You can view these property surveys at the Seeking Michigan website.¹ Apparently not all county and townships are online yet. You must know the location of your ancestor’s property by township and section number. Consult an earlier plat map to pinpoint its location. The Voisin homestead was in Nottawa Township, Isabella, County, Michigan. That’s Township 15 North, Range 5 West, Section 22. The proper search term is thus “15N 05W 22.” I didn’t realize it at first, but there are several pages of images to look through once you find the section you want. You’ll find the front and back of each 8 x 10 card, one card (two images) per property in the township section.²

If your ancestors were deceased by the 1930′s you’ll have to look for subsequent owners of the property or the property description, like W 1/2 of E 1/2 of SW 1/4, for a match. My great-grandfather died in 1916, but the property was still owned by my great-grandmother in 1936 when the survey was conducted.

The inventory is quite detailed. Measurements are given for each building on the farm, along with details about its construction and the materials used. The first thing that surprised me was the homestead was built in 1900. Joseph Voisin purchased the land back in 1879. He married in 1885 and he and Mary had their first child in 1886, fourteen years before the house was built. That means Joseph may have started in a crude shack. Perhaps he then built a cabin for his bride, where the young family lived for many years.

Back in 1879 the area was just beginning to be settled and could be considered a frontier. It is interesting to think what pioneer hardships the couple endured. For instance in 1880, the agricultural census shows Joseph Voisin had only 4 acres of improved land.³ The remaining 36 acres was then still woodland. It would eventually be cleared, stump by stump, to raise crops.

Voisin Farmstead
circa 1912

The two story, seven room house was constructed in 1900 and later remodeled in 1920. It had a stone foundation, wood framing, wood siding and two covered porches. The gable roof was clad in wood shingles. There was a partial basement with a dirt floor. Two coal burning stoves provided heat. Plumbing consisted of a cistern and one sink. The inside was decorated, and there were a combination of pine and hardwood floors, plaster walls, pine trim, and electric lights. Its condition was rated “fair.”

Sketch of Voisin Farmstead
from Property Inventory

The barn was constructed in 1900 and measured 58 by 20 feet and 16 feet high. It had a gable roof with wood shingles. The foundation was concrete and the flooring was a combination of concrete, wood and dirt. It had two windows and the exterior walls were of finish lumber.

Barn at Voisin Farmstead

A diary building measured 30 by 18 feet and 7 feet high. The foundation was post on stone. It had a shed roof with wood shingles, a dirt floor and one window, with a finish lumber exterior. A tool shed was constructed in 1900 and measured 30 by 14 feet and 7 feet high. It had a concrete foundation, shed roof with roll roofing, presumably rolled tin, and dirt floor, with finish lumber exterior.

A root cellar was constructed in 1905 and remodeled in 1918. It was 24 by 14 feet and 4 feet high and made of stone. A grain barn was constructed in 1905. It was 26 by 12 feet and 8 feet high. The foundation was post on stone and it was clad with finish lumber. A garage was built in 1905 and measured 16 by 10 feet and 8 feet high. It had a concrete foundation and wood shingle roof.

A hen house was built in 1905. It was 16 by 14 feet and 5 feet high. Its foundation was post on stone and the roof had wood shingles. A chicken coop was constructed in 1900 and was 28 by 20 feet and 7 feet high. It was post on stone, with a wood shingle roof. A wood shed was built in 1900 and remodeled in 1918. It measured 26 by 14 feet and 7 feet high. It was post on stone and the exterior was of finish lumber.

The number and variety of out-buildings is surprising. Such information helps when looking at old photographs. Not only can you get a sense of their actual size, you can make inferences as to what the pictures show. For example the photograph of the barn may actually show three separate buildings. Perhaps the structure on the left is the garage and behind the barn may be a separate structure like the dairy barn, which was almost as wide as the barn.

The farm was fenced with a combination of woven, barbed wire and rail fences, with wood posts, but the fence condition was rated poor. There were 35 acres of cropland and farmstead, 4.5 acres of untillable pasture, and 0.5 acre of roadway. Generally the farmland was rated “good,” as opposed to excellent, fair or poor. The soil was mostly silt loam and clay loam, with poor drainage. The topography was mostly level with gently rolling land in the back acreage.

Sketch of Cropland
from Property Inventory

The sketch of the farmland has coded notation, for example:

“A” Crop-R-2-8A.
SLT.L.-SLT.L.-CL.-C.
L.-P.DR.-0.Dth.

I found an unrelated source that provides the meaning of these abbreviations.⁴ They are deciphered as:

Land type “A,” Cropland, rated R-2 “Good,” 8 acres.
Silt loam, silt loam, clay loam, clay
Level topography, poor drainage, open ditch.

You can deduce other abbreviations in the descriptions by looking at inventories for other properties in the township. These were probably conducted by other workers and they sometimes used different abbreviations for the same things. For example the interior of the home is described with “Pl-Dec,” which I was able to learn was “plaster” walls and “decorated.”

The WPA inventory gives a good depiction of farm life in the early twentieth century. Other sources can expand on that picture. For instance Joseph Voisin’s probate records list the farm’s inventory at his death in 1916.⁵ The family had 3 horses, 4 cows, 3 calves, 200 hens and chickens, 2 sheep and 12 pigs. Farm equipment included 2 wagons, 1 sleigh, 1 buggy, 1 scraper, 1 mower, 1 plow, 1 harrow, 1 rake, along with harnesses and other small farm implements.

Voisin Family
circa 1907

The farm is no longer in existence, but records such as the WPA Property Inventories provide a detailed glimpse of the past.  From humble beginnings in the wilderness, my great-grandparents were able to establish a prosperous farm and a large family, the descendants of whom still thrive today.

1. “WPA Property Inventories,” database, Michigan History Foundation, Seeking Michigan (http://seekingmichigan.org: downloaded 20 April 2013), 15N 05W 22, Pages 15-16, Record Group 72-76, http://seekingmichigan.contentdm.oclc.org/cdm/ref/collection/p129401coll0/id/89113; citing Michigan Department of Treasury; Works Progress Administration.
2. Archives of Michigan, Rural Property Inventories, Circular 16 (http://www.michigan.gov/archivesofmi: downloaded 20 April 2013).
3. 1880 US Census, Isabella County, Michigan, schedule 2 agricultural, Nottawa Township, enumeration district (ED) 156, Page 11, Line 8, Joseph Voisin; digital images, Ancestry.com (http://ancestry.com : downloaded 6 July 2010); National Archives and Records Administration micropublication Series T1164, Roll 42, Record Group 29.
4. Supervisor’s Ledger For Alpine Township, Kent County, Michigan, Rual Property Inventory, Works Progress Administration Project (WPA Project S-110), (http://kent.migenweb.net/townships/alpine/1941WPA/explanation.html: downloaded 20 April 2013). Provides a table of notational abbreviations.
5. Isabella County, Michigan, Probate Records Liber 3, Page 168, File 2665D, P-84, 1916, Estate of Joseph Voisin, Final inventory, 1916; Isabella County Courthouse, Mount Pleasant, Isabella, Michigan.

I describe here how I used records available at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission (PHMC)¹ and Google Earth to pinpoint the location of the original Stewart homestead.

Online records at PHMC indicate a warrant to survey a tract of land named “Cornfield” for John Stewart was issued February 13, 1797.² The resulting survey was conducted March 31, 1797 and filed (returned) March 26, 1799.³ A subsequent land patent was issued March 28, 1799.⁴ A patent confers ownership of land from the Commonwealth to a private person.

The description of the property in the land patent is given in metes and bounds:

Thence by land of Nathaniel Bryan. North Seventy deg,s West Sixty four perches to a Post. North sixty degrees West one hundred and four perches to a [Chestnut]….

Certainly I cannot find the post, or the chestnut tree after 214 years. The notation “North 70 degrees West 64 perches” describes a boundary line segment. Face north, then turn 70 degrees to the west and measure 64 perches. Since north is zero degrees and west is 270 degrees, the actual compass bearing is 290 degrees (360 – 70 = 290). Lengths were given in perches. A perch is a British term for a rod, common in surveying. A rod is 5.5 yards or 16.5 feet.

John Stewart’s land is also recorded in the survey copy books. These were copied around the turn of the twentieth century from the original surveys. It gives a diagram of the property, which is approximately to scale.

I had the shape of the Stewart homestead, but not where it was actually located. The survey only indicates it was near Black Lick Creek:

Surveyed to John Stewart the 31st Day of March 1797 the above described Tract of Two hundred & ninety two acres and forty one perches & Allowance of 6 pr cent situate on the waters of Black Lick adjoining Lands of Charles Stewart[,] William Shaft & others including his improvement in Wheatfield Township Westmoreland County by Warrant of the 13th Day of Febr in the Year 1797.

I therefore examined the surveys of neighboring properties. The survey books provide the names of adjacent property owners and the volume and page of their surveys. In my case John Stewart’s brother Charles had land immediately adjacent. His survey indicates, “Situate on the waters of the Black Lick Creek on the west side of Brackens Mill creek about two miles from the mill house….” Others provided more clues like, “Situate on Braken’s mill creek about two miles from Braken’s house” and “Situate on the head waters of Brakins Mill run.”

Using a graphics program, I pieced together several of these surveys. Each survey can have a slightly different scale and orientation. They also cover a period ranging over 100 years so properties could have been re-sized as they changed ownership. However the shapes of the property boundaries do line up closely enough to depict relative orientation.

I even continued the chain of property surveys down to Bracken’s Mill on Black Lick Creek (not shown here). I’m confident the streams shown on the William Sheaff and John Moyer properties are the head waters of Bracken’s Run. And the John Stewart property is adjacent to these properties. So that gives the general location of the homestead.

I used old maps from 1817, 1856 and 1871 to locate Bracken’s Run, which terminated at Black Lick Creek at present-day Dilltown, Pennsylvania. It is called Madris Run today. I followed that creek northward on a present-day map and determined its origin, or head waters.

Now to more precisely locate the Stewart homestead. I used Google Earth because it has a feature to add overlays of old maps to the modern imagery it displays. First I found the general area in question:

However it is difficult to see or follow Madris Run, formerly Bracken’s Run, in this imagery. I used a topographical map of the area from the National Map website⁵. You can either download a high-resolution image or take a screen capture once you zoom into the area you want:

It is still difficult to follow Madris Run, so I edited the image to draw a red line along the creek bed:

I used this image as an overlay in Google Earth, and matched the present-day roads to properly position it.

I then added my combined survey image as another overlay. This time I tried to match the sketch of Bracken’s Run to the red line I marked for Madris Run. The surveys are only an approximation so I didn’t expect them to fit the actual geography precisely. In fact the northern edge of the Moyer property looks like it would fit at the intersection of the two roads a little further north.

Two features helped me select a better spot after I aligned the creek beds. One was the line segment in the survey that is exactly north-south. I aligned this line to the north indicator in Google Earth. Secondly, the triangle at the top of the survey indicates one side is 60 perches. The secondary road coming off Camerons Road happens to be about 60 rods long, as measured in Google Maps. And luckily in my case that road is named Stewart Hollow Road.

It is still not a definitive match, but the circumstantial evidence is compelling. The north-south boundary line is actually north-south on the map, the triangular section lines up with Stewart Hollow Road, and the southern-most portion of Charles Stewart’s property touches Madris Run as indicated in that survey. This shows the scale and orientation are approximately correct, although I suspect the boundaries could be adjusted slightly to fit the present-day tree lines and property boundaries.

An 1871 map⁶ likely shows the Stewart homestead, although by that time it belonged to one of his heirs.

When I added that map as an overlay, the homestead itself appears near the central region of the property.

Google Earth is a useful tool to superimpose an old metes and bounds survey. You simply have to hunt for additional clues to pinpoint its actual location. I did this by looking at neighboring surveys and old maps of the region. The result is promising.

1. Pennsylvania, “Copied Surveys, 1681-1912,” database and digital images, Pennsylvania State Archives, Land Records (http://www.portal.state.pa.us/portal/server.pt/community/state_archives/2887 : downloaded 9 December 2009), RG-17, Series #17.114, Copied Survey Book C-206, Page 221 and reverse, John Stewart, http://www.phmc.state.pa.us/bah/dam/rg/di/r17-114CopiedSurveyBooks/Books%20C1-C234/Book%20C206/Book%20C-206%20pg%20441.pdf; Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission, Bureau of Archives and History.
2. The warrant was number S-426.
3. The survey is recorded in Survey Copy Book C-206, page 221.
4. The land patent was recorded in Patent Book Volume P, Number 35, page 245.
5. http://nationalmap.gov/viewer.html
6. “State and County Maps: Pennsylvania: County Maps and Atlases,” map images, USGenWeb Archives, United States Digital Map Library (http://www.usgwarchives.org/maps/pa/county/: downloaded 9 December 2009), Map of Buffington Township, Indiana, Pennsylvania; citing Atlas of Indiana County Pennsylvania, (New York: F.W. Beers & Co., 1871).

What I did is add an overlay of an old map to the modern world shown in Google Earth.  This allows you to see precisely where a road, building or property once stood in relation to what’s there now.

If you don’t already have Google Earth installed you can find it, of course, at Google.  I will not explain how to install or use the features of Google Earth here.  Instead I only give a brief overview of how you can use it in genealogy research.

First you must find or scan a digital copy of a map showing your ancestor’s property.  This will most likely be a plat map, showing property boundaries, buildings and owner’s names.  Try to use the latest of the early maps that still show your ancestors.  That is, an 1860 plat map will usually be drawn more crudely than an 1875 plat.  Likewise a 1915 plat will most accurately match the actual geography shown in Google Earth.

Once you have the map, crop it down to a smaller size that shows just the vicinity of your ancestor’s property.  I found a 1915 plat and as shown above I cropped it to show just the intersection of Harrison Road with Patterson Street.  The bigger the map, the more difficult it will be to get the images to match up when you overlay it.

In Google Earth, navigate to the area in question.  Here I chose the intersection of Harrison Road with Patterson Street.  Once you get to the general vicinity, I suggest resetting the tilt and compass so the view is not skewed.  Do this with the View | Reset | Tilt and Compass command.  Note this command is currently available only when you are not working with an overlay image.

Now select the command to add an overlay (Add | Image Overlay).  Browse for the image of the plat map on your computer.

Set the image transparency so that you see both the Google Earth imagery and the road or property boundaries on the plat map.  Then adjust the shape of the plat map image so it matches the actual geography.  Do this by dragging the green lines at the corners or on the sides of the image.  Move the entire overlay by dragging the crosshair lines at the center of the overlay.

With trial and error, you’ll be able to match up the plat map to the Google Earth imagery, like so:

Here, my great-grandparent’s homestead once stood at the yellow rectangle on lot 30 along Harrison Road, just past Patterson Street.  Once you’ve matched up your overlay you can click the OK button.  If you later want to reposition it, highlight your overlay in the list of places on the sidebar.  Then click View | Properties.  This will bring back both the dialog box and the green lines to reposition the image.

For greater insight, you can use the 3D feature of Google Earth to zoom in on the property.  I notice that my great-grandparent’s house was on a very steep grade.

And another view:

Keep in mind most flat plat maps didn’t take into account the terrain.  Google Earth stretches the map, so Humbert Avenue shown above would probably have been more upon the hilltop.

It’s also fun to see other features nearby.  Although undoubtedly a big part of my ancestor’s world, this rail yard with several tracks no longer exists:

Google Earth is also useful in planning genealogy research trips.  You can know exactly where to go when you visit a particular area, especially if a house no longer exists.  Here I’ve mapped out the farmland where my great-grandparents, Joseph and Mary Voisin, once had a homestead:

Their farm was two properties east of Beal City, Michigan.  When I zoom in, I can see the original farmhouse would have stood at the black square in the lower left corner of the property, across the road from a parking lot:

All in all, Google Earth is a useful tool in genealogy.

She always loved poetry and transcribed many famous poems in her notebooks.  She also wrote her own poems.  In this one, I can envision her sitting in her room at the YWCA looking out her window to the street below:  A young woman on her own, and filled with a sense of peace and hopefulness about the future.

The First Snow

I’ve been in Philly since summer
And now that December is here
It brings the first snow to the city
And the Angel’s song to my ear.

I hear in the distance the clock
Chimming slowly the hour of seven
And I know that right now this minute
The earth is very close to heaven.

And peace surrounds my spirit.
And my heart knows things are right
When I hear on the street below
Young voices singing “Silent Night”

Then God looks down and smiles
And it reflects on all the trees
And the sound of all the traffic
Becomes a beautiful symphony

The world becomes silent—it listens
For the first time in years
The guns are still and respectful
And there are many grateful tears

That face this new found challenge
The one of lasting contentment and peace
Any may every day bring these things
And the wonder of Christmas never cease

Me

Ida (Pohl) Stewart, about 1909

The 1910 Federal Census lists the occupation of my grandmother Adelheid T. (Pohl) Stewart as a Taper at the Electric Works.  She was 19 then, just prior to her marriage with John Galbreath Stewart later that year.

I’ve been curious for some time.  What was a Taper?  No doubt the “Electric Works” was Westinghouse Electric Manufacturing Company in East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.  It was a short distance from Turtle Creek, where my grandmother lived.

Through the wonders of the Internet I happened upon a short video clip produced in 1904 that explains a lot.

The clip was posted on YouTube by the Library of Congress.  It shows young women winding what appears to be insulating tape around electrical coils.  I can assume this video shows something very similar to Ida as a young woman and her daily surroundings on the job.

Tapers at work. Mystery solved.

Remember that genealogy podcasters, bloggers and newletter authors want to earn some extra money, and sometimes it’s their living too.  However many times that means their opinions and reporting are biased in favor of their sponsors, or their professional relationships with others in the genealogy community.

I bought genealogy software based on the seemingly sincere recommendation of podcasters, only to find the software was barely out of its beta testing phase.  It certainly wasn’t the glowingly wonderful product the podcasters mentioned.  Their sponsor?  The software vendor in question, of course.

Some bloggers delete comments about their postings if there’s even a hint of criticism about a product or service they mention, when that company is a sponsor or provides them with free evaluation copies.  That is certainly their right.  It’s their blog and their opinion and they can censor comments as they wish.  However as a consumer, you should be aware that you may not be getting the whole story.  There’s no rule that all sides of an argument should be presented so you can make an informed decision.

As a shareware author myself, I know there are other useful genealogy products and services you will not hear about because they don’t pay the podcaster, blogger or newsletter author to mention them.   By the same token, there are things you will not hear about popular genealogy products and services because it would jeopardize the commentator’s revenue stream.

Be wary.  A glowing review from a popular podcaster or blogger may entice you buy a product.  Did you believe a trusted personality in the genealogy world, or were you manipulated?  Even an innocuous  mention of new online records may get you to sign up for a subscription somewhere else.   Genealogy is unfortunately a business like most others.  Profit motive can skew perceptions.  Don’t think that because genealogy enthusiasts are friendly and helpful, that you are always getting the truth and nothing but the truth.

Ruth Voisin

It was twenty years ago today that my mother died suddenly.  I often wish I could speak with her again.  But time is healing my loss and it’s fun to reminisce every now and then.

She collected old lithographs with a theme depicting a bluebird on a tree branch with a little girl gazing up, usually looking out a window.  They reminded her of one by Bessie Pease Gutmann that her mother had.  Of course this morning a couple bluebirds happened by my backyard.  Every time I see one now I chuckle and think to myself it’s mom saying hi.

Mom’s the one who got me interested in genealogy.  She often said that I come from “good stock” and spoke of how strict and clean my German ancestors were.  Even though my grandmother’s pantry had a dirt floor, it was always swept and “clean.”

Not to get too mushy, but I keep in mind a star to represent loved ones who have died.  That way, no matter how busy or preoccupied I am, I’m always reminded of them when I see that star at night.  (It helps that I can identify dozens of stars and constellations.)

Mom’s star is Sirius in Canis Major.  She asked me one night on the balcony of a condo in which we were vacationing at Gulf Shores, Alabama, what that bright object was hovering over the ocean.  I explained that it was Sirius, the brightest star in the sky, and that it even has a companion star that orbits it.

So some time after she died I was looking up at Sirius and reminisced about that moment.  To this day I am reminded of her when I see Sirius.  Wouldn’t you know it, Sirius also crosses the meridian (it’s highest point in the sky) annually at about 10pm CST this day.  So tonight when I walk the dog, I’ll look up to Sirius, the brightest jewel in the sky and say, “Here’s to you Mom!”

Alas, these centers will soon be no more! It is very apparent, at least in my area, they will soon close and no longer be available to genealogical researchers.

Formerly known as Family History Centers, today I guess they are re-branded as “FamilySearch Centers.”  By all appearances the LDS church still promotes them, but my experiences say otherwise.

During the last decade, the centers have always had limited hours of operation.  Usually it was two to three hours per day and only two or three days a week.  The hours listed for each center on the official LDS website were invariably wrong.  I always had to drive to the church to see the actual hours posted on the door because they changed frequently.

Now they have virtually no hours of operation.  I recently wanted to order a microfilm.  I drove by the church closest to me, but found no hours of operation for the Family History Center posted.  So I drove to another ward on a day and time when I used to visit.  They are open one day a week for three hours around lunch time, and the day I visited was not that day.

I had to wait another week to order my film.  I  came back the following week and rang the bell.  Someone let me in, but when I went to walk down the hall to the Family History Center, the hallway was pitch black.  “Oh the History Center is closed the month of August,” she said.  It would be open the next week.

The third time I decided to call first.  At the LDS website, I found instead that I could order a microfilm rental online.  So I did, without having to visit the History Center first.  A couple weeks later I received a call from a very outgoing, but astonished woman who said my film had arrived.  She sounded like that didn’t happen very often.  She graciously offered for me to view the film outside of their regular hours, which I quickly accepted because I was anxious to view the microfilm.

Once there I told her of my difficulty finding an open History Center.  A lot had changed since I was last there.  The staff I used to see is long gone.  Out of nine microfilm readers, there were only two remaining.  She said the older staff volunteers have moved on and there’s not much interest expressed by the younger church members.  The hours were reduced because few if any people use the Family History Center any more.  They are considering closing the Center altogether.

To be honest, it was three years since I was there myself.  Although I have a few microfilms on “permanent” loan, I haven’t been back to reference them.  I’ve been busy researching other family lines.  The emergence of the Internet for online genealogy has really taken off.  But I’m not ready to say goodbye to Family History Centers!  The leads I get online all have to be followed up by consulting actual records.  The cheapest and easiest way to get those records is via LDS microfilms.

FamilySearch is placing more and more records online, but that’s only a few hundred titles.  Some are only indices, without images of the actual film.  Consider the thousands of microfilms they have.  It may be several years before all of them are available online.  It’s too soon to close down their microfilm rental program!

What are we to do?  The field of genealogy may regress before it moves forward again.   The old research methods (i.e., microfilms) may be abandoned before technology evolves enough to fill the gap.  Less information may become available before more information flourishes again.  Perhaps we’ll check records the old fashioned way, by traveling to the courthouses where it resides.

It’s interesting to consider the goal of the Mormons.  They trace ancestries so they can ritually baptize all souls.  I guess there will come a time when that goal is accomplished.  For decades they have been gathering and documenting ancestral lineages.   Contemporary generations are probably close to being fully documented.  The paper trail for earlier ancestors will eventually end.  Consider how difficult it is to find evidence earlier than the seventeenth and sixteenth centuries.  Information simply wasn’t recorded then or it has not survived.

So perhaps they have different plans.  Will access to their accumulated records eventually be off limits?  Technology may take us in a completely different direction than we expect.  Our assumptions about the future of genealogy are based on the way things have been.  We may get less when we think we’re about to get more.

Mum and Fodder

I took this picture years ago while traveling a back road near Houghton Lake, Michigan with my mother.  She spotted this couple and wanted their picture.  I had to stop the car, turn around and go back to get it.  It’s an appropriate marriage picture to substitute for ancestors who were married before the invention of photography.

If you don’t know what you’re looking at, they’re stacks of large circular hay bales from a farmer’s field.

Albert and Mary Pohl Homestead

This is a case of genealogical serendipity.  I set out to determine the precise location of the house where my maternal great-grandparents, Albert and Mary Pohl, lived.  In this picture taken about 1909, the Pohl family posed in front of their house.¹

From something unexpected, I uncovered a trail of bread crumbs that led me to their doorstep.

My aunt Mary told me the Pohl family picture was taken in Linhart, Pennsylvania, which is a suburb of Pittsburgh and just north of Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.  The 1930 Federal census² indicates the family lived on Harrison Road while in 1920³ and 1910⁴ they lived on #3 Hill.  Were these two different addresses?  I was told that #3 Hill is today known as Harrison Road.

Of course the genealogically correct thing to do was to search property records for the chain of ownership.  Wading through deed indices and property transfers is tedious and expensive in terms of renting microfilmed records.  So I put the project on the back burner, hoping to return to it later.

One day I searched the online news archives of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette for any articles that mention the Pohl family.  I came across a relatively recent article published in July 2006.⁵  Apparently the Wilkins Township tax assessor was not paying property taxes on property owned by his late father’s estate.  It reported his father bought the property from Irene Pohl, a cousin of mine, and granddaughter to Albert and Mary Pohl.  Miss Pohl had then recently bought the property herself.  That was interesting, although not entirely useful to me.  But then the article went on to reveal something incredible.

The land previously figured in a tax matter.  In 1947, when it was owned by the estate of Mary Pohl, executor Albert Pohl [her son] sold it for $2,300 to settle the estate’s debts.

Mary’s husband Albert died in 1931.  Mary died in 1944, making it reasonable to assume her son Albert would settle her estate in 1947.  This was the very property of my great-grandparents for which I was looking.  Armed with the name of the property’s present owner, I visited the Allegheny County website to see if tax assessment records were online.  I was able to find the parcel and display a satellite image of its boundaries.⁶

Property Tax Information

Here it was, at the intersection of Harrison Road with Patterson Street.  The house itself is no longer standing.  A view from Google Maps (below, left) shows the property today.⁷  A deep ravine is a short distance from the road.  The address is about 230 or 233 Harrison Road.  Interestingly, a neighboring house two doors down (below, right) looks very much like the Pohl homestead from the 1910 photograph.  Perhaps it is an original structure from that time period.

Vacant Land, and a Neighboring House

Armed with the location, I next wanted to find an early real-estate plat map that might show the property.  At the Historic Pittsburgh website, I found three plat maps published by G. M. Hopkins & Company.  The first, in 1915, shows Harrison Road and Patterson Street, with an outline of a home indicated on the property (highlighted).⁸  The main road at the bottom is Larimer Avenue Extension.

Wilkins Township Plat Map, 1915

The property boundaries in the plat map matched the tax assessment map perfectly.  The second map, in 1903, shows the same area, except that Harrison Road was named Township Road at the time and what would be Patterson Street is unidentified.⁹

Wilkins Township Plat Map, 1903

A third map, published in 1895, shows a similar view, although no roads are identified.¹⁰  It does indicate however the house was standing on the property as early as 1895, two years after the Pohl family immigrated to America in 1892/1893.  Precisely when the Pohl family occupied the house must still be determined by tracing the deed records.

I continued to follow my trail of bread crumbs.  In the 1903 map above, “Incline No. 5″ caught my eye.  It appears bottom, center.  I read in the township history provided at the Wilkins Township website¹¹ that an elevated railroad was to be built to transport coal.  In August 1902, the Wilkins Township Board of Commissioners authorized the New York and Cleveland Gas Coal Company (NY&CGC) to build such an incline across the Millerstown to Turtle Creek Road on what was known as #3 Hill in the NY&CGC plan of lots.¹²  Linhart, Pennsylvania was formerly known as Millerstown, so that road would today be Larimer Avenue.  That township ordinance implies that #3 Hill was an area and not a specific street.

In a round-about way I found the precise location of the Pohl family homestead.  I started with an early picture of the house and family, a clue from a relative, and Federal census records.  When I later happened upon an obscure newspaper article that mentioned the present owner, it led to a tax map, and a view from Google Maps, then to three real estate plat maps.  One plat map showed an incline railroad.  A 1902 Wilkins Township ordinance confirmed the area was #3 Hill.

Harrison Road, formerly Township Road, was therefore part of #3 Hill, which was near Linhart, formerly Millerstown, in Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.  A circuitous yet fortuitous find indeed.

1. The original is in the possession of Mike Voisin (mounted on cardboard, 5-15/16 by 6-15/16 inches).
2. NARA Microfilm, Series T626, Roll 1992, Page 155A and 155B, Wilkins Township, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
3. NARA Microfilm, Series T625, Roll 1530, Page 207A, Wilkins Township, Precinct 1, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
4. NARA Microfilm, Series T624, Roll 1298, Page 251A and 251B, Wilkins Township, District 1, Allegheny County, Pennsylvania.
5. Bill Heltzel, “Official Not Paying Taxes on Estate Land,” Article, Pittsburgh Post-Gazette, 27 July 2006; online archives (http://post-gazette.com : downloaded 31 May 2011). http://www.post-gazette.com/pg/06208/708783-56.stm.
6. Allegheny County Pennsylvania (http://county.allegheny.pa.us/ : downloaded 6 April 2009), Office of Property Assessments, Parcel 0454-D-00084-0000-00, Harrison Road, Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania.
7. Google Maps, Street View, 196-230 Harrison Road, Turtle Creek, Pennsylvania (http://maps.google.com : downloaded September 17, 2011).
8. Digital Research Library, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh/ : downloaded 16 September 2011), Real estate plat-book of the eastern vicinity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1915). Plate 15. http://digital.library.pitt.edu/maps/20091022-hopkins.html.
9. Digital Research Library, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh/ : downloaded 16 September 2011), Real estate plat-book of the eastern vicinity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1903). Plate 16. http://digital.library.pitt.edu/maps/03vevind.html.
10. Digital Research Library, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, Historic Pittsburgh (http://digital.library.pitt.edu/pittsburgh/ : downloaded 16 September 2011), Real estate plat-book of the eastern vicinity of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania. (Philadelphia: G.M. Hopkins & Co., 1895). Plate 16. http://digital.library.pitt.edu/maps/20090121-hopkins.html.
11. Wilkins Township, PA, History of Wilkins Township (http://www.wilkinstownship.com/PDF/Wilkins%20Township%20History.pdf : downloaded 9 September 2011).
12. Wilkins Township Board of Commissioners, Wilkins Township, Allegheny, Pennsylvania, Wilkins Township (http://www.wilkinstownship.com/ : downloaded 9 September 2011), An ordinance granting to the New York and Cleveland Gas Coal Company the right to erect an incline, Ordinance 13, Page 15, Historical Ordinances 05/04/1901 to 01/12/1923.

Until now I’ve been able to get by researching my ancestors by reading records written in German, French and Latin.  Hungarian records will be something new to me.  First things first.  How do I even pronounce Szabolcs?

I found a great website, Forvo.com. It’s a place you can hear words pronounced in their native language. If a word isn’t there, you can make a request for it. Individuals from all over the world, like yourself, volunteer to pronounce words in their native tongue. I highly recommend it to genealogists.

As for Szabolcs?

Szabolcs

Adelheid "Ida" (Pohl) Stewart

I recently noticed FamilySearch.org added more Hungarian records.  I quickly found a new lead in the search for the birthplace of my grandmother, Adelheid “Ida” (Pohl) Stewart.  She immigrated to America in 1893 when she was but 2 years old along with her mother and two older siblings.  They departed from Hamburg, Germany, where the ship’s manifest listed them as living in Fünfkirchen, Hungary.

I found two index entries in the Hungary Catholic Church Records at FamilySearch.org.  Both are baptismal records.  One is for Lipot [Leopold] Pohl and one is for Maria Pohl, the two older siblings of my grandmother Adelheid Pohl.  Unfortunately my grandmother does not appear in the index.  But, it does indicate the family was living in Szabolcs, in the county of Baranya, Hungary (see map¹).

Map showing Fünfkirchen (Pécs) in 1892. Szabolcs is to the northeast.

Szabolcs, today named Mecsekszabolcs, is very near Pécs, Hungary.  Pécs was also known as Fünfkirchen by the Germans.  It would have been Austria-Hungary at that time.  These baptismal records are therefore consistent with the Hamburg manifest.  More importantly, it tells me the specific church records in which I hopefully will find my grandmother’s baptismal record.

My great-grandfather Albert Pohl, immigrated in 1892, one year prior to his wife and children.  (See my earlier post, Genealogy at the NOAA.)  He settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania and worked as a coal miner.  Szabolcs was also a coal mining district.  I assume he worked as a coal miner in Szabolcs before coming to America.  He probably chose Pittsburgh because he had coal mining experience and thought he could easily get a job.  Perhaps friends and relatives in America wrote letters back home describing the opportunities available in Pittsburgh. In the map below, the locations of mines are indicated by crossed hammers.²

Map showing Pécs, Hungary in 2003. Mecsekszabolcs, formerly Szabolcs, is to the northeast.

Whenever more records become available in an online collection, it pays to search again for your ancestors.

1. Eötvös Loránd Tudományegyetem [Eötvös Loránd University] 3rd Military Mapping Survey of Austria-Hungary, http://lazarus.elte.hu/hun/digkonyv/topo/3felmeres.htm
2. Nemzeti Kulturális Örökség Minisztériuma [Ministry of Cultural Heritage], http://lazarus.elte.hu/hun/tantort/2003/palyazat/

I used portions of the “Genealogical Map of the Counties” available at the Pennsylvania Historical and Museum Commission. I simply snipped the individual images in their sequence of state maps that show county boundaries and made a short flash animation.

Unfortunately these maps do not show cities and towns, but if you know the county you are interested in, you can see when it was created and how it changed over the years.

View an animated history of Pennsylvania Counties.

My religion teacher wrote,

Mike should be concentrating on taking a more active part in class.  He’ll find his future years of study easier if he trains himself to express ideas and opinions orally as well as in writing.

To which my mother wrote,

I’m sure what you say is true.  However, I find a quiet, gentle person a rare gift.  Too many of the people I encounter are only interested in talking–with as little thinking as possible.  Give me the thinkers, those who ponder and the shy doers.

My teacher wrote nothing further during the two remaining review periods that year.

I think I learned more about religion and as it turns out, about life, from my mother’s statement that year than in all the religion classes I had.  Not only did I admire her for standing up for me, against a nun even, but all these many years later have proven her right.

Sometimes I come across items of genealogical interest.  I once bought a stack of hard-cover genealogy books for 50 cents each.  Perhaps saddest are the old portraits of unnamed and unknown ancestors that probably graced many a farm house.

Today at an estate sale I noticed a banker’s box on the top shelf marked “Genealogy.”  I thought boy oh boy, what treasures can I save from destruction and loss to hopefully find a better home.  I anxiously brought the box down, set it carefully on another box, and lifted the cover.  Oh no!  Shreds upon shreds of paper, as if the contents had been through a paper shredder.  A family of mice had at one time made their home in this box.

All of it ruined.  Hand-written notes, Xeroxed copies of records and certificates.  Nothing but strips and fragments.  Nothing salvageable.  It was obviously someone’s careful work from the time before computers, when everything was done by hand.

The lesson:  Store your genealogical paperwork in rodent-proof containers.  Avoid attics and garages.

Brick by Brick

This is another post in a series about finding the ancestors of my paternal great-grandfather Joseph Voisin¹ (1858-1916). This is a brick wall I haven’t been able to get beyond for several years. Here I chip away a few more bricks from the wall in hopes of discovering a clue.

Perhaps you can help. If you found this post while searching the Internet, chances are there’s something here that piqued your interest. That means you might know something I don’t know. If so, please post a comment. No matter how small, most any information can provide a clue.

In this installment I’ll remove four bricks from the wall.  See also Bricks 1 through 10.

Brick 11: Voisin Family from Bentinck, Grey, Ontario

A Voisin family appears in the 1861 Canadian Census in Bentinck Township, Grey County, Ontario.  John and Elizabeth Voisin had a son named Joseph about 1856.  Although this could be our Joseph Voisin, I’ve not yet researched this family.  They apparently emigrated from England and they are Congregationalists.  Our Joseph Voisin was very likely of German descent and Catholic.

Conclusion:  Additional research is necessary to prove whether or not this family is related to us.

Brick 12: A Voisin in Waterloo County, Ontario

A man with the Voisin surname appears in the 1861 Canadian Census in Wellesley Township, Waterloo County, Ontario.  He was a carpenter, 18 years old, and listed near the Joesph and Catherine (Meyer) Voisin family in the census (see Brick 6).  No first name is given and he appears with no other family members.

If this were our Joseph Voisin, he would have been born about 1843 rather than 1858, which is generally accepted.  It is curious however. Since Joseph wrote in his journal that he was in Hawkesville in 1877 (see Brick 5), perhaps he had actually been there since 1861.

Conclusion:  Additional research is necessary to determine the identity of this Voisin.

Brick 13: Photographs of Joseph Voisin

I have a hunch Joseph Voisin may have been older than he led everyone to believe.  I might be able to draw some inferences by examining photographs of him.

Joseph was a pioneer.  He was one of the first settlers in Nottawa Township, Isabella County, Michigan as that area became available to white settlers.  (Previously it was reserved for Native Americans.)  Joseph was also a farmer. As indicated in an 1880 agricultural census, only four of his forty newly-purchased acres had been improved (cleared for farming). He also was a father to eleven children.

As a pioneer, farmer, and father with all those mouths to feed, he undoubtedly worked very, very hard. Such labor would take a toll on anyone. Therefore, to evaluate how old someone looks in a photograph of that era is difficult.

I’m reminded of a television program, “Frontier House,” in which modern families attempted to live under the same circumstances as 19th century pioneers.  In one episode a man became concerned that he was malnourished.  It turned out he was dehydrated, but his body was also adapting to the meager food supply and daily labor to which he was not accustomed.

So can I distinguish whether Joseph appears older than his stated age? Or, did the rigors of pioneer and farm life cause him to look older than he was?

Joseph Voisin through Time

The first image was taken about 1907 when Joseph was 49.  The middle image was taken about 1912 when he was 54.  The last image was probably taken a year before he died, say about 1915, when he was 57.

The question is, do these images look like someone of the stated age, that is 49, 54 and 57, respectively?  To me he looks older.

Now to be accurate, there are mitigating circumstances.  Joseph did write two recipes for bitters in his journal in the 1890s.  He most likely used these as stomach tonics and therefore he may have suffered frequent indigestion and heartburn.  Also, he died of prostate cancer, which progressively got worse. He probably suffered for at least a couple years with that.  I suspect he may have had other, undocumented ailments besides.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin may have been older than generally accepted.

Brick 14: The Story of Two Brothers

One account passed down through the generations is that Joseph Voisin came to America in company with a brother.  His brother settled in the northern part of Michigan’s lower peninsula.

As with many family stories, there are few details to go on, and no substantiated evidence.  I think there may be grains of truth in family lore, but tracking such stories down is difficult.  There are Voisin families in northern Michigan, around Traverse City.  So this story is plausible.

The trouble is, Joseph Voisin died in 1916, well before any of his grandchildren came of age. Therefore no one now living ever met him and stories told by his children become blurry through time.

Conclusion:  Additional research is necessary to determine any connection to the Voisin families of northern lower Michigan.

The saga continues….

1. For source citations and images of the evidence discussed here, please see the Family Group Sheet for Joseph Voisin.

Brick by Brick

I’ve reached an impasse trying to find the ancestors of my paternal great-grandfather Joseph Voisin¹ (1858-1916). It’s a brick wall I haven’t been able to get beyond for several years. If I remove one brick from the wall at a time, I may discover a clue.

Perhaps you can help. If you found this post while searching the Internet, chances are there’s something here that piqued your interest.  That means you might know something I don’t know.  If so, please post a comment.  No matter how small, most any information can provide a clue.

In this installment I’ll remove ten bricks from the wall.  See also Bricks 11 through 14.

Brick 1: Date of Birth

There is some discrepancy as to Joseph Voisin’s birth date. No civil or church birth record has yet been found. A wedding sampler shows the date as January 10, 1858. That is perhaps the most reliable evidence to date.

His age is listed as 24 in the 1880 United States Federal Census, when he was actually 22 if born in 1858. Was he actually born in 1856? The ages listed in census records are notoriously unreliable. In the 1900 census, his birth date is listed as January 1858 and his age is 42. The 1910 census shows age 51, which is close enough to 52.

His death certificate indicates he was 65 in 1916, making his birth year 1850. However, it is apparent the birth date and age at death were originally written in lighter ink and subsequently rewritten in darker ink. This document is therefore highly suspect.

Still, I have a hunch Joseph may have been less than truthful about his date of birth for some reason. He may have actually been older.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin was born January 10, 1858 until it can be proven otherwise.

Brick 2: Place of Birth

The key to finding Joseph’s ancestors is locating where he was born. Most all records indicate he was born in Ontario, Canada, while his parents were probably born in Germany. That what’s listed in the 1880 United States Federal Census. The 1900 census indicates Canada, and his parents were born in Canada. The 1910 census shows Canada, and the birth place of his parents was unknown.

In an 1880 declaration of intention to become a United States citizen, Joseph renounced his allegiance to the Queen of Great Britain, who of course reigned over Canada.

His death certificate states he was born in Canada, but again, little credence is given to that document.

It is possible he was born in another Provence, like Quebec, or even in the United States, perhaps across the river in Buffalo, New York. His parents could have moved shortly after Joseph was born. However, there is no evidence of that yet.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin was born in Ontario, Canada, but I remain open to other possibilities.

Brick 3: Parent’s Names

On Joseph’s death certificate, his father’s name is listed also as Joseph. His mother’s name is listed as “Not Known.” Due to other errors on this document, his father’s name is considered unreliable.

Conclusion:  The names of Joseph’s parents are unknown.

Brick 4: Netherby, Ontario

In a journal entry, Joseph signed his name and under it wrote, “Township of Humberstone; Netherby PO Ont 1875; 19 November.” Netherby is in Humberstone Township, in Welland County, Ontario. The area is south of Niagara Falls and west of Buffalo, New York. “PO Ont” probably means “Provence of Ontario.”

This means he was 17, and nearly 18 when he was in Netherby, Ontario.  However I can draw no conclusion that he was born or raised there.  He may have been passing through.  It is possible he had just left home and was on his own.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin was near Netherby, Ontario when he was about 18 years old.

Brick 5: Hawkesville, Ontario

Another entry in Joseph Voisn’s journal is, “Mister Joseph Voisin commenced to work the 4 of April 1877; H. Otterbein; Hawksville, Ont.” Hawkesville is about two miles north of St. Clements in Waterloo County, Ontario.  Another notation indicates he may have been making $12 a month.  He would have been about 19 years old.

There is evidence of a Heinrich or Henry Otterbein in Waterloo county. His wife Margaret (Steinacker) Otterbein apparently died April 17, 1877, just two weeks after Joseph started work, assuming this is the same H. Otterbein. There is no evidence to support this however.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin was probably working on his own as a farm hand or doing odd jobs near Hawkesville, Ontario in 1877.

Brick 6: The Voisin Family of St. Clements

Joseph Voisin was in Hawkesville very near St. Clements, Ontario in 1877 (see Brick 5). There was also a large Voisin family in the same area. This was the family of Joseph and Catherine (Meyer) Voisin. Since our Joseph Voisin was a young man, it is tempting to speculate he was related to the Voisin family of St. Clements.

Frank W. Voisin and Clifton E. Voisin from Kitchener, Ontario researched the genealogy of the St. Clements Voisin family in the 1970s and 1980s. They are convinced there is no connection between that family and our Joseph Voisin. Although Joseph and Catherine Voisin had a son named Joseph Xavier Voisin in 1854, there is clear evidence he married Anna Maria Lehnhart in 1879 and took over the family farm in 1886.

If our Joseph is not a son of Joseph and Catherine Voisin, perhaps he was a cousin or nephew to this family.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin’s presence in Hawkesville along with the Joseph and Catherine Voisin family is a coincidence.

Brick 7: Clements Starr

Clement or Clements Starr was born in 1852, probably in Wellesley Township, Waterloo County, Ontario, Canada near St. Clements. His parents were likely Ambrose and Anna Rosina Starr, who were early settlers of St. Clements.

According to a 1975 centennial booklet on the Beal City, Michigan area, Joseph Voisin immigrated to the United States in 1879 in company with Clements and Elizabeth (Fate) Starr and their children. This could be just family lore, but there are several circumstantial facts that support this claim.

According to his journal, Joseph Voisin was working in Hawkesville in 1877 (see Brick 5). Clements Starr was probably born and raised near Hawkesville. Clements was married (in 1875) and would have been about 25 years old while Joseph would have been about 19. Since they were both in the area, they probably met and were friends.

The 1880 United States Federal Census lists Joseph Voisin in the household of Clements and Elizabeth Starr and their children near Beal City, Michigan. After 1880 they owned two adjoining 40 acre properties and were neighbors thereafter.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin did immigrate to the United States in the company of Clements and Elizabeth Starr and their children.

Brick 8: Remus, Michigan

According to the 1975 centennial booklet on the Beal City, Michigan area, Joseph Voisin and the Starr family first settled in Remus, Michigan before moving to Beal City. I have not yet found any record of these families in the Remus area.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin may have settled first in Remus, Michigan.

Brick 9: Land Deed

A warranty deed from John W. Hance to Joseph Voisin was filed October 3, 1879. Joseph is listed as living in Mt. Pleasant, Michigan at the time. He paid $725 for 80 acres of land near Beal City, Michigan. A deed index entry shows Joseph sold 40 acres of this land to Clements Starr, probably in 1880.

Curiously, the 1880 United States Federal Census lists Joseph Voisin in the household of Clements and Elizabeth Starr, even though Joseph originally purchased the land. Since the Starr family had children, Joseph probably assisted them in building their shelter first.  They may also have made a financial arrangement to purchase the land together.  If Joseph were 21 years old, he probably didn’t have $725, although it was probably all mortgaged.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin immigrated to the United States between April 1877 when he was last known to be in Hawkesville, Ontario and October 1879 when the land deed was filed.

Brick 10: Declaration of Intention

On October 11, 1880, Joseph Voisin filed a Declaration of Intention to become a naturalized citizen of the United States. In this declaration, Joseph renounced his allegiance to the Queen of Great Britain. Unfortunately, no record of a later petition has yet been found.

Conclusion:  Joseph Voisin was from Canada or England.

These are ten bricks from the brick wall.  I’m still no closer in determining who Joseph’s parents were, but I may be close.

1. For source citations and images of the evidence discussed here, please see the Family Group Sheet for Joseph Voisin.

Albert and Mary Pohl, about 1909

Who would have thought the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) could answer questions about family history?  I used NOAA to help solve a mystery about the immigration of my great-grandparents, Albert G. and Maria “Mary” (Pittner) Pohl.

According to the United States census for the years 1900, 1910 and 1920, they immigrated to America in the early 1890′s. Since each census gives a slightly different year of immigration, I could only conclude that Albert Pohl arrived first, followed a year later by his wife Mary and their children.

With that assumption, I searched for Albert Pohl in the ship manifest records at Ellis Island, New York. There I found an Albert Pohl, traveling alone, aboard the steamship SS Dresden. This ship arrived at the Port of New York on August 23, 1892. His voyage started at Bremen, Germany. An ocean voyage at that time took about 12 days. The ship arrived at New York, where some passengers disembarked, and the remaining passengers continued on to Baltimore, Maryland, where the ship arrived two days later on August 25. Albert is listed twice: First at New York among the passengers bound for Baltimore, and second at Baltimore when he arrived there. Since he was bound for Baltimore, it is doubtful he was processed at Ellis Island.

This Albert Pohl is likely my great-grandfather. If his wife and children were listed in the manifest, it would have made a more certain match. However his age and native country are consistent with the census records. According to my hypothesis, I would expect that he arranged for his wife and children to arrive as he did, at the Port of Baltimore the following year.  Unfortunately there is no record of a Maria or Mary Pohl arriving at Baltimore in 1893.

I decided to check other ports of entry.  Indeed a Maria Pohl did arrive in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania almost exactly one year later.  Her three children matched those recorded in the census. Maria, age 27, and her three children Leopold, 6, Maria, 4, and my grandmother Adelheid, age 2, were aboard the SS Scandia, which departed Hamburg, Germany on August 12, 1893. Mary states she was never in the United States before, and that she had a ticket to her final destination, for which her husband had already paid. She was going to Woodville, Pennsylvania to reside with him there. Woodville is a suburb of Pittsburgh.

But why did her ship arrive at Philadelphia rather than at Baltimore, Maryland?  In support of my hypothesis, I learned the SS Scandia was indeed originally bound for Baltimore. It was diverted to Philadelphia, where it arrived on August 29, 1893. Their voyage was very likely delayed and rerouted due to four storms in the Atlantic during this time.

According to a chart for the year 1893 at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, one of these storms was a hurricane that hit New York City on August 24 with 85 mph winds. In good weather the ship probably would have reached Baltimore on August 24. The ship’s manifest was prepared for Baltimore, but this was later crossed out and Philadelphia inserted.

1893 Hurricane Chart

Mystery solved!  A hurricane affected the immigration of my great-grandmother Mary Pohl and her children, including my grandmother Ida (Pohl) Stewart.  Their adventure that year was probably re-told in many stories through the years, but those have been lost to history.

So develop a hypothesis, but keep an open mind as to where you can find the answer.  If you have an immigration mystery, check historical weather records.  Visit the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. A would of caution:  Keep digging and be persistent in your search. There are numerous different agencies, laboratories and divisions involved here.  A search of one may not yield results, but a search at another may.

But should you use Source Templates?  I say No! The reason?  Most if not all genealogy programs have yet to get their source templates feature working properly.  Besides minor problems with formatting and punctuation, the most serious issue is:  You will not be able to use your source citations outside of your genealogy program.

I use one program as my main genealogy program.  With it, I maintain my “master” family tree by adding, editing and deleting genealogical facts and information as I discover it.  However I’ve yet to find one program that does everything I want.  One program will print a report another program does not have.  One will print a graphical family tree in a much better format than another.  Another will create a better family tree website.

There are several reasons you will want to transfer your family tree data between different programs.  Even if you do not agree now, there will probably come a time when you do.  Unfortunately if you were to use source templates, other programs will not be able to process your source citations.

When RootsMagic 4 was first released, I bought into the notion of source templates.  I spent a lot of time converting my free-form source citations using its source template facility.  I quickly found many of my citations were incomplete and lacking critical information.  Source templates are a wonderful way of filling in the blanks to construct complete, standardized citations.

I use my own program, GED-GEN, to publish my family tree website.  When I exported a GEDCOM file from earlier releases of RootsMagic 4, I discovered its output included source template information.  This resulted in unreadable source citations on my web pages.

So I modified GED-GEN to handle the proprietary way in which RootsMagic exported source citations.  It worked wonderfully.  But then in subsequent releases of RootsMagic 4, some of the source template information was removed from its GEDCOM file.  Since that time, GED-GEN or any other program for that matter, cannot process the source citations exported in a RootsMagic GEDCOM file.

Why were those template fields removed?  If source citations were exported using its template format, then only RootsMagic, or another program that understood that format, could process and understand the citations.  To “correct” this, later releases simply removed critical parts of the template format.  Now, even if another program understands that proprietary format, it cannot reconstruct the source citations.  What’s more, removing those template fields did not solve the problem.  Source citations cannot be reconstructed in either case.

What is the Problem?

It turns out RootsMagic has a fundamental flaw.  Its source citations are based on source templates.  It exports source templates to a GEDCOM file rather than source citations.  Remember source templates should only be used as a tool to generate proper source citations.  The source templates themselves should not be exported without the accompanied source citations.  RootsMagic doesn’t export source citations at all.

To understand the subtlety of this distinction, let’s look at this issue in more detail.  Here I use RootsMagic 4 as an example.  From what I read, Family Tree Maker 2011 and Legacy Family Tree 7 may have similar issues.  See for example Genea-Musings, The Seaver Source Citation Saga Compendium (February 16, 2011).

GEDCOM Source Records

Traditionally, each source record in a GEDCOM file refers to a single source, and it has a specific title that does not change. Citations (footnotes) that refer to this source all use the same source title. Thus many citations can reference one source. For example, a newspaper is cited by title and issue date:

Daily News. Washington, DC., 25 January 1977.

Introducing Templates

With source templates, the source title may contain place-holders, or fields that can be replaced by different information from different source citations (footnotes). Thus many citations can reference many variations of a single source record. The source record can now stand for many different source titles, not just one title.

For example, rather than a newspaper issue date, a variable date field is specified in a source template:

Daily News. Washington, DC., [Date].

Then, some citations (footnotes) might refer to the 25 January 1977 issue, while others might refer to the 15 March 1995 issue. These use the same source record, but result in different dates, and thus different sources:

Daily News. Washington, DC., 25 January 1977.
Daily News. Washington, DC., 15 March 1995.

A RootsMagic GEDCOM File

In earlier releases of RootsMagic 4, a source record appeared as follows in a GEDCOM file:

0 @S3992@ SOUR
1 ABBR Newspaper, Daily News, Washington, DC
1 TITL [ItemID], <i>Daily News</i>, Washington, DC,
2 CONC [Date], [Details]. [Annotation].
...

Notice the template fields like [ItemID], [Date], and [Details].  A citation (i. e., footnote) that refers to the above source record might appear as follows. Here the [Date] field in the template above will be replaced by 25 January 1977, which is taken from the citation (footnote) here:

...
2 SOUR @S3992@
3 REFN 000651
3 PAGE John Doe; 25 January 1977; Page 2, Column 2
3 _TMPLT
4 FIELD
5 NAME ItemID
5 VALUE John Doe
4 FIELD
5 NAME Date
5 VALUE 25 January 1977
4 FIELD
5 NAME Details
5 VALUE Page 2, Column 2
4 FIELD
5 NAME Annotation
...

However, later releases of RootsMagic 4 removed the source template fields from the title (TITL) in the source record, so that now, the source record appears as:

0 @S3992@ SOUR
1 ABBR Newspaper, Daily News, Washington, DC
1 TITL , <I>Daily News</i>, Washington, DC, .
...

Notice here the empty punctuation in the title (TITL).  The [ItemID] and [Date] fields are missing, but the commas and spaces are still there.  Now there is no way to know where to substitute the date when trying to reconstruct the source title.  This is not a source record.  It is the remnant of a source template.

To correct this flaw, there would have to be multiple source records, one for each source citation that references a different source. That is, a source record that is missing the [Date] field:

Daily News. Washington, DC., [Date].

must really be exported as two different source records.  This is because, in our example, there are two source citations (footnotes) that reference the same source template, and this creates two different source titles:

Daily News. Washington, DC., 25 January 1977.
Daily News. Washington, DC., 15 March 1995.

This requires two different source records to be exported in the GEDCOM file.

(A related problem is the inability to generate a bibliography, without also processing all source citations (footnotes) that reference a given source record.  Traditionally, a genealogy program could simply read the list of source records in a GEDCOM file to build a list of sources for a bibliography.  Since the source records are templates here, the actual information can only be found in the source citations (footnotes).  But again, there’s no way to reconstruct a proper source title because the template fields are missing.)

What’s the Solution?

Problem?  What problem?  There is no problem if you continue to use RootsMagic, and only RootsMagic, for your genealogy research.  The problem occurs when you want to use your family tree data in other programs, or share it with someone who does not use RootsMagic.

One could argue that RootsMagic can read its own GEDCOM file and reconstruct the source citations just fine.  That is true, but only because it uses information it knows internally.  It uses a template identifier to look up the format of the template in another file.  Otherwise, without the template fields in the GEDCOM file, RootsMagic cannot reconstruct its own source citations.  And, hopefully, the format of a template referenced by that internal identifier will never change.  Otherwise a newer version of RootsMagic that reads an older GEDCOM file will misinterpret the older format.

In one solution, RootsMagic could correct its earlier “correction” by restoring the missing template fields.  That solves the problem for other programs, but only if those programs understand the RootsMagic source template format.  RootsMagic would still export source templates, and not source citations.  I doubt many other programs would make provision for the RootsMagic format.  And, it doesn’t solve the problem for older programs that understand only the standard GEDCOM source record format.

Secondly, regardless of whether RootsMagic corrects the flaw in exporting its own source templates, it still does not export source citations in either case.  Clearly that is more important because without properly formed source citations, your source data is useless to other programs.  The solution here is to export multiple source records, one for each citation (footnote) that would “cause” a different title.  As it is now, it simply exports the remnant of a single source template.

A third solution, at the risk of being overly esoteric, is to restructure the source templates themselves.  Remove any template fields from the source titles that would be populated with information from a source citation (footnote).  This is the information that changes based on the citation (e.g., the date), and which causes the title to change.  In RootsMagic parlance, the title would be composed only of “master” source template fields.  Source “detail” template fields would appear in the footnote. That perhaps was the genesis of this design flaw.  The fields in source templates were not divided properly as to which should be in the source record and which should be in the source citation (footnote).

Unfortunately, source templates are not so easily modified.  Existing users would have to make extensive changes to their source citations within RootsMagic.  Where there is but a single source, it must now be rewritten into possibly multiple sources, which in the GEDCOM, would result in:

0 @S3992@ SOUR
1 ABBR Newspaper, Daily News, Washington, DC, 25 January 1977
...

0 @S3993@ SOUR
1 ABBR Newspaper, Daily News, Washington, DC, 15 March 1995
...

What’s my advice?

It’s been nearly a year since this problem was reported to RootsMagic.  There have been many releases since then, but as of version 4.1.1.0, none address this issue.  Clearly there are not enough people yet who want to freely move their genealogical data between programs.

I chose to use RootsMagic source templates, and my data is stuck.  I cannot use any other program without sacrificing all the effort I made in converting my free-form source citations to source templates.  I suspect you will encounter the same problem with other genealogy programs that offer source templates.

Do not use the source templates feature of your genealogy program unless you are sure you can export your family tree data and import it to other programs.  In the meantime stick with free-form (non-template) source citations, but use a separate program or website to generate your source citations.  Then copy and paste the result into your free-form source citation.

Unfortunately, your genealogy program may still not store the citation with its constituent parts, that is with separate fields for title, author and publisher. You may lose the benefit of standardized source records when exporting a GEDCOM file. But, your source citations will be readable. Although an external source template program or website is not as closely integrated with your genealogy program, you will achieve a better result in the long run.  You gotta use the right tool for the job.

Here are a couple examples:

BiblioExpress (free) is a separate program you install on your computer. It keeps a database of your sources and you can automatically generate a source citation to copy and paste into your genealogy program.

EasyBib (free) is a website where you can generate a source citation to copy and paste into your genealogy program.

Joseph Voisin, about 1907

If great-grandfather Joseph Voisin had an iPod, one of those tiny music players, what would he be listening to? His iPod has survived, and on it I found this song:

It’s “Take This Letter to My Mother,” a popular ballad in the nineteenth century composed by William Shakespeare Hays (1837-1907) and first published in 1873.¹

In a journal entry,² Joseph Voisin recorded two verses from this ballad.  It is uncertain when he wrote the entry, but it was probably before 1877 when the next journal entry on the page is dated.

That would make him a teenager, between 15 and 19 years old.  Undoubtedly “Take This Letter to My Mother” was on his iPod. Click the link to listen in³…

Take This Letter to My Mother

Joseph was musically inclined. He was the first organist at the St. Philomenia Catholic Church in Beal City, Michigan from 1882 to 1905. (That church is now St. Joseph the Worker.) He also performed at social dances, including dances in which native Americans participated. He wrote the words to a square-dance call in his journal. Therefore he was likely a square-dance caller too.

1. Sheet music for “Take This Letter to My Mother” adapted from a project of the Digital Scriptorium Rare Book, Manuscript, and Special Collections Library, Duke University http://scriptorium.lib.duke.edu/sheetmusic/ (May 6, 2005).
2. Edwards, A. Wayne, II, Images from the personal journal of Joseph Voisin, 2002.
3. University of California Santa Barbara Library, “Preservation and Digitization Project,” recording, Donald C. Davidson Library, University of California, Santa Barbara, Department of Special Collections (http://cylinders.library.ucsb.edu/index.php: downloaded 3 April 2007), “Take This Letter to My Mother,” Edison Amberol #1078, by Will Oakland and chorus, 1912.

One of the oldest records I’ve uncovered is a baptismal record for my seventh great-grandfather, Joannis Martin Gossé.  He was baptized March 25, 1691 at St. Remi Catholic Church in Baerendorf, Alsace, France.

What makes this record interesting is the signature (or mark) of his father, my eighth great-grandfather, Christian Gossé, seen as a figure-eight symbol at the bottom.  Years later in 1717 he used the same symbol to sign this son’s marriage record.

Of course it was not uncommon for people of the era to be illiterate.  Records from this time are filled with symbols representing the signatures of parents, brides and grooms.

See the Joannis Martin and Margaretha Gossé family group sheet.

Using Names

Genealogical research presents a problem in that names of individuals are not always known with certainty. You may not yet know an ancestor’s name. If you do, you may not yet know their full name. Names can also change. You may learn the correct or preferred spelling, or you may realize the name you have is a nickname rather than an actual name. As you continue your research, you may find their actual name is completely different from what you thought.

There are multiple ways to refer to an ancestor depending upon the focus of your research. Should the photograph of grandmother and her family be filed under her name, or that of your great-grandparents?  Should her childhood photograph be filed under her maiden name, or under her name from a second husband?

Using Family and Individual Numbers

Most genealogy database programs assign a number to each family in your family tree. Individuals are also numbered separately. One could use such numbers to refer to digital evidence files. But as with names, you may find the ancestor you thought was a child of one family actually belongs to another family. There is also the problem of changing family numbers when a child gets married and starts his or her own family.

Using a Reference Number

I decided to use an arbitrary reference number to identify each piece of evidence. At first I tried to think up a complex numbering scheme that categorized each item according to a number of criteria. For example, the number:

0100-00023-000123-01-0050

was composed of several fields, where the each field held some significance. 0100 might mean the type of item, like a birth certificate. 00023 could be an individual’s number in my genealogy database. 000123 could be a sequential serial number, and so on.

Being a perfectionist, that scheme led me to procrastinate. Not only is it time-consuming to categorize a single piece of evidence according to several criteria, but the discipline required to look up the appropriate codes and properly increment each count is onerous.

The easiest solution is a simple consecutive number, like so:

000654

There’s only one thing to remember, and that’s the last number I assigned so as not to assign a duplicate number.  I add leading zeros to make a six-digit number for consistency.  That makes it easy to know the number is an identification number.  It also assumes I won’t ever have more than a million items of evidence.  A sure bet I think.

Still, the perfectionist in me wanted to sort like items so they would be assigned consecutive numbers as a set. For instance I wanted to group all birth certificates together, then number them consecutively. Of course months later were I to add a new birth certificate, it would have to be assigned a number not contiguous with the others.

As I went through all my items of evidence I had to force myself to just assign a number, without attaching any significance to the value of that number.  Yes, an older item might be numbered after a later item. Yes, just when you thought you collected and numbered a group of related items, another one would turn up to throw off any preconceived notion of numerical order.

My advice? Just assign the next-available number. The number itself serves only to identify a particular item of evidence, nothing more.  It is much easier to refer to an item by number than by any sort of classification or description.

There are of course some subtleties involved in assigning numbers. A couple subtleties include numbering identical items that exist in different formats and deriving new items from an original one. I will address these next time.

I have already begun the process of digitizing the genealogical evidence I accumulated over the years. In the forthcoming series of blog posts entitled “Digital Evidence,” I will describe the system I use to generate, manage and display my collection.

As always, comments and feedback are welcome, especially if you have a better idea!

Betty-Jane and Mike

We both were researching our Yuncker family lines. A few years ago we were able to prove we were related and since then we have corresponded frequently and shared a great deal of genealogical information. This proves that genealogy is more than just names and dates.

Andrea’s search began recently with a family chronicle written by her second great-grandfather, Franz Xaver Mauer, in 1936 when he was 83 years old. He describes in detail his ancestors, their occupations and where they lived. He was born after my third great-grandmother, Anna Catharina Mauren, his aunt, left for America. Although he never met her, he heard that she and her husband Nicolas Pohl celebrated their fiftieth wedding anniversary in America (in 1872).

Andrea graciously shared with me an electronic copy of her family chronicle. It is a great resource and is something I never would have found in a library or online collection. It is one of the rewards of publishing my research online.

Stammbaum Der Familie Mauer

My research over the years has been devoted to tracing my family backward starting with my great-grandparents. I’m pretty good at referencing the sources I use. But, I knew the facts about myself, my parents and my grandparents were correct. The First Families certificate required proof. That’s when I realized my careful research back to the early 1600′s was not based on a solid foundation.

I am now going back through my family tree from the present day, and citing birth and marriage records that prove my descent. I’m amazed at how much information I took for granted. Not only will this strengthen my existing historical research, but I will leave a much better legacy to future generations.

I read of a man who stood to speak
at the funeral of a friend.
He referred to the dates on her tombstone
from the beginning…to the end.

He noted that first came the date of her birth
and spoke of the following date with tears,
but he said what mattered most of all
was the dash between those years.

For that dash represents all the time
that she spent alive on earth…
and now only those who loved her
know what that little line is worth.

–excerpt from The Dash, a poem by Linda Ellis

Interested to learn more about what happened, I found Keith Lowe’s book, Inferno¹, which describes the Allied bombing raids on Hamburg, Germany during World War II. I highly recommend this book to history buffs and genealogists alike.

It’s a difficult book to read at night before retiring. The sad eyewitness accounts are gruesome, and although riveting, they make for an uneasy night’s sleep. Lowe tells the story from both sides. He describes the mission preparation and the consternation, fear and courage of the aircrews as they dodged antiaircraft guns and Nazi fighter planes. He then describes the civilians in the aftermath of each raid. They suffered almost total destruction.

The Inferno is the firestorm that happened on the night of July 27, 1943. A firestorm is a ghastly thing. Everything burns. Temperatures can reach 1,400 degrees Celsius. Enough to melt glass and liquefy asphalt streets onto which people ran and soon died. It produces a suffocating smoke over a vast area and sucks the oxygen out of basement shelters where the doomed hid. The wind vortex created by the firestorm reached hurricane strength, up to 170 mph, enough to whisk children out of the arms of parents and pull the elderly down the street into the fire.

I learned why there are no emigration records. It seems unimportant now.

Lowe also describes the history of Hamburg and the rise of Nazi power prior to the war. I’ve often wondered how a people could witness such transgressions and allow it to happen. One quote², about the persecution of the Jews offers somewhat of an explanation:

For me nothing was more devastating than the fact that nobody, not even those who opposed the [Nazi] regime most vehemently, stood up against this, but remained passive and weak. I cannot stress these facts too strongly. It was as if we were caught in a stranglehold. And, worst of all, one even gets used to being half throttled; what at first appeard to be unbearable pressure becomes a habit, becomes easier to tolerate; hate and desperation are diluted with time.

Perhaps it is the same with everyone in every age though. For example if you disagree with the current war in Iraq, what can you do about it? How can one person stop an administration?

1. Lowe, Keith. Inferno: The Fiery Destruction of Hamburg, 1943. New York: Scribner, 2007
2. Page 27. Quoted from the diary of Mathilda Wolff-Mönckeberg

Here is a method for numbering families (not individuals) for your direct-line ancestry. First, notice that an ancestor or pedigree chart is actually a “binary tree,” meaning that each node, or family, in the tree always has exactly two ancestor nodes. Each of the two nodes can therefore be assigned a unique number. This includes even the “missing” nodes, or families that you have yet to discover.

Start with your parent’s family, of which you are a child. This is family 1. Your father’s family is family number 2 and your mother’s family is family number 3. Now move to your father’s family. His father’s family is number 4 and his mother’s family is number 5. Now move back to your mother’s family. Her father’s family is number 6 and her mother’s family is number 7. A pedigree chart would appears as follows:

Tree Nodes

The pattern that emerges is, for any given family n, the paternal parents are numbered 2n and the maternal parents are numbered 2n + 1. For node 2 for example, the paternal family is 2*2=4 and the maternal family is 2*2+1=5. This formula applies to any node. At node 144, one of your paternal sixth great-grandparents, the paternal family is number 2*144=288 and the maternal family is number 2*144+1=289. Even if you have not discovered your seventh great-grandparents, numbers are still reserved for their families.

Many genealogy software programs automatically number your families. However, the numbers assigned by the program may change as you add or remove families. This can throw off your filing system. Instead you can manually number each of your ancestral families according to the above scheme. Generally, your genealogy software program will not automatically change the numbers you enter yourself. You can then refer to a particular ancestral family and leave no doubt as to which you are referring. In your research, when you discover a child of one of your ancestors, you can include the family number in your notebook.

For consistency, you may wish to make the numbers five digits long, like 00289. If you also trace your spouse’s ancestors, you can add a separate prefix to tell them apart, like B00289 for your family and M00289 for your spouse’s family.

Unfortunately this numbering scheme does not account for your descendants, since each family can have fewer, or more, than two children. It also does not account for non-direct line ancestors, who you wish to reference by number. For these families I assign an arbitrary number greater than any possible direct-line family. These numbers are sequential, starting at 50000. The maximum number of families in a binary tree is 2^k – 1, where k is the number of generations. So 15 generations would account for 2^15–1 = 32,767 families, that is, 2 to the 15th power, minus 1.

In his personal journal, he wrote that he was at Netherby, Humberstone Township, Ontario, Canada on November 19, 1875. Whether he lived there, worked there, or was passing through is unknown. Later he wrote that he worked in Hawkesville, Ontario in April 1877. His death certificate indicates he was born in Canada and that his father’s name was also Joseph.

He emigrated to America sometime in or before 1879. He is rumored to have traveled with Clements and Elizabeth Starr, who were also from Ontario. On October 3, 1879 he bought land near Beal City in Nottowa Township, Isabella County, Michigan. He married Mary Ann Yuncker February 16, 1885 in Mount Pleasant, Michigan.

Other researchers have studied the family of Joseph Voisin (1805-1892) and Catherine Meyer (1820-1881). They lived in Wellesley Township, near St. Clements, Ontario. This is very near Hawkesville. There is apparently no link between this family and my ancestor, Joseph Voisin. However it is still a possibility. There were also other Voisin families in the area then, but they moved away.

If anyone has any information about my ancestor Joseph Voisin, please post a reply here, or contact MikeVoisin@iSeeAncestors.com.

On my paternal side, Nicolas and Catharina Pohl immigrated from the Eifel region of Germany in 1840 and settled in Westphalia, Michigan.

On my maternal side, Albert and Mary Pohl immigrated probably from Austria-Hungary in 1892 and settled near Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania.

A “preferred” fact is a best estimate. It may include information from a combination of alternate facts. A single preferred fact is often used in genealogical reports and charts, where listing several alternate facts is infeasible.

For some facts, it is not a matter of having several conflicting facts from alternate sources. Sometimes you must draw inferences from several sources to form a conclusion. Suppose you have a hunch that a particular person is your ancestor. If you evaluate several sources, you may find proof to a reasonable degree of certainty that your hunch is correct. In other words you may be able draw a conclusion even though there are no explicit facts that prove it.

As an example, marriage records often list witnesses, their ages, and their relationship to the bride or groom. Evaluating the marriage records of two sisters may lead you to conclude that one of the witnesses who appears on both records is actually their brother. The age and hometown of this witness may lead you to conclude he is indeed your ancestor.

Therefore, besides citing individual sources for a given fact, you can also cite a conclusion. Simply document the steps that led to your conclusion, and name that as your source. Future researchers can then see your logic and verify it against your sources, and any new sources that may be discovered.

For instance someone’s date of birth taken from their death certificate has a greater chance of being incorrect since their birth happened so many years beforehand. The person filling out the death certificate may only be guessing the deceased’s birth date. The birth date is seldom verified with other official records when the death certificate is filed.

Birth certificates are considered more accurate because they are recorded soon after birth, when everyone involved is sure when it happened. However a clerk generally recorded births in a ledger book. Sometimes these ledgers were themselves re-copied several years later. So even a “birth certificate” is subject to transcription errors and recording mistakes.

Even if a birth record and a death record each point to the same birth date, that date is not necessarily accurate. Two or more inaccurate records do not make an accurate record.

That is why citing a source in genealogical research is so important. You, or a subsequent researcher may happen upon another source in the future that corroborates or refutes a given fact. All sources will again need to be weighed for accuracy before another conclusion can be drawn. Any genealogical fact has an inherent degree of accuracy that is never 100%.