40th & Plum

Amanuensis Monday – 1930 Census Entry for Russell Price Family

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 08 Dec 2020 02:35:00 +0000

In 1930, Russell and Maude Price lived in Melrose with seven of their eight children. Aunt Eunice, the youngest, was not born yet. Russell owned his own home, which was valued at $3,000 ($46,550 in today’s dollars). He was employed as a farm laborer at the time of the census, which was taken the first year of the Great Depression.

Both Russell and Maude could read and write. All of the children old enough – Juanita, Jeannette, Herman and James – attended school that year.

Several relatives lived in the same neighborhood, including Russell’s parents, Allen and Caroline Price. Lucius Baldwin, who lived next door to Allen and Caroline, was Russell’s cousin. Annie Harper, who was instrumental in Russell’s decision to attend seminary in New York, lived two doors down from Russell and Maude in 1930.

Abstract:

· Russell A Price, head, owned home, value $3,000,did not live on a farm, male, white, 37 years old, married at age 22, can read and write, born in Florida, father born in South Carolina, mother born in Florida, occupation: farm laborer, not a veteran

· Maud Price, wife, female, white, age 37, married at age 22, can read and write, born in Florida, father born in Alabama, mother born in Florida

· Jaunita, daughter, female, white, age 14, attended school, can read and write, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

· Jenett, daughter, female, white, age 11, attended school, can read and write, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

· Herman, son, age 9, male, white, attended school, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

· James, son, age 7, male, white, attended school, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

· Ruth, daughter, female, white, age 5 years and ? months, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

· Allen, son, male, white, age 3 years and 9 months, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

· Mildred, daughter, female, white, age 1 year and 4 months, born in Florida, father and mother born in Florida

Source: 1930 U.S. Census, Putnam County, Florida, population schedule, 18^th Precinct, ED 0026, sheet 1A, dwelling 8, family 8, Russell A. Price; database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com); citing FHL microfilm 2340067.

52 Ancestors 2020 Week 1 - Fresh Start

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Fri, 10 Jan 2020 03:48:00 +0000

So I'm a couple days late on this one, but I'm adjusting to a new work schedule (3:30am wake-up calls! Yikes!) and my brain is not functioning by the time I get home. I finally had an idea yesterday, and today that solidified a little bit more, so here we are.

I need a fresh start on DNA. I tested long ago, and other than confirming a couple of relationships, I haven't done much with it. Thanks to Robeta Estes' blog, DNA Explained, I've recently learned of new (to me) tools to help with autosomal DNA results. I'm excited to make a plan and get started!

My first project is going to be those pesky Hortons of East Tennessee. I've written about them before, but to recap, Richard D. Horton and Rhoda Frost married in Anderson County in 1852¹. By 1861, they divorced² and within two years, Richard married Mary Jane Trail.³ Richard and Mary moved to Kentucky shortly thereafter, and had several children there.

In the 1850 census, Richard, age 19, is enumerated with one Rebecca Horton, age 47, in Anderson County.⁴ Others listed in the household are America Horton (age 26), Lucy F. Horton (age 9), and Zachariah T. Horton (age 3). I've always assumed that Rebecca is Richard's mother, but I have nothing linking them together except this census document. I have no clue who Richard's father may be, as it appears that Rebecca never married.

I'm hoping DNA can help solve this mystery!

From his marriage to Rhoda Horton, Richard had the following sons:

Elijah Walker Horton, born 1853
Benjamin Franklin Horton, born 1853 (twins)
George Horton, born about 1857

Richard and Mary Jane had the following sons, that I know of:

Joe Smith Horton, born about 1866⁵
William H. Horton, born about 1872
Richard Horton, born about 1874

My initial plan is to find direct-line descendants of these men and, hopefully, identify cousins that can Y-DNA test (or have already).

I also need to start using the tools discussed on Roberta's blog, and will focus my initial efforts on identifying Horton cousins through these resources.

Sources:

1. "Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1850," database with index, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed January 9, 2020), Anderson County, entry for R.D. Horton and Rhado [sic] Frost.

2. Hutton, Edith Wilson. Anderson County, Tennessee: Divorces and Naturalizations, 1844 through 1920. Knoxville, TN: E.W. Hutton, 1992.

3. "Tennessee County Marriages, 1790-1950", database with images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed January 9, 2020). Knox County > Marriage licenses, 1860-1863 > image 1353 of 1936. Entry for R. D. Horton and Mary J. Trail.

4. "United States Census, 1850," database with images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed January 9, 2020), Tennessee > Anderson > Anderson County > image 128 of 158 > entry for Rebecca Horton; citing NARA microfilm publication M432, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

5. "United States Census, 1880," database with images, FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed January 9, 2020), Kentucky > Warren > Rich Pond > image 20 of 33, entry for R.D. Horton household; citing NARA microfilm publication T9, (Washington, D.C.: National Archives and Records Administration, n.d.).

Getting Organized (Part 1)

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Wed, 04 Sep 2019 12:33:00 +0000

About two weeks ago, I revisited a project to get my 20+ years of research digitized and organized. Last night, DearMyrtle posted aboutthe same concept, outlining her process, which is a bit different than mine.

Simon Sinek’s TED talk, “Start with Why,” is meant to address leadership topics, but I think it can apply to other areas of life. As much as I hate filing and keeping logs, I definitely need to apply his principles to this project. My motivation for doing this is that I want to apply to for several state pioneer certificates. Having my research results in writing and documented in my Legacy file will make it easier when I start those applications.

Actually, listening to that talk again, I guess the above is more of the end result of my process. My motivation is to allow other researchers and cousins to have confidence in my research. (How can I hope to transition to being a trusted professional if my own family files are a mess?)

My process includes one step that DearMyrt’s does not: writing proof statements for each BMD event and relationships to parents for each of my direct line ancestors. This is something I didn’t know was a thing until a few years ago, so I have a lot of catching up to do!

This is my own process:

Gather documents
Process documents (Scan, create citation, transcribe, document events in Legacy)
Create proof statements in Evernote and copy to Legacy
Create research plans for questions that come up during steps 1-3

I like DearMyrt’s suggestion of working with couples. It makes a lot more sense than doing individuals, so that is one change I am making to my methodology.

My mom researches her side of the family. Even though we’ve spent countless hours discussing her research over the years, I’m not ready to tackle documenting someone else’s research! So my focus is on my dad’s side of the family, starting on his mother’s side, so I can get my Florida pioneer certificate application in before the end of the year.

So far, I’ve completed my parents and grandparents (this was as far as I got when I started this project several years ago, but I’ve spent some time reviewing and making sure the documents were transcribed). This week my focus is on Russell and Maude (Sikes) Price, my great-grandparents.

AmericaGen Chapter 26: Cemetery and Burial Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 30 Jul 2019 01:07:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 26 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Cemetery and Burial Records.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 727-738. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

It's hard to believe that this is the last week of our study group! I've enjoyed the experience and have learned a lot from my fellow panelists. I'm not sure what I'll do with my Wednesday afternoons now. Maybe get back to research or writing? I'm sure I'll find some kind of trouble to get into! :-)

The last chapter focuses on cemeteries and burial records. Most of my family is from the rural south, where cemetery records are not common. Although sites like Find A Grave are great resources, I prefer to visit the cemetery in person when possible. Many times the cemetery listings at Find a Grave aren't complete and not all that have been added have photos. There's also nothing quite like looking at the tombstones and surrounding area in person.

When I first started researching, I went to Eliam Cemetery in Melrose, where most of my grandmother's family is buried. The Baldwin section was particularly interesting because I discovered that Leonard and Addie Baldwin had several children who died as infants or toddlers.

Leonard Baldwin and Addie Johnson were married on September 21, 1865 in Putnam County. Their first child was born in 1866 and died at 13 months of age. A year later they had their second child, who also died just after his first birthday. In all, they had 12 children, but only two survived to adulthood. All but one child has marked graves near their parents.

Robert E.L. Baldwin (1873-1874) and Theodocia Baldwin (1872-1873) tombstones, Eliam Cemtery, Melrose, Florida. Photos taken by Marceline Beem on July 29, 2019.

The following chart summarizes the children as they appeared in census records and their memorials on Find a Grave.

Several things jumped out at me after I made this chart:

Lucius (L. M.) is not on the 1880 census, and Thomas does not appear anywhere after that census listing. Thomas is not listed on Find A Grave. I went to the cemetery today to check for him or other children that are not on Find A Grave, but there is not a tombstone in the Baldwin family section. It seems odd that all of the other children have marked graves, but Thomas does not. Are Thomas and Lucius the same person? This is a conflict I need to resolve.

Of the 12 (or 11?) children, seven do not appear on any census records at all. Only a visit to the cemetery (pre-internet days) told me about this family's experience with so many children dying so young.

Two of Leonard's sisters, Martha and Nancy, also had several children who died as infants and toddlers. These children are buried in the same section as Leonard and Addie's children. The magnitude of the number of childhood deaths is overwhelming when you stand in the cemetery and see the grave sites together.

Overview of the cemetery markers of the Baldwin, Jernigan, and Weeks children in Eliam Cemetery, Melrose, Florida. Photo taken on July 29, 2019 by Marceline Beem.

If cemetery records exist, by all means consult them. They may contain clues that you can't find in other sources. However, even when cemetery records are available or transcriptions and/or images are online, nothing beats visiting the cemetery in person. I've made several research trips over the years, and always include that on the to-do list. Sometimes I don't know where someone is buried, but if I make that discovery while I'm at the location, that cemetery visit gets pushed to the top of the priority list.

Sources:

"Florida, County Marriage Records, 1823-1982," entry for Leonard Baldwin and Adaline Johnson, Putnam County, 21 Sep 1865; database at Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed July 29, 2019), citing Putnam County Courthouse marriage records.

1870 U.S. Census, Putnam County, Florida, population schedule, Orange Springs, page 46 (handwritten), page 535 (stamped), dwelling 130, family 124, Len Baldwin. Imaged at Ancestry (http://www. Ancestry.com : accessed July 29, 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 133.

1880 U.S. Census, Putnam County, Florida, population schedule, Precinct 11, ED 134, page 18B (handwritten), dwelling 114, family 114, Leonard Baldwin. Imaged at Ancestry (http://www. Ancestry.com : accessed July 29, 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 131.

1885 Florida State census, Putnam County, District 11, page 165, family 1079, Leonard Baldwin. Imaged at Ancestry (http://www. Ancestry.com : accessed July 29, 2019), citing National Archives microfilm publication M845.

1900 U.S. Census, Putnam County, Florida, population schedule, Precinct 18, ED 149, page 8B (handwritten), dwelling 122, family 122, Leonard Baldwin. Imaged at Ancestry (http://www. Ancestry.com : accessed July 29, 2019), citing FHL microfilm 1240176.

Find A Grave, (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed July 29, 2019) > Putnam County, Florida > Eliam Cemetery > Baldwin

Find A Grave, (https://www.findagrave.com : accessed July 29, 2019), memorial page for Effie E. Riles (1880 - 30 October 1857), Find A Grave Memorial no. 101815913, citing Oak Hill East Cemtery, Palatka, Putnam County, Florida, USA; Maintained by Mack Wills (contributor 46912082).

AmericaGen: Military Records Colonial Wars and the American Revolution

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 18 Jun 2019 23:13:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 26 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Military Records: Colonial Wars and the American Revolution.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 653-688. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

I love researching in military pension records and related record groups. Revolutionary War pension files have often provided a great deal of information or provided me with clues that have lead to other sources for research.

Before the filming of pension records, researchers would write the archives and ask for information about a soldier they were researching. The correspondence was maintained in the files and included in the film and/or digitization projects. It's interesting to read the correspondence and see what the clerks deemed important enough to share with researchers. Sometimes requests were denied because the clerks had too may requests. Sometimes they provided just a few snippets of information. Sometimes they omitted information that we would consider important.

One example of this is found in the file for Henry Jolly, who served in 8th Pennsylvania Regiment. One of the pieces of correspondence was written in 1931. The clerk provided the following summary:

The data furnished herein are obtained from the papers on file in pension claim, S.41710, based upon his service in that war.

Henry Jolly enlisted August 9, 1776 in Washington County, Pennsylvania and served as private in Captain Van Swearingen's Company, Colonel [illegible] Mackey's 8th Pennsylvania Regiment until the spring, 1777, from which time he served in Captain Van Swearingen's Company attached to Colonel Daniel Morgan's Virginia Regiment until the spring, 1778, from which time he served in Lieutenant Colonel Stephen Bayard's 8th Pennsylvania Regiment until August, 1779.

He was allowed pension on his application executed April 30, 1818, while a resident of Washington County, Ohio. Hew as then in the sixty-first year of his age.
In 1825, the soldier's wife was seventy-seven years of age, her name now shown; four children were living away from home but their names were not given.

Fortunately, today we can view the entire file on line. There is a lot of information that the clerk did not include in the above summary, including the fact that pension eligibility was questioned after the initial award. In 1825, Henry Jolly provided another declaration. This time, in addition to his military service history and an inventory of his personal property, he stated that he was an associate judge for Washington County, Ohio, from 1818 to 1824, receiving about $50 per year for that service. For the 18 months prior to the deposition, he had been unable to perform any labor on his farm, which provided about $10 a year income.

Until I read this file, I had no idea that Henry Jolly was a judge in Ohio. That alone was worth the time and effort to locate the original file instead of relying solely on an abstract!

Draper Manuscripts

One source for gaining insight into ancestors who served in the Revolutionary War is the Draper Manuscript Collection. I think this collection should have been included as a resource in this chapter.

Lyman Draper was an historian who interviewed hundreds of Revolutionary War veterans and their descendants during the 1800s. His volumes of notes is now housed at the Wisconsin Historical Society in Madison, Wisconsin, but microfilmed copies are available at the Family History Library and other research institutions (e.g. universities) across the country. Josephine Harper's book, Guide to the Draper Manuscripts, is an invaluable index to the collection. If your Revolutionary War ancestor lived in Ohio, Tennessee, Kentucky, and other areas covered by Draper, you definitely need to check this book.

Draper's interview with Henry's son-in-law, Vachel Dickerson, is recorded in Series 9S. His notes include a transcript of Henry Jolly's family Bible record. The notes also give a physical description of Henry, saying he was "six feet in height - raw boned & very hardy."

Draper's notes from his interview with Vachel Dickerson, including a transcript of the family Bible

The following is a transcript of Draper's notes on the Bible entries:

Henry Jolly, son of Peter & Martha Jolly, was born Dec. 28th 1757.
Rachel Grist, daughter of John & Elizabeth Grist, was born February 14th, 1765. Henry Jolly & Rachel Grist were married, March 27th 1781.
James Jolly, son of Henry & Rachel Jolly, was born May 25th, 1790 & died July 27th 1792.
Wm. Henry Jolly, son of Henry & Rachel Jolly, was born Sept. 29th, 1796.
Kenzie Dickerson Jolly, son of Henry & Rachel Jolly, was born April 19th, 1798.
Sidney Jolly, daughter of Henry & Rachel Jolly, was born March 29th, 1800.
Albert Gallatin Jolly, son of Henry & Rachel Jolly, was born March 5th, 1803.
Rachel Jolly, wife of Henry Jolly, departed this life November 8th 1805, in the forty first year of her life.
Vachel Dickerson, son of Thomas and Margaret Dickerson, was born Sept. 29th 1790.
Vachel Dickerson & Sidney Jolly were married April 11th 1816. Have had 12 children, 7 living.

The interview notes go on to give detailed information about the Dickerson family, including stories about their life on the Ohio River frontier after the Revolutionary War.

This isn't the only series in the manuscripts that mentions Henry Jolly or Thomas Dickerson, but this was a gold mine for the family's history. If you have a Revolutionary War ancestor, you absolutely must use Harper's index to search for your relative and his associates.

AmericaGen Chapter 24: Church Records and Family History

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 13 May 2019 00:26:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 24 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Church Records and Family History.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 585-624. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

In this chapter, the author discusses the use of church records in American research. This is an area I have not explored much, as most of my ancestors were members of churches that did not systematically record vital statistics in their records. Most of the church records I've used in my research have been secondary sources - church histories or biographies of ministers. However, one church record in particular will help me in proving residency to qualify for the Florida Pioneer Descendant Certificate. To qualify at the county level, one must prove descent from someone who lived in a Florida county prior to its creation.

My Baldwin family lived in Duval County, Florida in 1850. The census from that year is the earliest document I've found to date showing them as Florida residents. Knowing that James Baldwin owned land in North Carolina and in Putnam County, Florida, I assumed he owned land in Duval County as well. I did find a listing for him in the deed index, but the deed itself is no longer extant, thanks to a courthouse fire in Jacksonville in 1906. Of course, the index gives only his name and not the precise location of the property, so the index is not helpful for determining residency for the purposes of the Pioneer Certificate.

Beulah Baptist Church was organized in Duval County, Florida in 1850. One of the charter members was Elvy Baldwin, wife of James Baldwin. Clay County was formed from Duval County in 1858 and included the area where Beulah Baptist Church was located. (This census map shows the area of Duval County that later became Clay County). As a charter member, we can be pretty certain that Elvy Baldwin lived close to the church in 1850, providing evidence that she was a resident of Clay County before its creation.

One other document shows the Baldwins lived in Clay County prior to its formation-- the petition requesting the state allow the creation of Clay County from Duval County. However, that document is signed only by James Baldwin, as Elvy would not have had legal standing to sign that document. The list of charter members is the only document directly naming Elvy as a resident of the section of Duval County that became Clay County, qualifying her for inclusion as a Florida pioneer.

AmericaGen: Chapter 22 Court Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 09 Apr 2019 13:28:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 22 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Court Records and Family History.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 547-574. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

This chapter discusses the use of court records in genealogy research. I admit to not being well-versed in using court records (outside of land and probate files), and have only dug into court records in the last several years. Two years ago, I traveled to Knoxville, Tennessee to research and had the opportunity to spend some time at the Knox County Archives. The archives are the repository for Hamilton District Superior Court, which tried cases for East Tennessee counties from 1792-1809. The archives has an online index to these cases, making it easy to find and order records.

In 1798, Robert King wrote a $500 bond to purchase 200 acres of land for Robert Burk.

Source:

Transcript:

Source: Burk v King, Docket #908/631,638 (1803), Hamilton District Superior Court of Law and Equity.

Know all men by these presents that I Robert King of Hakins [sic] County

and State of Tennessee am held and firmly bound unto Robert Burk

Late of Jefferson County and State aforesaid in the penal sum of

five hundred dollars to be paid unto the said Robert Burk his Heirs

Execrs Adminirs or assigns - to the which payment will and Truly to

be made and done I bind myself my heirs Execrs Adminrs and assigns

jointly and severaly firmly by these presents sealed with my seal

and sealed this 18th

Day of April 179?

The condition of the above obligation is such that if the above

Bonded Robert King shall make or cause to be made a good

and suficient Title in fee simple to Two hundred acres of

Land of the first quallity of valley Land to be situate

on poplar Creek, powels valley or within fifteen miles of

Southwest Point - to be well timberd and sufficient spring

said Title to be made within six months after [date?]

then the above obligation to be void and of none effect otherwise

to be and remain in full force and value in Law

Signed Sealed this 18th Day of April 1798.

Test- Robert King (seal)

W. L. [Lovely?]

Alexander Brown

In 1801, Robert Burk filed a lawsuit against Robert King in Knox County for not fulfilling the terms of the bond.Robert King countersued, denying Burk's claim. In 1803, the suit was filed in Hamilton District Court. Robert Burk was awarded $500 in damages, but the case continued until 1815 as attempts were made to recover the money King now owed Burk.

This case provided a migration trail for Robert Burk, who lived in Jefferson County when the bond was signed in 1798. By 1801, he had moved to Knox County, and a few years later, he was living in Roane County. Roane County was formed in 1801 from Knox County. I haven't done the research yet to determine if Robert Burk lived in that section of Knox County in 1801 or if he physically moved. Images of Knox County deeds have recently been added to Family Search, so I can now do that research from home.

Robert Burk is an associate of my direct ancestor, Joseph Horton, whom I've blogged about several times. Joseph Horton also lived in Jefferson, Knox and Roane Counties at the same time as Robert Burk. Although the case file never mentions any of the Horton clan, it can (and will be) used as indirect evidence in establishing that Joseph Horton who died in Roane County in 1813 is the same Joseph Horton who lived in Lincoln County, North Carolina in 1790.

Chapter 21: Abstracting Probate and Land Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 25 Mar 2019 13:48:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 21 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Abstracting Probate and Land Records.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 520-546. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

I'm one of those who disagree with the author's take that some records should be abstracted rather than transcribed. If at all possible, I prefer to get a copy of the original record, transcribe it, and then abstract it if needed. You never know when you might need that original copy, so I'd rather have it then need to go back and find it months or years later.

One of my gigs is a professional transcriber of audio files. The company I contract with uses proprietary software in the cloud for our work. Typing in Word and then using copy/paste is not allowed because Word does weird stuff behind the scenes when you use the paste function in the company software. However, we are allowed to copy/paste from Notepad, and there have been occasions where I've done this for specific projects, just to make life easier.

I likewise get frustrated trying to transcribe old documents in Word. While the auto-correct feature is great for most writing I do, it's not so great when you are trying to preserve the spelling, punctuation, and grammar of the original document. When I transcribed the deed I am sharing today, I decided to try it in Notepad instead of Word. It was so easy! There were a few times that the program auto-corrected a spelling error, but I was able to change it back with just one try, rather than the several tries it takes with Word. There's probably a way to disable the auto-correct feature in Notepad, but I haven't taken the time to customize it yet.

In our last lesson, I shared a deed that I am currently using in my research. I want to know what relationship, if any, exists between Moses Smith who died in Marion County, South Carolina in 1848 and John Smith, Senior who sold land to Richard Grantham in neighboring Bladen County in 1757. (Moses Smith married Richard's daughter, Hannah). You can view the originaldocument if you'd like.

Transcript

Source: Bladen County, North Carolina Deed Book 23, page 488

No 378

John Smith Senr

Richard Grantham

This Indenture the 6th Day of January in the year of our Lord one thousand

Seven hundred & Steventy five between John Smith Senr of Bladen County &

Province of North Carolina Planter of the one part & Richard Grantham of

the same province & County aforesaid Planter of the other part witnesseth

that the aforesaid John Smith Senr for & in consideration of the sum

of Twelve pounds proclamation to him in hand paid by the aforesaid Richard

Grantham the receipt whereof the said John Smith doth hereby acknowledge

& thereof doth acquit release & forever discharge the said Richard Grantham

his heirs Exrs & admrs & every of them by these presents have granted Bargained

sold [atuned?] released & confirmed & by these presents do fully freely clearly &

absolutely grant Bargain Sell [alien?] release & confirm unto the said Richard

Grantham his heirs & assigns one tract of parcel of land lying & being in

the County & Province aforesaid in the Swamp between Drowning Creek

& Tadpole at a place called Turkey Island Begining at a chestnut white

Oak in the upper end of said Island & runing thence S 10 E 44 chains

& Seventy three links then S 80 W 44 chains & 73 links then N 10 W 44 chains

& 73 links then Direct to the Beginning courses containing Two hundred

acres of land it being a Tract of land granted to John Smith as appears

by the patent bearing Date in May one thousand Seven hundred and

Seventy two To have & to hold the said Two hundred acres of land here

determents & premises hereby granted or Mentioned to be granted with

their appurtenances & every part & parcel thereof unto the aforesaid

Richard Grantham his heirs & assigns & that free & clear from all

manner of incumbrances whatsoever the one half of all gold & Silver

Mines Together with the Quitrents already due & hereafter accruing on

the Bargained land only excepted & reserved to the use of his Magisty

& Successord forever & the aforesaid John Smith for himself his heirs &

extrs & admsrs doth covenant promise & grant to & with the said Richd

Grantham his heirs & assigns by these presents that he the afordsaid John

Smith & his heirs the hereby granted premises & every part & parcel

thereof with the appurtenance unto the aforesaid Richard Granth

am his heirs & assigns against him the said John Smith & his heirs

& against all & every person & persons whatsoever having or lawfully claim

ing or that shall or may at any time or times hereafter to have or

claim any Right Title Interest of in or to the said prebargained prem

ises or any part thereof by from or under him them or any of them up

on the reasonable request cost & charges in the law of him the aforesd

Richard Grantham his heirs or assigns shall & will Sign Seal & deliver

any such further & other Instrument or Instruments of writing what

soever for the further & better assurance & confirmation of the herby gran

ted premises with the appurtenances unto the aforesaid Richard Grantham

his heirs & assigns forever as by him or them or by his or their counsel

learned in the law shall or may be reasonably advised devised or

required In witness whereof the said John Smith hath hereunto set his hand

and Seal the Day & year above written

Signed Sealed & Delivered John Smith (seal)

Abstract

John Smith Senr of Bladen County, planter, to Richard Grantham of same, planter, indenture 6th day of January 1775. For and in consideration of 12 pounds proclamation, land in the swamp between Drowning Creek and Tadpole at a place called Turkey Island. Beginning at a chestnut white oak in the upper end of said island...200 acres of land granted to John Smith by patent in May 1772.

I used DeedMapper to plat this deed:

Plat of land sold by John Smith Senior to Richard Grantham in 1775

My research on this deed is not complete until I locate the original land patent from May 1772. Fortunately, these are online at Ancestry, so I was able to locate the land patent. To do this, I used the card catalog to locate and search the specific database for John Smith. This was much quicker than doing a general search for John Smith and trying to look through all record types for the specific land grant.

Search Results for John Smith in the North Carolina Land Grants database at Ancestry.com

John Smith received two patents in May 1772 in Bladen County, but the front jacket gives a brief description of the location, making it easy to know which patent to look at.

Source: Ancestry.com > North Carolina, Land Grant Files, 1693-1960 > Images 538-539 of 1346, entry for John Smith dated 20 May 1772. Accessed March 20, 2019.

Cover sheet:

Entry:

I still need to transcribe the grant for my notes, but the description on the cover page helps me know I've located the correct grant. Since this document is so short, I probably will not create an abstract of it.

AmericaGen Study Group: Chapter 20, Local Land Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 12 Mar 2019 13:03:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 20 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Government Land: Colonial and American.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 495-528. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

Early in my research days, I often overlooked land records, not understanding the value they provide in the research process. I suspect I am not alone in making that mistake. Now land records are one of my favorite record groups and are always included in my research plans.

According to his obituary, Moses Smith, my 5th-great-grandfather, was born in North Carolina about 1771. By 1806, he was living in the Pee Dee area of South Carolina, where he was ordained a deacon in the Methodist church. That's really all I know about his early years at this point. His Find-a-Grave memorial has his birth place as Rockingham County, the son of John Smith who died in Rockingham County in 1798. I am not sure what this information is based on. I haven't been able to make that connection in my own research.

In researching another ancestor, Richard Grantham of Bladen County, I discovered that a John Smith of Bladen County sold land to Richard in 1775. The land was located at a place called Turkey Island between Downing Creek and Tadpole. Moses married Richard's daughter, Hanna, so I immediately speculated that John Smith of Bladen County is related to Moses. What is that relationship, if any?

I haven't had a chance to research that question yet, but I want to start by studying other deeds for John Smith in Bladen County. Perhaps one of them will give an indication of when John moved to Bladen County and/or where he came from. Fortunately, these records are online, so I can do this part of the research from home. I'm sure there will be more than one John Smith in Bladen County in the 1770's, so I'll create a timeline to help sort out same-named individuals.

Deed from John Smith to Richard Grantham, 1775

AmericaGen: Chapter 19 (Government Land)

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 11 Feb 2019 14:35:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 19 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Government Land: Colonial and American.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4th ed., 469-494. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

In Chapters 19 and 20, Val Greenwood discusses land records, focusing on government-issued land distribution and local land records, respectively. The author delves into how the federal and state governments acquired and distributed land. The metes and bounds system was used in colonial states and continued in those areas after the Revolutionary War. In the early 1800s, the government developed the township system, which was used in Florida.

My first extensive use of land records was in colonial l North Carolina, so I'm used to the metes and bounds system. I can visualize the line going from the black oak thence to the white pine thence to the stake better than I can the southwest quarter section of the northwest blah blah blah. Hence, one of my favorite resources for government-issued land records is HistoryGeo.com. It is a subscription site but well worth the investment if you have ancestors that lived in states using the township system.

The site holds two distinct record groups, its Antique Maps Collection and the First Landowners Project. I use the First Landowners Project extensively in my research. As the name implies, the First Landowners Project is a map collection of original landowners. It currently contains records for 21 states and is fully indexed. The maps show boundary lines and neighbors, making it easy to visualize where the land was and establish a FAN club.

When you log into the site, you'll be asked to choose the Antique Maps Collection or the First Landowners Project. After making your choice, If you aren't a current subscriber, you'll receive a prompt to subscribe. You can purchase subscriptions in 3, 6, or 12-month increments. After making payment, you can return to the selection screen and select First Landowners Project.

HistoryGeo.com

The first screen is a map of the United States and instructions on how to use the site. I want to look for Sikes in Putnam County, Florida, so I put those terms into the search form.

Search Form

At first the search function loads the results map showing the entire country, but then automatically zooms in on the specified county. The circled numbers tell me how many records there are in that section. I can zoom in to see more details.

Search results for the Sikes surname in Putnam County, Florida

The green number two is about where where my family lived, so I zoomed in on that to view the map in closer detail. Now I can see the landowner's name and the date he received the land. The maps show all of the township, range and section numbers. The purchase boundaries are overlaid on a map with modern-day features, making it super easy to picture where the land is, especially if you are familiar with the area being studied. The maps also show the neighbors, which should be added to the owner's FAN club.

Zoomed in search results

The two landowners are Crawford Sikes and Thomas Sikes, brothers to my great-great-grandfather, Andrew. Clicking on the little green figure representing Crawford's land, I get a pop-up with information about the land sale.

Search result with details of land purchase

There's even links to view the record on the BLM website. Click on "View BLM Document" to view the patent and other record details.

Related records at the BLM website

Back at HistoryGeo, I can zoom in even further to see what modern-day street Crawford's land was on. I recently delivered some packages near this area, and even today it's back on long, hard-to-drive-on dirt roads. I'll eventually go down to see the area, but it will have to be during dry season so I don't get my little car stuck in the muck!

Map of Crawford's land, zoomed in to see modern roads

Thomas' land, however, is right off a main highway that I drive frequently. In fact, looking at the map, the highway runs through the southeast corner of his property, so I've been on it many times without knowing it belonged to a relative in the 1880s.

Thomas' Sikes land

I love land records but using them to find property locations can be intimidating. Learning how to use readily-available resources, both free and subscription-based, are well worth it to make best use of research time and money. Whether you start your search at HistoryGeo or BLM, using these sites together can provide a lot of information in our research.

52 Ancestors: Week Six - Surprise

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Wed, 06 Feb 2019 03:29:00 +0000

52 Ancestors in 52 Weeks is a year-long series created by Amy Johnson Crow. I'm a little late getting started, but hopefully I can write weekly now!

My grandfather did not have a good relationship with his father, Arthur Middleton Beem. What few stories he told were less than flattering. When I got serious about researching his life, I knew very little about Arthur Middleton Beem:

He was born in Wisconsin but grew up in Mattoon, Illinois
He was a Spanish-American war vet
He worked for the railroad, which eventually took him to Knoxville, Tennessee
He married Frances Horton in Knoxville, Tennessee in 1905
Arthur and Frances had five children, including my grandfather
The family moved back and forth between Knoxville and Jacksonville, Florida until they finally settled in Jacksonville in the 1920s (according to family lore. Census records proved otherwise.)
Arthur spent the last few years of his life in Mexico, returning annually to Brownsville, Texas for medical exams, a requirement for his VA pension

Arthur and Frances Beem with granddaughter, Frances, mid-1930s

That's the sum total of what I knew about Arthur's life when I decided to delve deeper. I started by trying, for the third time, to order his pension record. Thanks to a suggestion of requesting it using the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), I actually received a copy of the record. To my great surprise, this is what I received in the mail:

Arthur's pension file as received in the mail, 2016

Yes, that is approximately 1,500 pages of records ranging from 1924, when he first applied for a pension, to 1954, when he died! The cover letter told me to guard this with my life, as the VA would not send this to me a second time!

My mom and I were leaving for a research trip the next day, so of course this went with us. (Fortunately, we were driving and not flying!) We spent the first night in the hotel room skimming through the record. We found several surprises:

A thorough, although likely not complete, medical history from 1924-1954. Arthur applied for a pension increase almost annually, requiring a new physical each time.
Arthur was a prolific writer. His requests were mostly denied, prompting him to write the VA pension board, his congressmen, and anyone else he could think of that might help him received the requested increases. He even wrote the congressmen for Mattoon, even though he hadn't lived there for 25 years!
The family moved - and not just back and forth between Jacksonville and Knoxville. They moved every couple of months and lived in small towns all over North Central Florida. These towns included, but were not limited to, Citra, Montbrook, Green Cove Springs, Ocala, and Reddick.
In Green Cove Springs, he was a sharecropper. Eventually he and his landlord had an altercation, and he was shot in the face, losing his vision for several months. Although his vision did eventually return, he never fully recovered it.
He lived in several VA homes, including Tampa, Biloxi, and Brownsville (TX).
He moved to Mexico for health reasons in the 1940s and remained there until his death. In 1948, he married Modesta Mendoza, a 26-year-old Mexican woman.

These are just some of the surprises contained in the pension record. One of these days, I'll have time to go through the documents thoroughly to create a timeline. I'm sure I'll discover even more surprises when I go through that process and more fully analyze the information in the file.

AmericaGen: Chapter 18 (Intestate Records)

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 29 Jan 2019 15:22:00 +0000

Reference: Greenwood, Val, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

Intestate records are created when someone dies without a written will. These records can be a great resource for genealogists, as they usually list all of the decedent's heirs. This one document can answer several research questions, as my example illustrates.

Celia Beck was the second wife of my third great-grandfather, Isaiah Sikes. They were married in Putnam County, Florida in 1868.¹ In the 1870 census, the household is composed of children from Isaiah's first marriage plus six-month old Sally, who was born in January of 1870. ²

Isaiah Sikes family in 1870

Abstract
Josesh Sykes, 64, M, W, Farmer, GA

Cely, 22, F, W, Keep House, Fla

Crawford, 21, M, W, Fla

Thomas, 14, M, W, Fla

Andrew, 12, M, W, Fla

Sally, 6/12, F, W, Fla, Jan [January]

In 1880, Thomas, Andrew and Sally (enumerated as Grace) are enumerated as a family unit, but without Isaiah or Celia.³ It is likely that Isaiah and Celia both died between 1870 and 1880, since Sally Grace is living with her older brothers. I cannot find Sally Grace after 1880, and wondered if she died young.

The intestate record of Wilson Beck answered this question as well as giving me answers to questions I didn't know to ask. ⁴

Document from Wilson Beck's probate file, 1890

Abstract:

… Wilson Beck, late of the County of Putnam, and State of Florida, died on the 13th

day of November A.D. 1889, leaving heirs and legal representatives

surviving, to-wit, Mrs. Lucretia Rideought, nee

Lucretia Beck, William D. Stokes of

full age, Elizabeth Gill of full age, Elija

Stokes, infant, Henry Wilson Stokes about 17 years

old, children of Mary Stokes, nee Mary

Beck; Lucretia Sykes now Walker, about 19 years old,

Nora R. Sykes about 17 years old, children

of Celia Sykes, nee Celia Beck; Lizzie Beck

about 16 years old, James Beck about 14 years old,

Jared Beck about 9 years old, Elijah Beck

about 3 1/2 years old, and Melton Beck

aged about 6 years, children of Elijah N.

Beck, son of Wilson Beck, deceased.

This list of heirs includes Isaiah and Celia's surviving children, indicating that Celia died before her father's death in 1889. It's likely that she died before the 1880 census enumeration, but I have not found other evidence to support that claim. Notice, though, that Sally Grace is not listed as one of Wilson Beck's heirs, indicating that she, too, had died before 1889. The question that I didn't know to ask were about two other children Isaiah and Celia had: Lucretia and Nora. This is the first document I found that named these daughters. They were born after the 1870 census and were not living with their older half-brothers in 1880 as Sally Grace was. Without this document, I would not have known about them.

In addition to documenting the relationship between Isaiah and his daughters, this record also narrows down Isaiah's death date. Nora was 17 in 1890, giving her a birth date of roughly 1873. This means Isaiah died between 1872 and 1880. Now I have a new research question: When was Nora Sikes born? Knowing this will help me narrow down Isaiah's death date even further.

Many times when an ancestor was married more than once, we tend to research only the spouse that was our direct ancestor. However, we can't really tell the complete story of our ancestor's life if we don't include the second (or third, etc.) spouse in the story. It was only through researching Celia Beck's life that I discovered the existence of two of Isaiah's daughters, giving a more complete picture of his life and helping to answer the question of when Isaiah died.

References

1. Putnam, Florida, marriage license (1867), Sikes-Beck; digital image, Family Search, "Florida, County Marriages, 1830-1957," FamilySearch (http://www.familysearch.org : accessed 11 Oct 2016).

2. U.S. 1870 census, Putnam County, Florida, population schedule, Orange Springs, page 37 (handwritten), dwelling 64, family 62, Johesh Sykes; digiral image, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed January 29, 2019, citing National Archives microfilm publication M593, roll 133.

3. U.S. 1880 census, Putnam County, Florida, population schedule, Precinct 11, ED 134, page 21A (handwritten), 91A (stamped), dwelling 80, family 80, Robt Seyles; Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed January 29, 2019, citing National Archives microfilm publication T9, roll 131. Although it appears that the Sikes are enumerated with Robt Seyles' family, they may have lived in a separate household. Andrew is the first Sikes listed, and no relationship is stated. Thomas and Grace are identified as brother and sister, respectively. Other heads of household in this district are listed with no relationship given, leading me to believe that the enumerator forgot to fill in the dwelling and household number for the Sikes family.

4. "Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974," database with images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed January 29, 2019), entry for Wilson Beck, Putnam County probate file 481, Oath of Administrator (image 530 of 1300).

AmericaGen: Chapters 14 and 15, Census Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Wed, 28 Nov 2018 02:40:00 +0000

Reference: Greenwood, Val, The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

It seems like every census year I have at least one family that I can't locate where I think they should be. Every now and then the family has moved, but sometimes the census enumerator or modern-day indexer have badly mangled the names. Searching for other family members, especially if one has an unusual first name, has helped me find more than one "missing" family.

My direct ancestor, William Beem, died in 1850. I easily found his widow and children living with her parents in the 1850 census, but could not find them anywhere in 1860. The child I descend from has an unsual first name, Elbridge, so I decided to search for him. From prior research, I knew Elbridge was born in Ohio about 1840, so those are the parameters I entered into the search form. I did not include a last name. I also knew Elbridge had enlisted in an Ohio unit at the start of the Civil War, so I expected to find him in Ohio.

Once I narrowed the search results down to the 1860 Federal Census, one possibility jumped out at me: Elbridge Ball of Jersey, Licking County, Ohio.

This is exactly where the Beems lived. Clicking on the link, the head of household is Samuel Ball and his (presumed) wife, Christina Ball.

Listing of Samuel Ball Household in the 1860 U.S. Census, Licking County, Ohio, Jersey Township.

Bingo! Elbridge's mother was Christiana, and included in this blended family are his brothers, Lewis and William. Evidently Christiana had remarried, and the enumerator listed all of the Beem children with the Ball surname.

AmericaGen Chapter 13: Vital Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 12 Nov 2018 14:32:00 +0000

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Vital Records.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed.,279-. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

Delayed birth certificates, although mostly considered secondary evidence, in addition to establishing a person's birth date and location, can provide clues that help establish relationships as well. In Tennessee, the applicant needed to provide documentation of their age as well as two witnesses who could verify the applicant's parents. I was able to finally crack a brick wall when I found a delayed birth certificate for an ancestor's sibling who had moved out of state. I had lost track of this sibling after the 1870 census, when she was last enumerated with her parents. The delayed birth certificate gave me her husband's name and showed me that they had moved to Illinois sometime after the births of at least two children. No wonder I couldn't find her in Tennessee! The information from the delayed birth record gave me enough clues to start researching again, and with information now available online, I was able to piece together what happened to the other sister that I hadn't been able to track as an adult.

Source: "Tennessee, Delayed Birth Records, 1869-1909," Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed November 11, 2018), entry for Condy Huston Dabney, 1890; citing Tennessee Delayed Birth Records, 1869–1909. Nashville, Tennessee: Tennessee State Library and Archives.

Condy Huston Dabney, Delayed Birth Certificate, Front

Condy Huston Baker was born in Coal Creek, Tennessee on May 2, 1890, the son of German Dabney and Sara Adkins. The certificate was applied for in Harrisburg, Illinois, where Condy was living at the time of application. Notice the supporting evidence at the bottom of the first image. The first table lists what was used for evidence, and the second table shows what evidence those documents provided.

Condy Huston Dabney, Delayed Birth Certificate, Back

The back of the application contains statements from the two witnesses. Samuel Disney and Martha Jane Disney claimed to have known German and Sarah their entire lives, and had lived in the same neighborhood when Condy was born.

Samuel also stated he was Condy's cousin. This was a key piece of evidence, as Sarah's mother was a Disney, but I had been unable to find evidence to support that claim. With the clues provided in this delayed birth record, I was able to find other evidence that the maiden name of Sarah's mother was, indeed, Disney.

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 29 Oct 2018 12:41:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 12 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Compiled Sources and Newspapers.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed.,255-78. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

I love newspaper research. I've found a wealth of information on my family from newspapers. Don't limit your newspaper research to marriage announcements and obituaries. Newspaper articles can help pinpoint where an ancestor lived at a particular time, provide details about a family's activities, and give context to historical events.

Here are some of the things I've learned about my ancestors from newspaper articles:

Dead letter lists: These are notifications to local residents that they had letters at the post office that needed to be picked up. I've often wished these lists gave more than just a name - like who was the letter from? But even though the list is just a name, it does give you a time and place to look for other documents about your ancestor.
Prior residences: Sometimes a newspaper article will provide the only documentation of a person's prior residences. Griffin Mashburn, my great-great-grandmother's brother, was the subject of a brief article in the Pell City Progress. In it, Griffin stated he was born near Jameson's Mill in Talladega County. This tidbit helped me identify both a father and other siblings. (For more information, read my blog posts: Martha "Blind Granny" Mashburn: Identifying Siblings and Martha Golden Mashburn: Who is her Father? Eliminating the Possibilities.)
Military leave: My great-graandfather served during the Spanish-American war. His military record shows he was given leave to go home because one of his siblings was critically ill and not expected to live. The local newspaper confirmed his visit home and the sibling's illness.
Occupations: My Beem family worked for one of the railroad companies in Mattoon, Illinois. The local paper reported on workers' activities including promotions and days off for illness or other reasons.

If your ancestors lived in a rural area that did not have a newspaper, check newspapers of the closest city. In addition to obituaries, marriages notices and news of other major events, look for the "local news" articles. These columns are my favorite, as they provide details into our ancestors' social lives that often isn't available anywhere else. They often tell who visited a community and who they stayed with - confirming relationships and building an ancestor's FAN club.

The author mentioned Chronicling America as a resource for newspaper articles. That collection is now available at MyHeritage. The collection includes The Palatka News, one of two papers to carry such articles about Melrose, where my family lived. Using the MyHeritage search form, I searched for articles about Allen Price, my great-great-grandfather and added "Palatka, FL" as the location.

One of the hits was titled, "Keuka," published on January 16, 1914 in The Palatka News. Keuka is a very small village (if you can call it that) in northern Putnam County. Three of the first four paragraphs were about my family.

"Keuka." The Palatka (Florida) News, January 16, 1914, p. 4, column 4.

From this article I learned that Allen and Carolina Price visited their son, who my grandmother called "Uncle Henry," when he lived in Keuka. Keuka is about 13 miles from where the Price family lived in 1914. Today that trip would be about a 15 minute drive, but in 1914 it would have taken much longer as they would have traveled by horse. I know from prior research that Uncle Henry moved to Palatka and owned a grocery store there, but I now know that he did not make that move before January 1914.

AmericaGen Study Group: Successful Correspondence

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 13 Aug 2018 20:37:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 8 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Successful Correspondence.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed.,165-74. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

I have to admit that when I first saw the topic for this week’s session, I was underwhelmed. Reading the chapter didn’t change my opinion. My first reaction was “More printing and filing? UGH!”

Last week I finally started digitizing my research files. One of the first documents I scanned was a death certificate for Calhoun Cail, who died in Ft. Myers, Florida in 1967. In going through his information in my Legacy file, I realized I did not have an obituary for him. Googling for Lee County, Florida obituaries, I came across an obituary index maintained by the Lee County Genealogical Society. I found an index entry for Calhoun Cail’s obituary and sent a message to the email provided on the website, asking for a copy of the obituary.

As the author mentioned, be as specific as possible in your request for information. My email was short and to the point:

I would like to request a copy of the obituary for Calhoun Cail. It was published in the Fort Myers News-Press on March 13, 1967, page 2, section a. Thanks in advance for your help.

If there is a fee for the request, please let me know the charge and how to pay it.

Just this morning I received a fabulous reply that not only included the obituary but also information about the funeral home and how to order the death certificate. I already have the death certificate, but I do intend to follow up with the funeral home.

I tend to not save emails because Gmail makes it so easy to keep and search for old emails that I felt it wasn’t necessary. But in going through my documents to digitize, I realized that I have correspondence from old accounts that I no longer have access to. Geocities, anyone? I printed very little of my early correspondence and now wish I had some of it. So, I am adding saving my email correspondence to my organization project.

The request for the obituary and the reply are definitely ones I do not want to lose access to, but I don’t want to print it just to scan it again. That’s using a lot of resources (paper, toner, my time) for paper I don’t intend to keep. Instead, I can save the correspondence as a PDF, right from Gmail. Instructions for printing to straight to PDF can be found here.

I’ve already shared that I save all of my digital documents in one folder, rather than having multiple subfolders broken down by surname or location. To name this file, I am using the person’s name, the word “Correspondence,” and a brief description of the subject and date of the correspondence. When I sort the files by name, I can quickly see all of the correspondence I have about the person of interest. For the obituary request, the file name is “Cail-Calhoun_Correspondence_Request-for-Obituary-August-8-2018.” The reply was saved as “Cail-Calhoun_Correspondence_Answer-to-Request-for-Obituary-August-13-2018.” And of course the PDF of the obituary was also saved under a separate file named “Cail-Calhoun_1967_Obituary.”

Since I am horrible with research logs, I am not going to bother with a spreadsheet or log as suggested in the chapter. However, as I go through my current project, I will search my Gmail account for past correspondence, save the emails as PDF, and do the proper analysis and correlation, just as I am with other documents.

AmericaGen Chapter 7: Organizing Your Research

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 23 Jul 2018 00:19:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 7 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Organizing and Evaluating Your Research Findings.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed., 142-164. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

My research process is a bit different from what the author advocates in this week’s readings. I have never been very good at keeping a research log and filing documents. In fact, I hate filing so much that at every office job I've held, that's the one task that gets put off indefinitely. My hatred of filing doesn't change when it comes to genealogy research. I hate it, period. Mark that as a drudgery task for me. Keeping a research log is almost as tedious as filing, so I spent many years keeping rather poor logs or ignoring them all together. That changed when I was introduced to the “write as you go” method for research reports.

My document starts as a research plan, with a specific question and sources to answer that question identified before I start researching. I then type up my notes as I research, providing the citation details (e.g., page numbers) for each piece of information. The result is that my research plan, log, and notes are in one document. Usually, I will write my analysis and conclusion in the same document, followed by images and transcripts/abstracts of the key documents used to reach my conclusion. I do initially type a transcript in a separate Word document, but by also including it at the end of my research notes, I can easily share my research with others in just one PDF file.

To get my research organized, one of my goals is to convert my family files to digital images, keeping only original records and photographs. I keep all of my digital documents in one folder called “Source Documents.” The files are named in the following pattern: LastName-FirstName_Year_Description. When sorted by name, the files are automatically arranged chronologically by person. Some examples:

My great-grandmother, Caroline Price, died in Florida in 1940. The digital image of her death certificate is named “Price-Caroline_1940_Death-Certificate.”
Rebecca Horton purchased land in Tennessee in 1832. The digital image of the transaction is named “Horton-Rebecca_1832_Land-Purchase.”

For deeds, I use both the grantor and grantee in the file name.

Richard Grantham purchased land from John Smith in Bladen County, North Carolina in 1775. The digital image of the deed is named “Smith-John_Grantham-Richard_1775_Deed-Bladen-p488.”

Transcripts use the same name as the original document, with –Transcript appended to the file name:

King-John_1798_Will-Transcript

I try to limit my use of subfolders to two circumstances:

Numerous images from one collection, such as the Draper Manuscripts
Specific locations where I am related to most of the community. I use this to store census images and similar documents where more than one family of interest is on the page.

I’m not very consistent at putting census records and such into the second type of folder. Lately, I am more prone to store the digital image in the “Source Documents” main folder, using my direct ancestor’s name in the file name.

Here is a screenshot of my “Source Documents” folder:

You’ll notice that not all of my file names follow what I’ve described here. There are older files that were scanned or downloaded before I finally settled on my naming convention. One of these days, I’ll get around to renaming those files. But this also illustrates my main takeaway from this chapter: there isn’t one right way to organize your research logs and notes. If a particular method uses too many tasks you hate outside of genealogy (for me, filing paper documents and keeping logs), you aren’t likely to use it in genealogy research, either. Use Google and Cyndi’s List to find articles on how to organize your research. Find a method that works for you and incorporate it into your workflow. If you find a method that works for you, you'll be more likely to keep your records organized, easily finding them when you need to review your work or share it with other researchers.

AmericaGen Chapter 6: Reference Works

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Sat, 07 Jul 2018 21:55:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 6 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Reference Works.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed., 115-142. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

When I enrolled in the ProGen course, my main goal was to improve my genealogical writing skills. I already had good writing skills that got me through my Master’s in Public Health, but I wanted to learn to write about my family history in a more engaging style – an entirely different mindset from medical-related research and program planning! My favorite assignments in ProGen were the two that focused on writing polished pieces - proof arguments and family sketches – and I feel like my writing skills improved greatly with those assignments. Because of my personal focus on writing, the reference books I have most recently purchased relate to that skill more than methodology or other aspects of genealogy research. Here are the books that I have at my desk, within easy reach because I use them so often, listed alphabetically by author's last name:

Casagrande, June. The Best Punctuation Book, Period. Berkeley: Ten Speed Press, 2014.

Is the Oxford comma necessary, or can be it omitted? The answer is - it depends! No, seriously, it does! My own personal preference is to use the Oxford comma, but when I had to produce AP-style work at my transcription job, I was not allowed to use it. This little book is jam-packed with grammar and punctuation guidance for the four major styles of writing: book (including nonfiction), news, scientific, and academic. The book style is based on the Chicago Manual of Style (CMOS), so it is what I refer to most often for genealogy purposes, but it's nice to have the other styles since I often need them in my professional life.

Jones, Thomas W. Mastering Genealogical Documentation. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2017.

This workbook demystifies documentation by stepping the reader through how to answer the who, what, when, and whereis questions when crafting citations for genealogy research. Although the book gives plenty of examples, Dr. Jones encourages the reader to craft his own citation style that is concise and contains all of the necessary elements in a logical order, rather than dogmatically adhering to any one style guide.

Mills, Elizabeth. Evidence Explained: Citing History Sources from Artifacts to Cyberspace. 3rd ed. rev. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing Company, 2017.

This book is the best reference for how to cite just about any type of document or object used in genealogy research. I used to grab this book every time I needed a new citation, but I'm trying to use what I've learned from Dr. Jones' book more often. Sometimes I'm still stumped, though, and grab this book when I just can't figure out how to document what I'm working with. Even if you never use the reference models, though, every genealogist needs to read the first chapter on evidence analysis. I'm constantly referring to the evidence analysis process map, in both the research and writing phases of my workflow.

Rose, Christine. Genealogical Proof Standard: Building a Solid Case. 4th ed. rev. San Jose, California: CR Publications, 2014.

This is a short book, but it is jam-packed with information on writing a solid answer to a research question. For our study group on this book, I created a chart that summarizes when and how to write a proof statement, proof summary, or proof argument. Since I can't keep the difference between the statement and summary straight in my pea-brain, I refer to it often when I'm writing conclusions.

In addition to the four books mentioned above, I have the following QuickSheets by Elizabeth Shown Mills at my desk. If I'm not sure how to cite something, I'll look at these before dragging out the heavier Evidence Explained:

Citing Ancestry Databases and Images, 2^nd Edition
Citing Online Historical Resources Evidence Style

One other reference work which I use quite a bit, especially if I have a quick question about CMOS, is Purdue's Online Writing Lab, or OWL. It summarizes and provides examples for citations of books, journals, newspapers, and other materials that are used in academic writing, but that we also use in genealogy research. The website is free and open to anyone, not just Purdue students. This is a great resource if you don't have the funds or space for the hard copies of Evidence Explained or CMOS, or even if you do have them but are traveling and don't want to carry those tomes with you!

Of course, there are many other reference books and QuickSheets on my shelves in a wide range of topics from DNA to methodology to how to use specific software, but these four books are what I have found the most useful for me at this point of my journey. As I get further back into time in my research, I plan to purchase Kip Sperry’s Reading Early American Handwriting, which I am sure will also wind up at my desk, but I’m not sure which book will get moved to the bookcase when I do buy it. I can almost guarantee that it won’t be one of these books, though!

AmericaGen Chapter 5: GRC Records

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 25 Jun 2018 19:05:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 5 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Libraries and the National Archives (NARA).” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed., 99-114. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

Chapter 5 focuses on research in libraries and the National Archives. The Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) Library in Washington, D.C. is one of my favorite places to research, and I try to go there any time I am in the area. (Word of warning: if you plan a summer visit, make sure it’s not during Continental Congress – you won’t get in if you are not a DAR member. I may or may not have learned this the hard way!)

One of the unique sources at the library is the volumes of the Genealogical Records Committee (GRC) books. The DAR provides background for this at its website:

Beginning in the 1910s, the DAR made a concerted effort to have members transcribe previously unpublished records of genealogical value to assist both the staff genealogists, potential members and the public. In 1913, the DAR established the Genealogical Research Committee (subsequently renamed the Genealogical Records Committee) to coordinate this nation-wide attempt to save historical records. The result has been nearly 17,000 typescripts of records from across the country.

Although these records are considered secondary sources because they are transcriptions, they are still valuable and should not be overlooked. One of the mysteries my cousin and I solved through the GRC books was confirming the identity of William M. Dennett’s parents. We had plenty of records for William after his marriage to Elvira Nickerson in Massachusetts in 1844, but documenting his early life, including his parents' identities, was challenging because there were several men named William Dennett born in Maine in the 1815-1820 timeframe. None of the records we had indicated his parents, siblings, or even the town he was born in, so it was difficult to eliminate one or more of the men in question.

William Dennett is enumerated in the 1850 census in Royalton, Vermont, with his wife, Elvira and baby daughter, Ella. The family was there for only a few years before moving on to Ohio and then Wisconsin. On the next page is a William and Martha Dennett, who were the right age to be William M.’s parents, but we could find no records to document the relationship. The elder Dennetts had no children at home in 1850, so we didn’t have names of siblings to research.

William & Evira Dennett household, 1850 U.S. Census, Royalton, Windsor, Vermont, page 95B

William & Martha Dennett household, 1850 U.S. Census, Royalton, Windsor, Vermont, page 96A

One day when we were researching at the DAR library, my cousin found William Dennett’s Bible record in one of the GRC volumes. We were amazed to find it listed his parents as William Dennett and Martha Doughty – the same William and Martha in South Royalton in the 1850 census. Not only that, but the record showed other children for William and Elvira. These children had been born and died young, in between census records, so we did not know of them until finding this document in the GRC.

When I first started visiting the DAR library, the books were available on the shelves, but the library had just started digitizing the pages. Now that all of the books have been digitized, images can be viewed in the technology room. If you can’t make a visit to the library, though, you can still access the GRC books through a combination of online search and mail order. I’ll show you how to do this, using William Dennett as an example.

The first step is to search the GRC index, which can be accessed at http://services.dar.org/public/dar_research/search/?Tab_ID=6.

The search form requires a surname. Optional fields include the state and first name. Here I'll search with both the first and last name, but leave the state and other fields blank:

GRC Search Form

The results page shows 29 results. If I click on the page number, I can view a list of others listed on the page, which is helpful in determining if I want to view or order the document.

GRC Search Results for William Dennett

Looking at the list of names for this entry, I notice that this document names a William M. Dennett, another William Dennett, and a Martha Douty. This record looks promising, and is one I would order if I were actually conducting this research for the first time.

List of names from page 47 of Illinois GRC series 1, volume 94

One other tip for searching the GRC index - Don’t discount a record in the index just because it was submitted by a chapter in a state where your person of interest did not live. Bibles and other family documents moved with descendants, and would have been transcribed and submitted by the local chapters where those family members lived.

To order a record, make note of the state, series number, volume, page number, and name in the index. Go to the Library's Search Service page, print and fill out the request form, and mail the form and a check to the address provided. The current cost is $10 for member and $15 for nonmembers.

AmericaGen Chapter 4: When did Sarah Smith Marry Laban Price?

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 16 Apr 2018 14:08:00 +0000

AmericaGen Study Group

Chapter 4 Homework

Marceline Beem

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Evidence.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed., 79-98-78. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

This chapter discusses the various classifications of evidence used in genealogy research, as well as the need to resolve conflicting evidence in order to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard (GPS). It covers a lot of ground, but is well worth reading, especially if you are unfamiliar with how to identify and analyze evidence.

Laban and Sarah Price moved from South Carolina to Putnam County, Florida before the 1860 census was taken. Establishing a marriage date for Laban and Sarah is challenging because South Carolina did not require marriages to be registered at the courthouse until 1911. No marriage record for Laban and Sarah has been found in South Carolina, so they either did not register at the courthouse, or the record no longer exists.

Laban served in the Florida 9^thInfantry during the Civil War, and Sarah filed for a widow’s pension in 1903. To qualify for new benefits established in 1909 she gave sworn testimony that she married Laban Price “under the name of Sarah Ann Smith” in Marion County, South Carolina on 26 April 1848.¹

This testimony is direct evidence given by the bride, making it a slam dunk, right? Um, not so fast, my friend! This testimony was given to establish Sarah’s right to a widow’s pension, and money can be a powerful motivator to give incorrect facts. Or maybe, 60 years later, she couldn’t remember the exact date and gave an approximate date. Or maybe the person recording the testimony wrote in the wrong date. In the absence of publicly available records to establish the marriage date, what other records corroborate the claim?

Sarah Smith Price, enumerated in her father's household in the 1850 census

Laban and Sarah should be enumerated together in the 1850 census, probably in South Carolina. Instead, we find Sarah enumerated in her father’s household under the name Sarah Smith.²Laban and their oldest daughter, Margaretann, are not listed as part of the household. To date, neither Laban nor Margaretann have been located in the 1850 census.

Why is Sarah enumerated with her father, under the Smith surname? Where are Laban and Margaretann? This census record conflicts with Sarah’s 1909 testimony, and cannot be ignored. Even though the testimony is direct evidence, the research is not complete – and thus the research question is not answered - because this conflict needs to be resolved in order to meet the Genealogical Proof Standard.

____________

¹Florida Confederate Pension Applications, Application Number A00698 (1903), Laban Price; Florida Memory, digital images (https://www.floridamemory.com/collections/pensionfiles: accessed 16 April 16, 2018).

²1850 U.S. Census, population schedule, Marion County, South Carolina, page 51B, dwelling 770, household 774, James D. Smith; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com: accessed 16 April 2018).

AmericaGen Chapter 3: Where Did Joseph Horton Live Before Moving to Knox County?

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Thu, 22 Feb 2018 00:36:00 +0000

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Surveying, Analyzing, and Planning.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed., 57-78. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

I was not introduced to the concept of formal research plans until I was in a ProGen Study Group. Although the author mentions the ProGen approach is different, we still followed the same steps of setting a goal, identifying what we already know, conducting a preliminary search, and identifying sources to search. The main difference is our plan was written in a more formal style, as we were learning to write on a more professional level.

For my ProGen assignment, I focused on Joseph Horton, who I discussed in the Chapter 2 homework. (You may be tired of hearing about my Horton clan before long, but that's who I have spent all of my research and writing time on for the last nine months!) Writing out the formal research plan helped me focus on specific documents to search. The first part of the plan, listing my research goal, background information, and known facts:

Goal: Determine where Joseph Horton lived before he moved to Knox (later Roane) County, Tennessee

Background: Joseph Horton died testate in Roane County, Tennessee in 1813. Based on the year one of his daughters married (1800), Joseph was likely born before 1765 in some place other than eastern Tennessee. Based on migration patterns into East Tennessee, it is possible that Joseph lived in the Shenandoah Valley of Virginia or in western North Carolina prior to coming to Knox County. Determining where he lived before he came to Tennessee may help me identify his parents, wife’s maiden name, and other relatives.

Known facts:

Signed petition in Knox County in 1799
Listed as a resident of Roane County in 1802
Died testate about 1813
Named following heirs in his will:

o Mary Horton, wife

o James, youngest son

o Joseph, son of James

o Hannah Terry, daughter

o John Horton, son

o Polly Gladden, daughter

o Nancy Cooner, daughter

o Heirs of William Horton, son

o Sally Coulter, daughter

o Rebecca Burk, daughter (m. Robert Burke, 1802, Roane County)

o Peggy Breshear, daughter (m. Bazil Brashear, 1800, Knox County)

o Phebe Walker, daughter (m. William Walker, 1802, Roane County)

Alternate Spellings: Hortin, Whorton, Whortin

The sources I want to search are then listed in a table with columns for what, why and where.

Without replicating the table, I’ll hit some of the highlights that relate to this chapter:

Because Roane County was formed from Knox County in 1801, and a Joseph Horton signed the petition to create Roane County, my research plan needs to include relevant sources from Knox County.
Knowing that the 1830 census is the earliest surviving census for Knox and Roane Counties helped me focus my search on other relevant records from the time Joseph was in East Tennessee.
Deed records, Knox County: Joseph owned land in Roane County, but the deed from when he purchased the land was not filed in Roane County. It’s quite possible he purchased the land when it was still part of Knox County.
Deeds, Greene and Hawkins County: Parent counties of Knox. To be considered if no deeds for Joseph Horton are found in Knox County.
1850 and 1860 census, Roane and Knox County: Search for Joseph’s children to get approximate birth years and place(s).
Hamilton District Superior Court included both Knox and Roane Counties during its existence from 1793-1809. These court records need to be searched for any Hortons and related surnames. A searchable index is available at http://www.knoxlib.org/local-family-history/historical-resources-z/hamilton-district-superior-court-1793-1809.

The research plan is an “organic” document, meaning it is revised as I go along. As I look at each record, I record the results in the research plan. (I’m terrible at keeping a research log, so this serves that purpose, as well as documents why I wanted to look at a particular record set). I also update the plan if new evidence suggests new jurisdictions or documents to consider.

I’ve found that creating and following a research plan is extremely helpful, especially with thorny research problems that are not easily solved. I’ve used the planning techniques I learned in ProGen on several other complex problems, and although the questions haven’t been fully answered yet, I am making progress.

AmericaGen Chapter 2: Sally Colter

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 19 Feb 2018 22:50:00 +0000

Reference: Greenwood, Val D. “Language, Terminology, and Important Issues.” In The Researcher’s Guide to American Genealogy, 4^th ed., 29-56. Baltimore: Genealogical Publishing, 2017.

Several years ago, I traced my Horton line back to Joseph Horton, who died in Roane County, Tennessee between the time he wrote his will on 29 June 1812 and April 1813, when an inventory of his estate was filed [1]. Other documents suggested he lived in the area of Knox County that became Roane County in 1803, but finding anything about him before that timeframe was difficult. Given the area’s history, I knew it was unlikely that he was born in Tennessee, but discovering where he lived before coming to Tennessee was a source of never-ending frustration for several years.

In his will, Joseph named the following heirs:

Mary Horton, wife

James, youngest son

Joseph, son of James

Hannah Terry, daughter

John Horton, son

Polly Gladden, daughter

Nancy Cooner, daughter

Heirs of William Horton, son

Sally Coulter, daughter

Rebecca Burk, daughter

Peggy Breshear, daughter

Phebe Walker, daughter

The will and inventory do not name his daughters’ husbands, and no other estate records survive. In an attempt to research the family, and hoping to establish a FAN club, I searched Tennessee records for each of the children. I easily found marriage records for Rebecca and Peggy, both of whom married in East Tennessee, but I had trouble locating marriage records for the other children, including his sons.

I finally had a breakthrough when research led me to believe a man named John Colter, who lived in East Tennessee in the 1790’s, was a possible associate of Joseph Horton. Aha! Could this man be a relative of the Colter that Sally Horton had married? Vertical files at the McClung Library in Knoxville suggested that John Colter came from North Carolina. Armed with that first name, I began searching for marriage records in North Carolina, and found a marriage bond filed in Lincoln County on 22 Oct 1789 for John Colter and Sarah Horton.[2]

Marriage Bond for John Colter and Sarah Horton, 1789

Since Sally was often a nickname for Sarah, I knew this was not conflicting evidence and continued my research on John Colter. I found him on the 1790 census of Lincoln County, and one of his neighbors is Joseph Horton![3]

Joseph Horton and John Colter, 1790 Census for Lincoln County, North Carolina

Of course, more evidence is needed to prove that the Sarah Horton that married John Colter in Lincoln County, North Carolina is the same Sally Horton Colter mentioned 33 years later in a will in East Tennessee, but these records give me a place to start. If I had not known that Sally is a nickname for Sarah, I could have easily dismissed the marriage record as irrelevant and spent another couple of years frustrated that I couldn’t break this brick wall.

[1] Historical Records Project, “Estate Books, 1802-1842, Roane County, Tennessee,” pages 25-26, entry for Joseph Horton; digital images, “Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1779-2008,” Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 February 2018).

[2] "North Carolina, County Marriages, 1762-1979," database with images, FamilySearch (https://familysearch.org/ark:/61903/3:1:S3HY-63YW-9FZ?cc=1726957&wc=QD8P-6LB%3A1588772824%2C1588772826 : 22 December 2016), Lincoln > Marriage bonds, 1779-1868, vol C-D > image 485 of 968.

[3] 1790 U.S. census, Lincoln County, North Carolina, 4^th Company, p. 111, col. 2; digital images, Ancestry (http://www.ancestry.com : accessed 18 February 2018), image 2 of 11, citing FHL film 0568147.

GenDoc Study Group: Chapter 17

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 22 Jan 2018 14:39:00 +0000

Mastering Genealogical Documentation Study Group

Chapter 17 – Documenting on Your Own

Marceline Beem

Reference:

Jones, Thomas W. "Documenting on Your Own." In Mastering Genealogical Documentation, 181-184. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2017.

We have (finally?) made it to the end of the book! The last chapter pulls everything together and shows us how to create our own citation that answers Who, What, When, Whereis and Wherein, using a 10-step process. I love the suggestion of crafting the citation on your ow and then looking at Evidence Explained to see how well your citation matches up. I’ve often thought about doing this, but haven’t done so yet. Now that I have a better understanding of crafting citations, I plan to make this part of my research process.

In 1965, my grandmother traveled from her home in Erie, Pennsylvania to visit her family in Alabama. I know this from a copy of a fishing license issued to her in Blount Springs, Alabama. The original certificate is in my aunt’s possession.

Fishing license issued to Marceline Thomas in 1965

Using the 10-step process in the chapter, I can answer the five questions as follows:

Who: The state of Alabama issued the license. The information on it was provided by Marceline Thomas, who signed the document when it was issued.

What: Non-resident fishing license, no. 18971

When: The license was issued July 6, 1965

Whereis: privately held by Sherry Thomas Schnarrs of Erie, Pennsylvania, daughter of Marceline Thomas.

Wherein: not applicable

Using this information, my citation for this document would be:

State of Alabama, non-resident fishing license no. 18971, issued to Marceline Thomas on July 6, 1965, privately held by Sherry Thomas Schnarrs [ADDRESS FOR PRIVATE USE], Erie, Pennsylvania. The personal information on the license was provided by Marceline Thomas, who signed the license when it was issued. Sherry Thomas Schnarrs is the daughter of Marceline Thomas.

Conclusion

I’ve really enjoyed this study group – both the topic and the panelists! I’ve learned a lot, but feel like I’ve barely scratched the surface. I have other books I want to read, but am adding this one back to the reading list to study again in the near future.

GenDoc Study Group: Chapter 15

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Tue, 09 Jan 2018 15:20:00 +0000

Mastering Genealogical Documentation Study Group

Chapter 15 – Citing Online Images of Previously Unpublished Material

Marceline Beem

Reference:

Jones, Thomas W. "Citing Online Images of Previously Unpublished Material." In Mastering Genealogical Documentation, 155-162. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2017.

This week’s chapter focuses on citing materials that are published for the first time as online images. These include many images from Ancestry and FamilySearch, both of which are digitizing courthouse records, vital records and other archived material of interest to genealogists.

My research in North Carolina relies heavily on deeds and wills. Fortunately, many North Carolina counties have digitized their deed indexes and books, so I am able to view those without waiting until I have the time and money to go to North Carolina. My example this week comes from one of these record sets.

A deed executed on January 8, 1853 in Columbus County, North Carolina identifies James Baldwin, Jr. as a son and heir of James Baldwin, Sr. This deed is recorded on pages 214 and 215 of Deed Book L, and is available on the Columbus County Register of Deeds website. To craft the citation, the following information is needed:

Who: Columbus County, North Carolina Register of Deeds (not used in citation, since the website name is the same)

What: deed of James Baldwin Jr selling his interest in the estate of James Baldwin, Sr to Robertson Baldwin

When: executed January 8, 1853; proven May term 1853

Wherein: Deed Book L, pages 214-215

Whereis: The Registry Online https://www.columbusdeeds.com , viewed 9 January 2018

Since options 1 and 2 do not meet standards, I will not craft a citation using those methods. Dr. Jones gives two additional methods which do meet genealogical standards, though.

Option 3

Option 3, and Dr. Jones’ preferred method, is to cite the published image with additional details. My citation for the deed in question would read:

“The Registry Online,” Columbus County, North Carolina Register of Deeds (https://www.columbusdeeds.com : viewed 9 January 2018), deed book L, pages 214-215, James Baldwin, Jr. to Robertson Baldwin, deed, 8 January 1853, proved May term 1853.

Option 4

Option 4 is to give full citation details for both the deed itself and the online image.

James Baldwin Jr to Robertson Baldwin, deed, 8 January 1853, proven May term 1853, deed book L, pages 214-215, in Columbus County, North Carolina, Register of Deeds; digital images, “The Registry Online,” Columbus County, North Carolina Register of Deeds (https://www.columbusdeeds.com : viewed 9 January 2018), Deed Book L, pages 214-215.

I think I actually prefer this last option, although I’m not sure I can give a reason for that preference. Maybe because I’m used to citing census images from Ancestry in this way, so the format is more familiar? As I mentioned last week, Dr. Jones is the editor a print publication and is concerned with space limitations, which is why he often prefers the shorter citations such as option 3. Since I have worked as a desktop publisher and faced the same issues, I fully appreciate his stance, but for my own non-print purposes, I will probably continue with the format of option 4, citing both the underlying document and the online resource.

GenDoc Study Group: Chapter 14

noreply@blogger.com (Marceline Beem) — Mon, 01 Jan 2018 15:52:00 +0000

Mastering Genealogical Documentation Study Group

Chapter 14 – Citing Images of Previously Published Materials

Marceline Beem

Reference:

Jones, Thomas W. "Citing Images of Previously Published Materials." In Mastering Genealogical Documentation, 143-154. Arlington, VA: National Genealogical Society, 2017.

This week’s chapter focuses on citing online images of previously published materials, such as journals and books. Dr. Jones gives five options for citing and when to use each option. Dr. Jones prefers to cite the material without acknowledging the online image source, as the online image is not going to be different from what someone would see if they were viewing the book or journal at a brick-and-mortar library. His viewpoint it coming from a print publisher, where space is at a premium.

My great-grandparents moved from Knoxville, Tennessee to Jacksonville, Florida between 1914 and 1916, when they first appeared in the Jacksonville city directory. I viewed this directory online at Ancestry, but using Dr. Jones’ preferred citation option, especially for print media, my citation for the directory is just like citing a book, without any reference to Ancestry. This is how I cited the 1916 and 1917 directories in the family sketch about my great-grandmother, Frances Horton Beem:

Jacksonville City Directory (Jacksonville, Florida: R.L. Polk & Co.) 1916, p. 214, entry A.M. Been and 1917, p. 187.

Arthur M. Beem in the Jacksonville 1917 City Directory

The citation is okay, but could be cleaned up a little bit by removing the “p.” for the page number and putting the information about the name spelling in a discursive note following the citation. My revised citation:

Jacksonville City Directory (Jacksonville, Fla: R.L. Polk & Co.) 1916, 214 and 1917, 187. The 1916 directory lists Arthur’s name as “A.M. Been.”