Genea-Musings

Friday, June 24, 2016

NEHGS Seminar in Carlsbad, California on Saturday, 9 July 2016

I received this from the New England Historic Genealogical Society recently:

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New England Historic Genealogical Society (NEHGS)

to Present

“Making America: Researching Early New England

and Revolutionary War Ancestors”

in Carlsbad, California

From Pilgrims to Patriots: Explore Your Early American Roots with America’s Founding Genealogical Society

East Coast History Meets West Coast Residents: New England Genealogists to Help

Transplants Discover their Early American Roots

June 22, 2016—Carlsbad, California—Experts from the New England Historic Genealogical Society
(AmericanAncestors.org) in Boston are traveling to southern California to give a full day seminar on how to research pilgrim and patriot ancestors. More than 35 million people worldwide can claim a genetic tie to Mayflower passengers and many more can claim descendancy from a soldier or officer of the American Revolution. But tracing and documenting that connection is not without its challenges.

Chief Genealogist David Allen Lambert and Director of Research Services Lindsay Fulton from America’s founding genealogical society will deliver a series of illustrated lectures that walk participants through using genealogical resources for early New England, researching revolutionary war soldiers, applying to lineage societies, finding occupations of early ancestors, and more. This seminar “Making America: Researching Early New England and Revolutionary War Ancestors” will be held at a unique venue where east coast meets west coast—the Green Dragon Tavern and Museum.

Boston’s original Green Dragon Tavern was known as the headquarters of the Revolution where the Sons of Liberty, Boston Committee of Correspondence, and the Boston Caucus met to discuss the future of our soon-to-be nation. The Boston tea party was planned there and Paul Revere rode from the tavern to Lexington on his famous ride. In 1854, this place of historic significance was demolished.

Today the Green Dragon Tavern and Museum in Carlsbad, California promotes and celebrates our country's heritage and reconnects guests with the life events and contributions of our founders. Exhibits feature authentic original documents, newspapers, and letters from the era and depict the life, times, and perspectives of those who shaped our great country. It is fitting that the Green Dragon Tavern and Museum will also be the location where New England Historic Genealogical Society will reconnect attendees to their own early American origins.

Seminar Date: Saturday, July 9, 2016

Admission: $85 includes five lectures, lunch, and evening reception; $30 reception only
Time: 9:00 am – 6:30 pm
Green Dragon Tavern & Museum
6115 Paseo Del Norte, Carlsbad, CA 92011

Registration info: AmericanAncestors.org. More information: 617-226-1226

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/nehgs-seminar-in-carlsbad-california-on.html

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New records available to search this Findmypast Friday - 24 June 2016

I received this information from Findmypast today:

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New records available to search this Findmypast Friday

Over 1.7 million new records are available to search this Findmypast Friday including:

Prisoners of War 1715-1945

Over 764,000 records of servicemen, women and civilians who were taken captive during the Napoleonic, Crimean, Boer, First and Second World Wars have just been added to our collection of Prisoner of War records. The publication, released in partnership with The National Archives, marks the latest instalment of Findmypast’s Prisoners Of War 1715-1945 collection, a fascinating collection of British Cabinet, Admiralty, Air Ministry, Colonial Office, Foreign Office, and War Office documents spanning 230 years of conflict.

Prisoners of War 1715-1945 Browse

Our Prisoners of War 1715-1945 collection is now available to Browse. This browse format allows you to choose a specific piece from the archive and explore it from beginning to end.

Arizona deaths

Arizona deaths contains over 393,000 records dating from the late 1800s to 1965. Fourteen of the current fifteen counties of Arizona are included in these records. La Paz County, established in 1983, is not included as records only date to 1965.

Each entry includes a transcript with a link to the image of an original death certificate. Transcripts will usually include a combination of your ancestors name, date of birth, birth place and date of death. Image links will provide additional information such as their parents’ names and place of birth.

PERSI Monthly Image Update

A total of 81,495 images to 12 different titles, spanning from the mid-1800s to the mid-1900s. Read articles from publications put out by various societies such as Bucks County Historical Society, Cambridge Historical Society, Colonial Society of Massachusetts, Connecticut Historical Society, Danvers Historical Society, and Holland Society of New York.

NYG&B Quarterly Update

The latest issue (vol 27, number 1, spring 2016) of the New York Researcher, The New York Genealogical and Biographical Society's (NYG&B) quarterly review, and Volume 147, number 1, Jan 2016 of the society’s journal, “The Record” have been added to our collection of New York Genealogical and Biographical Society records.

Northumberland & Durham Baptisms

Over 30,000 new records from 17 different parishes have been added to our collection of Northumberland & Durham Baptisms.

Irish Newspapers

Over 219,012 additional articles have been added to the Belfast Weekly News.

Don’t forget to regularly check our dedicated Findmypast Friday page to keep up to date with all the latest additions.

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/new-records-available-to-search-this_24.html

Free Access to Findmypast Military Records from 27 June to 4 July

I received this from Findmypast today:

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FINDMYPAST GRANT FREE ACCESS TO ALL MILITARY RECORDS TO COMMEMORATE CENTENARY OF THE BATTLE OF THE SOMME

* Findmypast makes entire collection of 65 million world military records free for eight days

* All UK, Irish, Australian, Canadian and US military records free from 27th of June to 4th July , allowing researchers around the world the opportunity to learn more about the military heroes in their family

* Includes free access to 32 million World War 1 records including 4.2 million British Army Service Records, over 5.8 million medal records, over 700,000 death records and over 27,000 Pals battalion records

* Free access to all UK and Irish census records also included, allowing researches to discover what their military ancestors were doing prior to the outbreak of war

London, UK. 27th June 2016.

Leading family history website, Findmypast, has just announced that they will be making their entire collection of military records free for eight days to commemorate the centenary of the Battle of the Somme. From 04:00 ET, 27th June until 06:59 ET, 4th July 2016, all 65 million records within Findmypast’s “Military, Armed Forces and Conflict” category will be completely free to search and explore, providing family historians from around the globe the opportunity to uncover the stories of the military heroes within their own family. All 265 million UK and Irish census records will also be free to search, allowing researchers to uncover details of their military ancestor’s civilian lives.
This will include free access to Findmypast’s vast collection of more than 32 million World War 1 records, including:

* Over 19 million US and Canada World War 1 records

* The most comprehensive collection of British Army service records both for WW1 and pre WW1 - these multiple page documents were released in partnership with The National Archives and are packed with fascinating biographical details such as the names and addresses of next of kin, physical descriptions and character references from commanding officers

* Exclusive Pals battalion records covering major cities including London, Liverpool, Manchester, Glasgow, Edinburgh and Birmingham.

* Soldiers Died In The Great War 1914-1919 records

* Comprehensive, illustrated Victoria Cross records

* Over 1.5 million medal index cards, memorial rolls and roll of honour records

* Military tribunal records - the records of thousands of men who attempted to avoid conscription

* Military Nurses 1856-1994 records

* Over 25,000 British Red Cross records

* The most comprehensive British Naval collection available online

* The most comprehensive Royal Air Force collection online

The Battle of the Somme, also known as the Somme Offensive, was fought by the armies of the British and French empires against the German Empire between 1st July and 18th November 1916 on both sides of upper reaches of the River Somme in France. It was the largest battle fought on the Western Front with more than one million men wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.

The first day of the action alone resulted in more than 58,000 British casualties, one third of whom were killed in action. This was followed by 140 days of horror in which hundreds of thousands of British troops fought and died in some of the worst conditions of the entire war.

The battle also marked ‘blooding of the Pals battalions’. The Pals, who had volunteered together, fought together and in many cases died together, were mostly young, educated, white collar workers who had signed up in 1914 amid the first excitement of Kitchener’s ‘Your Country Needs You’ campaign. For many, the Somme was the first major action they saw and casualty rates were staggeringly high. The devastating effect this had on their home communities led to the experiment being abandoned after the summer of 1916.

Paul Nixon, military expert at Findmypast, says: "Findmypast is proud to perpetuate the memory of those who served their King and Country during one of the darkest chapters in the history of the British Armed Forces. By providing access to the most comprehensive collection of World War 1 service records and other military records online, Findmypast enables people to easily discover those ancestors who sacrificed so much.”

William Spencer, Military Records Specialist at The National Archives, said: “Records relating to the Somme give us a very vivid picture of what it was like for those fighting there and the conditions they lived and fought in. Poignantly, they provide a record of the number of those killed, many of whom were young and who were experiencing a battle for the first time.”

Learn more at http://www.findmypast.co.uk/battle-of-the-somme

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/free-access-to-findmypast-military.html

52 Ancestors - Week 130: #159 Hannah (Brown) Phillips (about 1725 - before 1774)

Amy Johnson Crow suggested a weekly blog theme of "52 Ancestors" in her blog post Challenge: 52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks on the No Story Too Small blog. I am extending this theme in 2016 to 156 Ancestors in 156 Weeks. Here is my ancestor biography for week #130:

Hannah Brown (1725-before 1774) is #159 on my Ahnentafel list, my 5th great-grandmother, who married #158 John Phillips (1722-before 1800) in 1749.

I am descended through:

* their daughter #79 Martha Phillips (1757-after 1820) who married #78 Isaac Buck (1757-1846) in 1780.

* their daughter, #39 Sophia Buck (1797-1882), who married #38 Thomas J. Newton (about 1800-after 1836) in about 1834.

* their daughter #19 Sophia Newton (1834-1923), who married #18, Edward Hildreth (1831-1899) in 1852.

* their daughter, #9 Hattie Louise Hildreth (1847-1920) , who married #8 Frank Walton Seaver (1852-1922) in 1874.

* their son, #4 Frederick Walton Seaver (1876-1942), who married Alma Bessie Richmond (1882-1962) in 1900.

* their son, #2 Frederick Walton Seaver (1911-1983), who married #3 Betty Virginia Carringer (1919-2002) in 1942.

* their son, #1 Randall J. Seaver (1943-....)

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1) PERSON (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

* Name: Hannah Brown[1–2]
* Sex:   Female

2) INDIVIDUAL EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

* Birth: about 1725, Massachusetts, United States
* Death: before 1774 (before about age 49), probably Shrewsbury, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States

3) SHARED EVENTS (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

* Spouse 1: John Phillips (1722-1800)
* Marriage 1: 3 May 1749 (about age 24), Southborough, Worcester, Massachusetts, United States[1–2]
* Child 1: Sarah Phillips (1750- )
* Child 2:   Jonathan Phillips (1752-1826)
* Child 3:   Joanna Phillips (1755- )
* Child 4:   Martha "Patty" Phillips (1757-1820)
* Child 5:   Elizabeth Phillips (1764- )

4) NOTES (with source citations as indicated in brackets):

Hannah Brown's birth date and birth place are not known, and the names of her parents and possible siblings are not known. She appears in Southborough, Massachusetts records for her marriage in 1749, but there are no clues for her birth in about 1725, very likely in Massachusetts.

There were many Brown families in Southborough, Massachusetts and nearby towns (e.g., Marlborough, Sudbury, Framingham, Stow, etc.) during the 1740 to 1750 time frame. A search for possible candidates for the Hannah Brown who married in 1749 was conducted in published books, periodicals and manuscripts available in repositories and online resources. A review of nearby town vital records did not provide a helpful clue to Hannah's parentage. Probate records for candidate Brown males in Worcester and Middlesex Counties in Massachusetts between 1749 and 1800 did not provide any useful clues.

Hannah Brown married John Phillips in Southborough, Massachusetts on 3 May 1749. The town record says[1]:

"John Phillips & Hannah Brown married May the 3rd day 1749"

Their first two children - Sarah and Jonathan - were born in Southborough in 1750 and 1752 respectively, and their last three children - Joanna, Martha and Elizabeth - were born in Shrewsbury in Worcester County, Massachusetts in 1755, 1757 and 1764 respectively.

Hannah (Brown) Phillips probably died after 1764 (when her last child was born) and before 1774 (when John married again), perhaps in Shrewsbury or Southborough.

5) SOURCES

1. Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), "Southborough Births, Marriages and Deaths," Page 49 (image 103), John Phillips and Hannah Brown marriage entry, 1749.

2. Systematic Historic Fund, Vital Records of Southborough, Massachusetts to the end of the Year 1849 (Worcester, Mass.: Franklin P. Rice, 1903), Marriages, page 135, John Phillips and Hannah Brown entry, 1749.

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/52-ancestors-week-130-159-hannah-brown.html

Thursday, June 23, 2016

Genealogy News You Might Want to Know

Here are some of the genealogy news items across my desk this week that might be of interest to you:

* The FamilySearch website will undergo a technical upgrade and will be down for up to 24 hours on Monday, 27 June, starting at 12 a.m. (midnight) Mountain time. Some persons think this is a move to the Amazon Cloud Services, others think it may mean the new.FamilySearch tree will be disconnected from FamilySearch Family Tree, or something else. Or all of the above. We'll find out on Tuesday next week, I guess.

* AncestryDNA now has their 2 millionth tester - see the Ancestry.com blog post 2 Million People Strong (posted 22 June 2016). This is good news for those of us hoping to have more close matches - maybe my brothers, their children, my first cousins or their children, or my potential step-sibling will test! Or not.

* Aha Seminars announced a new regular podcast called "Genealogy Connection" hosted by Drew Smith, sponsored by Findmypast. The new podcast will alternate with the current "Genealogy Guys" podcast on a weekly basis. I would have announced this earlier, but they didn't send me a press release.

* Ancestry Academy has added a number of short courses (free) and state classes (not free?) - you can see the list at New on Ancestry Academy: Short Courses and State Classes (posted 9 June 2016).

* You can watch the full episodes of Genealogy Roadshow on PBS online at http://www.pbs.org/show/genealogy-roadshow/. I missed the first half of the Providence episode and just watched it.

* DearMYRTLE and Cousin Russ presented "Seven Habits of Highly Effective Genealogists" to the Grand Strand Genealogy club in Myrtle Beach, S.C. recently. You can watch the video at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aR8ByPy1J9Q.

The last two items should keep you busy all of Friday morning! Enjoy.

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The URL for this post is:

Treasure Chest Thursday - Post 319: 1740 Birth Record of David Kirby (1740-1832)

It's Treasure Chest Thursday - time to look in my digital image files to see what treasures I can find for my family history and genealogy musings.

The treasure today is the 1740 birth record of David Kirby (1740-1832), son of Ichabod and Rachel (Allen) Kirby, in Dartmouth, Massachusetts town records:

The snippet for the David Kirby record is on the left-hand page:

The transcription of the record is:

David Kerby the son of Ichabod Kerby

and Rachell his wife was born the sixteenth day of the

month called August 1740

The source citation for this birth record is:

Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, digital images, Ancestry.com (http://www.ancestry.com), "Dartmouth, Births, Marriages, Deaths," page 196 (image 501 of 2331), Davbid Kerby birth entry; citing original data from Massachusetts town and city clerk records in Jay and Delene Holbrook, Massachusetts Vital and Town Records (Provo, Utah : Holbrook Research Institute), Microfiche collection,

David Kirby (1740-1832) is my 5th great-grandfather, who married Martha Sowle (1743-1828) in 1763.

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/treasure-chest-thursday-post-319-1740.html

Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Review: "Tracing Your Ancestors Using Google, Volume 2" Special Magazine

While at the SCGS Genealogy Jamboree in Burbank, I visited the Moorshead Publishing (Internet Genealogy, Your Genealogy Today, and History Magazine) exhibit. Ed and Rick are great genealogy friends, and recently gifted me with a PDF copy of one of their excellent special magazines - Tracing Your Ancestors Using Google, Volume 2 by Lisa A. Alzo:

The publicity for this magazine says:

This is the latest special issue in our Tracing Your Ancestors series. When we released our first volume in 2011, it was primarily a collection of previously published articles from Internet Genealogy. This new second edition contains all new material compiled by Lisa A. Alzo. It features coverage of many of the new Google tools, as well as updates of others, and many detailed examples of how to get the most from Google's toolset for researching your family history.

The Table of Contents for this 68 page special magazine is:

* page 6 - Eight Great Google Search Strategies for Genealogists
* page 12 - Google Gurus
* page 15 - Google Hangouts
* page 18 - Build a Genealogy Blog With Blogger
* page 25 - Google Photos & Picasa

* page 28 - Google Drive
* page 32 - YouTube for Genealogy
* page 39 - Google Alerts
* page 42 - Taming the Gmail Monster
* page 48 - Google Street View & Google Earth

* page 50 - Google Chrome
* page 52 - Google Keep
* page 56 - Google Voice
* page 58 - Great Genealogy Finds in Google Books
* page 64 - Google Translate for Genealogy
Each of these articles discusses the topic in general and specific terms, and often provide lists of examples or tips with very useful information.

The Tracing Your Ancestors Using Google, Volume 2 special magazine can be ordered here for $9.95 (US) plus $4.50 shipping (PDF download is $8.50 (U.S.)). Other magazines and books can be ordered through their Book Store.

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/review-tracing-your-ancestors-using.html

From the Auckland Skytower -- Post 418 for (Not So) Wordless Wednesday

I'm posting old (and sometimes new) family photographs from my collection on Wednesdays, but they won't be wordless posts like others do - I am incapable of having a wordless post.

Here are some of the most precious (to me) images from my Seaver/Leland photograph collection:

In March 2010, we visited Australia, New Zealand and Fiji on a three week Grand Circle Travel Tour to celebrate our 40th wedding anniversary, and I took some photographs with my trusty digital camera.

1) On our last evening in Auckland, Linda and I went to dinner at the rotating restaurant at the top of the Skytower overlooking the Auckland harbor.

2) The menu (I have no lcue what we ordered):

3) A friendly waiter took our picture at the table:

4) A view to the west:

Some of the photos have a greenish tint because of the glass in the Skytower windows.

More on our Fiji visit in coming weeks.

Unfortunately, I've lost the memories of all the details of this vacation - I know what we saw but can't remember what we were told. Fortunately, I found my Facebook photo albums from our 2010 vacation with pictures and some captions so all is not lost. I found that I posted very few photos from this vacation on Genea-Musings.

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/from-auckland-skytower-post-418-for-not.html

Tuesday, June 21, 2016

Is This the "Best" Census Record Ever?

Believe it or not, genealogy has its share of the funny, peculiar and maudlin. Here is a census listing that no one wants to have show up in their ancestry:

From the 1870 Census for Ellsworth Township, Ellsworth County, Kansas (NARA M593, Roll 434, Page 30, Dwelling #90, Line 34 and on):

George Palmer...........age 37....Male....White....Farmer
Elisabeth Palmer........age 35....Female....White....Keeping House
Libby Thompson.........age 18....Female....White....Diddles
Harriet Parmenter.......age 23....Female....White....Does Horizontal Work
Ettie Baldwin.............age 23....Female....White....Squirms in the dark
Lizzie Harris..............age 24....Female....White....Ogles fools
John Edward Harris ....age 4....Male....White

The next household on the next page is:

Josephine DeMerritt.....age 27..Fem...White
Nellie Burnham...........age 23..Fem...White
Millie Grofton............age 26..Fem...Black..Cook

Both households were listed as “House of Ill Fame” on Margin.

So who do you think gave this information to the census taker? I noted that George and Elizabeth have been married since April 1870, so perhaps Elizabeth was also a prostitute before she married George.

I wrote about this ten years ago, and a comment by Anne said:

"I am an amateur genealogist and historian in Wichita, KS. A friend directed me to your peculiar census record, knowing I research madames and prostitutes of early Wichita.

"The census taker was undoubtedly all too well aware of the occupations of the members of the Palmer household, and was probably bored when he wrote those occupations for the female boarders. Josephine DeMerritt was the first name on the next page of the census, and that's why she and Nellie didn't get the same treatment as the ladies on the previous page. I can tell you for certain that Josephine was indeed a prostitute, and Nellie almost certainly was as well. The Palmers ran a brothel. It wasn't as fancy as a parlor house, but it was better than a crib on the line.

"At the time of the 1870 census, the railroad in Kansas only ran as far south as Ellsworth. By the time of the 1871 season, the railhead had been extended to Newton, and Josephine had gone south as well. She had become the mistress of Edward T. "Red" Beard, who ran a dance hall in Newton. By 1872, the railhead had been extended to Wichita and Red and Josephine had a dance hall in Delano, the lawless township on the west side of the Arkansas River from Wichita. Red had a running feud with "Rowdy Joe" Lowe, who had also moved his rival dance hall south with the railhead, and right next door to Red's. It all came to a head on a day in October 1873 when Rowdy Joe shot Red Beard. Josephine claimed that Red had made her a co-owner of the dance hall in Delano, but when Red's wife showed up in Wichita the papers were proved to be a forgery. Josephine spent a couple of years in Leavenworth Penitentiary, was released, and ended up in Leadville, CO. After escaping to Fort Worth, Texas, Rowdy Joe spent some time in Leadville as well, before ending his days in Denver.

"Josephine was one of the few prostitutes I have researched who used her own name instead of an assumed name."

I appreciate that Ann has done some research - I wonder if she ever published anything about these "interesting" persons in the records.

Now I'm wondering if any of my readers have a candidate for "Best census record ever." Please let me know - I need blog fodder!

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The URL for this post is: http://www.geneamusings.com/2016/06/is-this-best-census-record-ever.html

Lyle Carringer Enlists in the U.S. Marines Corps Reserves

I love to search through the San Diego Union and Evening Tribune newspaper articles on GenealogyBank for my Carringer, Auble and Seaver families.

I found a good one today - the article noting the enlistment of my grandfather, Lyle L. Carringer in the U.S. Marines Reserve.

Here is the GenealogyBank search result:

The snippet of the article:

The transcription of the article:

17 San Diegans
Take Oath of
Allegiance
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In Active Service With United
States Marine Reserve
Corps; 5 From Marston's
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Seventeen San Diegans have
taken the oath of allegiance and
are now in active service with
the United States marine reserve
corps, according to Sergeant H.
A. clausen, in charge of the
local marine corps recruiting
station. Among the men are
five clerks employed at Mar-
ston's a former bluejacket, and
a retired hardware merchant.

The seventeen marine corps
reservists include Charles P.
Hornbeck, Schuyler Case, Harry
Hornbeck, Adolphus Riddle,
Harry Riddell, Harry H. Hinde,
George Bradbury, Arthur Brad-
bury, Lyle L. Carringer, Beaufort
Brabazon, Willard Houghton,
Perry Spelts, Clarence Schmid,
Wilfred Coull, Martin Hansen,
Herschell Combs and Orvin
Barnes.

The source citation for this article is:

"17 San Diegans Take Oath of Allegiance," The San Diego [CA] Union, 9 May 1917, page 3, column 4, Lule L. Carringer entry; digital image, GenealogyBank (http://www.genealogybank.com : accessed 21 June 2016), Newspaper Archives collection.

I wonder who the other Marston's employees are who enlisted with Lyle. He started working at Marston's, a downtown San Diego department store, as a cash boy at age 13, and worked there for 56 years.

I wonder if there are any descendants of these 17 enlistees who did not know that there ancestor enlisted in the Marine Reserves. Perhaps they will Google the ancestors name and find this blog post.

Here is my grandfather in his Marine Corps uniform (I love this photo!):

Search engines are amazing! I keep finding articles like this every time I venture into the San Diego papers on GenealogyBank.

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The URL for this post is:

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Friday, June 24, 2016

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Wednesday, June 22, 2016

Tuesday, June 21, 2016