I hope y'all (yes, the product of almost 3 years in Tennessee) read cousin Carol's Reflections From the Fence last Friday, because she did what we frequently refer to as "Review, Review, Review."
I'm sure we've all come up against that odd record we haven't been able to find and not for want of searching, either. In Carol's blog, she tells us of the result of her constant search for Lorena Eley's marriage to her first husband. Now, having known Carol for many, many years, I know how hard she has searched. However, due to the availability of indices online through the Family Search Record Search site she was finally able to locate that elusive record.
I know there are a lot of new sites and records coming online every day, but if you have been looking for that elusive record for many years, keep checking for them. No one site will have everything you need, which is sort of unfortunate, because we have so many places to look, but it can be so worth it when you do locate that missing marriage, birth or death record.
Now if they could just reconstruct the church records from AuSable and Oscoda, Michigan that were destroyed in the 1911 fire.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Showing posts with label Relatively Speaking. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Relatively Speaking. Show all posts
Monday, August 30, 2010
Monday, June 7, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Memorial Day & the Best Laid Plans
Several years ago, before we made the 600 mile move to Tennessee, DH and I made a trip to visit my Aunt and cousins in western Michigan. Truly, if they were any further west, they'd be in Lake Michigan.
We had a great visit with my Aunt, and two of my three cousins. They are the only Percival cousins I have, and it is nice to touch base with them periodically.
It being Memorial Day weekend, DH and I thought we would stop at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Michigan and visit my dad's grave. Since it was Sunday, we figured we were safe.
Um we were wrong. Long before we got to the entrance of the cemetery, there was a lineup of cars to get in, and a sign for the ceremony. When we had checked on the schedule before we went to the cemetery, that ceremony was scheduled for Monday. For all I know, this was a different ceremony.
We didn't get in the slow-moving line, instead I waved in the general vicinity of dad's plot and said we'd try again. We eventually did get there - have actually been there twice - my mom was buried with dad a couple of years ago.
That's probably the only time I've told DH that we could skip a cemetery.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
We had a great visit with my Aunt, and two of my three cousins. They are the only Percival cousins I have, and it is nice to touch base with them periodically.
It being Memorial Day weekend, DH and I thought we would stop at Fort Custer National Cemetery in Augusta, Michigan and visit my dad's grave. Since it was Sunday, we figured we were safe.
Um we were wrong. Long before we got to the entrance of the cemetery, there was a lineup of cars to get in, and a sign for the ceremony. When we had checked on the schedule before we went to the cemetery, that ceremony was scheduled for Monday. For all I know, this was a different ceremony.
We didn't get in the slow-moving line, instead I waved in the general vicinity of dad's plot and said we'd try again. We eventually did get there - have actually been there twice - my mom was buried with dad a couple of years ago.
That's probably the only time I've told DH that we could skip a cemetery.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Monday, May 24, 2010
Monday, Monday! Relatively Speaking.
Today is Relatively Speaking Day - and Karen is up. She has been spending time out in the field - cemeteries that is - searching for headstones; she's been researching in libraries hunting up an astounding number of obituaries and other announcements. I'm jealous.
On the home front, I've been commiserating with Older Daughter who had expected to move this past weekend, which did not happen. Hopefully she will find out today what the deal is.
Meanwhile, I've spent some of the last couple days battling with a cluster migraine, 90 degree heat, and finding and filling holes in the family history with Family Search. Somehow that brings to mind me with a can of spackle plugging a hole on a HUGE wall chart! It hasn't been easy because my ancestors and their descendants loved to name their children with names like Carl Heinrich Friedrich Johann in addition to their last name. Or Leona Elsie (I think that's supposed to be Elise) Henrietta. And I will swear on a stack of bibles that they change from census year to census year, which name they are going to use. And then the females get married and change their last name and decide since hubby's momma is Leona, they'll use Henrietta. So I have been trying to put these Kettler, Knost & Meyer families in Ohio together properly with the help of Family Search. It's been a challenge!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
On the home front, I've been commiserating with Older Daughter who had expected to move this past weekend, which did not happen. Hopefully she will find out today what the deal is.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Monday, May 17, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Research Plans
Karen over at Genealogy Frame of Mind and Carol over at Reflections from the Fence have both shared with you their research plans/folders. Karen plans out her trips to the tiniest detail; Carol often does hers by the seat of her pants. I am somewhere in the middle.
Usually the only genealogical trips we really plan are trips to Fort Wayne and the Allen County Public Library genealogical collection and to Lexington, Kentucky. There are two places where I like to research in Lexington: Lexington Cemetery and the Lexington Public Library, especially for their newspaper collection. Over the years, I have kept a to-do list of birth, marriage and death notices and obituaries to retrieve at the library in Lexington. It varies at any given time between ten and thirty pages. It seems the more I get, the more I find I need to get. Since they have a local history index online at the library, I am usually well prepared with my list. Currently, the list stands at 21 pages. At the Lexington Cemetery, there is also an online index of burials under the "Genealogy Research" tab. I can't tell you how many trips I've made to that cemetery. For a while, we were stopping there twice a year. I probably still have close to 200 headstones to locate.
The Lexington Cemetery to-do list is basically a comb-binder with a list by section of everyone I am looking for. I also print a section map (which goes along with the map on the cover) so that I can go to the cemetery office and use their map to locate graves on my section maps. This is so useful, because their numbering system is sometimes a bit odd.
You can see that while I use a spreadsheet for this cemetery, I don't go into detail. I know they are buried there, all I want is a photo of the stone. I leave room to fill in details if necessary.
My to-do list descriptions are the name of the newspaper and the date. Since there are several newspapers covering a wide range of dates, often overlapping, I have rarely not found something. If I haven't found what I was looking for, it was because the index was in error. The details part of the to-do list is actually a cut and paste right from the Lexington Public Library local history index. Leaves little room for error.
Remember to use your back button after clicking on an image. That will bring you right back to this page.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Usually the only genealogical trips we really plan are trips to Fort Wayne and the Allen County Public Library genealogical collection and to Lexington, Kentucky. There are two places where I like to research in Lexington: Lexington Cemetery and the Lexington Public Library, especially for their newspaper collection. Over the years, I have kept a to-do list of birth, marriage and death notices and obituaries to retrieve at the library in Lexington. It varies at any given time between ten and thirty pages. It seems the more I get, the more I find I need to get. Since they have a local history index online at the library, I am usually well prepared with my list. Currently, the list stands at 21 pages. At the Lexington Cemetery, there is also an online index of burials under the "Genealogy Research" tab. I can't tell you how many trips I've made to that cemetery. For a while, we were stopping there twice a year. I probably still have close to 200 headstones to locate.
The Lexington Cemetery to-do list is basically a comb-binder with a list by section of everyone I am looking for. I also print a section map (which goes along with the map on the cover) so that I can go to the cemetery office and use their map to locate graves on my section maps. This is so useful, because their numbering system is sometimes a bit odd.
You can see that while I use a spreadsheet for this cemetery, I don't go into detail. I know they are buried there, all I want is a photo of the stone. I leave room to fill in details if necessary.
My to-do list descriptions are the name of the newspaper and the date. Since there are several newspapers covering a wide range of dates, often overlapping, I have rarely not found something. If I haven't found what I was looking for, it was because the index was in error. The details part of the to-do list is actually a cut and paste right from the Lexington Public Library local history index. Leaves little room for error.
Remember to use your back button after clicking on an image. That will bring you right back to this page.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, May 16, 2010
Tune in Tomorrow for the Next Episode of ...
Relatively Speaking - Cousins that Blog! It's my turn tomorrow and I'll give you my take on on-site research organization. I love how we all approach it differently.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Monday, April 26, 2010
Relatively Speaking-Cousins That Blog: Distractions
A few nights ago while Karen and Carol and I were doing the email thing we do in which we generate lots of email in a short time, and were discussing what was on the Family Search site and what was no longer there and what would be in their upgrade this week, a record caught my eye.
I saw the name Percival and Massachusetts in reference to a death certificate in South Carolina. Further investigation led me to Sarah Percival Rumley, daughter of John Percival of South San(d)wich, Massachusetts and Susan Fuller of Beaufort, North Carolina. Between Ancestry and the LDS site and Find-A-Grave, I have a really good idea of all their children and their marriages.
Yes, I know I am working on a project of scanning and transcribing all those letters of MY John Percival, but am enjoying working on these fourth and fifth cousins for now. After all, you can only transcribe so many letters per day!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
I saw the name Percival and Massachusetts in reference to a death certificate in South Carolina. Further investigation led me to Sarah Percival Rumley, daughter of John Percival of South San(d)wich, Massachusetts and Susan Fuller of Beaufort, North Carolina. Between Ancestry and the LDS site and Find-A-Grave, I have a really good idea of all their children and their marriages.
Yes, I know I am working on a project of scanning and transcribing all those letters of MY John Percival, but am enjoying working on these fourth and fifth cousins for now. After all, you can only transcribe so many letters per day!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, April 11, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Cousins that Blog!
Karen's turn is tomorrow and I haven't a clue as to what her blog will show. Lucky Cousin is planning a research trip. Check her out at Genealogy Frame of Mind.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, April 4, 2010
Monday is Coming
Monday is Relatively Speaking day and it's my turn. Just a little blurb on cemeteries and death certificates and friends who are nice enough to take pictures in cemeteries!
Also - some of you may have gotten a note from me awarding you the Ancestor Approved Award, stop by on Tuesday to pick it up.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Also - some of you may have gotten a note from me awarding you the Ancestor Approved Award, stop by on Tuesday to pick it up.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, March 28, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Carol's Turn
If tomorrow is Monday, it must be Relatively Speaking day. After much investigation it was discovered that it is Carol's turn over at Reflections from the Fence. Don't forget to check it out tomorrow!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, March 21, 2010
COMING MONDAY-RELATIVELY SPEAKING!
The blog birdie tells me it is Karen's turn tomorrow. What is her take on her topic? Tune in Monday at Genealogy Frame of Mind.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Monday, March 15, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Caught in a Time Warp.
It seems that my OCFRD has struck again. For the past week, I've been working on death certificates. The bulk of these are in Kentucky between 1902 and 1953. Not only am I finding children of the Chinn lines I've been working on but also spouses.
The internet over the years has been a blessing and a curse. Right now I am not swearing at it to hurry up and load a page, but marveling over what you can find online now as opposed to 1994-ish when I installed our first modem, a 14.4 kbps model.
Since my research is centering around the early 20th century, the causes of death sometimes have names we aren't familiar with or maybe the meaning has changed. One of the former is Sydenham's chorea. I was a medical secretary for 12 years and never heard this term. Apparently it could follow scarlet fever, and was not uncommon in children. The person who had this was 52 when she died.
This one threw me for a bit though:
1. Immediate cause of death: apoplexy - ok - that's a stroke.
2. Due to HB Pres. Ah - I get it High Blood Pressure.
3. Due to Kidney inf. (infection?) and senility.
By far the most common cause of death seems to be tuberculosis. Then there is pneumonia, bronchitis and interstitial nephritis. Then the random suicide and someone who lost a race with a train.
I find the older records - previous to 1900 can really be a test of one's ability to translate the record into a readable document.
Using Google search, I can even find diseases that I've misspelled or that was misspelled on the document. Thanks to the Merriam-Webster online Medical Dictionary, I can even hear the diseases pronounced.
Sometimes the internet is a wonderful thing.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
The internet over the years has been a blessing and a curse. Right now I am not swearing at it to hurry up and load a page, but marveling over what you can find online now as opposed to 1994-ish when I installed our first modem, a 14.4 kbps model.
Since my research is centering around the early 20th century, the causes of death sometimes have names we aren't familiar with or maybe the meaning has changed. One of the former is Sydenham's chorea. I was a medical secretary for 12 years and never heard this term. Apparently it could follow scarlet fever, and was not uncommon in children. The person who had this was 52 when she died.
This one threw me for a bit though:
1. Immediate cause of death: apoplexy - ok - that's a stroke.
2. Due to HB Pres. Ah - I get it High Blood Pressure.
3. Due to Kidney inf. (infection?) and senility.
By far the most common cause of death seems to be tuberculosis. Then there is pneumonia, bronchitis and interstitial nephritis. Then the random suicide and someone who lost a race with a train.
I find the older records - previous to 1900 can really be a test of one's ability to translate the record into a readable document.
Using Google search, I can even find diseases that I've misspelled or that was misspelled on the document. Thanks to the Merriam-Webster online Medical Dictionary, I can even hear the diseases pronounced.
Sometimes the internet is a wonderful thing.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, March 14, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Cousins That Blog.
It's my turn tomorrow and I feel like I'm in a time warp. Don't forget to check it out Monday! You will find me at Gene Notes.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Cousins That Blog!
Karen is up on Monday - don't miss her blog at Genealogy Frame of Mind tomorrow. She hasn't given a clue as to her topic, but I am sure it will be great!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Cousins That Blog
Don't forget to check out Cousin Carol's blog at Reflections from the Fence tomorrow. I think she is continuing the slave theme that I started a couple weeks ago. Enjoy!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, February 7, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Tomorrow!! Karen's Turn!
Cousin Karen is back from her speaking engagement in Florida and I bet she has a super Relatively Speaking blog for us tomorrow. Be sure to check out her blog at Genealogy Frame of Mind.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Monday, February 1, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Things in Common & Diverse Results
The other day, Cousins Carol and Karen and I were chatting via email about slaves. They can put names to some of their slaves, I can't. After our emails slowed down, I went back and checked everything I had on my ancestor and came to the conclusion that I just had no luck. Here's why.
One ancestor, J. P. Bowman of Lafayette County, Missouri owned slaves in 1850. By 1860, according to newspaper accounts, they had mostly flown the coop. You see, Missouri was a border state, involved with fighting with Kansans over the slave issue and it seems that the Missouri river acted as a means of escape. J. P. Bowman, of the Missouri State Guards (Confederate) died of exposure after the battle of Pea Ridge. Of course he died in intestate, so there were no probate records from which to cull slaves' names.
Those slaves were gone by the time of the1860 census. He inherited some in November of 1860, but no other record of them has been found.
Another ancestor, Garland Webb, also owned quite a few slaves. I can't find any mention of any names for his slaves, either. Garland also was Confederate, but died in 1895.
There are a couple slaves named way back in the will of Francis Kirtley who died in 1762 in Culpeper county, Virginia. They were left to his descendants.
But something was poking me in my memory bank. I thought I did remember a letter received by my great-great grandfather, John P. Bowman from his brother Robert T. I did some digging and ...
There was a slave mentioned and by name. Old Aggy is mentioned by name in a letter dated Nov 19 1860 between R T Bowman and J P Bowman, brothers who were the heirs of William Bowman. The slaves were to be drawn by lots, but R T knew that since he was living in Covington, Kentucky they could escape north easily. But the concern was for the old Negro woman who could no longer fend for herself.
Did I find this in our family papers? Wills? Census? No, I found it on a film at the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne labeled "Lafayette County Miscellaneous Materials, folder 4: Correspondence (to Sheriff John Bowman). Interestingly enough, most of the correspondence is personal, not business.
So even though, cousins Carol, Karen and I have common roots and similar research methodology our research results are often diverse.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
One ancestor, J. P. Bowman of Lafayette County, Missouri owned slaves in 1850. By 1860, according to newspaper accounts, they had mostly flown the coop. You see, Missouri was a border state, involved with fighting with Kansans over the slave issue and it seems that the Missouri river acted as a means of escape. J. P. Bowman, of the Missouri State Guards (Confederate) died of exposure after the battle of Pea Ridge. Of course he died in intestate, so there were no probate records from which to cull slaves' names.
Those slaves were gone by the time of the1860 census. He inherited some in November of 1860, but no other record of them has been found.
Another ancestor, Garland Webb, also owned quite a few slaves. I can't find any mention of any names for his slaves, either. Garland also was Confederate, but died in 1895.
There are a couple slaves named way back in the will of Francis Kirtley who died in 1762 in Culpeper county, Virginia. They were left to his descendants.
But something was poking me in my memory bank. I thought I did remember a letter received by my great-great grandfather, John P. Bowman from his brother Robert T. I did some digging and ...
There was a slave mentioned and by name. Old Aggy is mentioned by name in a letter dated Nov 19 1860 between R T Bowman and J P Bowman, brothers who were the heirs of William Bowman. The slaves were to be drawn by lots, but R T knew that since he was living in Covington, Kentucky they could escape north easily. But the concern was for the old Negro woman who could no longer fend for herself.
Did I find this in our family papers? Wills? Census? No, I found it on a film at the Allen County Library in Fort Wayne labeled "Lafayette County Miscellaneous Materials, folder 4: Correspondence (to Sheriff John Bowman). Interestingly enough, most of the correspondence is personal, not business.
So even though, cousins Carol, Karen and I have common roots and similar research methodology our research results are often diverse.
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, January 31, 2010
Relatively Speaking
I'm up tomorrow and was inspired by e-conversations with cousins Carol & Karen. Don't forget to check back!
Happy Hunting
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Happy Hunting
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, January 24, 2010
Relatively Speaking - Cousins Who Blog
Cousin Carol is up tomorrow with the Wild Ones Relatively Speaking blog theme. Check her out at Reflections From the Fence. While I don't have a clue as to her topic, Carol's blog is great. If you haven't read her yet, click on the link!
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Copyright 2010, ACK for Gene Notes
Sunday, January 17, 2010
Relatively Speaking: Cousins Who Blog!
Cousin Karen is up on Monday. You can catch her at Genealogy Frame of Mind. Karen always has something interesting going on.
Monday, January 11, 2010
Relatively Speaking: Reaching Out
Last week, cousin/friend Carol at Reflections from the Fence introduced a weekly theme called Relatively Speaking. If you haven't read her yet, go take a peek. Also included in this theme is cousin/friend Karen at Genealogy Frame of Mind. How we managed to become friends and then discover relationships is just mind-boggling.
Really, one of the great things about the Wild Ones is that we always have a sounding board for ideas like this blog theme; speaking topics; examples for speaking topics and the list goes on and on.
We will email each other and ask - how do you source something? Or if you were going to design a custom fact for your genealogy program how would you word it or what would you call it? The funny thing is you will get similar answers from at least two of the Wild Ones.
And travelling with them! We've taken many genealogical day and overnight trips together and there is nothing like looking up and seeing one of your friends doing a small happy dance in the stacks at the Library of Michigan or in the stacks of the genealogical library at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.
Since DH and I moved from Michigan to Tennessee, and because I have constant email contact with these friends/cousins, I have forgotten we no longer live in the same state.
Actively researching your family really does mean contacting living people, whether by email, letter, phone, blog, facebook, a website or through membership in a genealogical or historical society, or as a volunteer at your local Family History Center. It is imperative we keep making these contacts/friends/relatives. Everyone has something to give, share or even receive. Everyone has a unique perspective on family history research. Everyone has a reason why they are researching, whether it is for publication or trying to figure out who in the family carried that awful disease that someone in this generation has.
If I had a hope for research, besides that pesky great-great grandmother thing on my mom's side, it would be for all researchers to find the type of friendship that the Wild Ones have. These women are not only my friends and/or cousins, they are sistahs! So if you are thinking about joining a society, volunteering, or trying to contact that long lost relative, do it now! Tomorrow could be too late!
Really, one of the great things about the Wild Ones is that we always have a sounding board for ideas like this blog theme; speaking topics; examples for speaking topics and the list goes on and on.
We will email each other and ask - how do you source something? Or if you were going to design a custom fact for your genealogy program how would you word it or what would you call it? The funny thing is you will get similar answers from at least two of the Wild Ones.
And travelling with them! We've taken many genealogical day and overnight trips together and there is nothing like looking up and seeing one of your friends doing a small happy dance in the stacks at the Library of Michigan or in the stacks of the genealogical library at the Allen County Public Library in Fort Wayne.
Since DH and I moved from Michigan to Tennessee, and because I have constant email contact with these friends/cousins, I have forgotten we no longer live in the same state.
Actively researching your family really does mean contacting living people, whether by email, letter, phone, blog, facebook, a website or through membership in a genealogical or historical society, or as a volunteer at your local Family History Center. It is imperative we keep making these contacts/friends/relatives. Everyone has something to give, share or even receive. Everyone has a unique perspective on family history research. Everyone has a reason why they are researching, whether it is for publication or trying to figure out who in the family carried that awful disease that someone in this generation has.
If I had a hope for research, besides that pesky great-great grandmother thing on my mom's side, it would be for all researchers to find the type of friendship that the Wild Ones have. These women are not only my friends and/or cousins, they are sistahs! So if you are thinking about joining a society, volunteering, or trying to contact that long lost relative, do it now! Tomorrow could be too late!
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