Disproving an AncestryDNA ThruLine

 I have over 450 AncestryDNA ThruLines listed in my DNA Matches, and have entered many of them into my RootsMagic family tree over the last several years.  If the ThruLine provides enough information linking my DNA Match to a known common ancestor, then I add the information for every family in the DNA Match's "string" to RootsMagic (and eventually into my Ancestry Member Tree).  Once you realize that the ThruLines depend on the accuracy of one or more Ancestry Member Trees, then you know that the DNA Match's "string" of ancestors may not be correct and you have to critically evaluate every link of that "string."  The error my be in your tree, your DNA Match's tree, or in another Ancestry Member Tree, or even in Ancestry's hidden "Big Tree."

Such is the case for ones of my DNA Matches with 16 cM in 1 segment (so probably a 4th to 6th cousin) with potential common ancestors of my 5th great-grandparents Burgess Metcalf (1741-1816) and his wife Jerusha --?-- (1750-1817) of Piermont, New Hampshire.  

1)  Here is the ThruLines chart for Burgess Metcalf:

The ThruLines in question is the descent from Melatiah Metcalf (1779-1838, the daughter of Burgess and Jerusha (--?--) Metcalf (the second "string" from the right).  Melatiah Metcalf married Salmon Niles (1768-1852) in 1798 in Piermont, New Hampshire and they had at least 13 children, including a Levi Niles (1814-1867), all born in Grafton County, New Hampshire.  

2)  Here is my Ancestry Tree page for Melatiah (Metcalf) Niles before I added all of the children:

Here is my RootsMagic 8 screen for the Salmon and Melatiah (Metcalf) Niles family after I added all of the children (not all children shown):

3)  The ThruLines for my DNA Match gives the following "string" from Burgess/Jerusha and Melatiah Metcalf:

*  Levi Niles (1800-1865)

*  Moses Niles (1820-1906)

*  Lewis Erwin Niles (1864-1944).

*  and three more generations to my DNA Match.

Several alarm bells went off when I saw this "string," including:

*  The "string" says Levi Niles, son of Salmon and Melatiah (Metcalf) Niles was born in 1800, but the records say 1814.  The tree of the DNA Match had Levi without parents, and a birth year of 1800.  Apparently, Ancestry found my tree (or someone else's tree) with Levi Niles born in 1814 in it and matched it to the Levi Niles born in 1800 without supporting evidence of parents.

*  Moses Niles was born in Steuben County, New York, not in Grafton County, New Hampshire.  

4)  The information in my RootsMagic tree for Levi Niles shows that he married Mary P. Pool (1818-1884) in 1837 in Grafton County, New Hampshire.  They had at least 7 children according to the 1850 and 1860 U.S. Census records.  Here is the 1860 census, which confirms Levi's age in 1860 consistent with an 1814 birth year (as do other records):

Because Levi, grandson of Burgess and Jerusha (--?--) Metcalf, was born in 1814, it is really not possible for him to father Moses Niles born in 1820 (several AMTs say he was born in Bath, Steuben County, New York).  So the first conclusion I can draw is that Levi Niles (1814-1867) is not the right "connection" for this ThruLine.

5)  So who is the "right" common ancestor for this probable DNA match of 16 cM in 1 segment with one shared match?  There is no guarantee that the Niles line from the DNA Match is the correct line.  If  my DNA Match is a 5th or 6th cousin, then there are hundreds of possible strings from him back to one of my ancestors.  My DNA Match has a Private Member Tree with 11 persons in that tree.  So the common ancestor could be any one of my 64 4th great-grandparents or my 128 5th great-grandparents.

I have marked my Note for this DNA Match with "XXX - 16 cM in 1 segment - private tree (11 people) - one shared match with unknown line; NOT a ThruLine to 5th great-grandparents Burgess Metcalf and Jerusha --?--.

I should note that only about 10 of my AncestryDNA Matches are noticeably wrong - many of them are correct.  My conclusion is that the AncestryDNA Thruline feature is very useful, but occasionally incorrect.  Users need to critically evaluate each element of the lines provided back to the common ancestors in my tree.

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Disclosure:  I received a complimentary test kit from AncestryDNA a long time ago.  I have a complimentary all-access subscription from Ancestry.com, for which I am thankful. 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.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/disproving-ancestrydna-thruline.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Lunch in the CN Tower in Toronto in May 2004 -- Post 692 of (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

  I can't help it, I can't do a wordless post! This is one of my favorite photographs:  

We visited Toronto for sightseeing in May 2004 on our vacation to the northeast.  We left Cooperstown and spent the next two nights in Watertown, New York, where I visited several libraries and tried to find the Ranslow Smith (3rd great-grandfather) house in Henderson.  Then we drove north across the St. Lawrence River, and then southwest to Toronto on the north side of Lake Ontario.  It was a pleasant ride although the weather was cool.

I had no research to do in Toronto, so we visited the CN Tower there for lunch in the tower overlooking the city below.  Here we are enjoying a drink before the meal.

In May 2004, we flew east to celebrate my cousin's 50th wedding anniversary in Easton, Pennsylvania, and then did some sightseeing and genealogy research in New Jersey, New York, Ontario and Pennsylvania.  This is the only time I've been to these states to do research, and it was fascinating and fruitful and fun.

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The URL for this post is:   https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/lunch-in-cn-tower-in-toronto-in-may.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Genealogy News and Education Bytes -- Tuesday, 2 November 2021

 Welcome to Genealogy News and Education Bytes, posted on Tuesday afternoon and Friday afternoon, where we try to highlight the most important genealogy and family history news and education items that came across our desktop since the last issue.    

1)  News Articles:

*  Family History Library Expands Hours of Operation

*  Lady Liberty, the Statue That Welcomed Millions of Immigrants to America, Turns 135.

2)  New or Updated Record Collections:

*  Added and Updated Ancestry.com Record Collections - Week of 23 to 29 October 2021

*  Added and Updated FamilySearch.org Record Collections - Week of 23 to 29 October 2021

*  MyHeritage Publishes 22 Million Records in 8 New French Collections

*  TheGenealogist Releases Richmond 1910 Property Records

*  November Addition: GenealogyBank Just Added New Content from 73 Titles!

*  NewspaperARCHIVE Update – October, 2021

3)  Genealogy Education -- Conferences and Institutes

*  Conference Keeper Calendar

*  FHF Really Useful Family History Show - November 12-13, 2021 (Virtual)

*  THE Genealogy Show: Winter Event - December 3-5, 2021 (Virtual)

*  NGS 2022 Family History Conference - May 24-28, 2022 (In-Person!)

4)  Genealogy Education - Seminars, Webinars and Online Classes (times are US Pacific):

*  GeneaWebinars Calendar

*  Family History Library Class and Webinar Calendar - November 2021

*  MyHeritage Online Events for November

*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Tuesday, 2 November, 6 p.m.:  Uncovering the lives of your London (England) ancestors, by Cathie Sherwood

*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Wednesday, 3 November, 11 a.m.:  Investigative Genetic Genealogy – the Use of DNA for Law Enforcement, by Diahan Southard

*  Upcoming Family Tree Webinar - Friday, 5 November, 11 a.m.: Say Amen: Going to Church with the Master – Finding the Mother Church, by Char McCargo Bah

*  Archived Family Tree Webinar: Tech With Thomas, by Thomas MacEntee

5)  Genealogy Education - Podcasts:

*  Research Like a Pro:  RLP 173: RLPDNA Study Group 2 – Organize and Objective

*  The Photo Detective:  Episode 152: Ask Maureen October Edition

6)  Genealogy Videos (YouTube and Facebook):

*  Data Mining DNA:  How Rare Is Your Surname? Use Our Tool

*  Ellen Thompson-Jennings:  FOREVER 15 Organize Your Memories

*  Family History Fanatics: Genealogy Research Report Formatting With Google Docs

*  Family Tree Magazine:  Melungeons: Are You Part of the "Lost Tribe of Appalachia"?

*  FamilySearch:  Demo: Correcting Record Transcription (Indexing) Mistakes

*  Findmypast:  Fridays Live 29 October 2021 | Findmypast

*  Findmypast:  How To Prepare For The 1921 Census | Findmypast

*  Genealogy Adventures Live:  S05 E06: Introducing Borland Genetics & Virtual Ancestors’ DNA Results with Kevin Borland

*  MyHeritage:  Join our Facebook Live!

*  Nathan Dylan Goodwin:  A short tour of the House with Two Front Doors

*  RootsMagic:  Places and Locations in RootsMagic 8

*  WikiTree:  WikiTree LiveCast (30 October 2021) - Weekly Recap + WikiTree Challenge update

7)  Did you miss the last post in this series -  Genealogy News and Education Bytes - 29 October 2021?

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/genealogy-news-and-education-bytes.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Genea-Musings Contest - Win a Free One-Year Ancestry World Explorer Subscription

 In honor of my 15,000 lifetime blog posts to date (see Post #15,000 For Genea-Musings), Ancestry has generously offered to provide a one year Ancestry World Explorer subscription to one worthy Genea-Musings reader of my choice.

Since I have way too many Genea-Musings friends (thank you all!) and only one subscription to give, I will run a contest to pick the winner.  

To be eligible to win the subscription, all you have to do is send me an email at randy.seaver@gmail.com by Monday night, 8 November, 11 p.m. PST with the heading "Ancestry Contest, " your Ancestry username (if you have one) and email address, and provide the answers to the following questions:

1)  What do you like best about Genea-Musings?

2)  What do you like best about Ancestry.com?

3)  What will you research using the Ancestry World Explorer subscription?

I will save the emails that follow the rules, number them 1 to N, and then pick a winner using a random number generator on Tuesday, 9 November.  I will notify the winner by email and also notify Ancestry.com of the winner's name, username and email address.  I will also identify the winner of the contest in a Genea-Musings blog post after Tuesday, 9 November.  

So here is your chance for finding more of your ancestors - enter the contest and you might WIN!

My thanks to Ancestry.com for suggesting this and for providing the World Explorer subscription to the lucky winner.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/genea-musings-contest-win-free-one-year.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Carringers in the News -- W. Dale Carringer and Margaret Rissa Berry Wed in 1943 in Texas

It's time for another edition of "Carringers in the News" - a weekly feature from the historical newspapers about persons with the surname Carringer (my mother's maiden surname) that are interesting, useful, mysterious, fun, macabre, or add information to my family tree database.

This week's entry is from The Times-News [Twin Falls, Idaho] newspaper dated 18 March 1943:

The transcription of this article is:  

"Margaret Berry Wed in Texas

"The marriage of Miss Margaret Berry and Lieut. W. Dale Carringer took place March 11 at Brownsville, Texas.  The bride was attended by Miss Jean McClueen as maid of honor.  Lieut. Roland Jasparis acted as best man.

"The bride wore a light green spring suit with brown accessories and a gardenia corsage.  Mrsa. Carringer is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Arthur Berry, Hailey, and the bridegroom is the son of Mr. and Mrs. Cloyd Carringer, Boise.  The bride is a graduate of Hailey high school with the class of 1941.

"Mrs. Berry accompanied her daughter to Texas and attended the ceremony.  The young couple will be at home temporarily at the El Gardine hotel at Brownsville, where Lieutenant Carringer is stationed with the transport command."

The source citation is:

"Margaret Berry Weds in Texas," The Times-News [Twin Falls, Idaho] newspaper, marriage article, Tuesday, 25 September 1945, page 10, column 6, Rachel Carringer and Doyle G. Moye marriage article;   Newspapers.com   (https://www.newspapers.com : accessed 25 October 2021).

This marriage article provides the names of the bride and groom, the  parents names of the bride and groom, the wedding date and location, and the names of the attendants.

Wilmer Dale Carringer (1818-2009) was born 21 March 1918 in Boise, Idaho, the son of Joseph Wesley Cloyd and Lucretia Maud (Lawrence) Carringer.   He died 24 April 2009 in Brookings, Oregon.  Margaret Rissa Berry (1923-2011) was born 30 November 1923 in Fairfield, Idaho, the daughter of 

Arthur Harold and Leila Marie (Harrison) Berry.  Dale and Margaret were married 11 March 1943 in Brownsville, Texas.

Wilmer Dale Carringer is my 3rd cousin 1x removed, with common ancestors of Martin and Magdalena (Hoax) Carringer.

There are hundreds of Carringer "stories" in my family tree - and this was one of them. Life happens, accidentally and intentionally, and sometimes a newspaper article tells us something about the bride and groom. I am glad that I can honor Wilmer Dale Carringer and Margaret Rissa Berry today.

You never know when a descendant or relative will find this blog post and learn something about their ancestors or relatives, or will provide more information about them to me.

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Disclosure: I have a complimentary subscription to Newspapers.com and have used it extensively to find articles about my ancestral and one-name families.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/carringers-in-news-w-dale-carringer-and.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Genealogy Pot-Pourri - Week Ending 1 November 2021

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

1) Hosted the Chula Vista Genealogical Society General Meeting on Wednesday on Zoom, with Peggy Lauritzen as the speaker on "The Scots-Irish Migration Into America" with 58 members and guests in attendance.

2) Participated in today's Mondays With Myrt Zoom webinar. We discussed the Zoom app, my 15,000 blog posts, GAR gravestone sticks, Native-American stories at Boston Public Library, Sitting Bull's DNA test, the 1921 England and Wales census, FamilySearch indexing and new collections, FamilyTreeMake media problems, Liv's family photo from 1929, and Frank's find of information sheets for German civil registry deaths.

3) Transcribed a deed record in Amanuensis Monday -- 1776 Deed of Norman Sever Buying Land in Westminster, Massachusetts from Joseph Spaulding.

4) Published a genealogy biography of 7th great-grandfather #626 Thomas Graves (1686-1756) of Lynn, Reading and Southborough, Massachusetts.

5) AncestryDNA added 33 new DNA matches this past week, with one new ThruLines, and MyHeritage added 8 new DNA matches. Reviewed the new DNA matches on AncestryDNA, MyHeritageDNA, FamilyTreeDNA and 23andMe. Added Notes to 6 more AncestryDNA match with cM values, relationships and known shared ancestors.

6) There were several sessions working in the RootsMagic software program to match with and update FamilySearch Family Tree profiles for Seaver families and my ancestral families, with occasional additions to the RootsMagic profiles. I have matched 45,562 of my RootsMagic persons with FamilySearch Family Tree profiles (up 249).

7) Used Web Hints and Record Matches from Ancestry, MyHeritage, Findmypast and FamilySearch to add content and source citations to my RootsMagic profiles. The Ancestry TreeShare in RM8 does not work yet for me.  I now have 66,907 persons in my RootsMagic file (up 288), and 143,199 source citations (up 67). I did not TreeShare with my Ancestry Member Tree, and I resolved 882 Ancestry Hints. I've fallen behind on the Ancestry Record Hints with 157,360 to be resolved, but I work on them almost daily.

8) Wrote 19 Genea-Musings blog posts the past week, of which three were a press release. The most viewed post the past week was Six Generation Descendants Report of Isaac Buck (1757-1846) and Martha Phillips (1757-1830) of Sterling, Massachusetts with over 435 views.

9) I am still fine here at the Genea-cave, hunkered down and not going out much after Week 85 of COVID-19 isolation. Linda is at a memory care and skilled nursing facility in Chula Vista 7 miles from home and I visit her for an hour every day. The physical therapists came twice last week and have her up and walking a bit with the walker. The Aztecs ad Chargers lost their games. Watched the World Series games, I went to the grocery store on Monday and Friday. Other than that, it was stay-at-home on the computer doing (mainly) genealogy, plus eating, sleeping, laundry, cleaning, cooking, watching TV news and sports, reading books, napping, and a little yard work.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/genealogy-pot-pourri-week-ending-1.html

 
Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Amanuensis Monday -- 1776 Deed of Norman Sever Buying Land in Westminster, Massachusetts from Joseph Spaulding

 This week's document for transcription is the 1776 land deed record for Norman Sever, yeoman of Shrewsbury, buying 5 acres of land in Westminster, Worcester County, Massachusetts from Joseph Spaulding for 10 pounds lawful money.

[Worcester County, Mass. Deeds - Volume 77, Page 148]:

[Worcester County, Mass. Deeds - Volume 77, Page 149]:

The transcription of this deed is (starting at the middle of the right-hand page of the top image):

To all People To Whom these presents shall come Greeting

Know ye that I Joseph Spaulding of Westminster in the County

of Worcester an Province of the Massachusetts Bay in New England

housewright For and in Consideration of the Sum of Ten pounds

to me in hand before the Ensealing hereof well and truly paid by

Norman Sever of s'd Westminster in the County and Province aforesaid

Yeoman the Receipt whereof I do hereby acknowledge and my

Selfe therewith fully satisfied & Contented and thereof and of Every

Part and Parcel thereof, do Exonerate Acquit and discharge him the

said Norman Sever his heirs Executors and administrators forever

By these Presents have Given, Granted Bargained Sold aliened Convey-

ed and Confirmed and by these Presents do freely fully and absolutely

Give Grant Bargain Sell aliene Convey and Confirm unto him

the said Norman Sever his Heirs and assigns forever a Certain Tract

of upland situate Lying and being in the Northerly Part of the

abovesaid Westminster and contains five acres and one hundred Rods

Begining at a stake and stones ad Runs South forty one Rods and

an halfe to a Stake and Stones then turns West and Runs forty one

Rods and a halfe to a stake and stones, then turns and Runs North

east Sixty Rod to where it first began, this Land being taken of of

Second Division Lot Number Twenty Five at the Southeast Corner.

To have and to hold the said Granted Bargained Premises With

all the Appurtenances Privilidges and Comodities to the Same

Belonging or in any wise appertaining to him the said Norman

Sever hi heirs and assigns for Ever to his and their only proper use

Benefit and Behoof for Ever and I the said Joseph Spaulding

For my heirs Executors and administrators do Covenant Promise

and Grant to and with the said Norman Sever his heirs and assigns

that before the Ensealing hereof, I am the True sole and Lawfull owner

of the above bargained Premises and am Lawfully Seized and

Possessed of the Same in my own Proper right as a Good Perfect

and absolute Estate of Inheritance and have in my selfe Good Right

full Power and Lawfull Authority to Grant Bargain Sell Convey and Confirm

said Bargained Premises in manner as aforesaid and that

the said Norman Sever his heirs and assigns shall and may

from time to time and at all times forever hereafter Peacably

and Quietly have hold use Possess and Enjoy the said Demised

and Bargained Premises with the Appurtenances free and clear

of all Incumbrances and I the said Joseph Spaulding for

my selfe my heirs Executors and administrators do Covenant

and Engage the above demised Premises to him the said

Norman Sever his heirs and assigns against the lawfull

Claims or demands of any Person or Persons whatsoever for

Ever hereafter to warrant and defend by these Presents.  In

Witness Whereof I have hereunto set my hand and seal this

fifth day of July AD 1776.                   Joseph Spaulding  {seal}

Signed Sealed & Delivered in

Presents of us John Miles, Edward Jackson.  Worcester ss

July 5'th 1776 then the Within Named Joseph Spaulding Personaly

appeared and acknowledged the within Instrument to be

his free Act and Deed    before me Nicholas Dike Justice of Peace.

Received Aug't 5 1777 Entered & Examined pr Nath'n Baldwin Regr.

The source citation for this land record is:

"Massachusetts, Land Records, 1620-1986," digital images, Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org : accessed 3 October 2021), Worcester County, "Deeds 1776-1778, vol. 75-77," Volume 77, Pages 148-149 (images 538-539 of 650), deed of  Joseph Spaulding to Norman Sever, executed 5 July 1776, recorded 5 August 1777; citing original records in County Courthouses, and on FHL Microfilms.

This deed is for a five acre piece of land in Westminster, Worcester County, that Norman Sever, yeoman of Westminster, bought from Joseph Spaulding, housewright of Westminster, for 10 pounds lawful money on 5 July 1776 (and recorded on 5 August 1777).  

Norman Sever (1734-1787) was the son of Robert and Eunice (Rayment) Sever of Sudbury and Westminster, Massachusetts.  He married Sarah Read (1736-1809) on 14 March 1755 in Sudbury, and they had thirteen children.  Norman and Sarah (Read) Sever are my 5th great-grandparents through their son Benjamin Seaver (1757-1816).

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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."

Read other transcriptions for records of my ancestors at Amanuensis Monday Posts.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/11/amanuensis-monday-1776-deed-of-norman.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Best of the Genea-Blogs - 24 to 30 October 2021

 Scores 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:

*  About Those SS-5s by Judy G. Russell on The Legal Genealogist.

*  Is Ancestry Missing Your Ancestors? by Amy Johnson Crow on Amy Johnson Crow.

*  Preparing For a Research Trip:  Types of Trips by Cari Taplin on Genealogy Pants.

*  Finding Francis by Amy Whorf McGuiggan on Vita Brevis.

*  RM8 Documenting DNA by Marcia Philbrick on Heartland Genealogy.

*  Finding Genealogical Information and Clues in the Freedman’s Bank Records by Elyse Hill on LegacyTree Genealogists.

*  Do You Have Ghosts In Your Genealogy? by Ellen Thompson-Jennings on Hound on the Hunt.

*  The Archive Lady:  Great-Grandma's Lock of Hair by Melissa Barker on Genealogy Bsrgain$.

*  Drunkards & Lunatics:  The Case for Original Records & Research by Kelly Wheaton on Wheaton Wood.

*  Top Ten Scary Halloween Stories for Genealogists! by Heather Wilkinson Rojo on Nutfield Genealogy.

*  Sitting Bull’s Hair Confirms Relationship With Great-Grandson by Roberta Estes on DNAeXplained - Genetic Genealogy.

*  Genealogical Amnesia (October 29, 2021) by John D. Tew on Filiopietism Prism.

*  Dear Ancestry by Marcia Philbrick on Heartland Genealogy.

Here are pick posts by other geneabloggers this week:

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

*  Friday Fossicking 29th Oct 2021 by Crissouili on That Moment In Time.

* This Week's Creme de la Creme - October 30, 2021  by Gail Dever on Genealogy a la Carte.

*  Saturday Serendipity (October 30, 2021) by John D. Tew on Filiopietism Prism.

Readers are encouraged to go to the blogs listed above and  read their articles, and add the 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 currently am 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.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/10/best-of-genea-blogs-24-to-30-october.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Post #15,000 For Genea-Musings

My motto: "Life is short - eat ice cream and do genealogy first!"

A funny thing happened fifteen years and six months ago (April 15, 2006) on my way to the ice cream store - I said to myself: "Randy, maybe you could blog about something once a week or so ... about genealogy, politics, sports, religion, you, know, your life." My wife said "Honey, that would probably be pretty boring - who in the world would read what you write?"

So the experiment began, and 15,000 posts later (#15,000 was the Ancestry.com Update post on Saturday morning) here I am - happily stuck in a "routine" of writing two or three or more blog posts each day about genealogy resources and results on Genea-Musings!  Then there's Facebook and, Twitter, including my almost weekly participation on video (available on YouTube) in Mondays With Myrt! My wife wonders what I do in the Genealogy Cave every day for eight or ten hours! Heh heh.

Oh, I forgot, there's my society meetings, society presentations, Zoom meetings, and I even find time to spend on online research (and very occasional repository research), entering data and sources into my genealogy database, watching Padres baseball games on TV or at Petco Park, the San Diego State Aztecs football and basketball games on TV, and the ex-San Diego Chargers football games n TV. 

 There is Life with Genealogy! But, for me, there is no Life without Genealogy! It's part of me, who I am, and have been for 33+ years.

In celebration of my 15,000th post (that's over 2.7 posts per day on average, and over 970 posts per year on average), I'm going to take the rest of the day off from ... blogging, not genealogy. Or maybe not if there is something interesting to blog about. Tomorrow is another day.

 
The statistics for 15.5 years of blogging, from StatCounter and Blogger:

*  4,539,867 page views (StatCounter since 2006)

*  12,963,644 page views (Blogger, since 2010)

*  Blogger says I'm getting about 130,000 page views per month, or about 4,300 a day.

Then there are the static Pages (see the links below the Genea-Musings header) that continue to pile up visitors.  These count on the visitor and page totals, I think.

The statistics for my daily memes tell part of the story:

*  Amanuensis Monday - 611 posts
*  Tombstone Tuesday - 79 posts
*  Tuesday's Tip - 192 posts
*  Wordless Wednesday - 590 posts
*  Treasure Chest Thursday - 744 posts
*  52 Ancestors Friday - 415 posts
*  Surname Saturday - 527 posts
*  Saturday Night Genealogy Fun - 653 posts
*  Best of the Genea-Blogs - 742 posts

Note that almost all of those posts are about my own genealogy and family history research.  Some of the others are curation about blogs, record providers, conferences, etc.  

Thank you to my friends, geneablogging colleagues, and Genea-Musings readers for your patience, understanding, collaboration and support over the years - it's been a lot of fun, and I hope it continues for years to come.

I do appreciate your comments and emails, and will be happy to answer "Dear Randy" questions about genealogy, research, online resources, software, family trees, etc. on the blog.

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The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/10/post-15000-for-genea-musings.html

Copyright (c) 2021, 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.

Genealogical.com Book Notice: "African American News in the Baltimore Sun, 1870-1927"

 Genealogical.com has recently published African American News in the Baltimore Sun, 1870-1927, compiled and edited by Margaret D. Pagan.   The book is 98 pages (ISBN: 9780806359335), and costs $21.95 (retail).

The book publicity on the web page says:

"Although several entrepreneurs established newspapers for Baltimore’s large antebellum free African American community (25,000 persons in 1860, largest in the U.S. at the time), no issues have survived. The Baltimore Afro American has covered the news of the city’s black population since 1892; however, historians and genealogists hoping to glean more journalistic coverage of life among 'Charm City’s' African Americans, before or after the Afro, must look elsewhere. And that is precisely what genealogist Margaret D. Pagan has set out to do in this book.

"Founded in 1837, The Baltimore Sun published numerous articles characterizing local, national, and international events relating to and impacting people of color. Beginning with the Reconstruction year of 1870, Margaret D. Pagan has performed the yeoman’s task of scouring the newspaper for all such accounts and summarizing their contents through 1927. To quote historian Donna T. Hollie, who wrote the Foreword to the compilation, 'The author has selected articles for this publication which provide an expansive overview of experiences chronicling the African diaspora. For example, the reader will learn of the evolution of ‘Jim Crow,’ regarding housing and interstate travel. Also included are summaries covering sports, lynching, entertainment, and political, educational, economic and religious activities. The accomplishments of well-known activists such as Frederick Douglass, and lesser-known ones such as Henry Highland Garnet, both Maryland born, are detailed.'

"Genealogists searching for Baltimore connections will appreciate that Mrs. Pagan has also included references to marriage license applicants and obituaries. Obituaries, of course, sometimes provide details about the decedent’s family and organizational connections. Among the more than 800 entries in this chronology, researchers will find references to James B. Parker, the African American who subdued Leon Czolgosz, President McKinley’s assassin; meetings of Baltimore’s Brotherhood of Liberty, the precursor to the Niagara Movement and founding of the NAACP; and efforts to install black teachers in Baltimore’s segregated schools for African Americans. For the researcher’s convenience, the author has included a comprehensive index to names and events referenced in her chronology. For all these attributes and Mrs. Pagan’s careful attention to detail, African American News in the Baltimore Sun, 1870-1927 must certainly be the starting point for anyone interested in black history and genealogy during the era under investigation."

The contents are chronological selections from the Baltimore Sun newspaper.  There is a name and subject index.

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Disclosure: Genealogical.com contacted me recently and asked me to provide a review of this book. They mailed me a review copy for my personal use as remuneration for this review.

The URL for this post is:  https://www.geneamusings.com/2021/10/genealogicalcom-book-notice-african.html

Copyright (c) Randall J. Seaver, 2021.

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.