Freedmen's Bureau Ration Records,1865-1872; 154,587 indexed records with record images, ADDED 02 Aug 2016

*  Peru, Cusco, Civil Registration, 1889-1997; 487,853  indexed records with record images, Updated 02 Aug 2016

*  United States, Freedmen's Bureau, Records of the Superintendent of Education and of the Division of Education, 1865-1872; 145,374 indexed records with record images, Updated 01 Aug 2016

*  Illinois, DeKalb County Land Records, 1838-1927; 57,179 indexed records with record images, Updated 01 Aug 2016

*  Norway, Probate Index Cards, 1640-1903; 194,981 indexed records without record images, ADDED  01 Aug 2016

The asterisk used by FamilySearch is for "Recently added or updated."  I am particularly interested in new collections, for the obvious reasons.  FamilySearch does provide a listing of which collections are new or updated several days after my post.
 

My friend, Marshall, has come up with a way to determine which collections are ADDED, DELETED or UPDATED.  Thanks to Marshall for helping me out here! 

In order to select a specific collection, go to https://familysearch.org/search/collection/list and use the "Filter by collection name" feature in the upper left-hand corner.

Each one of the collections listed above has a Research Wiki page (use the "Learn more" link).  It would be very useful if the Wiki page for each collection listed the dates for when the collection was added as a new collection and the dates for major updates also.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/added-or-updated-record-collections-at_7.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 31 July to 6 August 2016

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:

*  Are You a Gatherer, Grower or a Genealogist? by Brenda Leyndyke on the Journey to the Past blog.  Brenda makes a nice analogy of research to gardening.

*  How to Avoid Genealogy Overwhelm by Amy Johnson Crow on the Amy Johnson Crow blog.  Amy shares her wisdom to avoid genea-stress.

*  Step AWAY From Your Computer! by Christine Woodcock on The In-Depth Genealogist blog.  Christine tells research stories from her recent Scotland tour.

*  Copyright Confusion by Janice Sellers on the Ancestral Discoveries blog.  Janice highlights a common problem in genealogical society publications.

*  A Box of Peaches and A Box of Peaches: Picture Book by Tony Proctor on the Parallax View blog.  Tony tells a wonderful human interest story with an excellent research story - check out the Adobe Spark picture book too.

*  “FamilySearch Mobile Tree App” by Todd Powell #BYUgen #BYUFHGC; FamilySearch Hinting by Robert Kehrer #BYUgen #BYUFHGC; FamilySearch Product Road Map by Brian Edwards – #BYUFHGC by the writer of The Ancestry Insider blog.  Mr. AI describes several FamilySearch oriented presentations at the BYU Family History and Genealogy Conference.

*  TOO MUCH INFORMATION HAVE YOU OVERWHELMED? You’re not alone by Diane Gould Hall on the Michigan Family Trails blog.  YES!  But I'm trying to enjoy it all when I can.

*  Dawn of the New Genealogical Information Age: Part One -- Last night I had the strangest dream; Part Two -- We live in Turbulent Times; Part Three -- All is for the best in the best of all possible worlds by James Tanner on the Genealogy's Star blog,  James discusses genealogy research and technology in this series.

*  How Many Georges? by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist blog.  Judy has a George who thinks is the same George in a different place and time.  Classic.

*  Poland Visit 2016; First Day in Toruń  and Relaxing Day in Toruń by Tim Firkowski on Sherlock's Genealogical Adventures blog.  Tim is off to Poland again to do research.

Here are pick posts by other geneabloggers this week:

*  Friday Fossicking 5th August,  2016 by Crissouli on That Moment in Time blog.

*  GAGs - GeniAus Gems - 5 August 2016 by Jill Ball on the GeniAus blog.

*  Recommended Reads by Linda Stufflebean on the Empty Branches on the Family Tree blog.

*   Friday Finds 5 August 2016 by Nichelle Barra on the Copper Leaf Genealogy blog.

*  This Week's Creme de la Creme -- August 6, 2016 by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte blog.

*  Favorite Reads of the Week: 6 August 2016 by Nicole Dyer on the Family Locket blog.

*  Weekly Genealogy Picks by John Newmark on the Transylvanian Dutch 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 1590 genealogy bloggers using Feedly, but I still miss quite a few it seems.

Read past Best of the Genea-Blogs posts here.

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The URL for this post is:  http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/08/best-of-genea-blogs-31-july-to-6-august.html

Copyright (c) 2016, Randall J. Seaver

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