Hello Genea-Musings-philes and SNGF-philes - it's Saturday Night, time for lots more Genealogy Fun!
Your mission, should you decide to accept it, is another genealogy software challenge - are you up to it?
1) Do you know what a d'Aboville numbering system is? A clear description of it is in the Encyclopedia of Genealogy here, and on Wikipedia here. Pretty neat numbering system, isn't it?
2) What are your own d'Aboville numbers for your four lines of your grandparents (starting with the first known person in the paternal line)? Your genealogy software program may be able to help you with this [Family tree Maker 2011, RootsMagic 4 and Legacy Family Tree 7 can, but Family Tree Maker 16 and earlier cannot].
3) Tell us your own d'Aboville numbers for your four grandparent paternal lines in your own blog post, in a comment to this post, or in a status line, note or comment on Facebook.
4) for extra credit, tell us how you figured out your d'Aboville numbers - which program, and the process.
Here's mine:
From Robert Seaver (1608-1683): 1.1.2.1.4.2.4.3.2.1.5.1
From John Richman (1788-1867): 1.5.1.7.5.1
From Martin Carringer (1758-1835): 1.6.2.2.1.1
From Andreas Able (????-1751): 1.4.2.2.2.3.1.1.1
How I did it in Legacy Family Tree 7:
* Opened Legacy, and clicked on the Help button and searched for "d'aboville number." Read the information.
* Chose my ancestor for the calculation from the index (or by stepping back on my paternal line)
* Clicked on the "Reports" and chose the "Descendant" tab.
* Clicked the generations to an umber that will include me. Selected d'Aboville in the Numbering system choices.
* Clicked "Preview" and saw the report (Robert Seaver's report was 203 pages). Scroll down to your name and copy off your number.
Easy, eh? Now all I have to do is remember it so I can say I'm number 1.1.2.1.4.2.4.3.2.1.5.1 in the Robert Seaver descendants.
Saturday, December 4, 2010
Surname Saturday - HAMANT (England > Massachusetts)
It's Surname Saturday, and I'm "counting down" my Ancestral Name List each week. I am up to number 137, who is Patience Hamant (1735-????), one of my 5th-great-grandmothers. [Note: The 5th great-grandfathers have been covered in earlier posts]
My ancestral line back through four generations of HAMANT families is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)
16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)
34. Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840)
35. Elizabeth Horton Dill (1784-1869)
68. Aaron Smith (1765-1841)
69. Mercy Plimpton (1772-1850)
136. Moses Smith, born 02 Apr 1732 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. He was the son of 272. Henry Smith and 273. Ruth Barber. He married 23 Sep 1762 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA.
137. Patience Hamant, born 06 Apr 1735 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA.
Children of Moses Smith and Patience Hamant are: Aaron Smith (1765-1841); Luther Smith (1766-????); Calvin Smith (1768-????); Timothy Smith (1773-????).
272. Timothy Hamant, born 25 Mar 1699 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died 06 Jun 1774 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. He married 19 Oct 1727 in Boston, Suffolk County, MA.
273. Hepzibah Clark, born 02 Feb 1698/99 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died Aug 1791 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. She was the daughter of 546. Joseph Clark and 547. Mary Wight.
Children of Timothy Hamant and Hepzibah Clark are: Mehitable Hamant (1728-1814); Elias Hamant (1730-1730); Timothy Hamant (1731-1731); Seth Hamant (1733-1771); Patience Hamant (1735-????); Timothy Hamant (1736-????); Basmath Hamant (1738-????); Dinah Hamant (1739-1813); Francis Hamant (1741-1808).
544. Timothy Hamant, born 01 Nov 1667 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died 1718 in Arrowsick, Norfolk County, MA. He married 19 Jan 1695/96 in Boston, Suffolk County, MA.
545. Melatiah Clark, born 04 Aug 1674 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died 23 Nov 1747 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. She was the daughter of 1090. Ephraim Clark and 1091. Mary Bullen.
Children of Timothy Hamant and Melatiah Clark are: Timothy Hamant (1699-1774); Samuel Hamant (1701-1755); Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751); Mehitable Hamant (1706-1727); Abiel Hamant (1708-????).
1088. Francis Hamant, born about 1625 in ENGLAND; died 27 Jul 1692 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. He married about 1651.
1089. Sarah, died 29 Sep 1708 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA.
Children of Francis Hamant and Sarah are: John Hamant (1651-1708); Mary Hamant (1653-1738); Sarah Hamant (1655-????); Elizabeth Hamant (1659-1733); Hannah Hamant (1660-????); Samuel Hamant (1663-????); Timothy Hamant (1667-1718); Abigail Hamant (1669-1741).
My references for this family are all older resources, including:
1. Frederick Stam Hammond, History and Genealogies of the Hammond Families in America, published Oneida, NY, Ryan & Burkhart, Printers, 1902, pages 420 and following.
2. William S. Tilden (editor), History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886, published Boston, Mass., Geo. H. Ellis, 1887.
3. Town vital record books of Medfield, Walpole, and other "tan books" published in the`1900 to 1930 time frame.
I actually have two lines from Francis Hamant. Melatiah Hamant, daughter of Timothy and Melatiah (Clark) Hamant, married Michael Metcalf (1706-????) in 1728 in Medway MA. This line is in my mother's ancestry, while my ancestry from Patience Hamant is in my father's ancestry, so this makes my mother and my father 7th cousins.
My ancestral line back through four generations of HAMANT families is:
1. Randall J. Seaver
2. Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983)
3. Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002)
4. Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942)
5. Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962)
8. Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922)
9. Hattie Louise Hildreth (1857-1920)
16. Isaac Seaver (1823-1901)
17. Lucretia Townsend Smith (1827-1884)
34. Alpheus B. Smith (1802-1840)
35. Elizabeth Horton Dill (1784-1869)
68. Aaron Smith (1765-1841)
69. Mercy Plimpton (1772-1850)
136. Moses Smith, born 02 Apr 1732 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. He was the son of 272. Henry Smith and 273. Ruth Barber. He married 23 Sep 1762 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA.
137. Patience Hamant, born 06 Apr 1735 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA.
Children of Moses Smith and Patience Hamant are: Aaron Smith (1765-1841); Luther Smith (1766-????); Calvin Smith (1768-????); Timothy Smith (1773-????).
272. Timothy Hamant, born 25 Mar 1699 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died 06 Jun 1774 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. He married 19 Oct 1727 in Boston, Suffolk County, MA.
273. Hepzibah Clark, born 02 Feb 1698/99 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died Aug 1791 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. She was the daughter of 546. Joseph Clark and 547. Mary Wight.
Children of Timothy Hamant and Hepzibah Clark are: Mehitable Hamant (1728-1814); Elias Hamant (1730-1730); Timothy Hamant (1731-1731); Seth Hamant (1733-1771); Patience Hamant (1735-????); Timothy Hamant (1736-????); Basmath Hamant (1738-????); Dinah Hamant (1739-1813); Francis Hamant (1741-1808).
544. Timothy Hamant, born 01 Nov 1667 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died 1718 in Arrowsick, Norfolk County, MA. He married 19 Jan 1695/96 in Boston, Suffolk County, MA.
545. Melatiah Clark, born 04 Aug 1674 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA; died 23 Nov 1747 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. She was the daughter of 1090. Ephraim Clark and 1091. Mary Bullen.
Children of Timothy Hamant and Melatiah Clark are: Timothy Hamant (1699-1774); Samuel Hamant (1701-1755); Melatiah Hamant (1704-1751); Mehitable Hamant (1706-1727); Abiel Hamant (1708-????).
1088. Francis Hamant, born about 1625 in ENGLAND; died 27 Jul 1692 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA. He married about 1651.
1089. Sarah, died 29 Sep 1708 in Medfield, Norfolk County, MA.
Children of Francis Hamant and Sarah are: John Hamant (1651-1708); Mary Hamant (1653-1738); Sarah Hamant (1655-????); Elizabeth Hamant (1659-1733); Hannah Hamant (1660-????); Samuel Hamant (1663-????); Timothy Hamant (1667-1718); Abigail Hamant (1669-1741).
My references for this family are all older resources, including:
1. Frederick Stam Hammond, History and Genealogies of the Hammond Families in America, published Oneida, NY, Ryan & Burkhart, Printers, 1902, pages 420 and following.
2. William S. Tilden (editor), History of the Town of Medfield, Massachusetts, 1650-1886, published Boston, Mass., Geo. H. Ellis, 1887.
3. Town vital record books of Medfield, Walpole, and other "tan books" published in the`1900 to 1930 time frame.
I actually have two lines from Francis Hamant. Melatiah Hamant, daughter of Timothy and Melatiah (Clark) Hamant, married Michael Metcalf (1706-????) in 1728 in Medway MA. This line is in my mother's ancestry, while my ancestry from Patience Hamant is in my father's ancestry, so this makes my mother and my father 7th cousins.
Advent Calendar - December 4: Christmas Cards
This post is number 4 in a series of 24 for the 2010 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.
On the 21st day of Christmas,
my true friends sent to me
Christmas Cards from their family.
1) Did your family send them?
My parents sent Christmas cards to family and friends all of their lives. My mother made them for many years (I know I have several in my boxes of stuff...somewhere) - usually a fairly simple madonna or angel theme with a "Merry Christmas" and "from the Seaver family" or something similar. I remember a single color (red or green) stencil on card stock folded into a card, with writing on the inside.
2) Did your family display the ones they received?
In my childhood home, I don't remember having a mantle or shelf space that had displayed cards. I'm sure that my mother displayed them somewhere - perhaps on a bulletin board in the entry way. I'll have to ask my brothers. I wish I could remember more about this time of my life.
We received cards from my father's mother and siblings in New England which often had family letters in them. These were prized because this family never made long distance phone calls and rarely wrote letters, so this was our only contact each year with the family 2,500 miles away.
3) Do you still send Christmas cards?
Oh yes! That's what the post-Thanksgiving hecticity (is that a word?) is all about. "We have to get this done so we can do this and this next ..." Angel Linda is a taskmaster. This solemn process includes:
* finding the boxes of cards bought during the year at thrift shops or 99 cent stores. Or going out and buying more. We only get angel cards, naturally.
* Randy prints off the Christmas card address list and Linda updates it. The list is then printed on peel-off labels.
* Linda affixes the labels on envelopes, puts the return address labels (hopefully, Christmas motif) on the envelopes, and puts stamps on the envelopes.
* Randy writes the two-page Christmas letter (more on this in a later post), Linda edits it, and Randy creates 120 copies of it (this takes about four days to finish).
* Linda writes messages on the cards, since Randy thinks that the Christmas letter covers everything that could be said. Linda's handwriting is much better, too! Randy and Linda stuff the letters in the envelopes and seal the envelopes.
* We typically send these out in early December - soon!
This process takes about ten days from start to finish, but it's now a tradition and we have a proven process for it. I also send the Christmas letter to email correspondents, but I don't want to post it online because it has some personal details not appropriate for the world to see. If you want one, please send me an email address (if I don't already have one - at rjseaver@cox.net).
Originally published on 4 December 2007.
On the 21st day of Christmas,
my true friends sent to me
Christmas Cards from their family.
1) Did your family send them?
My parents sent Christmas cards to family and friends all of their lives. My mother made them for many years (I know I have several in my boxes of stuff...somewhere) - usually a fairly simple madonna or angel theme with a "Merry Christmas" and "from the Seaver family" or something similar. I remember a single color (red or green) stencil on card stock folded into a card, with writing on the inside.
2) Did your family display the ones they received?
In my childhood home, I don't remember having a mantle or shelf space that had displayed cards. I'm sure that my mother displayed them somewhere - perhaps on a bulletin board in the entry way. I'll have to ask my brothers. I wish I could remember more about this time of my life.
We received cards from my father's mother and siblings in New England which often had family letters in them. These were prized because this family never made long distance phone calls and rarely wrote letters, so this was our only contact each year with the family 2,500 miles away.
3) Do you still send Christmas cards?
Oh yes! That's what the post-Thanksgiving hecticity (is that a word?) is all about. "We have to get this done so we can do this and this next ..." Angel Linda is a taskmaster. This solemn process includes:
* finding the boxes of cards bought during the year at thrift shops or 99 cent stores. Or going out and buying more. We only get angel cards, naturally.
* Randy prints off the Christmas card address list and Linda updates it. The list is then printed on peel-off labels.
* Linda affixes the labels on envelopes, puts the return address labels (hopefully, Christmas motif) on the envelopes, and puts stamps on the envelopes.
* Randy writes the two-page Christmas letter (more on this in a later post), Linda edits it, and Randy creates 120 copies of it (this takes about four days to finish).
* Linda writes messages on the cards, since Randy thinks that the Christmas letter covers everything that could be said. Linda's handwriting is much better, too! Randy and Linda stuff the letters in the envelopes and seal the envelopes.
* We typically send these out in early December - soon!
This process takes about ten days from start to finish, but it's now a tradition and we have a proven process for it. I also send the Christmas letter to email correspondents, but I don't want to post it online because it has some personal details not appropriate for the world to see. If you want one, please send me an email address (if I don't already have one - at rjseaver@cox.net).
Originally published on 4 December 2007.
Friday, December 3, 2010
American Ancestors Magazine Table of Contents - Fall 2010 Issue
The Fall 2010 issue (Volume 11, Number 4) of American Ancestors magazine, published by the New England Historic Genealogical Society, has these items in the Table of Contents:
FEATURES
page 17 -- Climbing Your Family Tree on AmericanAncestors.org: A New National Resource for NEHGS Members; by Ryan J. Woods
page 23 -- The Francophone Exodus in the United States, 1840 to 1930; by Felix Lafrance
page 27 -- Tracing the Origins of Joseph Hebert; by Elizabeth Hebert
page 29 -- Bringing a Photograph to Life: The Story of Joseph L. Miner; by Megan Myrback
page 32 -- The Genealogy Services at Library and Archives Canada, with an Emphasis on French-Canadian Resources; by Nicole Watier and Sylvie Tremblay
page 34 -- Undiscovered Mayflower Lineages; by Caleb H. Johnson
page 38 -- When a Sioux Chief Met Our Grandmother: An Intersection of Two Worlds; by Cindy Haas Griffeth and Bill Haas
page 41 -- Chance Bradstreet (1762-1810), Servant of Abraham Dodge of Ipswich, Massachusetts; by Christopher Challender Child
COLUMNS
page 44 -- Genetics and Genealogy: The Gray Family of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Clues to the Origin of Jabez Warren of Lebanon, Connecticut and Brimfield, Massachusetts; by George Edward Gray
page 47 -- Manuscripts at NEHGS: Recently Acquired Genealogical Charts: Depictions of the Cooper, Folger, and fox fa milies; by Timothy G.X. Salls, Jr. and Thomas R. Wilcox, Jr.
page 49 -- Diaries at NEHGS: A Selection from the Diary of Robert Allen Hayden; by Robert Shaw
page 51 -- Tales from the Courthouse: Freeing Joan Jackson: The Precarious Status of a New London house; by Diane Rapaport
page 53 -- Focus on New York: Serendipity in New York Genealogy: My Personal Experiences; by John L. Scherer
NEHGS members can view or download this issue by clicking here.
FEATURES
page 17 -- Climbing Your Family Tree on AmericanAncestors.org: A New National Resource for NEHGS Members; by Ryan J. Woods
page 23 -- The Francophone Exodus in the United States, 1840 to 1930; by Felix Lafrance
page 27 -- Tracing the Origins of Joseph Hebert; by Elizabeth Hebert
page 29 -- Bringing a Photograph to Life: The Story of Joseph L. Miner; by Megan Myrback
page 32 -- The Genealogy Services at Library and Archives Canada, with an Emphasis on French-Canadian Resources; by Nicole Watier and Sylvie Tremblay
page 34 -- Undiscovered Mayflower Lineages; by Caleb H. Johnson
page 38 -- When a Sioux Chief Met Our Grandmother: An Intersection of Two Worlds; by Cindy Haas Griffeth and Bill Haas
page 41 -- Chance Bradstreet (1762-1810), Servant of Abraham Dodge of Ipswich, Massachusetts; by Christopher Challender Child
COLUMNS
page 44 -- Genetics and Genealogy: The Gray Family of Plymouth, Massachusetts, and Clues to the Origin of Jabez Warren of Lebanon, Connecticut and Brimfield, Massachusetts; by George Edward Gray
page 47 -- Manuscripts at NEHGS: Recently Acquired Genealogical Charts: Depictions of the Cooper, Folger, and fox fa milies; by Timothy G.X. Salls, Jr. and Thomas R. Wilcox, Jr.
page 49 -- Diaries at NEHGS: A Selection from the Diary of Robert Allen Hayden; by Robert Shaw
page 51 -- Tales from the Courthouse: Freeing Joan Jackson: The Precarious Status of a New London house; by Diane Rapaport
page 53 -- Focus on New York: Serendipity in New York Genealogy: My Personal Experiences; by John L. Scherer
NEHGS members can view or download this issue by clicking here.
Advent Calendar - December 3: Christmas Tree Ornaments
This post is number 3 in a series of 24 for the 2010 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.
On the twenty-second day of Christmas,
My super-wifey says to me
It's time to decorate the beautiful Tree!
Did your family have heirloom or cherished ornaments? Did you ever string popcorn and cranberries? Did your family make ornaments?
I really don't remember many heirloom or cherished ornaments from my childhood. Almost all of the ornaments were small or medium sized round glass balls of varied colors. We usually applied a lot of tinsel to the tree branches.
As school children, we brought home paper chains for the tree. Sometimes we had a popcorn string, but never cranberries. I don't think we made ornaments - we were boys! We did have some of Dorothy's home-made ornaments on our trees.
When we had children, my mother made Christmas ornaments for each of her grandchildren. Each was unique and incorporated angels into the design. They were kiln-fired enamels on flat copper plate. Each had the child's name and the year on it. These were given featured places on our family Christmas trees as my kids grew up. After my mother died, and as my daughters started their families, we gave them to our daughters as a Christmas gift. Each has chosen to display them year round in a case on the wall rather than put them on their Christmas trees.
Originally published on 1 December 2007.
On the twenty-second day of Christmas,
My super-wifey says to me
It's time to decorate the beautiful Tree!
Did your family have heirloom or cherished ornaments? Did you ever string popcorn and cranberries? Did your family make ornaments?
I really don't remember many heirloom or cherished ornaments from my childhood. Almost all of the ornaments were small or medium sized round glass balls of varied colors. We usually applied a lot of tinsel to the tree branches.
As school children, we brought home paper chains for the tree. Sometimes we had a popcorn string, but never cranberries. I don't think we made ornaments - we were boys! We did have some of Dorothy's home-made ornaments on our trees.
When we had children, my mother made Christmas ornaments for each of her grandchildren. Each was unique and incorporated angels into the design. They were kiln-fired enamels on flat copper plate. Each had the child's name and the year on it. These were given featured places on our family Christmas trees as my kids grew up. After my mother died, and as my daughters started their families, we gave them to our daughters as a Christmas gift. Each has chosen to display them year round in a case on the wall rather than put them on their Christmas trees.
Originally published on 1 December 2007.
Thursday, December 2, 2010
New or Updated Collections at FamilySearch Beta
As of today, there are 499 Historical Record Collections on the FamilySearch Beta site. Those added or updated since my last list on 11 November include:
* Brazil, Catholic Church Records (browse 1,496,553 images only, updated 16 Nov 2010)
* England, Lancashire – Cheshire – Yorkshire Parish Registers, 1603-1992, (browse 157,240 images only, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* Germany, Hessen, Darmstadt City Records (browse 55,528 images only, updated 18 Nov 2010)
* Guatemala Civil Registration, 1877-1934 (22,448 records, updated 15 Nov 2010)
* Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956 (browse 34,135 images only, updated 13 Nov 2010)
* Maryland, Register of Wills Books, 1792-1983 (browse 62,763 images only, updated 25 Nov 2010)
* Minnesota Territorial Census, 1857 (browse 3,983 images only, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* Netherlands, Zuid-Holland Province, Civil Registration, 1811-1942 (browse 1,342,833 images, updated 18 Nov 2010)
* Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1900 (browse 1,361,289 images only, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* South Africa, Orange Free State, Estate Files, 1951-1973 (15,879 records, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* United States Census, 1920 (now 30,396,415 records, updated 13 Nov 2010)
* United States, Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904 (browse 853,464 images, updated 19 Nov 2010)
* United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (browse images only, updated 13 Nov 2010)
* Virginia, Fluvanna County Colbert Funeral Home Records, 1929-1976 (1,866 records, updated 13 November 2010)
That's 14 collections added or updated, but only 5 of them are newly added (there were 494 collections on 11 November). It would be really useful to many researchers if FamilySearch denoted brand new collections added. The "* Recently added or updated" indicator seems to cover only the past two weeks (there are six currently with a *, and it's not clear if they are new or updated).
Researchers interested in any of these record collections should click on the "Learn More" link on each collection page to determine the extent, the source and the use of the records in the collection.
All FamilySearch Beta record collections can be accessed at https://beta.familysearch.org/s/collection/list.
Please note that this list is the actual record collections currently available for searching on the FamilySearch Beta site, not the records that are on the FamilySearch Update list released today for New Projects, Completed Projects, and Current Indexing Projects. The projects on the semi-weekly FamilySearch Update list will eventually be added to the FamilySearch Beta site.
* Brazil, Catholic Church Records (browse 1,496,553 images only, updated 16 Nov 2010)
* England, Lancashire – Cheshire – Yorkshire Parish Registers, 1603-1992, (browse 157,240 images only, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* Germany, Hessen, Darmstadt City Records (browse 55,528 images only, updated 18 Nov 2010)
* Guatemala Civil Registration, 1877-1934 (22,448 records, updated 15 Nov 2010)
* Illinois, Diocese of Belleville, Catholic Parish Records, 1729-1956 (browse 34,135 images only, updated 13 Nov 2010)
* Maryland, Register of Wills Books, 1792-1983 (browse 62,763 images only, updated 25 Nov 2010)
* Minnesota Territorial Census, 1857 (browse 3,983 images only, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* Netherlands, Zuid-Holland Province, Civil Registration, 1811-1942 (browse 1,342,833 images, updated 18 Nov 2010)
* Quebec, Catholic Parish Registers, 1621-1900 (browse 1,361,289 images only, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* South Africa, Orange Free State, Estate Files, 1951-1973 (15,879 records, updated 22 Nov 2010)
* United States Census, 1920 (now 30,396,415 records, updated 13 Nov 2010)
* United States, Index to General Correspondence of the Pension Office, 1889-1904 (browse 853,464 images, updated 19 Nov 2010)
* United States, World War II Draft Registration Cards, 1942 (browse images only, updated 13 Nov 2010)
* Virginia, Fluvanna County Colbert Funeral Home Records, 1929-1976 (1,866 records, updated 13 November 2010)
That's 14 collections added or updated, but only 5 of them are newly added (there were 494 collections on 11 November). It would be really useful to many researchers if FamilySearch denoted brand new collections added. The "* Recently added or updated" indicator seems to cover only the past two weeks (there are six currently with a *, and it's not clear if they are new or updated).
Researchers interested in any of these record collections should click on the "Learn More" link on each collection page to determine the extent, the source and the use of the records in the collection.
All FamilySearch Beta record collections can be accessed at https://beta.familysearch.org/s/collection/list.
Please note that this list is the actual record collections currently available for searching on the FamilySearch Beta site, not the records that are on the FamilySearch Update list released today for New Projects, Completed Projects, and Current Indexing Projects. The projects on the semi-weekly FamilySearch Update list will eventually be added to the FamilySearch Beta site.
Treasure Chest Thursday - Isaac Seaver's Civil War Pension File: General Affidavit #1
For Treasure Chest Thursday, I am presenting and transcribing papers from the Civil War Pension File of my Second Great-Grandfather, Isaac Seaver (1823-1901). I presented Isaac's Declaration for Invalid Pension and Treasure Chest Thursday - Isaac Seaver's Civil War Pension File: Widow's First Declaration in past weeks.
Alvina M. (Bradley) (Lewis) Seaver filed an affidavit at the same time as she filed the Widow's Declaration after Isaac Seaver's death.
The transcription of this document is (handwritten information in italics and underlined):
GENERAL AFFIDAVIT
State of Massachusetts, County of Worcester, SS:
In the matter of Widow's original pension claim No. 738,086 Alvina M. Seaver,
widow of Isaac Seaver, 3d - Co. H 4th Regt Mass Vol H A
ON THIS 20 day of April, A.D. 1901, personally
appeared before me -- a Special Commissioner -- in and for the afore-
said county, duly authorized to administer oaths -- Alvina M. Seaver --
aged 51 years, a resident of Leominster, in the County
of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts
whose Post-office address is #7 Cedar Street - Leominster, Mass.
_______________, aged _____ years, a resident of ___________
________________, in the County of ______________________
and State of _________________, whose Post office address is ___________
__________________________________________
well known to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who, being duly sworn, declared in relation to aforesaid
case as follows: that I had been married once and the
soldier twice prior to our marriage with each other
My first husband, Joseph P. Lewis, died Jan. 5, 1882.
The first wife of the soldier, Juliett (Glazier) Seaver
died Sept. 25, 1847, and his second wife, Lucretia
T. (Smith) Seaver died Mar. 24, 1884.
That my property consists of one small dwelling house
and the lot upon which it stands, located in Leom-
ister, Mass., cash value $1700.00. this is my home, no
part of it is rented. I do not have any boarders and no
income derived from my property. There is no in-
cumbrance upon it. The annual expenses which
I pay out for said property is $35.75 for taxes,
$11.00 for water rates, $3.60 for insurance, and $50.00
for repairs.
I also have $700.00 in Fitchburg Savings Bank, $700.00
in Worcester North Savings Institution, both located in
Fitchburg, Mass., $909.32 in Clinton, Mass. Savings Bank,
$500.00 in Worcester Co. Institution for Savings, $500.00 in
Peoples Savings Bank, $500.00 in Worcester Mechanics Sav-
______________________________________
______________________________________
I further declare that I haveno interest in said case and I am
not concerned in its prosecution.
_____________________ Alvina M. Seaver
[Pension Office seal dated May 3, 1901]
The death dates of the former spouses are useful information, as is Alvina's "wealth" in the banks. I summarized the probate records of Isaac Seaver in Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of Isaac Seaver (1823-1901). The real estate was sold before 21 June 1901 and the heirs received their portions on 21 June 1901. Alvina received a total of $1,500 from her husband's estate. She may have had her own bank accounts that were not impacted by the death of her husband. However, she now needed a place to live.
Was Alvina too rich for the Pension Office's taste? Stay tuned for future installments of Isaac Seaver's pension file.
Alvina M. (Bradley) (Lewis) Seaver filed an affidavit at the same time as she filed the Widow's Declaration after Isaac Seaver's death.
The transcription of this document is (handwritten information in italics and underlined):
GENERAL AFFIDAVIT
State of Massachusetts, County of Worcester, SS:
In the matter of Widow's original pension claim No. 738,086 Alvina M. Seaver,
widow of Isaac Seaver, 3d - Co. H 4th Regt Mass Vol H A
ON THIS 20 day of April, A.D. 1901, personally
appeared before me -- a Special Commissioner -- in and for the afore-
said county, duly authorized to administer oaths -- Alvina M. Seaver --
aged 51 years, a resident of Leominster, in the County
of Worcester, and State of Massachusetts
whose Post-office address is #7 Cedar Street - Leominster, Mass.
well known to be reputable and entitled to credit, and who, being duly sworn, declared in relation to aforesaid
case as follows: that I had been married once and the
soldier twice prior to our marriage with each other
My first husband, Joseph P. Lewis, died Jan. 5, 1882.
The first wife of the soldier, Juliett (Glazier) Seaver
died Sept. 25, 1847, and his second wife, Lucretia
T. (Smith) Seaver died Mar. 24, 1884.
That my property consists of one small dwelling house
and the lot upon which it stands, located in Leom-
ister, Mass., cash value $1700.00. this is my home, no
part of it is rented. I do not have any boarders and no
income derived from my property. There is no in-
cumbrance upon it. The annual expenses which
I pay out for said property is $35.75 for taxes,
$11.00 for water rates, $3.60 for insurance, and $50.00
for repairs.
I also have $700.00 in Fitchburg Savings Bank, $700.00
in Worcester North Savings Institution, both located in
Fitchburg, Mass., $909.32 in Clinton, Mass. Savings Bank,
$500.00 in Worcester Co. Institution for Savings, $500.00 in
Peoples Savings Bank, $500.00 in Worcester Mechanics Sav-
______________________________________
______________________________________
I further declare that I have
_____________________ Alvina M. Seaver
[Pension Office seal dated May 3, 1901]
The death dates of the former spouses are useful information, as is Alvina's "wealth" in the banks. I summarized the probate records of Isaac Seaver in Amanuensis Monday - Probate Records of Isaac Seaver (1823-1901). The real estate was sold before 21 June 1901 and the heirs received their portions on 21 June 1901. Alvina received a total of $1,500 from her husband's estate. She may have had her own bank accounts that were not impacted by the death of her husband. However, she now needed a place to live.
Was Alvina too rich for the Pension Office's taste? Stay tuned for future installments of Isaac Seaver's pension file.
Advent Calendar - December 2: Christmas Food
This post is number 2 in a series of 24 for the 2010 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.
On the 23rd Day of Christmas,
My Angel Linda gives to me
Turkey, mashed potatoes, and peas.
1) Did your family have any traditional dishes for the holidays?
Our Christmas dinner (sometimes on Christmas Eve, sometimes on Christmas Day) in San Diego was always turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and mince pie. I doubt that I had anything else when I was a child and young adult, at least at my parents or grandparents homes.
After I was married and we visited San Francisco, Linda's parents had one more item - creamed onions (but I didn't like them).
When my family has Christmas dinner now (us, our kids and grandkids), we have - guess what - turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It rarely changes!
2) Was there one dish that you thought was unusual?
For me, it was the creamed onions in San Francisco.
3) Not on Thomas's question list, but ... I just have to share it, because it was associated so closely with the dinner.
The absolute highlight of the Christmas dinner was the family competition that followed the meal, but before the dessert. The game was "toss the pea into the glass." In the beginning, it was just my dad and the three boys. There were always leftover peas, so one of us would commandeer the pea bowl and pass peas to the other contestants. Then we would spread out around the table and set up our water glass at equal distances from each other.
The game was to see who could toss the most peas in the water glass opposite them. Of course, the misses weren't contained on top of the table. And the misses were greeted by howls of laughter and derision. Those who put their pea in the glass, shouted out the number of peas they had made so far.
My mother, my wife and the other adult females would withdraw and not watch, but often commented about "boys being boys." My mother really didn't like this game, and I think she intentionally made fewer peas each year.
To try to assuage her anger and keep family peace, the game has devolved to throwing wadded up paper napkins into the glass or cup. My competitive daughters, and now my sons-in-law (and I'm sure it won't be long before the grandchildren) all participate in the Betty Seaver Memorial Pea Toss - but using napkins in deference to her wishes.
This post was originally published on 3 December 2007.
On the 23rd Day of Christmas,
My Angel Linda gives to me
Turkey, mashed potatoes, and peas.
1) Did your family have any traditional dishes for the holidays?
Our Christmas dinner (sometimes on Christmas Eve, sometimes on Christmas Day) in San Diego was always turkey, dressing, mashed potatoes, peas, cranberry sauce, pumpkin pie and mince pie. I doubt that I had anything else when I was a child and young adult, at least at my parents or grandparents homes.
After I was married and we visited San Francisco, Linda's parents had one more item - creamed onions (but I didn't like them).
When my family has Christmas dinner now (us, our kids and grandkids), we have - guess what - turkey, mashed potatoes, peas, dressing, cranberry sauce, and pumpkin pie. It rarely changes!
2) Was there one dish that you thought was unusual?
For me, it was the creamed onions in San Francisco.
3) Not on Thomas's question list, but ... I just have to share it, because it was associated so closely with the dinner.
The absolute highlight of the Christmas dinner was the family competition that followed the meal, but before the dessert. The game was "toss the pea into the glass." In the beginning, it was just my dad and the three boys. There were always leftover peas, so one of us would commandeer the pea bowl and pass peas to the other contestants. Then we would spread out around the table and set up our water glass at equal distances from each other.
The game was to see who could toss the most peas in the water glass opposite them. Of course, the misses weren't contained on top of the table. And the misses were greeted by howls of laughter and derision. Those who put their pea in the glass, shouted out the number of peas they had made so far.
My mother, my wife and the other adult females would withdraw and not watch, but often commented about "boys being boys." My mother really didn't like this game, and I think she intentionally made fewer peas each year.
To try to assuage her anger and keep family peace, the game has devolved to throwing wadded up paper napkins into the glass or cup. My competitive daughters, and now my sons-in-law (and I'm sure it won't be long before the grandchildren) all participate in the Betty Seaver Memorial Pea Toss - but using napkins in deference to her wishes.
This post was originally published on 3 December 2007.
Wednesday, December 1, 2010
Advent Calendar - December 1: The Christmas Tree
This post is number 1 in a series of 24 for the 2010 Advent Calendar of Christmas Memories.
On the 24th Day of Christmas,
I'm supposed to talk about the Christmas Tree.
Did you have a real tree, or was it artificial? How big was the tree? Who decorated the tree?
When I was a kid ... we always had a real tree, but a dead one. My folks would get it from a tree lot somewhere. The tree was usually 6 to 7 feet tall, and was almost always a Douglas Fir. I think we had several flocked trees over the years.
The tree was set up in the "cubby-hole" at 2119 30th Street in San Diego - the upstairs flat. It was visible from the street. I think my dad attached the tree stand, and strung the lights - they were multi-colored bulb lights on a continuous string - if one went out, they all went out. My mom would put most of the ornaments on the tree, especially the "nice" ones that were up at the top where little boys couldn't touch them. Then she had a gauzy white covering to put over the tree stand.
The "cubby-hole" was out of the traffic areas of the living room, but it was highly visible to anybody in the living room. If one of we boys were caught shaking, feeling up or opening the wrapped gift boxes, there were threats made about taking them back to the store.
There were other Christmas trees in my life as a kid. My grandparents always set up a tall Douglas Fir in their living room - in the corner by the window looking out toward the Bay. We went there for Christmas Eve because they had a fireplace (made sense - Santa could visit us much better - although he never neglected us at 2119).
The other Christmas Tree was at cousin Dorothy's house in Kensington. Dorothy was my dad's first cousin - her mother Emily (Richmond) Taylor was my father's mother's sister. Dorothy was an artist, and always had a non-traditional tree. Not an evergreen - usually a manzanita bush without leaves, or some other hand-cut bush or tree. She decorated this tree with hand-made ornaments of her own design. My mother always loved the originality, to we boys (including my dad), this wasn't really a Christmas Tree.
A side note: I'm going to concentrate in these posts on my childhood, rather than on my married family times, or the current post-children years. My goal in writing these is to be able to provide a nice collection of memories so that my children and grandchildren can read them if they are interested.
Note: This post was originally written on 30 November 2007. It has been edited slightly.
On the 24th Day of Christmas,
I'm supposed to talk about the Christmas Tree.
Did you have a real tree, or was it artificial? How big was the tree? Who decorated the tree?
When I was a kid ... we always had a real tree, but a dead one. My folks would get it from a tree lot somewhere. The tree was usually 6 to 7 feet tall, and was almost always a Douglas Fir. I think we had several flocked trees over the years.
The tree was set up in the "cubby-hole" at 2119 30th Street in San Diego - the upstairs flat. It was visible from the street. I think my dad attached the tree stand, and strung the lights - they were multi-colored bulb lights on a continuous string - if one went out, they all went out. My mom would put most of the ornaments on the tree, especially the "nice" ones that were up at the top where little boys couldn't touch them. Then she had a gauzy white covering to put over the tree stand.
The "cubby-hole" was out of the traffic areas of the living room, but it was highly visible to anybody in the living room. If one of we boys were caught shaking, feeling up or opening the wrapped gift boxes, there were threats made about taking them back to the store.
There were other Christmas trees in my life as a kid. My grandparents always set up a tall Douglas Fir in their living room - in the corner by the window looking out toward the Bay. We went there for Christmas Eve because they had a fireplace (made sense - Santa could visit us much better - although he never neglected us at 2119).
The other Christmas Tree was at cousin Dorothy's house in Kensington. Dorothy was my dad's first cousin - her mother Emily (Richmond) Taylor was my father's mother's sister. Dorothy was an artist, and always had a non-traditional tree. Not an evergreen - usually a manzanita bush without leaves, or some other hand-cut bush or tree. She decorated this tree with hand-made ornaments of her own design. My mother always loved the originality, to we boys (including my dad), this wasn't really a Christmas Tree.
A side note: I'm going to concentrate in these posts on my childhood, rather than on my married family times, or the current post-children years. My goal in writing these is to be able to provide a nice collection of memories so that my children and grandchildren can read them if they are interested.
Note: This post was originally written on 30 November 2007. It has been edited slightly.
Making Family Tree Builder Reports - Post 1: Ancestor Report
The official press release from MyHeritage about Family Tree Builder 5.0 was distributed to genealogy bloggers today - you can read it at Geneabloggers here. The MyHeritage Blog has more images here. I posted MyHeritage Announces new (free) Family Tree Builder5.0 Software on Monday after receiving a press release (I thought) that had no warning not to post it on it. My apologies to the MyHeritage team for jumping the gun on this.
I am always curious to see what kind of charts and reports that a genealogy software program offers. I posted about the new genealogy charts offered by MyHeritage two weeks ago, and they are included in Family Tree Builder 5.0 also, in Checking out the new MyHeritage Charts.
What about reports? Here are some screens for the MyHeritage Reports, and in this first post, specifically the Ancestor Report. This is the report that I create the most often. With the program open to my database, I navigated to Norman Seaver, then clicked on the Reports button on the menu row and saw this drop down menu:
The menu options are Book Report, Family Group Sheet, Relationships, Ancestors, Descendants, Timeline, Descendant Summary, Addresses, and Export Custom Report (new). I clicked on Ancestors to get a report for the Ancestors of Norman Seaver.
A report was created, but I wanted more information in the report. So I clicked the "Options" button at the top left of the screen, and saw an Options menu:
There are three tabs in the Options menu:
* General (Include patrilineage, include notes at end of report, Only include facts in report language, Show ID numbers of people, Show all generations, Limit number of generations to:). I chose 5 generations for the report.
* Fonts (Report elements, Font properties, and Preview)
* Sources (Include sources, Use short sources). I chose to not use short sources, and to use sources as footnotes (the other options were as endnotes or Do not include sources).
The top of the first page of the report looked like this:
For each ancestral person, only the ancestral person's vital Facts are shown, plus "other events (like christening and burial, and) the person's parents are identified. No children are shown, or other spouses.
The bottom of the first page looks like this:
At the bottom of each page are the sources corresponding to the sourced Facts.
Even though I requested that the Notes for each person be printed, they do not reside in the report with the person. They are printed in the report after the list of the ancestral persons.
I found Norman Seaver's Notes printed on page 12 of 32 (after his parents, but before his parent's ancestors):
I noted that in the entire report, the females were denoted by Givenname Marriedname [Maidenname] rather than the American and English convention of Givenname (Maidenname) Lastname.
I wondered if they had used the right Ancestor Numbers (some call them Ahnentafel Numbers, or Sosa-Stradonitz numbers) in earlier generations, so I added two more generations, and the software does not use the Sosa-Stradonitz numbering system! For instance, Robert Seaver (1608-1683) is the second great-grandfather of Norman Seaver and is number 16 in the report and on a pedigree chart, and since I don't know his parents names, the number3 32 and 33 in an Ancestor Numbered report should be blank. However, the report assigns #32 to Isaac Wilson, the father of #18 Nathaniel Wilson. This problem (well, I have a problem with it!) has existed all through the Family Tree Builder software reports since they started using the My Complete Genealogy Reporter system.
So, to summarize, the Ancestors Report in Family Tree Builder 5.0 has these "flaws" in my opinion:
* The Notes for the ancestral persons in the report should be included with the Facts for each ancestral person rather than in a separate section.
* There should be an option to include information about the children of each ancestral couple, and also information about other spouses of each ancestral person.
* The numbering system in the report should conform to classic pedigree chart and Ancestor Numbering Systems (e.g., Sosa-Stradonitz).
These issues may not bother some researchers. However, for me, the program does not follow standard genealogy conventions with the numbering system and ancestral report information sequence, and the report, as generated, is pretty useless to me. No other genealogy software I've seen produces an Ancestors report like this.
We'll look at some of the other reports in later posts.
I am always curious to see what kind of charts and reports that a genealogy software program offers. I posted about the new genealogy charts offered by MyHeritage two weeks ago, and they are included in Family Tree Builder 5.0 also, in Checking out the new MyHeritage Charts.
What about reports? Here are some screens for the MyHeritage Reports, and in this first post, specifically the Ancestor Report. This is the report that I create the most often. With the program open to my database, I navigated to Norman Seaver, then clicked on the Reports button on the menu row and saw this drop down menu:
The menu options are Book Report, Family Group Sheet, Relationships, Ancestors, Descendants, Timeline, Descendant Summary, Addresses, and Export Custom Report (new). I clicked on Ancestors to get a report for the Ancestors of Norman Seaver.
A report was created, but I wanted more information in the report. So I clicked the "Options" button at the top left of the screen, and saw an Options menu:
There are three tabs in the Options menu:
* General (Include patrilineage, include notes at end of report, Only include facts in report language, Show ID numbers of people, Show all generations, Limit number of generations to:). I chose 5 generations for the report.
* Fonts (Report elements, Font properties, and Preview)
* Sources (Include sources, Use short sources). I chose to not use short sources, and to use sources as footnotes (the other options were as endnotes or Do not include sources).
The top of the first page of the report looked like this:
For each ancestral person, only the ancestral person's vital Facts are shown, plus "other events (like christening and burial, and) the person's parents are identified. No children are shown, or other spouses.
The bottom of the first page looks like this:
At the bottom of each page are the sources corresponding to the sourced Facts.
Even though I requested that the Notes for each person be printed, they do not reside in the report with the person. They are printed in the report after the list of the ancestral persons.
I found Norman Seaver's Notes printed on page 12 of 32 (after his parents, but before his parent's ancestors):
I noted that in the entire report, the females were denoted by Givenname Marriedname [Maidenname] rather than the American and English convention of Givenname (Maidenname) Lastname.
I wondered if they had used the right Ancestor Numbers (some call them Ahnentafel Numbers, or Sosa-Stradonitz numbers) in earlier generations, so I added two more generations, and the software does not use the Sosa-Stradonitz numbering system! For instance, Robert Seaver (1608-1683) is the second great-grandfather of Norman Seaver and is number 16 in the report and on a pedigree chart, and since I don't know his parents names, the number3 32 and 33 in an Ancestor Numbered report should be blank. However, the report assigns #32 to Isaac Wilson, the father of #18 Nathaniel Wilson. This problem (well, I have a problem with it!) has existed all through the Family Tree Builder software reports since they started using the My Complete Genealogy Reporter system.
So, to summarize, the Ancestors Report in Family Tree Builder 5.0 has these "flaws" in my opinion:
* The Notes for the ancestral persons in the report should be included with the Facts for each ancestral person rather than in a separate section.
* There should be an option to include information about the children of each ancestral couple, and also information about other spouses of each ancestral person.
* The numbering system in the report should conform to classic pedigree chart and Ancestor Numbering Systems (e.g., Sosa-Stradonitz).
These issues may not bother some researchers. However, for me, the program does not follow standard genealogy conventions with the numbering system and ancestral report information sequence, and the report, as generated, is pretty useless to me. No other genealogy software I've seen produces an Ancestors report like this.
We'll look at some of the other reports in later posts.
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