Gene Notes

Some random and some not-so-random thoughts on family history.

Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Family Search Where Are You?

Family Search, according to their site has had a few states fully indexed shortly after July 6th, which is the last time they updated their searchable 1940 Census indexed. I know with all the missing people on Ancestry.com that I am going to need to cross search on Family Search. Since my level of attention varies on any given day, on Ancestry, I hope FS gets those states up soon!

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, July 30, 2012

Mah-Ve-Lous Monday

I'm doing simply Mah-ve-lous, dahling! Well, not really, but I figure if I keep telling myself I am I'll start believing it.

First thing this morning is Outpatient Physical Torture at 9 am with my new torturer .. er therapist, Marsha. I'm hoping she will see some improvement in my flexibility. I hope so, since I worked really hard at it including spending time trying to sit normally in my office chair, searching Ancestry.com and FamilySearch.org for people on the 1940 census . Believe me it is difficult to do with the 2012 London Olympics on in the other room. I dearly love watching gymnastics!

I keep working on the Missouri Census whittling the numbers down. It's interesting to find marriages, children, deaths and divorces I wasn't aware of. The Missouri index hasn't been released on familysearch.org yet, and like Michigan, I am missing some key people. That means when FamilySearch.org does release the 1940 Missouri Census index, I'll be doing some double-checking. I'd much rather search there as their accuracy is so much better than Ancestry's.

Nuff said!

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, July 28, 2012

Sympathy Saturday - John Maitland

John R. Maitland, New Braunfels, Texas, formerly of Kansas City, died July 28, 1992, at a nursing home in New Braunfels. Graveside services will be at 10 a.m. Thursday at the Mount Moriah Cemetery. Mr. Maitland was born in Kansas City, and lived in Houston before moving to New Braunfels six years ago.

The family suggests contributions to the Alzheimer's Association.

He co-owned the Admiral Linen Service in Houston for 40 years, retiring in 1973. He was a member of Sigma Chi Fraternity. He was an Army veteran of World War II. His wife, Frances Laverne Greaves Maitland, died in 1973. Survivors include a daughter, Alexis M. Burke, New Braunfels; and three grandchildren.




John was my first cousin twice removed.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, July 27, 2012

What to Blog About

Since I haven't been actually transcribing anything lately, such as census, obits, etc., I am finding it difficult to find blog subjects.  Yeah, right, me with nothing to talk about. Since I keep getting error messages about trying to publish or save this post (I'm only typing it - WTH) this will probably be pretty short! 

Since my knee surgery, DH and I have been talking about vacation (October?) and where we can go. With my mobility a bit limited, it is difficult to even contemplate going anywhere, especially by car.

Will there be any genealogy involved - again not sure. Maybe a brief trip to Lexington in September if I am up to it?

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, July 26, 2012

Too-Too Thursday - Rearranging

I think I am finally back in my office on a permanent basis while recovering from knee replacement surgery. I can't believe how much I took for granted, like being able to sit in a chair with both feet on the floor. Any time I can do this without developing a muscle spasm or cramp in my right thigh is a good thing. I miss being normal. Well, at least normal for me. I tried using a lap desk, and that worked okay, except for when things didn't work exactly normal on the touchpad.  Hopefully, the worst of the discomfort is over!

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, July 25, 2012

Wedding Wednesday - Chinn & Wilmott

On July 25, 1812 in Bourbon county, Kentucky, Matilda Sarah Chinn, daughter of William Ball Chinn and Sarah Graves married Charles Ridgely Wilmott.  Charles was the son of Robert Wilmott and Priscilla Dorsey. Matilda Chinn Wilmott was my great-great-great grandfather's  (Dr. Joseph Graves Chinn) sister.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Census Count

 Before I had my knee replaced June 21st, I had just under 700 images in the queue. This included the 1915 and 1925 New York State census I collected when Ancestry released that database.

Right now the grand total is 1126 census. I am still waiting for Missouri, Arkansas, Massachusetts,  South Carolina and Illinois, as well as a few others. I am desperately waiting for Family Search to release Michigan as Ancestry.com is missing a lot of people I expected to find - or not. Probably my wayward maternal grandpa was just missed. I can't find his last wife at all, even though I searched all her surnames.


Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, July 23, 2012

Bored!

I told my "Wild Ones" friends the other day that I was bored with genealogy. I'm not really bored with it, just bored that there isn't much else I can do other than sit on my rear and troll for 1940 census records.

So, yeah, maybe hell is freezing over!


Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, July 21, 2012

Sympathy Saturday - Enoch Crocker

Enoch Crocker Jr.,  son of Enoch Crocker, Sr and Lydia Percival was born October 18, 1829 in Barnstable, Massachusetts and died July 21, 1861 at the first Battle of Bull Run. He was 31.

You can visit his Find-a-Grave memorial here.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, July 20, 2012

Happy Anniversary - No. 66

Christmas 2002 - their last together
My parents would have celebrated their 66th wedding anniversary today.  Dad died a few months after they celebrated their 56th. And they said it wouldn't last!

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, July 19, 2012

Too-Too Thursday - Sammeth - Really?

Really, Ancestry, Catherine Sammeth? I always thought finding my mom on the 1940 census would be a breeze. After all, Zimmeth is not a really common surname.

Well, the trained monkeys at Ancestry.com botched it. They indexed it as Sammeth. I can guarantee that those first two letters are not Sa.

Finding my aunt and uncle was a lot easier as their names were spelled correctly.

This is fun?

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Wedding Wednesday - Chinn & Shelby

On July 18, 1850 in Lexington, Missouri, Joseph Garland Chinn, son of Dr. Joseph Graves Chinn and Barbara Garland Graves, married Nannie Shelby.



Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, July 17, 2012

Ancestry is Freaking Me Out

I can't say enough about how bad the indexing is at Ancestry. In searching the 1940 Michigan census, I came across many indexing errors, such as Grimmet for Simmet. My grandfather is MIA in 1940, which I sort of expected. He more or less abandoned my mother, aunt and uncle. But I still would have liked to have found him. Also not found is his soon-to-be third wife. By this time, Ruth Bowsher Smeaton Hessling Stanley Stanley Moore should have been divorced by hubby Thomas Lloyd Moore, who committed bigamy when he married Ruth. Her maiden names were Bowsher AND Smeaton, since she was adopted by the Smeaton family when she was an infant.

Then there is the 1940 Kentucky Census. I searched for Andrew Bowman till I was blue in the face. You know, if the name is spelled completely wrong, Soundex is useless. Which is why I didn't find him until I searched for him by first name in Fayette county. There he was indexed as Baurman. 



Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, July 16, 2012

A Response to Last Week's Too-Too Thursday

Last week's Too-Too Thursday I wrote about the worst indexing mistake ever! And unfortunately had to attribute it to FamilySearch. A shame, because as one of their indexers, I know the process they go through, and they are pretty darn accurate.

Here was their response:  "FamilySearch Indexing has left a new comment on your post "Too-Too Thursday - The Worst Indexing Mistake Ever...":

Wow! Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We looked and found it was the arbitrator who changed the information. That individual hasn't made that mistake more than this one time. We can only assume it was a mistake of a keystroke or something just as easy to miss.

These are the types of mistakes that we try to catch before publishing our indexes. We'll do our best now to keep this situation from happening in the future. As for the past, we don't know how long it will take to fix it, but we'll get to work on it. "


In all my blog posts, I pretty much fry Ancestry.com. They have never responded. Thanks FamilySearch!


Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, July 14, 2012

Sympathy Saturday - July 14

On July 14, 1871, in Lancaster, Erie, New York, Catherine Zimmeth nee Boegler died. She was born in Roeschwoog, Alsace, France to Christian Boegler and Anastasia Lacher. She married Josef Zimmeth in Roeschwoog on January 7, 1818. She was buried in St. Mary of  the Assumption cemetery in Lancaster.

The family immigrated to Lancaster before May 1839, as her youngest child, August, was born and baptized in Lancaster, and he was the only one of her children born in New York.

This is a picture of Catherine, probably taken in the late 1860s. The original was in pretty bad shape.



Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, July 13, 2012

It Pays to Keep Those Resolutions

I am recuperating from total knee replacement surgery. I am easily bored. After all, how much TV can one watch? Also, I am caught up on searching the 1940 census, as I am following along on Ancestry and Family Search.  Right now, I have about 640 waiting editing and linking. That doesn't include the 1915 and 1925 New York State Census that are also in the queue.

Being bored out of my ever-lovin' mind, I asked my sweet DH to haul a box of photos down for me to sort and scan. In the first box, was a stack of framed photographs that I thought got lost in our move. If I could move around better, I would have done a happy dance. The next box produced lots of fodder for my little Flip-Pal scanner. And tucked away in that box? My wedding album, which had also gone MIA.

What a relief!

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, July 12, 2012

Too-Too Thursday - The Worst Indexing Mistake Ever

Sorry, Family Search, but how the heck did this get past your double check system?  On the 1940 North Dakota Index:  Same House Koppenhaver. I checked the page and there is no one by that first name. As if!

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Wedding Wednesday - Chinn & Chichester

 On July 11, 1729 in Lancaster, Virginia, Ann Chinn, daughter of John Chinn and Alice Smoot to Richard Chichester.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, July 10, 2012

The Great Unknown - Photo 9

Simmet connections - can you identify? If so please comment on this post.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, July 9, 2012

The Great Unknown - Photo 8

I am recovering nicely (I'm told) from knee replacement surgery. While I am recuperating, I am posting photos of connections to the Simmet (Zimmeth) family of Erie county, New York and Gratiot and Montcalm counties, Michigan, that my cousin Gale Simmet let me scan. Here is image number 8. You gotta love the hats!


Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Saturday, July 7, 2012

Sympathy Saturday - William Chinn

Born February 13, 1825 in Lexington, Kentucky and died on July 7, 1855 in Lexington, Missouri. He was the third child, second son of Dr. Joseph Graves and Barbara Garland Graves Chinn. He married Fannie Waddell in 1850 and she died in 1857. 


Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Friday, July 6, 2012

The Great Unknown - Photo 7

Do you know these young men? If so, leave a comment. The photos belong to the Simmet family of Lancaster and Buffalo, New York an Gratiot and Montcalm counties, Michigan.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Thursday, July 5, 2012

Too-Too Thursday - More Indexing Nonsense


Now I am running through GenSmarts AND 1925 New York State census. The first MIA is Tomasz or Thomas Siekierski, hubby's great-great grandfather. I've tried everything to locate him. He had been found on all previous census AND the 1930, and then he dies in 1933. So where is he in 1925?

Moving on to  Claude and Daisy Maxson Conger. Another MIA. Soundex search found them, at least it found Claude Canger with wife, Davis. Only a look at the actual census page tells me her name is Daisy not Davis. Why is it the indexers on Family Search take more care?




Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

The Great Unknown, Photo #6

Unknown men taken either in Erie county, New York or somewhere in mid-Michigan, such as Gratiot or Montcalm counties. In the Simmet family collection.



































Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes

Monday, July 2, 2012

The Great Unknown, Photo #5


Unknown woman taken either in Erie county, New York or somewhere in mid-Michigan, such as Gratiot or Montcalm counties. In the Simmet family collection.

Copyright 2010-2012, ACK for Gene Notes