On the road again - wait for me, Willie!

One more time to Santa Cruz today - I expect the Southwest Airlines attendants to greet me by name! My daughter's husband's grandfather died last Friday in Petaluma, and they need to go to the service on Friday morning and to do the reception afterwards - without the two little guys. Grandpa gets the duty again - and revels in the wonder and energy of boys aged 4 and 2.

I will be able to check email and blogs occasionally. I have planned one or two blog posts each day - and not elusive ancestors or letters from Boulder.

I will be home on Sunday afternoon, assuming Linda gets home from helping out our other daughter with her newborn. Life often interferes with genealogy research, but, in our case, we sure enjoy making the family history!

Family Photographs - Post 3: James Richman Family, 1885

I'm posting old family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be wordless posts like others do - I simply cannot have a wordless post. Besides, I would need another post to identify the people in the picture, the time frame and the setting.

Here is one of the more interesting images from my Richman/Richmond family collection:



The persons in the photograph are (I am not sure if my placement is correct):

Front row (left to right): Elizabeth Ann (Richmond) Sykes (1854-1905); James Richmond (1821-1912); Hannah (Rich) Richmond (1824-1911); Louisa Richmond (1852-1940)

Back row (left to right): Thomas Richmond (1848-1917); James Richmond (1850-1929); Hannah (Richmond) Smith (1859-????); Emma (Richmond) Fitts (1856-????); John Henry Richmond (1865-1947); Charles Edwin Richmond (1866-1951).

James and Hannah (Rich) Richman/Richmond emigrated from Hilperton in Wiltshire in 1855/56 and settled in Putnam, Windham County, Connecticut before 1870. They had a dairy farm in Putnam for many years. A biography and family summary are provided here. James and Hannah (Rich) Richmond are my great-great-grandparents. I descend through their eldest son, Thomas Richmond, whose biography and family summary are provided here.

This photograph was taken in 1885, according to a handwritten note on the back of the photograph. The actual photograph was in the possession of Thomas Russell Richmond of Putnam, Connecticut in 1990, who allowed me to make a xerox copy of the actual photograph in 1990.

Russell Richmond is now deceased, and I don't know if the photograph is still extant. Perhaps, one of the Richmond family members will see this post and inform me of the location of the Richmond family photograph collection that Russell Richmond once possessed.

SCGS Jamboree Signups

Paula Hinkel has reminded everybody that the Southern California Genealogical Society (SCGS) Jamboree 2008 is almost here - it's June 27 - 29, less than two months away, and May 1 is an important date. The Jamboree 2008 page is at http://www.scgsgenealogy.com/2008jam-index.htm.

Here is Paula's post on several California county mailing lists:

-------------------------------

May 1. That's the deadline for early-bird discounts for Jamboree.Registrations are coming in fast and we are looking at a very successful event. Even so, tickets are still available for the meals and special events. Register online today at http://tinyurl.com/3gmefa.

Or download a copy of the registration form and postmark it by Thursday, May 1 http://tinyurl.com/69xovq

1. Individuals who register by end of the day on Thursday, May 1, will receive the early-bird registration discount. Register early and save.

2. Early-Bird registrants are assured of receiving a FREE printed copy of the syllabus. Later registrants and walk-ins will receive a syllabus on CD.

There will be a limited number of copies of the syllabus available for purchase at Jamboree for $10, but don't take a chance if you want a print copy.

3. Additional discounts are available for SCGS members. Why not join the Society when you register for Jamboree and enjoy the benefits of membership all year around?

4. Several new activities have been added since our program was mailed out in March. If you missed the announcements, here are some quick notes:

* A FREE Introduction to Genealogy session will be held on Friday morning, June 27, from 9am to 12 noon at the Marriott. Beverly Truesdale of SCGS will be teaching that course. Register through the SCGS shopping cart or call the Library at 818-843-7247 to save your place. Registration is limited to 80 people.

* A FREE Kids' Genealogy Camp will also be held Friday morning, June 27, from 9am to 12 noon at the Marriott. Starr Hailey Campbell, Hailey J. Campbell and Michael Melendez will be teaching the course. We already have 11 registered for the class, with a 30-child limit. It's a great way to introduce the grandkids to family history. Register through the SCGS shopping cart or call the Library at 818-843-7247 to save your place.

* A personal guided tour of Hollywood Forever will be offered on Friday morning, June 27, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 noon. An air-conditioned Starline Tours bus will pick you up at the Marriott; and Karie Bible, Hollywood Forever historian, will provide a personal walking tour of the famed Hollywood Cemetery. Cost is $30 and you can register online through the shopping cart or by mail or phone.

* A special appearance by members of the Guild of St. Michael, 16th century German mercenaries, accompanied by most of their weapons and some of their ladies, will welcome all attendees on Saturday morning. The group, including a "barber/physician" , will be at Jamboree through the lunch break on Saturday.

..and if that's not enough...

We'll even have an Oom-pah-pah band on Friday!

* Do you need a vintage photo repaired or duplicated for a cousin? Longtime Jamboree exhibitors Claire and Mike Daigle of Photos Made Perfect will be there to help. Ask them to scan your photos on Saturday.

* Bring your GEDCOM or electronic genealogy file and have beautiful pedigree charts printed while you wait. Print a chart for yourself, or plan ahead and have some printed for family gifts. Stop at the Generations Maps booth and leave Jamboree with a family treasure. Then, why not donate your family genealogy file to SCGS for safekeeping.

-----------------------------------

Paula does a great job of keeping everybody informed about deadlines and Jamboree highlights. If you're planning to attend, be sure to sign up now!

A Unique Grave Site

Someone had a great sense of humor! She always used to say that when she died she wanted a parking meter on her grave that says 'Expired'. Her nephew got her one on eBay! Her grave is right by the road so everyone can see it and many people have stopped to get a chuckle.

The meter says "64 Year Time Limit" on the dial, and gives the birth and death date on the metal part in front of the dial. Today is the 67th birthday and the third anniversary of her death.

Unique! Sounds like someone I would have liked to know.

You can see this at http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=gr&GRid=15896798. Snopes gives more information at http://www.snopes.com/photos/signs/expired.asp.

Free Family History PhoneBook

Have you ever wondered how to contact another genealogy researcher in another location, a genealogy software or database company when you don't have Internet access? Wonder no more - a Family History PhoneBook is on the way.

I received this email from Holly T. Hansen of the My Ancestors Found web site and blog (www.myancestorsfound.com).

----------------------------

My Ancestors Found is compiling the Family History Phonebook, a unique reference tool to help researchers find you and to help you let them know all about your products and services. The Family History Phonebook will be offered as a Free download via our website www.MyAncestorsFound.com and distributed to thousands of attendees at our Family History Expos.

We are sure you would like to be listed in the 1st edition of the Family History Phonebook to be released later this year. Be sure your contact information is reflected correctly and take advantage of the opportunity to advertise in the first edition. Send in your information by: June 1, 2008.

Please fill in the address fields below and return immediately by email for correct information to be included with your Free Basic Listing.

Business / Organization Name as you would like it listed:

Phone 1
Phone 2
Phone Toll Free 800
FAX
URL
Email
Address 1 ~ Mailing
City, County, State, Zip
Country
Address 2 ~ Physical (enter only if different than mailing address)
City, County, State, Zip
Country

Email to: FamilyHistoryPhonebook@MyAncestorsFound.com

Take the opportunity now to advertise in the Family History Phonebook to reach people everywhere. Advertisers are listed in multiple ways throughout the phonebook so that when searches are carried out by users they have more chances to be found.

Advertising rates are affordable even for the modest budget.

** Free ~ Basic Listing includes contact information only.

** $25.00 ~ Premium Listing ~ get your name in bold, 3 keyword links, and a hotlink to your website.

** $50.00 ~ Full Marketplace Ad ~ includes Basic Premium Listing and a full color graphical ad created by you. (336 x 280 pixels)

With Premium Listing or Full Marketplace Ad you can purchase additional Keyword Advertising.

** $ 2.50 ea. ~ Keyword Advertising ~ connect with customers looking for you.

.........* Basic Keyword ~ (i.e. Archive, City Directory, Maps, Media, Researcher. . .)

.........* Geographic Keyword ~ (i.e. USA, New York City, Scotland, Alabama. . .)

.........* Research Keyword ~ (i.e. 18th Century, Colonial, Genetics, Military. . .)

Multiple words are allowed as a Keyword such as “Salt Lake City”, but no phrases.

-----------------------------------

Note that you have to email the basic information to My Ancestors Found. For the advertising, you have to go to the My Ancestors Found web site, click on the Family History Phonebook link and pay for the listing you want, and then provide the information to them.

This is a pretty good idea - for professionals, amateurs, societies, and companies involved in genealogy.

Passing it out for free via download or to attendees at My Ancestors Found conferences is a great idea. They could also bundle it on the CD-ROMs of the conference syllabus.

Far from the "West Country"

There is an interesting article in today's Daily Telegraph from the U.K. titled "Islanders speak with a West Country accent" by Richard Alleyne and Richard Savill. The link is here.

The key graphs include:

"The entire population of a tiny island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean has been found to speak with a West Country accent - because the residents all descend from one man from Gloucestershire.

"Researchers have long been puzzled by the strong rural drawl spoken by the inhabitants of Palmerston Atoll, one of the smallest and most remote of the Cook Islands with a land mass of less than one square mile.

"The island is home to 63 people, who are all descended from William Marsters, an English carpenter and barrelmaker who settled there in 1863.

"Now linguists have matched their accent to that of their very distant cousins 12,000 miles away in Gloucestershire.

"The discovery has led to intense interest in the islanders, now in their fifth generation, and one English writer and historian has launched a quest to find out more about Mr Marsters, who had four wives, 17 children and 54 grandchildren before his death in 1899."

and ...

"After his death, Mr Marsters's legacy remained intact and in 1954 ownership of the island was granted to his descendants. Although under the protection of New Zealand, it is still run by his great-grandson.

"The reason for the family's survival is put down to its strict adherence to religious laws. It is split into three branches, one for each original wife, and marriage within each branch is strictly forbidden."

----------------------------

Read the whole article for more information and context.

It might be a fascinating genealogy study, eh? Talk about pedigree collapse! Since all residents are descended from one man, I wonder if genetic abnormalities are showing up in the children due to the in-breeding, notwithstanding the edict against marrying someone from your own branch.

Audrey is here - a new leaf on the family tree!

Audrey Sophia L.... was born today, 28 April 2008, in Apple Valley CA to James and Tami (Seaver) L..... She is the second granddaughter and fourth grandchild of Randy and Linda Seaver of Chula Vista CA. Mother and child are doing well.

Audrey weighs in at 6 lbs 14 ounces and is 19 inches long. As you can see from the picture, the lungs seem to work well.

She's probably cold, it's so bright out and the sounds are so different. What is she thinking? Probably -- where's the steady rhythmic beat of Mom's heart? What are these strange things around me? Why is it so cold? At least my head's warm. What was that they poked into my mouth, nose and ears? What is this wet stuff that comes out of this big person holding me? Who had cold hands? Where's Lolo?

We look forward to loving her for the rest of our lives! May she bless her parents and appreciate her ancestors. Thank you, God, for this small blessing.

Photo credit: James L...., Victorville CA, taken 28 April 2008.

UPDATED: To remove their last name for privacy reasons. I added some more thoughts too! At 8 p.m., everyone is doing pretty well. Grandma and Lolo got to hold the baby this afternoon - so small, just beautiful.

Leominster, Massachusetts

Leominster, Massachusetts is a city in Worcester County, west of Boston, north of Worcester and just south of Fitchburg. Wikipedia has a decent description of the history, industry, culture and demographics here. Sue Gardner has several pages about Leominster History and Genealogy here and here. By the way, "Leominster" is pronounced "leh-man-stah" by almost everybody who came from there.


Here is a Yahoo map of the city in the present times.




I noted two home locations on the map - A= 290 Central Street and B = 149 Lancaster Street.

My Seaver family lived in Leominster for four generations:

1) Isaac and Lucretia (Smith) Seaver resided at 7 Cedar Street (across the street from 149 Lancaster Street) from before 1870 to his death in 1901.

2) Frank and Hattie (Hildreth) Seaver resided at 149 Lancaster Street from the time of their marriage in 1874 to their deaths in 1922 and 1920, respectively. They lived with Hattie's parents, Edward and Sophia (Newton) Hildreth.

3) Frederick and Alma Bessie (Richmond) Seaver resided at 149 Lancaster Street early in their marriage, and then at 290 Central Street after about 1912 until about 1927. They lived at 20 Hall Street after 1927 until about 1935, when they moved to a rental on West Street.

4) Frederick W. Seaver (my father) grew up at 290 Central Street, and then lived at 20 Hall Street before coming west in 1940.

Pictures were taken in 2007 of the houses at 7 Cedar Street, 149 Lancaster Street, 290 Central Street and 20 Hall Street, and are in my post "Seaver Family Homes in Massachusetts."

In addition, these two ancestral families resided in Leominster:

5) Edward and Sophia (Newton) Hildreth resided at 149 Lancaster Street from before 1870 to their deaths in 1899 and 1923, respectively.

6) Thomas and Julia (White) Richmond resided at 12 Summer Street between about 1890 and 1905. Summer Street is located just below the number (11) on the map. I don't have a picture of this house, which may not be standing now.

Many of the Seaver and Hildreth family members are buried in Evergreen Cemetery, which is on Main Street northeast of downtown Leominster (just southwest of Highway 2 on the map).

From census and family records, I know that Frank Seaver worked in the Horn Supply company in Leominster making combs and pins from animal horns and celluloid. Fred Seaver worked in and was the plant manager of the Paton Manufacturing Company from about 1912 until 1927. The company was located next door to 290 Central Street.

The Wikipedia entry for Leominster describes the horn and plastics industry as:

"The city of Leominster has played a more significant role in the establishment and progress of plastics than any other city in the United States. The Plastics Industry started with the comb industry in 1770s which has flourished in Leominster ever since. Early combs were made of animal shell, horn, and hooves; by the mid 1800s, these supplies were dwindling rapidly. Everything changed when in 1868 John Wesley Hyatt invented a material made from cellulose acetate, to which he gave the name "celluloid". [2] Celluloid was hard, durable, and easy to shape and mold when heated to a certain temperature. Leominster's facilities for horn fabrication rapidly become the center for plastic fabrication in the United States. Leominster used celluloid not only for combs but also for toys, cutlery handles, optical frames, buttons, and novelties of all shapes and sizes. Most celluloid manufacturing was later changed to cellulose acetate which did not burn as quickly. The peak of the plastics industry in Leominster was between 1900 and 1920. The plastics industry was Leominster's largest employer. Unfortunately, in the late 1920s women's styles were changing rapidly; hair was worn shorter with no need for elaborate combs. With the advent of the Great Depression, which began in 1929 and did not end until the end of World War II, Leominster's plastics industry went into a decline."

and the specific company they worked for --

"The Viscoloid Company was incorporated in 1901. Founded by Alexander Paton, the president of the company. He was accompanied by Ludwig Stross and his Secretary and Treasurer Bernard Doyle. In 1902, the partners started the Sterling Comb company which made dress combs and other hair ornaments. The men owned the Viscoloid Company, Harvard Novelty Company, and the Paton Company, but in 1912 the companies were consolidated under the name Viscoloid Company and later the Viscoloid Company Inc. By 1923, the company's capital reached three million dollars and had become the largest employer in Leominster. That same year, Alexander Paton resigned and Bernard Doyle became Chief Executive. He remained Chief until 1925 when the company merged with The Dupont company. The name was then changed The Dupont Viscoloid Company. The company was the largest in the city making dress combs, brushes, mirrors, toilet articles, hair ornaments, and other novelties."

I have visited Leominster a number of times, including:

1) in 1966 while on a convention trip to Boston, my Aunt Gerry drove me out to Leominster to meet the family. My Uncle Ed and Aunt Ruth still lived there. We visited 290 Central Street, but didn't go in the house.

2) In 1968 while on a business trip to Boston, my Aunt Gerry drove me to Leominster to see the family and enjoy a family party to celebrate my cousin's return from Viet Nam.

3) In 1982, my family visited Leominster on vacation and stayed with Uncle Ed who lived on Helena Street. We had a great time, and I did my first audio tape interview with Uncle Ed. This really whet my interest in family history and spurred me to think about doing genealogy research.

4) In 1990, my brother Scott and I went to Sterling MA to celebrate Uncle Ed and Aunt Janet's 50th wedding anniversary. By this time, they lived in Arizona, but returned to St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Leominster to renew their vows and we had a great reception at a place in Sterling where they had their wedding reception. Afterwards, Ed and Gerry led us on a tour of Evergreen Cemetery where the family members are buried.

5) In 1991, Linda and I went to New England on vacation, and stayed with my cousins in Salem NH and Aunt Gerry up in Maine. We visited Leominster and I did quite a bit of research there and in Westminster.

6) In 1994, Linda and I visited the Salem cousins again and visited Leominster, including the cemetery.

7) In 2003, Linda and I visited Leominster again to mourn the passing of and to celebrate the lives of Ed and Janet Seaver, who were buried together at Evergreen Cemetery.

8) In 2006, Linda and I visited the Salem cousins and Aunt Gerry in Maine and we visited Leominster again - and I took house and tombstone pictures in the rain.

9) In 2007, Linda and I visited Leominster to mourn the passing of and to celebrate the life of Aunt Geraldine (Seaver) Remley. I took the opportunity to visit the tombstones in Evergreen again and the Seaver family homes in Leominster.

Even though I never lived in Leominster, I am drawn to it like a moth to a flame. It is where my father lived during his early years and three earlier generations called it home. It is a working class town, with many multi-family buildings close-in and more modern homes in the outlying areas. The downtown area and the close-in residential areas still look much like they did in the 1920's, I think. I would love to spend a fall and winter there just to experience the weather and the atmosphere. I could also do more extensive genealogy research too!

The Pace of Genealogy Research - Post 3

In the first two posts of this series, I've discussed how online genealogy passes by some genealogy researchers (in Post 1) and how some new genealogy researchers don't realize that there is more to genealogy than online research (in Post 2).

How has the "Pace" of Genealogy Research, resulting from near instantaneous availability of results from indexes, databases, images, etc. affected my own genealogy research patterns? Besides the obvious "I can find many facts, stories or leads quicker than ever before," I think it has affected me in these ways:

1) I do much more research online in the available resources rather than go to the FHC, the library or an ancestral locality. I do online research almost every day, but I go to the library or FHC to do research only 2 or 3 times a month. If I'm lucky, I get to an ancestral location once a year.

2) I can review many of the resources that are in published books, FHL microfiche databases and FHL or NARA microfilms (e.g., census, passenger lists, etc.) in a short period of time in online databases with every-name indexes. It used to take weeks to obtain, find and copy these documents or information.

3) I don't keep careful records of what web sites, databases or images I visit or view. I used to keep a research log for each family surname - I'm not disciplined enough to do that now - it would take a long time to track all of my clicks. I'm sure that I duplicate searches almost every day. When I am doing "real research" (meaning doing a "reasonably exhaustive search" in all resources (not just online) as opposed to a "survey" search to find leads to sources and information), I use several forms to collect information on the ancestral family I'm working on - an online search summary (see a typical list here), a family research summary (all possible resources), a timeline, etc. I put these in my research notebook and consult them frequently.

4) I am able to capture images from databases, web pages, articles, etc. and put them in my computer files easily. I rarely make xerox copies at libraries or the FHC any longer, since nearly everything I read there is now online somewhere. If I read a microfilm or microfiche at the FHC, I can save the page images to my USB drive and plant them on my hard drive at home.

5) Having images in digital format, I can transcribe or abstract text right into my genealogy software database using my handy "split screen" method. When everything was on paper, I had to transcribe or abstract from the paper copy which was often difficult to read, even with a magnifying glass.

6) I can make many more errors in putting families together if I'm not careful. With more experience has come skepticism about the work of other researchers and my own assumptions of connections between parents and children.

That's enough for now - what effects have you noticed from the increased "pace of genealogy research" in your own research?

Family Fun Day

Here's an interesting picture --


It kind of makes you wonder what happens at a family fun day at a mortuary -- maybe:

* A Pinebox derby for kids?

* A S'mores roast at the crematorium?

* Pin the tail on the tombstone?

* A Croak K tournament? Did I spell that right?

* A facepainting booth?

* Hearse racing?

I understand that Goolsby Mortuary is in South Bend, Indiana.

I couldn't resist once I saw this picture on one of my favorite political web sites.