Tuesday, June 11, 2019

Genealogy News Bytes - 11 June 2019


Some of the genealogy news items across my desktop the last four days include:

1)  News Articles:

*  RootsTech 2019 London Sessions Schedule



*  Upcoming Legacy Tree Genealogists Webinar - Wednesday, 12 June, 5 p.m. PDT:  Tracking Your Digital Bread Crumbs: Bookmarks, Toolbars, Notes, and Other Applications, by Cyndi Ingle

*  Upcoming SCGS Webinar - Wednesday, 19 June, 6 pm. PDT:  Heirloom, Documentation or Junk:  What to Keep and What To Toss, by Janet Hovorka

*  Archived Legacy Tree Genealogists Webinar: MyHeritage Mobile App: New Features, by Guy Tsype

*  Archived Legacy Tree Genealogists Webinar:  (French) Initiation à MyHeritage ADN (French), by Marie Cappart
4)  Genealogy Education - Podcasts:

*  Fisher’s Top Tips Podcast: #78: Y-DNA Test


*  Research Like a Pro Podcast:  RLP 48:  U.s. Land Records Part 1


5)  Genealogy Videos:

*  Genealogy TV YouTube:  Genealogy TV Live - Research Questions


*  BYU Family History Library YouTube:   Using Utah Digital Newspapers for Family History- Tina Kirkham

*  DNA Family Trees YouTube:  Ancestry Forms only the experts know how to get to!

*  Family History Fanatics YouTube:  Are Your Parents Related?: GEDmatch Tools - A Segment of DNA



6)  Genealogy Bargains:

*  Genealogy Bargains Tuesday, June 11,  2019

7)  DNA Success Stories



8)  Did you miss the last Genealogy News Bytes - 7 June 2019?
==============================================


Copyright (c) 2019, 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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

"A Mother's Love ..... or Something Else" by Peter E. Small: Part IV

Genea-Musings reader Peter E. Small solved a family genealogical mystery and wrote a report about it, and I offered to publish his work on my blog.

This will be a multi-part series posted over several weeks - probably on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  Earlier parts were published in:

*  Prologue:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/05/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by.html
*  Part I:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/05/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_30.html
*  Part II:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by.html
*  Part III: https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_6.html

================================================
A Mother’s Love…..or something else?
 A True Genealogical Mystery Solved

 Copyright © 2019 Peter E. Small All Rights Reserved

PART IV
"Go West, young man, Go West" – newspaper editor Horace Greeley (unconfirmed)

In 1891 Austin Manford Small married a girl, of Norwegian descent, named Gertrude “Gertie” Olsen in Astoria, Oregon. They moved to Seattle, Washington presumably to work in the fishing industry and had a son Lester in 1892 followed by a daughter Marion in 1906. Marion died at eight months old. Then, in February 1907, Gertie died.

Sometime between 1907 and 1908 Austin became acquainted with a divorced woman named Carrie and her two year old son. Their meeting probably took place in Seattle but by 1908 they and their two children were living in Alameda, California. A son, Frederick Brewer Small, was born in 1909.

There is a genealogical adage that says a census can tell us where a person was on a given day with some degree of accuracy. All other information volunteered by those being enumerated is questionable and should be challenged.

Carrie, as her son reported earlier, could play fast and loose with the truth. She reported to the
enumerator of the 1910 Census that she and Austin were married four years. No record of a marriage can be found and in 1906 Austin was living with his first wife. She then adjusted her son Paul’s age to 3 years which would coincide perfectly with the imaginary marriage.
The 1910 Census of Oakland, California. Paul C. is incorrectly enumerated with the last name Small. Carrie A. is also recorded as Austin’s wife. A marriage record can not be found.

The 1920 Census of Oakland, California. Paul is incorrectly enumerated with the last name Small. Carrie M. is recorded as Austin’s wife. A marriage record can not be found.

Austin Manford Small is described only as a handsome ex-sea captain and ex-husband of our   autobiographical author’s mother and never by name. The 1930 Federal Enumeration of the Point Loma Lighthouse supports the author’s statement that Austin was a lighthouse keeper. He is also buried at Fort Rosecrans National Cemetery because the lighthouse service was, at one time, part of the US Coast Guard.

Likewise, Austin’s two sons, one of which was the author’s actual half brother, are not mentioned at all. Despite being enumerated as Paul C. Small in the 1910 and Paul Small in the 1920 Federal Enumeration of Oakland, California he excludes them from his narrative. He devotes about five short sentences to his time with Austin.

But when he writes about moving in with a family of seven complete strangers, during this same time
period, he treats them entirely different. He remembers every one of their names and nick names, where they lived and how long he remained with them. The telling goes on for several pages.

Why did our intrepid author invent this narrative of a relatively short visit with his mother’s ex-husband when in fact he was documented, probably by his mother, as living with this family for more than ten years?  Did he assume, rightly, the 1910 and 1920 Enumerations would never see the light of day during his life time? It would seem his mother had taught him well. Maybe he was innocently taking some “literary license” in order to spice up the telling of his childhood adventures.

Most of this information came years after I researched the three sons recorded in 1910 and 1920.
I found a birth entry for Lester Small in a Washington register which confirmed Austin and Gertie as his parents. I also found a newspaper clipping that reported him missing in action during the First World War.  The article went on to say he was the step brother of JS Smith who had written a book about his war time experiences. The book was called Over There in Three Uniforms. I had no idea how Lester was a half brother to a man named Smith.

I spent many fruitless hours and days researching Paul C. Small and could not find a shred of evidence to support his existence.

I found Frederick Brewer Small on a California birth index. His mother’s maiden name was recorded as Mason. Through the years I have developed a much fuller picture of his life. But it was his mother’s maiden name that would take me in a direction I least expected.

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

Randy's NOTE:  Stay tuned for the next installment of this multi-chapter report.  I will add all of the chapters to this post, and the other chapter posts, as they are published. The chapters to date are:

*  Part III: https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_6.html
*  Part IV:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_11.html
*  Part V:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_13.html

*  Part VI:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_18.html

My thanks to Peter for sharing this mystery and its' solution with me and the Genea-Musings readers.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/a-mothers-love-or-something-else-by_11.html

Copyright (c) 2019, Peter E. Small

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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , ,

Treasure Chest Tuesday -- 1881 Request Letter From the Pension Office in War of 1812 Pension Application of Rosannah Lanfear

This week's Tuesday's Treasure is the 1881 Request Letter from the Pension Office in the War of 1812 Widow's Service Pension Application file of Rosannah Lanfear, widow of Isaac Lanfear:

The transcribed information for this pension record is (handwritten portions in italics):

Department of the Interior

PENSION OFFICE
Washington D.C.  July 12 , 1881

 T.L. Poole
Pension Agent
Syracuse, N.Y.

Sir:

 Please furnish a report as to payment of Certificate No. 27,857
of Rosannah Lanfear, widow of Isaac Lanfear
who is alleged to have    died   on the   1st    day
of     May    18 81.  The information is desired for use
in the claim of the   ________________ No.  ________
Very respectfully,  W^m W. Dudley
                                           Commissioner

REPORT

 Payment made to include  3rd March, 1881 , without
increase.  The payment was discontinued on the _________ day
of _________, 18   , because of the ________
       Pensioner died 1^st May 1881.
                                                       T.L. Poole                                                           U.S. Pension Agent    
Syracuse N.Y.  14 July 1881

The source citation for this paper in the Widow's War of 1812 Pension Application file is:

"War of 1812 Pension and Bounty Land Warrant Files," digital image, Fold3.com   (https://www.fold3.com : accessed 27 May 2019), W.O. Pension No. 11,838, Rosannah Lanfear, widow of Isaac Lanfear, page 52 of 201; citing NARA RG15-1812PB-Bx2071.

This page in the pension file documents the death of Rosannah (Laun) Lanfear as 1 May 1881, certainly in Lorraine, Henderson County, New York.

This pension file contains 201 pages.  Isaac Lanfear died in 1851, and his widow Rosannah Lanfear applied under the Act of 1871 but it was denied.  She reapplied in 1876, and received the pension in 1879.  Some of the pages in the application are duplicates, so I'm picking the pages that are the most useful.  Some of Isaac Lanfear's records had the surname Lamfear or Lanifear or Landfear, so there was some confusion over the years during the application process.  By the 1850 time, the family was using Lanfear.

Isaac Lanfear (1777-1851) and Rosina (Laun) Lanfear (1781-1881) are probably my 4th great-grandparents, through an unknown child who had Devier James Lanfear (1839-1894) in Jefferson County, New York, perhaps out of wedlock.  Devier Lanfear was adopted by Ranslow and Mary (Bell) Smith of Henderson, Jefferson County, New York, and the Smith family moved to Wisconsin in about 1843.  Devier James Lanfear went by Smith, and had a formal name change from "Lamphier" to "Smith" on 21 March 1866 by an act of the Wisconsin State Senate.  He is named as "my adopted son, Devier J. Lamphear alias Smith" in Ranslow Smith's will dated 1865, probated in Andrew County, Missouri in 1873.


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

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/treasure-chest-tuesday-1881-request.html

Copyright (c) 2019, 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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.
Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , ,

Monday, June 10, 2019

Monday Genea-Pourri - 10 June 2019

Here are the highlights of my family history and genealogy related activities over the past week:

1)  Attended the San Diego Genealogical Society program meeting on Saturday, with speaker Hal Bookbinder presenting "Practicing Safe Computing."  

2)  Attended the Chula Vista Genealogical Society Board meeting on Wednesday.  I reported on the Research Group, DNA Interest Group, the upcoming June newsletter, and the member survey to be distributed this month.

3)  Wrote, compiled, edited and published (via email and postal mail) the CVGS June 2019 newsletter.  


4)  Transcribed the 1852 deed of 3rd great-grandfather Zachariah Hildreth buying land in Townsend, Mass. from his son, Milo Hildreth for Amanuensis Monday.  This completes the list of land records for Zachariah Hildreth.  I will try to summarize the 20-plus deeds in a blog post.

5)  Wrote and posted a biography of 6th great-grandfather #476 Jacob Fitz Randolph (1708-1779) of Woodbridge, New Jersey  for my 52 Ancestors post on Friday.  

6)  Worked twice on my first July presentation on Top 10 Genealogy Search Tips, adding about 20 slides this past week.  About 90% done now.  I need to start the second presentation about Collaborative "Big" Family Trees now.  It's slow going.

7)  Watched one  SCGS Livestreamed webinar - Genealogy Pit Stop: Research in 15 Minute Increments, by Thomas MacEntee.

8) There were several sessions working in the RootsMagic software program to update FamilySearch Family Tree profiles for Seaver families and other ancestral families, with occasional additions to the RootsMagic profiles. I have matched 31,237 of my RootsMagic persons with FSFT.

9)  I continue to use Web Hints and Record Matches from Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast and FamilySearch to add content and sources to my RootsMagic profiles.  I now have 53,759 persons in my RootsMagic file, and 105,320 source citations.   I TreeShared once this week updating 131 profiles, and I resolved 294 Ancestry Hints.  I've fallen behind on the Ancestry Record Hints with 111,518 to be resolved, but I try to work on them weekly.

10) Wrote 23 Genea-Musings blog posts last week, of which one was a press release.  The most popular post last week was Family History Writing eConference on 29 June 2019 - From Start to Published with over 304 views.
  =============================================

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/monday-genea-pourri-10-june-2019.html

Copyright (c) 2019, 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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Amanuensis Monday -- 1852 Deed of Milo Hildreth to Zachariah Hildreth in Townsend, Massachusetts

This week's document for Amanuensis Monday is the 1852 deed of  Milo Hildreth selling land from Zachariah Hildreth of Townsend in the Middlesex County, Massachusetts Land Records: 

[Volume 654, pages 150-151]

[Volume 654, pages 152-153]

 The transcription of this deed is:

[Volume 654, page 151, starts in middle of right-hand page]

[in right-hand margin]

Hildreth
       to
Hildreth

[body of text]
                                Know all Men by these presents
That I Milo Hildreth of Northborough in the County of Worces-
ter Combmaker in consideration of two thousand dollars
to me paid by Zachariah Hildreth of Townsend in the
County of Middlesex yeoman, the receipt whereof is hereby
acknowledged, do hereby give, grant, bargain, sell and convey
unto the said Zachariah his heirs and assigns forever a
certain tract of land situated in the Southeasterly part
of said Townsend on both sides of the Road leading
from Benjamin F. Lewis' to Lunenburgh being the same
land and premises conveyed by said Zachariah Hildreth
to me by deed of even date herewith and the same Farm
now occupied by Zachariah Hildreth, reference
being had to said Zachariah's deed to me of even date
with these presents the bounds and description will fully
appear.  also Pew number eight in the Brick Meeting house
belonging to the Orthodox congregational church and society
in said Townsend.  To Have and to Hold the above granted
premises to the said Zachariah Hildreth his heirs and as-
signs to his use and behoof forever, and I the said Milo
Hildreth for myself and my heirs executors and admin-
istrators do covenant with the said Zachariah his heirs
and assigns that I am lawfully seized in fee simple
of the aforegranted premises; that they are free from all
encumbrances that I have good right to sell and convey

 [Volume 654, Page 152]

 the same to the said Zachariah his heirs and assigns
forever as aforesaid and that I will and my heirs exec-
utors and administrators shall Warrant and Defend
the same to the said Zachariah his heirs and assigns
forever, against the lawful claims and demands of all
persons.  Provided Nevertheless that if I the said Milo
Hildreth my heirs executors or administrators shall well
and truly keep perform and fulfil the condition of a
certain bond of even date with these presents given by
me to said Zachariah Hildreth in the penal sum of
two thousand dollars conddioned that I shall from time
to time and at all times hereafter during the natural
life of the said Zachariah Hildreth and during the life of
Hannah Hildreth wife of said Zachariah will and truly 
maintain support and keep or cause to be well main-
tained supported & kept the said Zachariah & Hannah
with suitable meat, drink, clothes, lodging, doctoring and
nursing and all other things necessary and conven-
ient for their sustenance and support in a kind &
affectionate manner & shall on demand pay all the
just debts he may now be owing then this deed as also a
certain bond bearing even date with these presents signed
by the said Milo in penal sum of two thousand dollars
conditioned as aforesaid shall both be absolutely void
to all intents and purposes.  And provided also that
until default of the payment of the said sum or interest
or other default as herein provided the mortgage shall
have no right to enter and take possession of the prem-
ises.  In Witness Whereof, I the said Milo Hildreth have
hereunto set my hand and seal this twelfth of August
in the year of our Lord eighteen hundred and fifty 
two.  Milo Hildreth  {seal}  Signed sealed and delivered
in presence of us F.A. Worcester.   Middlesex ss August
12, 1852.  Then personally appeared the above named Milo
Hildreth and acknowledged the above instrument to
be his free act and deed; before me F.A. Worcester Jus-
tice of the peace.
                         Middlesex ss  May 13, 1853  Recd & Recorded by
                                                              Caleb Hayden  Reg.

 [in left hand margin]

 Cambridge  April 26 1859  I Milo Hildreth Adm^r of the Estate of the
Estate of the within named Mortgagee acknowledge to have rec. full payment
& satisfaction of this mortgage.  I do therefore hereby cancel & discharge the same.
     Wirtness  Cha B Stevens                                            Milo Hildreth  Adm^r

The source citation for this recorded deed is:

"Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 2 February 2019), Middlesex County, "Deeds, 1853, Vol. 653-654," Volume 654, pages 151-152 (images 368-9 of 597), Deed of Milo Hildreth to Zachariah Hildreth, executed 12 August 1852, recorded 13 May 1853.

In this deed, Milo Hildreth sells a tract of land in Townsend and the pew in the Brick church in Townsend to Zachariah Hildreth and his wife Hannah for $2,000 on 12 August 1852. In a bond described in the deed, Milo Hildreth agrees to support Zachariah and Hannah Hildreth for the rest of their lives under penalty of $2,000.   Milo Hildreth is a son of Zachariah and Hannah Hildreth.

Zachariah Hildreth (1783-1857), who married Hannah Sawtell (1789-1857) in 1810, is my third great-grandfather.  I am descended from their son, Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) who married Sophia Newton  (1834-1923) in 1852.

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

NOTE:  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 URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/amanuensis-monday-1852-deed-of-milo.html

Copyright (c) 2019, 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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , , , , , ,

Sunday, June 9, 2019

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 2 to 8 June 2019

Dozens 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:

*  Legwork by Jeff Record on the Vita Brevis blog.

*  The Future of the Southern California Jamboree by the writer of the Genealogy Jamboree Blog.

*  GEDmatch Opt-In: A Plea by Rachel King on the Toll Genealogy blog.

*  Why Don't I Share Any DNA With My Known Relative? by Candace Camilo on the Legacy Tree Genealogists blog.

*  The Mystery of Hilda's Foot by Lorine McGinnis Schulze on the Olive Tree Genealogy Blog.

*  My Jamboree 2019 Roundup by Kitty Cooper on the Kitty Cooper's Blog.

*  Ancestors -- They Were (Sort of) Like Us by Jennifer Peace Willis on the Plough and Anchor Genealogy blog.

*  Answering Emails from DNA Matches by Diahan Southard on the Your DNA Guide blog.

*  SCGS JAMBOREE 2019 ~ It was a fun time with friends and lots of learning by Diane Gould Hall on the Michigan Family Trails blog.

*  THE Genealogy Show 2019 by Andrew Martin on the History Repeating blog.

*  A Heartfelt Thank You to a Wonderful Community by Roberta Estes on the DNAeXplained - Genetic Genealogy blog.

*  In Their Footsteps by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist blog.

*  FINALLY! Proving the father of my 3rd great grandmother, Olive Doten Hart (1805-1887–WHAT DID I FIND? by Diane Gould Hall on the Michigan Family Trails blog.

Here are pick posts by other geneabloggers this week:

*  Friday's Family History Finds by Linda Stufflebean on the Empty Branches on the Family Tree blog.

*  Friday Fossicking - 7th June 2019 by Crissouli on the That Moment in Time blog.

* This Week's Creme de la Creme -- June 8, 2019  by Gail Dever on the Genealogy a la Carte 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 900 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:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2019/06/best-of-genea-blogs-2-to-8-june-2019.html

Copyright (c) 2019, 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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.



Posted by at 1 comment:
Labels: ,

Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 2 to 8 June 2019

The following record collections were listed on the Ancestry Card Catalog list on Ancestry.com during the period from 2 to 8 June 2019:  

The ADDED and Updated record collections are:

*  Web: Washington County, Maryland, Marriage Index, 1861-1949; indexed database without record images, Updated 6/5/2019

*  Essex, England, Church of England Births and Baptisms, 1813-1918; indexed database without record images, ADDED 6/5/2019

*  Essex, England, Church of England Marriages, 1754-1935; indexed database without record images, ADDED 6/5/2019

*  Essex, England, Church of England Deaths and Burials, 1813-1994; indexed database without record images, ADDED 6/5/2019

*  South Africa, Dutch Reformed Church Registers, 1660-1970; indexed database without record images, Updated 6/5/2019

*  Essex, England, Church of England Baptisms, Marriages and Burials, 1538-1812; indexed database without record images, ADDED 6/5/2019

*  Web: Washington County, Maryland, Obituary Index, 1790-2007; indexed database without record images, Updated 6/5/2019

*  Sons of Utah Pioneers Membership Applications; indexed database without record images, Updated 6/5/2019

*  UK, D-Day War Diaries and Photographs, 1944; indexed database with record images, ADDED 6/2/2019

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

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

By my count, there were 5 NEW collections ADDED this past week, per the list above.  There are now 32,672 collections available as of 8 June, an increase of  5 from last week.  

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

Disclosure:  I have had a fully paid Ancestry.com subscription since 2000.  Ancestry.com has provided material considerations for travel expenses to meetings, and has hosted events and meals that I have attended in Salt Lake City, in past years.


Copyright (c) 2019, 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, or Pinterest using the icons below.  Or contact me by email at randy.seaver@gmail.com.

Posted by at No comments:
Labels: , ,
Subscribe to: Posts (Atom)