Sanders Family Genealogy Blog

Got Records and Good Notes? Try these ideas to help.

2012-01-19T18:27:00.003-07:00

A mark of a good genealogist is their attention to detail while researching records of the past. This means keeping good notes and being organized with your information. Some techniques I have honed over the last 30+ years is to adapt different technologies to genealogy.

For example, if you are on a research trip, it helps to have several good maps, such as a: USGS topo map or BLM map, contemporary map from last 10 years and a period map for the era you are researching. You can get most of these online or at the library for free.

A GPS comes in handy and should NOT be the sole substitute for a printed map. Too often batteries run out, you get out of range (well if you are in certain locations) and frankly, they can mislead you. However, one key benefit of a GPS is that it can help with markers and tracking, every step. This data can then be used to help overlay on a Google map and show where you wen. during your research. I use a GPS for long trips too, but mostly for data gathering of where I went. This can help when you need to recall the location you were at the 1st stop, 5th and somewhere toward the end.

Besides geo-locating tools, another invaluable tool I carry with me is my digital camera. For years, this has been the best way for me take "notes". Of course I still have to transcribe them later, but when it comes to tracking down details quickly, this helps tremendously. I have found that it doubles more in rural locales when copy machines don't exist or when the document get to be too old or too big. The digital camera can make life a lot easier when researching and depending on your resolution, can be equal to the quality of the original.    Not only does the digital camera come in handy for recording notes, records, books, pictures, but it is GREAT for gravesites and headstones. If you have a smartphone with GPS and a digital camera, you can also setup the phones so that they capture the GPS location that the picture is being taken. This feature works great for times when you want to map out images. You don't have to manually locate them as they can be "read" through the coded information in each digital image.

With all the images I take, this can be rather daunting. To help manage my immense collection of genealogical pics, I use Picasa desktop and web (NOT Pablo Picasso).   Picasa also doubles as a powerful tool for editing and sharing these images with family and other researchers.

For recommendations on cameras, please leave a comment if you are interested in knowing more.   I will be writing a future post on the qualities and necessary features for the budget minded researcher.

Technology can help us today and there are many tools to make your research more efficient and easier.   Be sure to use the best of them to take good notes and keep good records.   They are critical to everyone's research!

Until then, enjoy

Family Roots - We all have them

2012-01-07T17:00:00.001-07:00

We all originate from some place and its great to also discover these locations when talking with friends and relatives.    What is even better is finding out where someone has visited and what they liked about those locations. Today, we can usually produce several pictures of locations visited, in a snap... but back in the 19th century, travel was a challenge and everyone had to have a vivid imagination to accompany the stories that were told over and again. Images and details were left to specialists.

When it comes to our family roots, we must also tap into that imagination and explore the world that was before us. You can start with doing the research yourself.   But like travel, that takes time, money, and frankly skill.   Some commercials may imply that you can sign up, log in and with a few clicks, you can find your family tree right away, but again some things are left to specialists.

Finding details on a paid subscription website can be great, but if not careful, you may end up chasing false leads, that eventually tell the wrong story.    What's worse is it get compounded by others if you publish those details.   That is why hiring a specialist with years of experience in genealogy can help save you time AND money.

If you are interested in finding out more about your family roots, I would suggest checking out Ancestral Family Roots.   They offer full service genealogy research and include many other services, such as your own family website, photo restoration, and more.

All for now... your cousin with some imagination.

Tracking your 19th Century Ancestors using 21st Century Technology

2011-12-27T08:00:00.001-07:00

MyMaps - GoogleMaps

Finding your ancestors is like finding a needle in a haystack - and decades ago, it was even harder.

Today we have geosynchronous satellites using GPS, 24x7 access to knowledge across the globe, databases with index's to help us find the elusive document, and Googlemaps.

In all genealogy or family history trips, I use googlemaps (among other features, tools) to help preplan the trips. One important element is in locating hotels, families, cemeteries, historical societies, court houses, and more. The benefit of googlemaps is that you are able to also create your own personal map, showing details that are important to your research and it also helps you to really connect the past with the present.

One powerful feature lets you overlay an image, like an old map and this can be useful for locating forgotten places or helping paint the landscape of what it looked like so many years ago. In one case, I was able to use the overlay feature to help me to locate an old cemetery from the 1800's that was no longer on any present day maps. The local families remembered a cemetery but it seems it was moved 75+ years ago. Of course, this happens occasionally, but when and where are sometimes harder to determine if records are sparse.

Another unique feature of googlemaps is that it allows you to use terrain to help visualize what you can see today and what your ancestors might have seen. Using google's Sketchup, I was able to render a 3d image of my great grandparents home, based on homestead records and old pictures. I actually integrate the 3d home into googlemaps and was able to get a 360 degree view of what it looked like, including time of day and time of year.

These powerful features help us truly visualize the places our ancestors lived to make a life for themselves and for their future generations. Future posts will tell more details about how to use these tools. If you have questions, feel free to contact me.

Isolating a Common Surname

2011-12-20T18:48:00.003-07:00

Wiley & Martha (Maloney) Johnson

Some families get all the luck - THEY have ancestors with unique surnames that sound and spell like they are supposed to, which means finding them is a census search can be a little bit easier.   With a common surname like Johnson, Smith, or others, doing searches for quality data nuggets is always a challenge.   But there are a few simple tricks to help isolate, identify, and confirm your genealogical ancestors, cousins, inlaws and outlaws.
Several techniques I use are documented in other posts, like using full and partial phonetic sounds and "exact" spellings.

The key is always to narrow down the list from hundreds to a few dozen, until you have only a few left.   Of course, the more you know about the subject, the better, but along the way, you need to make some assumptions, keep good notes on all family names and never jump to conclusions.

Always try to narrow your search to location, and by year, familial connections, sex, race, and any other biographical information you may have. If you have done this, also consider trying to isolate your subject through other similar document searches.   For example, if doing a Federal census surname search and still find too many people with the same name, take a peek at the State census records. Since most states did their census records +5 years after the Federal, you may find a common family name gets smaller.

If you anchor onto a location, a surname isolation becomes much easier.   If you are certain, then it becomes a puzzle for you to solve, by building up the connecting pieces. BEWARE you do not identify a different family, which can happen the further you go back and why it is always best to keep a list of the paths you went and the reasons you found a dead end or the next line.

Another method that I use is to isolate by an inlaws family. For example, if you are searching for Johnson and John Johnson married Sarah Butterfield, search for the Butterfields. They are likely in the neighborhood and can help you find a name through married.

If you have any questions, feel free to contact me.
A cousin in law (not out).
Brian

Family Heirlooms Everywhere

2011-12-14T16:35:00.001-07:00

Ever wonder what happened to all your ancestors' family treasures? Your great-great grandmothers picture, the family bible, the old wooden spinner or even all the original marriage, birth records? Don't be surprised if they are still around. It's happened to me. Some distant relative usually has them tucked away, and someday plans to give them to a close family member who will admire them for their sentimental value as much as they did.

Grandpa Hamar

I have been fortunate and lucky to have located many of my family heirlooms, through near and distant relatives. How did I find them?

By asking everyone in my tree - even the ones I didn't know very well.

A key to asking your relatives is to make sure they know you are not trying to claim the family heirloom. Assure them you are simply wanting to admire the items they have from a common relative. And if they could take pictures for you, that would be great. Better still, depending on where they are located, if you can meet with them to take the pictures, that would help more!

Uncle Larry

I have found relatives who had family bibles that contained new names, dates, and more. This helped also expand the family tree history. I simply asked if I could get pictures and sure enough, I was invited next time I was in the state - one even took pictures for me and sent them.

Another important question to ask family is if they have any pictures hanging up on their walls. Another true story - I asked a few times if my relative had any pictures and they said no... until one day they realized they were hanging on the wall. Those items we pass by every day might not stick out as family heirlooms.

Unknown

Another source of family heirlooms is the distant cousins or half-cousins. The further away on the line, the harder it might be to have them open up to a "stranger", even if you are family. That's why its always good to give them your phone number or website, so they can contact you, if they come across something.

Another personal true story from my genealogical research. A phone call led to a get together at a relatives house. It turned out they had discovered a cache of family pictures and document in their attic. The list was extensive: chattel mortgages, notes, canceled checks, hundred of post cards, and hundreds of pictures. The vast amount of information contained in the "collection" was immense and most over 100 years old. After 12 months of organizing and cataloging the information, several discovers were made. Contained in this set were people to attach to family names (never before seen) as well as new names to go with new relatives (never before recorded), and personal written post cards detailing the everyday events over several years. If we didn't ask, we wouldn't have discovered this and it might still be in that attic to this day.

High School

So if you have not asked your family where you might find family heirlooms, pictures, documents, and more, then don't wait another day. Start asking today! Keep a record of who has what and be sure to ask them if you can take pictures (or if they would mind).

Keep looking! Those items are out there. You too can find great family treasuries that you never knew existed and your family and all the descendants will certainly appreciate it!

Your cousin with lots of pictures...
Brian

Lost Your Ancestors? Get an Old Map!

2011-12-06T01:13:00.000-07:00

1872 - Illinois, Prophetstown Township

Maps are wonderful works of art and technology. Imagine not having a map or GPS navigation system today. We would still be able to get around, but when we had to travel "long" distances, this would prove to be a challenge, if we had not been there before (or were unable to stop and ask for directions, like most men have been stereotyped).

Having a map helped our ancestors get from the east coast to the west coast, but early on, before maps existed, people hired a guide".   These intrepid early explorers actually followed paths they had taken, but also along the footsteps of the native Americans, over terrain that had been used for hundreds of generations.

In the 17th and 18th centuries, those old trails were turned into roads, and turnpikes, which then helped early settles travel west. When the trains started, they too followed along many of the old trails, again building on what went before.

When researching your family, it is very helpful if you can find an old map from the same time period.   This allows you to see a number of things, important to your search. For example, if in the mid 19th century, a person living in Virginia would have very few choices to travel out west to the lands beyond the Mississippi.   Therefore, a period map would show likely paths they took on their adventure.   Being able to immerse yourself in the time period will help you find more details about them.

Having a period map can also help show the distances they were from towns and cities. The further they were, the riskier it was and the more self-sufficient they had to be.

Maps also show counties, which changed over time, and thus the county seats also shifted.   This may help you with roadblocks, after looking in every corner of the county court house, you might want to try the county closest to where they lived, but with an old map, you can tell what might have changed.

Other important points of a period map were cemeteries and churches.   Over time, these landmarks have disappeared or were moved (yes, cemeteries get moved as do churches) or forgotten and returned back to the ground.

I have walked a few cemeteries that were not on a modern map, but were pretty prominent on a map from the past.

You can usually find old maps in libraries, court houses, websites like ancestry.com, and on retail sites.   I will talk more about maps and their use in Genealogcial terms, at a later post.

Until then, if you lost your ancestors, get an old map and it will improve your chances of finding them, if not realizing better the challenges of daily life for them.

Cousin Brian, located at 33.4313N and somewhere West of the Mississippi river.

What Did My Ancestors Look Like?

2011-12-03T14:46:00.000-07:00

For some people, we will never know how our ancestors looked - they just never stepped in front of a Camera Obscura or had a painting done.   For those who did, we can get a good idea of features, but it is tough to know exactly what their eye, hair color was.

Pictures from the 19th century were black and white, so if you had dark eyes, they would appear dark, so brown and black eyes look the same. If you had light eyes, like blue or hazel, they would appear very light in the photos.    For hair, the same is true: black, red, brown, looks like shades of black with blonde hair pretty easy to tell.

But, if you have NO pictures or paintings or would like to know exactly what your ancestors hair or eye color was, you might have another source.   If they served in a war, many details about their physical appearance were recorded.

For example, records from the American civil war contains physical details about the person enlisting, including eye, hair, skin color, height.   WWI draft cards showed weight, eye, hair color and build.

These finer details are important as they are what make up you and me, if they are direct descendants - those genes are in you and that may be why you have the color of eyes or hair.   It also tells another dimension about our family.

Here is an example:

Charles Foy c1891

My GG grandfather, Charles Foy, served in the Illinois 34th Union Army.   I have only a few pictures of him, but they are important for telling his story. He lived from 1844-1918.

As you can see from the picture to the left, he had light colored hair and eyes.   I would guess he had brown or light black hair and possibly blue eyes, just from this black and white.

His registration record shows his hair color was light, his eyes were blue, height 5'10" and his complexion was "sandy". He was single, 19 years old, and entered as a private in 1864.

Of course, getting these records is not as easy as one might think as not everything is listed on the internet, yet.

In the course of finding your roots, it is always great to have those connections with a picture or image.   Finding them, can be the challenge. I will have another post about that in the near future.

Who's in YOUR Closet?

2011-12-01T16:50:00.000-07:00

We've all heard the expression regarding "Family skeletons in our closet".   Sometimes there are stories that you just don't want to repeat, because they embarass you or other relatives. Well, if something happened a long time ago, then why would this be something to be ashamed of?   You didn't do anything wrong.

We all have them - skeletons. In fact, I have one that I will share, but before I do, I always consider the context and impact to the individual, that family, and of course any descendants.

One of my family skeleton stories is about a great-great uncle who lived before the 1940's.   He was born in Nebraska and worked in many different professions, including farmer, blacksmith, sheriff, and driver.    The story is he married and had several children. After being married for several years, he was having trouble dealing with the family finances and as a result, his wife had him committed. This effectively revoked his rights to legal management of the finances, business, etc.

I thought about this when I first read it and put myself in his shoes.   How would I feel?   Probably embarrassed, angry, and frustrated. Perhaps I needed the help and at the time, that may have been the best way to deal with it.

What happened?   After a year in the "hospital", he was released and his "rights" were returned to normal.   They remained married and raised their children, according to the documents I found after this.   There is no family story about this handed down to me, so I can not relay the inside story, but the facts are the facts.

A key takeaway is how we perceive our past.   Culture and values change over time, as do family dynamics. When doing family research, it is best to learn as much as possible about the period you are investigating.   It is also important to know how the family unit was typically structured and what a regular day might have been for that family, in their social strata.

Finding anything in our closet may sometimes shock us, but it is good to be objective in your research, as our present day views bias most of us.   Be honest to the facts, but if details are of a living person or recent generation, I would be very cautious. Personally, I keep them private with referenced sources and do not publish on recent generations and never on living.

I am curious to hear what you think and if you would be as open about your family past - the good, the bad, and the skeletons in your closet?

Cousin Brian

Twitter, Facebook, and Sanders Family Genealogy

2011-11-30T05:00:00.000-07:00

Yes, it's true.   You can now follow me on Facebook and Twitter.   I recently setup accounts to allow everyone to track my updates, making it even easier by a factor of 42.

If you are familiar with social media accounts, then you know what to do - click and enjoy, please. I welcome your dialogue as I move through the netverse with social media.

If you are not familiar with Twitter or Facebook, then please read on.

Note: To encourage people to follow me on twitter and Facebook, I will be running an awesome promotion where one lucky person will get their family tree researched for FREE! This will go for 30 days and whoever is following me on Twitter and Facebook has the chance to win (details and condition to be posted soon).    Follow me now, before its too late!

Social Media
Both Twitter and Facebook are free to sign up and provide another method to communicate besides emails or internet blogs. The nice part about Twitter and Facebook is it helps build a community, who either want to know what is going on (with you) or share their experiences. How this applies to me is that now you don't have to go to the source, it comes to you (if you are connected via Twitter or Facebook, among others).

So What is Twitter?
The short version: it is like texting/email/bloging, all rolled into one, with a limit of only 144 characters. It allows you to connect to your friends (on Twitter) and "follow" them as they follow you.   Here is a short video that may explain it better.

What is Facebook?
Facebook is a means to share text, pictures, video, about your social status. The analog antique equivalent is a bulletin board. Like a bulletin board, you can post a note on your "wall" or on a friends "wall". This can be seen by other friends and they can add comments, provide a "like" impression, and share.

Through Facebook, you can even connect with your family, to create a "family network". The capabilities provide only a hint of the possibilities. Go ahead... check out the Facebook fan page and please LIKE it! Below is a video that talks about Social networks and how they work.

Look forward to hearing from you all
Brian

Genealogy, the Family Frontier...

2011-11-29T09:42:00.001-07:00

Imagine a future, in a galaxy, far, far away.... and a voice sounding like William Shatner saying

Genealogy, the Family frontier.
These are the voyages of the Genealogists.
Their continuing mission;
To explore strange new locations,
To seek out new relatives and new ancestors,
To boldly go where no Genealogist has gone before!

Episode 1: The Missing Relatives

Kirk: Scotty, I need more data! Those missing relatives are out there somewhere!

Scott: I’m giving her all she’s got, Captain!

Kirk: If we don't find those relatives from our past, we may never know who we really are! Spock, what are the odds?

Spock: Fascinating. There seems to be a dimensional rift in the facts up ahead.

Kirk: Sulu, plot a course to the nearest Historical Society, warp factor 4 - we NEED that data.

Stay tuned next week to hear how it ends…

Ok. Now you know, I like Star Trek. But, like those intrepid explorers of the Star Trek missions, family genealogy isn't much different, except we go to libraries and court houses for records instead of planets in the outer gamma quadrant. We meet new people, who happen to be distant relatives, or support staff at historical societies - most are pretty harmless compared to the Klingon's. And, of course the benefit of doing genealogy research is we just don't have to deal with the dangers of intergalactic travel at warp speeds!

Life is too short, enjoy it and have fun. Laugh a bit, even out loud. Be sure to leave a comment and if you share this with others, you get 2 extra points.

Be sure to go to my updated website: SandersFamilyGenealogy .

a cousin from a galaxy, far, far away ;-)
Brian

Cousin President Andrew "Andy" Johnson

2011-11-28T05:00:00.000-07:00

Cousin President Andrew "Andy" Johnson

President Andrew Johnson

From a young age, I was told I was related to President Johnson and a famous actor - perhaps that's why I sometimes get the urge to Act like a Politician? Growing up, I felt a sense of pride as I often wondered about this unique connection to history, after all, I thought, how many people can say they are related to a President of the United States?

My search for the connections to President Johnson started in earnest around 2001. The challenge was the limited access to sources of reliable information. I kept pushing on. “Once you eliminate the impossible, whatever remains, no matter how improbable, must be the truth", as Sir Conan Doyle would state in the Holmes stories. This line of thought applies to fictional thriller mystery cases in 19th century England as well as stories about your cousin President Andrew "Andy" Johnson.

Just the Facts, Ma'am

Alfred "Wiley" & Martha Johnson

My grandmother's maiden name was Johnson and her grandfather (my great-great) was Alfred "Wiley" Johnson, born in Greene county, Tennessee, in 1831. In 1862, Alfred "Wiley" Johnson married Martha (Maloney) Johnson, who was a born in Missouri.

Federal census records show President Andrew Johnson as a "Congressman" living in Greene county, Tennessee in 1850 and the Johnson and Maloney families are in the "county" (not exactly next door neighbors).

1850 Federal Census

Adding to the story, an unpublished autobiography written by a cousin, Faith Weston Todd, called "Through the Years" tells how she heard of the family connection. Faith was born on a farm in Missouri in 1892 and was the grandaughter of Martha and Alfred "Wiley" Johnson.

Faith recalls as a young girl, hearing her grandfather Alfred Wiley Johnson talking about "cousin Andy" or President Andrew Johnson. She states in her autobiography that later she found out that Alfred's father, John Johnson, was a brother of Andrew Johnson's father, Jacob Johnson, thus making "cousin Andy" a formal blood cousin.

The story thus far seems very credible and without doubt could be true.

The Realization
By 2004, the family connections were looking less likely. A book about President Johnson, called "The First President Johnson" (1968), written by Lately Thomas helped me prove our connection. Thomas spent weeks reviewing the Johnson papers at the Library of Congress and found that President Johnson learned very late in life, long after it was not of much interest to either him or the Tennessee electorate, that his father Jacob Johnson was born in England and had sailed from Newcastle for America about 1795. Therefore, his family 'history' in some books is incorrect. Taking this detail into account is what rules out my connection to this family. Other facts didn't add up, such as the birth of the parents and possible siblings.

After all those years of thinking there is a family connection (~150 years), it turns out that I/we was/are NOT related to President Andrew Johnson.

One redeeming part of this story isn't told by my family (at least in the near vicinity). I discovered in my research that in 1824, at the age of 15, President Andrew Johnson apprenticed under Robert Maloney, a tailor. Robert was Martha (Maloney) Johnson's uncle and my 4x great uncle.

It is undeniable that the families knew each other, in one fashion or another. So in the end, one could say my family helped "tailor" a President for the United States (if you laughed a little, good for you - its healthy).

As much as I would like to believe I am related to any President Johnson, I must concede that the facts don't prove this out. If you have information to the contrary, please leave a comment or contact me.

Your cousin-not related to President Johnson,
Brian

Enhancement to Ecosystem - Update

2011-11-27T23:58:00.001-07:00

WEBSITE: After 5 years, a fresh new look and new features to the Sanders Family Genealogy website. www.SandersFamilia.com/index.php   The plan was to have this finished by December (end), but completed way ahead of schedule.

TWITTER: Tweet, tweet - you can now follow me @thatGenealogist!    And to help encourage more followers, I'm offering a special promotion, starting 11/28/11. This will be a free genealogical basic package to one lucky person, if you are one of the first 1000 people to follow me. This promotion will be for 30 days or until I get 1000 followers on my twitter (@thatGenealogist).   Details will be posted on a separate blog, but don't wait! Get started now!!! Tell your friends too.

FACEBOOK: Social media is what it's all about and now, you can see the latest on Sanders Family Genealogy Facebook page.    Help spread the word.... while your here, head over to the facebook page and LIKE it... go on, it won't hurt.

The cousin you thought was missing
Brian

Thanksgiving Thoughts

2011-11-24T05:00:00.000-07:00

THANKSGIVING

Remembrance

Laughter

Together

Celebration

Thanks

Life

FAMILY

()

May your day be bright and your burden light.

Honor memories of the past and present.

Live in the moment as you won’t have another chance to experience it again.

Have a Wonderful Happy Thanksgiving

Ehancements to Ecosystem

2011-11-23T23:31:00.000-07:00

Happy (almost) Thanksgiving,
The Sanders Family Genealogy space is getting a few changes over the next few months. This should only help enhance your experience.

BLOG: For starters, the Sanders Family Genealogy Blog of 5 years is going into high gear. Recently I gave it a facelift (as you can see here... be sure to tell me what you think) and have started publishing articles about our family, genealogy research tips, and notices on a much higher frequency (1-3 days). Be sure to "Follow on Email", or "Join the Site".

WEBSITE: Planning to update the website (www.SandersFamilia.com/) to a new format, which will include more features to help in research and getting to know our family better. This should come online in the next month, provided time allows.

TWITTER / FACEBOOK: Social media is a big thing for many, and this helps spread the word about changes/updates made to the tree. It also helps highlight stories and will encourage more people to submit their own. If you have a twitter or facebook account, you'll be able to follow what is going on (and then some) as I publish updates. This will be coordinated after changes occur on the website. The clear benefit is that it helps you find out what is going on real time.

GENEALOGIST: Since I have been doing family research since 1975, I figured I might get a little more official. I already help hundreds of people through this site and outside with free advice. However, I plan to go pro and hang my "coat of arms" up for services. Details to be communicated later, but if you know of anyone who might be looking to have their family research done for them, please tell them about me. THANKS.

Get to know your Family Stories

2011-11-22T18:34:00.000-07:00

If I asked you to tell me a story about your family, what story would you extol and who would be the center of that story? Your parents, grandparents, or someone else?

Henry and Clara Sanders Family

The challenge with family stories is like fables and myths, they merge into the fabric of the past generations. Over time, the story becomes filtered and tend to ameliorate the plot line and unfortunately, many stories get "lost", so we end up telling fewer of them.

A story doesn't have to be moralistic or have a valiant outcome. Today, we are all more hurried in our actions, work, eat, family time, sleep, repeat. Our ancestors didn't have the same technology we do, so their family time was spent telling stories.

Every moment is actually a story, every interaction with your child, parents, friends, and family. As we grow older, much of the edges of details are softened and key elements may fade. Therefore, it is imperative to bring those stories of the past back to life. If you haven't already started, you should site down and go through your memories of friends, family members and record their stories. One day, someone will want to know who that person was.

With holidays on the way, now is a great time to take advantage of getting to know your family stories. Ask everyone in the family about what they liked to do, what was a typical day when they were kids, who they liked in sports and more. You will be surprised at the amount of information you get.

The best way to record these is to record them on a tape or digital recorder; even paper, pencil in a journal works great! The most important part is what you do with them - decide how to best share them. If on paper, make a copy and send to your cousins, aunts, parents, etc. If on digital media, get it out through email or a blog. Be sensitive about the information being shared as well as the privacy, for security reasons.

Don't forget that you should record your stories and the stories your remember. Those are the easiest to collect. Sometimes it is good to also check with other relatives to determine if they remembered the same things. Most times, they will remember a few more details, and this only helps build your story.

Enjoy the time, getting to know your family stories.

A cousin to be
Brian

Book Signing at Tampico Historical Society - Dec 5 2012

2011-11-19T10:55:00.000-07:00

Tampico Area Historical Society and Ronald Reagan Birthplace will host author Peter Hannaford for a Book Signing of his new book: "Reagan Roots". The signing will take place on Monday, Dec.5 at 2 PM in the Historical Society Museum located at 119 S. Main St.: Tampico, IL.

Tampico Area Historical Society - Tampico, Illinois

Author, Public Relations Expert, Former Aide to President Reagan, Peter Hannaford's career spanning over four decades, includes a long association with Ronald Reagan; representation in Washington of foreign heads of state and some of the nation's and world's largest companies; senior roles in presidential campaigns and Republican National Conventions; and authorship of numerous articles and seven books. Four of his books are about Ronald Reagan (1983 - The Reagans; A Political Portrait) (1994 Remembering Reagan) ( 1997 Recollections of Reagan) and (1998 The Quotable Ronald Reagan).

Joan Johnson, Director of Ronald Reagan Birthplace and President of Tampico Historical Society cordially invites the public to come meet Mr. Hannaford on Dec. 5.

For more information, call 815-622-8705 or e-mail - garyjoan@thewisp.net.

Written by Joan Johnson

Reprinted with permission

The Phrenetic Phonetic Phoenician Nose

2011-11-18T10:31:00.000-07:00

Most people may already know the meaning of their names, but did you know that many were (mis)spelled differently several generations ago?

Take for example the name SANDERS.

Sanders is a patronymic surname derived from the given name "Sander," a medieval form of "Alexander." Alexander comes from the Greek name "Alexandros," meaning "defender of men" from Greek alexein "to defend, help" and aner "man." source: about.com

Alexander the Great was widely respected and known throughout ancient times. His name was used for cities across the lands he conquered from India to Egypt and Greece, with many still in existence today - over 2000 years later.

SANDERS ranks as the 87th most popular name in the USA; the most popular surname is SMITH, followed by JOHNSON, according to the census of 2000.

To find the meaning of your name, there are several sources such as: about.com, ancestry.com.

Name spellings also change due to misspellings, but also because we migrate to other areas or the culture around us changes, over time.

Take for example the words I used in the title: "The Phrenetic Phonetic Phoenician Nose".   If I was from a region in the mid-west, USA, and just spoke those words to you, then you might believe I was talking about a frantic ancient Mediterranean person whose profession might have something to do with words.

However, with the written expression, its is clear I am referring to a "nose" rather than a learned professional who "knows".   By the way, the word Phoenician also describes a person who lives in Phoenix, Arizona.

With this in mind, I can now interpret this as a Phoenix Arizonan NOSE that can spout off words really frantically.

So what does this have to do with name meaning and spelling? Everything!

When doing research about a family name, going back further in time, be sure to know the context of the sources because people migrate, cultures change. Sometimes this can help you get through your road block, by stepping back and thinking like a local.

All comments welcome... suggestions to the contrary are respected and expected.
Cousin-in law-ish
Brian

Hit a Family Road Block? Take a Family History Trip

2011-11-16T08:40:00.000-07:00

For those who have hit a road block in their research and exhausted their search on the internet as well as their immediate area, what do you do next?

You take what I call a Family History Trip.

Details about your family are not going to come to you, although in the past decade, there have been incredible changes in this industry and information that previously would take months to get (if at all) is now at your fingertips.

The benefit of a Family History Trip are the new doors that will open as you uncover facts that you couldn't (or wouldn't) find online or easily through snail mail/email correspondence. This type of trip is really not a last resort, but a critical step in the ongoing search for answers, especially when you reach a road block.

One example for me is related to a story I heard all my life, about my maternal 3G Grandfather, George W. Foy. According to the story, George Foy "...came down the Ohio river on a raft and settled in the southern part of [Illinois], almost straight east of Keokuk [Iowa]."

As a boy, when I reminisced about this story, I always thought of my grandfather, George Foy, much like Tom Sawyer and Huck Fin floating down the Mississippi on a raft - I still get that image today.

George W. Foy was born in New York in 1818 and died in 1896.    Little else was known about him until I started researching further in the early 2000 time frame, building details about the family and where they lived. The "raft story" helped a lot, but when I ran into the road block, I needed to take a trip to where George Foy and his family lived before he passed away.

The location was in Whiteside County, Illinois, near Tampico. I contacted Denise McLoughlin, the Family History Coordinator at the Tampico Historical Society and with her generous help, found more information to help.   However, with the rich history of my family in this area, it became clear that I needed to take a Family History Trip to Whiteside county, Illinois. Note: Tampico is the birth place of Ronald Reagan.

In 2006, I managed a Family History Trip to Tampico, Illinois and I was able to research the old newspapers, that were still being organized by the Tampico Historical Society, and came across the obituary for my 3G Grandfather, George W. Foy. I was elated and best of all, the family lore was shown to be true, as you can see below.

As a bonus, this obituary also told me about some key facts I was not aware of, such as his move to Barton county Missouri, where he actually passed away. Why did he leave Illinois for Missouri at the age of 77 years? Why Barton Missouri? These details are yet to be discovered, but as you can see, the Family History Trip confirmed the Family story and expanded on it further.

So when you run into a Family road block, just take a Family History Trip - you never know what you will discover. For more information on this family, be sure to go to my family website at www.SandersFamilia.com.

Obituary.

Geo. Foy was born in Alleghany County, New York, August 29, 1818. After spending the first twenty-one years of his life in the east, he started west floating down the Ohio river on a raft. For some time he worked on the Mississippi - floating logs from the northern forests. In April 1844 he married Miss Nancy Dickenson and settled in Warsaw, Hancock county. At this place the two oldest of their eleven children were born. In 1848 the family came north to Whiteside county and bought from the government the farm on which he resided until last March, when he went to Barton county, Missouri. His illness began immediately after reaching their destination; he having left the house but twice. Although lying on a sick bed for ten weeks, his body was free from pain. He passed away Saturday May 16, 1896, at the age of 77 years, 8 months, and 17 days. He leaves a wife, three sons, two daughters, and ten grandchildren to mourn his loss.

Source: Tampico Tornado Newspaper, May 23, 1896. Transcribed by Brian Sanders.

Family History with Veterans

2011-11-11T18:17:00.001-07:00

Today we Honor the memory of those United States military men and women who gave of themselves to protect and preserve our Republic. This is a duty that many do without question and some who give the ultimate sacrifice. We can not forget what this country was founded on and how it has shaped us.   The rights we cherish today we owe to so many men and women of our past who defended our freedoms.

The words written on paper over 200 years ago still show the brilliance that were our founding fathers.

From the Declaration of Independence:  "We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights..."

From our US Constitution: "We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity..."

Many countries around the world look to us for leadership and inspiration.   We have a lot to be proud of and thankful for.

For those who read my posts and do family history and/or genealogy research, it is good to know we have a rich source of information online and in institutions that we can access.   For me, I am proud to say I have at least 2 direct descendents who fought in the American Revolution, and one direct descendent who was in the Civil War.   However, I have several dozen cousins, aunts, uncles, in-laws and more who have been in every conflict going back to 1776.

One story I want to share is about my maternal great uncle and aunt - Dan and Pauline McGinley.   Dan and Pauline each served in WWII. The importance of this is that much of who we are is basically a product of the heritage or stories about our past. The stories about their service to the greater good of the country are to me, the most important.

Dan McGinley was born March 26,1906 in Colorado and Pauline Foy on Jun 11,1906 in Nebraska.   Both families lived in the same "neighborhood" around Iliff, Colorado, where the majority of families who moved there were homesteaders.   Pauline graduated from St. Patrick's high school in 1925 and went on to become a nurse. Dan was a salesman and businessman.   They married in June 1933 in Colorado.

As the clouds of war erupted in Europe and Asia, we all know what happened in 1941, that resulted in the United States entering WWII.

Many may not know this, but in 1940, FDR and Congress passed the Selective Training and Service Act:

"...also known as the Burke-Wadsworth Act, 54 Stat. 885 was passed by the Congress of the United States on September 17, 1940, becoming the first peacetime conscription in United States history when President Franklin D. Roosevelt signed it into law two days later. This Selective Service Act required that men between the ages of 21 and 35 register with local draft boards. Later, when the U.S. entered World War II, all men aged 18 to 45 were made liable for military service, and all men aged 18 to 65 were required to register." (source: wiki)

As a result of this law and of course our declaration of War, in sometime in the spring/summer of 1942, Dan McGinley, 36 years old, was selected to serve in the US Army. He enlisted August 5, 1942 and was sent to New Guinea to serve until the end of the war and was mustered out on October 31, 1945.

This is Dan's enlistment record (source: ancestry.com)

Name:	Daniel J McGinley
Birth Year:	1906
Race:	White, Citizen (White)
Nativity State or Country:	Colorado
State of Residence:	Arizona

Enlistment Date:	5 Aug 1942
Enlistment State:	Arizona
Enlistment City:	Phoenix
Branch:	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Branch Code:	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Grade Code:	Private
Term of Enlistment:	Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component:	Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source:	Civil Life

Education:	4 years of high school
Civil Occupation:	Salespersons
Marital Status:	Married
Height:	65
Weight:	140

Finding out that Dan was going into active duty, one can only imagine the emotions that Pauline and Dan must have felt.   What they decided next is what truly represents courage and allegiance for one's country.

Pauline was a determined person and as a nurse, she could help in the war effort.   As a result, she felt it was her duty and could do more good, by enlisting in the Army.   This was going to be difficult at best, as the military would not allow a married spouse to join.   Therefore, after careful consideration, they decided to get a divorce, so that Pauline could serve.   Both were devout Catholics. This was difficult to say the least, not only for each other, but the entire family.

Pauline enlisted in the Army on August 12, 1942, just 7 days after Dan.   She was sent to Europe to fight the Germans and served till the end of the war, mustering out December 5th, 1945 about a month after Dan. By the way, Pauline was also 50% German; her mother being a naturalized US citizen but was born in Binsfeld Germany.

To understand a little bit more about how things were during this time, I am fortunate to have a photo copied letter from Pauline to her sister, Margie Wood, and the family. It was written on September 1, 1944, "somewhere in France". She writes:

"Hi Folks, When I get home Ill tell you all about it and its interesting stuff - but just can't be done on paper. We get good food - live in tents and wash in the stream nearby so thats our daily routine. We are now waiting to move up to the front. I surely hope it will be soon too. Haven't had any mail for two weeks and believe me it will surely be welcome when it does come. In case you never know what to send & would like to send just make up a little kit of - bobby pins, drene shampoo, ink - soap - kleenex toilet paper, and cold cream - small amount - a little soap here can be traded for a bottle of champagne its so precious.

How are the children. I'll sure be glad to come home. It gets awful lonesome here but there are some happy times believe it or not. Write every week be sure. Lots of Love & kisses. Pauline"

In December, just 3 months after this letter, Pauline was at the front lines of what became known as "The Battle of the Bulge", which lasted from December 16, 1944 – January 25, 1945 and was "the bloodiest battle that U.S. forces experienced in World War II; the 19,000 American dead were unsurpassed by those of any other engagement." (source: wiki).

As a nurse, Pauline would have tended to the injured and dying, in the freezing winter.

After both returned from serving their country, they remarried, and decided to adopt a baby girl. They both wanted to return back to "normal" life and it was not often that the events from WWII were discussed.

We all owe a debt to the many families who have given of themselves to ensure our future is filled with freedom, and liberty. I am very grateful to both Dan and Pauline for their sacrifice as well as the many others who served.

With reverence
Your cousin

How I got started in Family Genealogy

2011-11-09T08:00:00.001-07:00

I am usually asked how I got started doing family genealogy and my quick answer is "I caught the genealogy bug".   This bug has been fairly virulent and hard to get rid of.

As a child, I was a little bit different growing up (according to some sources, with questionable intent). I had loving parents and grandparents and 2 younger brothers.

How exactly I caught this "bug", can be traced back to about 1975, when I was 10-11 years old.    Fortunately, I was held back in kindergarten, because I couldn't color within the lines so in the fall of 1975, I was starting 5th grade.   At that time, we were living in North Dakota, which is VERY close to the north pole than most would think!

Like most 5th graders, my interests were diverse: I liked riding motorcycles & snowmobiles, building forts, watching cartoons on Saturday, playing sports, astronomy, archeology, math and the general sciences.

My curiosity about my origins was also somewhat skewed, probably because my folks sometimes joked I was adopted, simply because I had blonde hair, and the rest of my family had dark hair. Well I have no doubt I am my father and mothers son, but this might have had something to do with why I wanted to know more about "who I was".

In the spring of 1976, we moved to Kentucky, where I finished 5th grade and started growing more interested in collections, like coins, stamps, and books. We lived in Kentucky for more than a year and in the summer of 1977, we moved to Colorado.

My "bug" was becoming more infectious, as I started interviewing my grandparents about my history.   I would write down questions, about each ancestor, and then do a regular interview with a living family member, while recording the interview. Even today, the digital recorder is by far an invaluable tool to collecting stories about my past, and it helps when you are on the move, to have it on, because memories can often be triggered by something indirectly that you might miss.

By 1977, before personal computers, I had amassed a good deal of information on my families past, and was considering how to best put this into a format that would help people see it. That same year, Roots came out: a TV mini-series about Alex Haley's family history and I was enthralled with the story and how he was able to trace his family back so far.   I had only traced my line back to the mid 1800's and the details about those grandparents were very sketchy at best.

In the fall of 1977, I started 7th grade in Colorado and likely because of the Roots TV mini-series, one of my teachers had all of us do a family tree. I couldn't wait to get started and worked on it for several days. My "family tree" was hand written on butcher block paper showing all the connections, that ended up being 16 feet long, by 3 feet wide (and wider still with an extension in the middle). I had over 300 names, going back 5 generations, with over 33 hand written double sided 8x11" biographies of each person. I still have this family tree coiled up in my archives. Needless to say, I was fully infected by the "bug" at this point.

Today, I still have that same passion to pursue my family roots. It is very rewarding and certainly helps me understand more about who I am. I also find a lot of my family through the wonders of technology, when they happen onto my website, at SandersFamilia.com. In fact, I have made connections with 5th and 6th cousins through facebook even!

If you are interested in finding your own roots, you just need to be a little curious.   Ask questions about your family from those people in your family, such as your parents, grandparents, and great-grandparents. It is also important to record the stories about who your ancestors were, not just the dates, as they can help guide you. Personally, I have many family stories that are part fact and part fiction, so it is up to you to determine the truth, but finding it is half the fun!

You may be the family genealogist in your family, and just don't know it yet. If you have questions, don't hesitate to contact me for advice through my website.

Until the next post.

Your likely cousin, a few times removed.
Brian

What part am I??

2011-11-09T08:00:00.000-07:00

I was thinking about the Math part from my previous blog, Math & Genealogy - it does a family good, and hoping I didn't put anyone off, even though it is amazing. Still, I am going to risk it one more time... with some more math - fractions.    YEAAAHHHH!

Considering many people always want to know "where they came from", I hope I can help you answer this question. This fundamentally means we want to be able to trace back our roots to some geographic location and/or ethnologically unique place in time, and literally, you can do this in a few simple ways.

First, you can start filling in the blanks of your family tree, by digging into history of your past, with as much as you know, and/or talking with your relatives.

Second, you can have a Genealogist (like me), do a family tree for you (if interested, contact me).

Lastly, you can get a DNA test, and see where your genes really started, going back thousands of years.   I can tell that a DNA test is going to really tell you details that your great Aunt Ninnie can not!

So, once you have the family tree, we just need to know the country your ancestors were born in and what generation they came from. To keep this simple, I am going to demonstrate how this works for only 3 generations, to my great-grandparents.   Mine is actually very easy, at least to identify, since in the last 3 generations, I have only 1 great-grandparent who was born in another country, Germany.   To figure out what fraction of German I am, I simply use the 2^n formula for the generation.   When I do this, I get 1/2^3 or 1/8 German.   That's it... I am 7/8's American and 1/8 German - WOW!   That explains why I can only speak German 1/8 as good as English ;(

Its easier to see the math in action, if you look at the table below. GGMa is German.

Gen

Tot

Parents

G Parents

G Pa

G Ma

G Pa

G Ma

G G Parents

1/8

GG Pa

GG Ma

GG Pa

GG Ma

GG Pa

GG Ma

GG Pa

GG Ma

One condition I would apply is that in order to consider your "origin" and therefore, your paternal birth countries, you should at a minimum, expect the family to be living in that country for no less than 3 generations. Therefore, for me, my great-grandmother, and her parents, and her grandparents, would need to also have been born in Germany. To do this helps eliminate cases where grandparents were born in county A, then their children were born in country B, and their grandkids were born in yet another country C. It makes the fractions a bit impossible, not to mention really confusing the grandkids when you get a number greater than 100%. For example, if you do this and you get a number like 150% Swedish and 25% French, you know something didn't go right...in the number calculations!

Lets take a look at a hypothetical example, to see how easy it is. Lets say my paternal GGPa was born in Brazil and GGMa born in Peru (and have 3 generations past). In addition, lets say my maternal GMa was born in Germany, and my paternal GPa was born in the UK, we would have the following table.

Gen

Tot

Parents

G Parents

1/4+1/4

G Pa

G Ma

G Pa

G Ma

G G Parents

1/8+1/8

GG Pa

GG Ma

GG Pa

GG Ma

GG Pa

GG Ma

GG Pa

GG Ma

This means I would be 1/8 Peruvian, 1/8 Brazilian, 1/4 UK, and 1/4 German. Notice I didn't include the maternal GGPa/Ma? You want to count the "latest generation", in this case my maternal Gpa/Ma.

As you start looking at trees going back further, you may see that each generation gets smaller and smaller since we keep using the formula, 1/2^n. In fact, the 4th and 5th generations are just 1/16 and 1/32, respectively. Either way, we are still a fraction of those ancestors from hundreds and thousands of years ago and it is important to remember them and realize we wouldn't be here without them.

As always, your cousin.

Did you say 4.3 billion people - are you sure?!?

2011-11-07T08:00:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies is "Back to the Future" and one of my favorite scenes was when Doc Brown realizes the enormous power required to make the Time Machine work. He starts getting really excited and repeating the amount of energy, or 1.21 gigawatts, while Marty asks what a gigawatt is.

gig·a·watt/ˈgigəˌwät/ - A unit of electric power equal to one billion (109) watts.

Just like Doc Brown, I was really a bit concerned when I determined in my last post that I have nearly 4.3 billion ancestors, starting from 100 AD.. That just sounds a bit large, so I started looking closer at the numbers and the assumptions. I kept getting the same number, and even better, the Population Reference Bureau, determined that around 100AD, the earths population was about 300 million. Further still, the total number of people who have ever lived since the beginning of time, is only estimated to be about 108 billion!

So how is this so far off?

Well, if we start with the assumed total of 300 million around 100 AD, that means we get about 28 generations. But even that seems a bit small, since that means each generation is about 70 years, and that is a huge stretch and for now, I am going to look into this further, as something is off.

In showing this analysis, I hope the point hasn't been lost in the math. While researching your family line, it is important to make assumptions about the story being told, but to be clear and document it in detail, for you to later review and or others to follow. It is a good practice, to always annotate your sources, state your assumptions and keep clear notes for reference. This helps others in the future, as well, and they can either confirm or refute what you published. .

I hope my example was helpful and beneficial. Stay tuned for more about the mystery of the "overpopulated" world in 100 AD.

Your cousin, Brian

Math & Genealogy - it does a family good!

2011-11-04T11:21:00.004-07:00

If you were born on this planet, in the last 80,000 +/- a few years, you may not know it, but we are all pretty much the same.   In fact, we are 99.5% genetically the same.. And rather than bore you about the birds and bees, and genetics, let's talk about something really neat - math! A subject we can all "relate" to in terms of genealogy and families.

Our genes were handed down from our parents and their parents before them. We also are familiar with the phrase that we refer to based on our ancestral DNA, such as "I am 1/2 French or 1/8 Indian".

Well, my friends, before you move onto the next blog, here is a spoiler - the total accumulation of your ancestors, going back to 100AD or several generations, totals nearly 4.3 billion living at that time!!!   Pretty incredible, and you would think someone should get an award with that many ancestors! How is that even possible??

Let me show you how I came up with this number, but first, lets start with a simple example. If your parents were born in France and you were born in the USA, you would be 100% French. This is because you are 1/2 of each parental blood line. Now, consider if you were born in the USA, but your mother was 50% French, and your father was 50% German, that would mean you are 25% French and 25% German.

Staying with our French side of the family, lets continue back further in time, to say 1099 AD, and the question is, are these people still French?    Oui, ils sont Français! Now, if we go further back to 100 AD, then it gets a bit difficult because at that time, they were known as Gauls, and were under Roman rule.     And where did the Gauls come from? Check out wiki for more details on the history, but I am sure you get the point.

To determine what the TOTAL number of ancestors I have going back to 100AD, I need to make some assumptions and use a little bit of math, using a geometric progression of 2^n or "2 raised to the nth power", where n is the generation in question. This means that if 2^3, you multiple 2*2*2.

To illustrate further, lets go back 3 generations:
- 1st generation:   parents - 2^1 is 2
- 2nd generation: grandparents - 2^2 is 4
- 3rd generation: great-grandparents - 2^3 is 8

To get the total number of ancestors, we sum up all 3 generations to get 2+4+8 or 14. There is even a formula for this so we can tackle those bigger numbers, which is 2*(2^n-1), again where n = generations. Again, we find that the total number of ancestors, going back 3 generations would be: 2*(2^3-1) or 2*7=14.

Now we can figure out how many ancestors I have going back to 100AD. First we need to figure out how many generations. If we assume that each "generation" is about 20-60 years (I will explain this in another blog), we just need to calculate the number of years passed and divide those by 20 or 60.   This gives us 2011-100 = 1911 years / 60 years, or 32 generations.

Therefore, the total number of people that existed 32 generations ago would be 2^32, or about 4.3 billion!   Just so you know, we recently passed the 7 billion mark on the planet, this year!   To see how many TOTAL ancestors that would be since 100AD, we have about 9 billion!   That's a huge number and I must say, sounds TOO large, considering. More research will need to be done on this, but for now, lets see what comments are posted and if anyone can find any mistakes in the math or assumptions.

In conclusion, when you consider that the human species on this planet has been around for some time before 100 AD, then one might ask how many humans have really lived since the beginning of "time"?   In addition, one may realize that with this many ancestors, we must have one common to most if not ALL of us, which means, we are all related!

This is really amazing and why, even though I have a heritage from a few different countries, when you start going back further, it starts to blend all together.   That is why I like to consider my origins as planet Earth and I also have a heck of a lot of cousin! Of course, if you look forward 2000 years, and we spread out into the cosmos, populating other planets like Mars, imagine what they may be calling themselves and us.

Your cousin, Brian

The LIFE of EDGAR and JENNIE Foy - by Margie Wood

2011-11-03T11:17:00.000-07:00

I am pleased to announce that after many years of preparation, The LIFE of EDGAR and JENNIE FOY is available in paperback, through LULU.com.

This is a biography about my great-grandparents, Edgar and Jennie Foy, told from the view of my grandmother, Margie Wood. They were Irish and German immigrants, who settled in the Midwest during the 1800's. It's compelling and rich in detail about the trials and tribulations, the successes and most importantly, the family.

Through wars, depressions, disease, tornadoes, fires, crop failure, boom and bust, they lived that quintessential American dream. The search for our past is a never-ending journey, that we all must take, in our own way.

Available in print and e-copy. All proceeds go to support continuing research for the Sanders Family Genealogy project.

The amazing part of this book is the detail and the accuracy of which it is told. This has been an encyclopedia, for some time, aiding research through the years, proving that the information contained within matches with public documents, available online through Ancestry.com over the last 5 years. It also confirms that a lot of effort went into compiling this book of facts. It is a model for all so that we may tell the stories of our parents.

I hope you enjoy the book and the message of family.

What's in a name?

2010-02-19T23:07:00.007-07:00

As we turn over another decade, we will see census recorders canvassing the corners of our country to ensure we have a complete and accurate count of the number of people living in the USA. The task will not be easy considering the projected number of people living in the USA, but in 2010, it is more a matter of verification than recording. Early census takers had to write down all the information and since most people were not able to read or write, it was up to the census taker to interpret how to spell names. This is one reason why you will find names in the census records with several variations.

As a quick test, try to respell your name phonetically or write it out with your opposite writing hand. Chances are you will have several variations. For example, my last name is Sanders. The original spelling was apparently "Alexander", which over time and through different linguistic cultural influences, the ALE became silent and Xander, became Sanders.

Recently, one of my ancestors was stricken with a misspelling in a different record type, but has the same effect. Either way, I didn't know it at first. Her name was May Ellis, my paternal great-great grandmother who lived from 1863-1950. It is always important to consider the sources and potential pitfalls of vital records, even if they are very legible.

The record I am referring to for May Ellis was a death certificate from Oklahoma. This document was typed and as you may know, death records contain birth dates, birth locations, parent names, burial location, cause of death, maiden name and more. For many years I did not know May's lineage, but with this one record, I saw for the first time her maiden name - Horner. Since it was typed, I was pretty sure how to spell it and started looking for more details on the family. This was an exciting find for me to say the least!

However, after many hours of searching on Ancestry.com, I was unable to confirm any familial connection. Then I happened to find another researcher who listed May Ellis but with a different maiden name - Hamar. So I tried that maiden name and my other sources confirmed this to be a true match. What likely happened is that the typist of the death certificate misread a hand written name and in turn created a transcription error. If you imagine the spelling of Hamar in cursive with a poorly written "a" and a smudged or broken "m", you can get Horner.

There is a lot to be said for how your name is spelled as it denotes origin, even if it is spelled differently. Therefore, for those of you doing research on your family tree, be sure to check your spellings (twice) and always confirm with two or more reference sources, so that our future generations don't end up calling us by a different surname!

Sanders Family Genealogy Blog

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Tracking your 19th Century Ancestors using 21st Century Technology

Isolating a Common Surname

Family Heirlooms Everywhere

Lost Your Ancestors? Get an Old Map!

What Did My Ancestors Look Like?

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Cousin President Andrew "Andy" Johnson

Enhancement to Ecosystem - Update

Thanksgiving Thoughts

Ehancements to Ecosystem

Get to know your Family Stories

Book Signing at Tampico Historical Society - Dec 5 2012

The Phrenetic Phonetic Phoenician Nose

Hit a Family Road Block? Take a Family History Trip

Family History with Veterans

How I got started in Family Genealogy

What part am I??

Did you say 4.3 billion people - are you sure?!?

gig·a·watt/ˈgigəˌwät/ - A unit of electric power equal to one billion (109) watts.

Math & Genealogy - it does a family good!

The LIFE of EDGAR and JENNIE Foy - by Margie Wood

What's in a name?