WHY DIDN’T I SEE THAT? WHEN THE OBVIOUS ESCAPES US

I just had to share this with all of you.  I’m sure I’m not the only researcher this has happened to.  At least I hope I'm not.

I had occasion today to take a look at the entries in my Legacy database for my paternal great grandmother, Elizabeth “Bessie” Fitzcharles.  

Here is what I know about my great grandmother. These are screen shots from my Legacy program.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)



I knew that I had an immigration record that I believed to be her (you can see it listed as the third item under events, above), however, I wasn’t sure if it was or not.  There didn’t seem to be any others traveling with her.  When I found this record for her I had not yet learned the names of her parents.  But, I sure don’t see any other Fitzcharles' on this page.  I did check on the pages before her entry.  This is the last page for that particular day, so there are no entries for 28 Apr 1886 after this page.

Here is the image for Bessie Lindsay.  Please note – the annotations in red and the name of the ship were added by me, yesterday, during my re-evaluation of these records.



The 1900 census states that she immigrated in 1886, so that would seem to back up this record.

She married my great grandfather, William Wallace Lindsay, on 21 May 1886 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.  So, just a month after arriving in the U.S.

As I was checking on my great grandfather’s information today, I looked at his immigration information.  HOLY COW!!!  He’s on the same ship, on the same date.  How in the heck did I miss that?  Or, did I?

• Have I just forgotten that I had located these records? 
• When did I save those digital copies to my computer?  Looks like it was in November and December 2012, nearly a month apart.
• Was I distracted at the time and I went off in another direction on the tree? I can’t answer that question.

Here is the image for William Lindsay.  Annotations on this record were also added yesterday.



The 1900 census has a clue as to when these ancestors immigrated to the U.S.  Unfortunately, that census record on Ancestry is pretty difficult to read.  Not impossible, but difficult.  Here is that record as it appears on the Ancestry.com site.



Here is the same record with some enhancement and annotations.



In looking at the immigration status on this record it says that William Lindsay has been in the United States either 20 or 23 years.  Can you read the year of immigration?  I can only make out 188__.  What is that last number?  If he’d been here 20 years it should be a zero.  Did he come over here, then go back & get Bessie and return?  That last number almost looks like a 5.  Her entry says she arrived in 1886 and has been here 14 years.  You have to look really closely to see the one before that four.  It could easily be read as 4 years, but matching it with 1886, it must be 14.  

The 1910 census has William as a boarder in someone else’s home and his immigration year is given as 1880.  Bessie is in a completely different residence, working as a housekeeper and it gives her immigration year as 1887.  Since they divorced in 1912, this may explain why they were living in two different residences in 1910.  

NOTE:  Wouldn’t I love to be able to ask my grandmother about all of this?  She died when I was 20 years old.  These are her parents.   I remember her and my Dad always talking about old times and the family.  She even lived with us the last couple of years of her life.  But, alas, I was too busy working and playing to pay any attention.  Please, talk to your living family members now.  Don't wait! 

In the Obituary and Death Notice I have for William Lindsay it states that he came to the United States in 1885.  So, I’m thinking that’s what the last number is on the census record.  

CONCLUSION - I believe, based on the evidence, that those two immigration records are, in fact, my great grandparents.

I have learned yet another valuable lesson.  It’s one that I have learned from other experiences in my research through the years. ALWAYS take another look at all your records.  

Perhaps a timeline would have pointed this out to me?  I don’t think I use timelines enough in my research.  It’s not like I have to create one myself.  Legacy creates it for me based on what I have entered for each person.

Please share any similar experiences you’ve had along these same lines.  Things you should have seen, but didn’t etc. 

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

EVALUATING YOUR RECORDS ON AN INDIVIDUAL - WHAT YOU WILL LEARN

SURPRISE! A BIRTH RECORD WHERE IT WASN'T SUPPOSED TO BE

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

ONE LOVELY BLOG AWARD

I have been nominated for the “One Lovely Blog” award.  First let me say that I am honored, as I greatly respect all the other bloggers out there.  Randy Seaver of Genea-Musings nominated me and then, before I could post this, I was nominated by Dana Leeds of The Enthusiastic Genealogist and Cathy Meder Dempsey of Opening Doors in Brick Walls.  My thanks to all of you!

Here the Rules for the "One Lovely Blog Award"

1.  Thank the person who nominated you and link to that blog
2.  Share Seven things about yourself
3.  Nominate 15 bloggers you admire (or as many as you can think of!)
4.  Contact your bloggers to let them know that you've tagged them for the One Lovely Blog Award

What a great idea!  Here goes.


1.  Thank you, Randy, for the nomination – Randy’s blog is at http://www.geneamusings.com/2014/09/one-lovely-blog-award.html

And, thank you Dana, for the nomination - Dana's blog is at

http://theenthusiasticgenealogist.blogspot.com/

2.  Seven Things about me:

• I was born in Detroit, Michigan, moved to Pompano Beach, Florida when  I was seven and then to San Diego, California when I was 15.
• I worked for the City of San Diego, beginning just after high school, working as a Jr. Typist and ended my career with them as a Police Officer.
• I went to my first hockey game at the age of 23 and have been a HUGE fan ever since.  I even play fantasy hockey.  My team has always been the Detroit Red Wings.  Time to win that Stanley Cup again.
• I have horses and used to be the assistant to a friend who was a rodeo photographer   She and I traveled around southern California and over into Arizona spending weekends at many different rodeos.  Great time in my life!
• My husband, Ron, and I met at work, only to find out we knew each other in high school in 10th grade and I had a crush on him back then.
• Because of my genealogy research, my half brother, John, was able to get in touch with me and therefore end his 40 year search for his biological family.  We welcomed him with open arms and he and our mother have a wonderful relationship.  If that’s all that ever came of my research, then it was worth it.
• I’m the grandmother of 3 girls and 1 boy.  They range in age from 9 to 22.

 3.  I have to nominate 15 bloggers whom I admire.  There are hundreds of wonderful bloggers out there that write fantastic posts every day.  It’s difficult to choose.

Here are just a few of the ones I admire, in no particular order.

Ancestoring by Michele Simmons Lewis
Olive Tree Genealogy by Lorine McGinnis Schulze
Are My Roots Showing by Jenny Lanctot
Diggin for Family by Christopher Shaw
Ginisology by Gini Webb
One Rhode Island Family by Diane MacLean Boumenot
The Armchair Genealogist by Lynn Palermo
The Photo Detective by Maureen Taylor
Black Raven Genealogy by Dara
AnceStories by Miriam J. Robbins
Genealogy Canada by Elizabeth Lapointe
Barking Up the Wrong Tree by Loretta Gillespie
Genealogy’s Star by James Tanner
Jana’s Genealogy and Family History Blog by Jana Last
Many Branches, One Tree by Linda Huesca Tully

4. Now contact the bloggers you nominated.  I’ll be doing that next.

With appreciation,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY–BIRTH & DEATH DATES FROM MY GRANDMOTHER’S JOURNAL–MAY

What does Amanuensis mean anyway?

To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

As many of you know from reading previous posts on my blog, my maternal grandmother left a spiral notebook, which I call her journal.  In it she left recipes, a list of 183 family members and their birth dates and some death dates, a list of anniversaries and other various lists or things that were important to her.  It’s a treasure that I cherish. 

Today I’m going to be transcribing her list of names & dates from May.

For the previous posts transcribing January through April, please click on these links.

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - January

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – February

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – March

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - April

Here is the page from her journal.  This journal was begun when my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden, married my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, in 1906.  She was just 18 years old at the time.  This journal is very old and falling apart.  I have digitized all the pages and have the original stored in a safe, archival box.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Here is my transcription of this page, with some annotations.  I have indicated the family connection in brackets, even thought it’s not part of the document.  I though you’d like to know who these people are to me.  And, for any cousins out there reading this, maybe you’ll find it helpful.


I’ve added whatever photos I have of the family members named in this list. (See below)


ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I HAVE REDACTED THE BIRTH DATES & FULL NAMES OF PEOPLE WHO I’M AWARE OF, THAT ARE STILL LIVING, FOR THEIR PROTECTION.

May
 Frederick Gillespie May 4  ‘85  died April 2 ‘41  [1st cousin twice removed]
died July 24  ‘26  Edward Donnelly    May 7  ‘82 [husband of 1st cousin twice removed]
Billie Gillespie  May 13  ‘16   [2nd cousin once removed]
Betty     [1st cousin once removed]
* Lenora May Robinson  May 15  ‘32 (see notes below for more info)
*  Mabel Le May Brehmer  May 27  ‘90  (see notes below for more info)
*  Wm. E. Guina  May 9  ‘10
*  Geo. Robson  May ___ 1874  Jan 27  ‘58 (see notes below for more info)
*  Elizabeth Collins  May 15
Raymond G. Morrison  May 25  ‘12  Feb 26  2-11-67 [husband of Aunt]
*  Billie Speh  May 11  ‘39
*  Henry Thomas Platz III  May 7  ‘42  (see notes below for more info)
Andrew Ritchie Thornton   May 1  ‘83  died Dec. 12  ‘43 [1st cousin twice removed]
Joseph   [husband of 2nd cousin once removed]
Lawrence Diebel  May 11  ‘91  died Aug 1  ‘61  [husband of 1st cousin twice removed]
Joe King   May 29  ‘89  [1st cousin twice removed]
Scott      [2nd cousin]
Ed Cornelius  died May 5 ‘81  May 5 ‘25 [step father]
*  Barbara Doworth Gilbertsen 
Everette Roe  May 15     May 19  1916   died Oct 25, 1976 [husband of grand aunt]               died  “   15  ‘59

That’s a total of 20 names.  I am very fortunate to have this kind of list from my grandmother.
I have placed an asterisk *  next to the names I have not yet connected to our family. 
EIGHT of the names are still waiting for me to find their connections.  I have them in my Legacy database as unlinked individuals. 

In the lists from the other 11 months of the year, there are also names that aren’t yet connected.  I keep looking from time to time and link them as I identify them.

HERE ARE THE PICTURES I HAVE FOR THOSE LISTED ABOVE

     
                               BETTY                                                   EVERETT PIERRE ROE (Betty’s father)

    
     RAYMOND G. MORRISON                                                                       JOSEPH EDWARD KING


            JOSEPH “ED” CORNELIUS

NEW INFORMATION

I have taken another look online at all of the unfamiliar names.  It’s been several years since I’ve done this and with so much new information online, I never know what I may find.  It looks like I have several new leads to follow. 

Lenora May Robinson  May 15  ‘32 – I have located Lenora on Ancestry and find her living in Royal Oak,  Michigan (a suburb of Detroit) as a 7 yr. old with Harold and Flora Robinson, her parents and Harold, age 9, a sibling.  I have also located a photo of her on Ancestry that states it is her graduation photo.  This same information states she died in 1978.  There is other information online that I will have to continue to look into.
I still don’t know how she ties into the family.   Here is a link to the photo: Photo of Lenora Robinson

Mabel Le May Brehmer  May 27  ‘90 – I have located several records for Mabel.  A 1910 census has her living with her parents George & Kate Le May in Detroit, Michigan.  Her husband, Roy Brehmer is also in the household.  She is 20 and Roy is 21 and it states they have been married for 3 years and have no children.  This gives me more information and I can now go and look for a marriage record and look on other census records for them. 

Geo. Robson  May ___ 1874  Jan 27  ‘58 – I believe this is the father of the Aubrey Robson seen in the April listings from my grandmother’s journal.  Apparently, friends of my grandmother.  Could they also be related to us?

Henry Thomas Platz III  May 7  ‘42 – I found a birth record for a Henry Thomas Platz born May 7, 1942 in San Diego, CA. (That’s where I live – interesting). Mother’s maiden name KRUG, which is not familiar to me. 

Please contact me if you recognize any of the names with asterisks or if you are related to any of these family members.  I’d love to hear from you.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

SCOTLAND - ABERDEEN & NORTH-EAST SCOTLAND FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETY

I recently wrote a post about  HISTORICAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES–GREAT RESOURCES FOR YOUR RESEARCH.  As a follow up to, today, I am writing about a family history society over in Scotland that has many resources and publications to share.  This society is just one example of the reasons to seek out the societies in your area of research.

 

Here is a picture of the outside of the society taken when we visited Scotland this past spring

 

From their website:
“The Aberdeen & North-East Scotland Family History Society exists to assist and promote the study of genealogy and family history based on the North-East corner of Scotland. This area covers the old counties of Aberdeenshire, Banffshire, Kincardineshire and Morayshire.
The Society owns premises in the centre of Aberdeen with a well stocked library and a huge selection of microfilm, microfiche and CD resources.
The Society holds regular meetings throughout the year, covering many topics of interest to family historians. Meetings are held in Aberdeen, Edinburgh, Elgin, Glasgow and in the West Midlands of England.”
 
Because of the many ancestors I have from the Aberdeen, Scotland area, I located and joined this society several years ago.  The fee for an annual membership is $25. 
The society also has a Facebook page which you can locate here 
https://www.facebook.com/anesfhs

One of the benefits I spoke of at the beginning of this post are publications.  This particular society has a booklet with over 60 pages of publications for sale. 

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT) 


Here is the Table of Contents from this publication booklet. (All pages copied with permission from the society) 

Please note that they have local histories, census indexes, maps and many other wonderful publications.



Here is a sample of publications available just for Monumental Inscriptions (cemeteries).



I had received information from an email inquiry I made to the Aberdeen Family History Society regarding the burial locations for my 2nd great grandparents, Charles Milne and Margaret Ritchie.  They are buried at Aboyne Kirkyard, which is located in Aberdeenshire, Scotland.  I knew that I was going to be making a trip to Aberdeen this past spring.  Finding out that I would be able to visit these 2nd great grandparents burial site was wonderful.  

I proceeded to order 3 publications from the society that I felt may contain names of some of my ancestors.  The cost for the publications is pretty minimal .  The ones I ordered were all about 2.50 pounds or about $4, depending on the current conversion rate.

NOTE:  Some of their publications can be ordered as eBooks,  downloaded in PDF format, if that is more convenient for you.  I went to Amazon and typed in “monumental inscriptions” and found these.  I’m not sure what you might find on other sites.
Monumental Inscriptions of Northeast Scotland

Here are the publications I ordered from the society in paper format. 



Here is a page from their publication for The Kirkyard of Aboyne compiled by Sheila M. Spiers.  You can see my 2nd great grandparents, Charles Milne and Margaret Ritchie listed here.



When we went to Aboyne, Aberdeenshire, Scotland I was able to visit Aboyne Kirkyard.  In fact, if you look at the top of this blog you will see a picture of that churchyard.  It was a lovely location. 

Before I went to the cemetery I checked on findagrave.com to see if the cemetery had been photographed and/or how many memorials were listed.  At that time there were only 73 interments posted for this cemetery.  So, while I was there, although our time was limited, I took as many photos as I could.  Specifically of surnames I have an interest in, like Milne and Ritchie.  As of today there are 191 interments on findagrave for this cemetery.  Here is a link to the cemetery on the findagrave site Aboyne Kiryard.

And I just have to share the pictures of me at the Kirkyard.  It took me a while to find that little cross headstone.  Charles & Margaret’s names are on the very bottom (second photo).  That’s the smile of a very happy 2nd great granddaughter.  

    

I was really happy to be able to help document a portion of this cemetery on findagrave so that others can find their family members.  What was great about this too was that once I got home and was able to conduct more research based on the photos I took, I connected to several more of the people buried there. 

The bottom line of all this is to take advantage of the resources available at all the historical & family history societies/centers around the country and around the world.  

We all know how fortunate we are to have millions of records online.  However, there are millions more that aren’t online.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY ALSO BE OF INTEREST 

HISTORICAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES–GREAT RESOURCES FOR YOUR RESEARCH 

MY TRIP TO SCOTLAND - WHAT I DID RIGHT, WHAT I DID WRONG 

SEMINARS, WEBINARS, SOCIETIES - WILL THEY HELP YOUR RESEARCH? 



Please share your discoveries with me. 

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

HISTORICAL & FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES–GREAT RESOURCES FOR YOUR RESEARCH

DO YOU USE HISTORICAL OR FAMILY HISTORY SOCIETIES IN YOUR RESEARCH?

Let’s talk about some of the benefits you can derive from these societies.

• Knowledgeable people who work or volunteer at the society.  These people may have lived their whole lives in the area.  They may even have ancestors that knew your ancestors.
• Perhaps they know others with the same surnames you are researching, who still live in the area.  This, of course, is more common in a smaller community.   However, don’t discount the societies in the larger communities.
• They may know where all the cemeteries are in the area.  Even the smaller, hard to find cemeteries on private property.
• Perhaps they can provide maps of specific areas with indications of who owned what property and when?
• They can, in many cases, show you which books or publications they offer that would help you in your particular research.
• They can put you in touch with local historians or other researchers who may know details that they don’t.
• Most historical societies have books or publications right on site.  Take advantage of this.

When I visited Keene, New Hampshire where my husband’s family is from, we visited the Historical Society of Cheshire County.  I found all sorts of information in books and in probate records they had copies of.  The volunteer there was incredibly helpful.

One of the largest historical societies I can think of is the New England Historic Genealogical Society.  This society has been around since 1845 and has a wealth of information at their physical site and on their website.  

Simply use your search engine and type in whatever town, city or county you may be interested in, add the words “historical society” OR “family history society” and see what you can find.  

Here is a link to a site I found by typing this into Google "historical societies in the United States"
http://www.preservationdirectory.com/preservationorganizationsresources/organizationcategories.aspx
 


I selected A and the following screen came up.  When I typed MICHIGAN into the state box I got a list of over 80 societies all over the state. 



I have to admit that I did not know about this website until just now.  It’s very interesting that while I am sharing with you, I am also learning.  

Let’s continue our discovery and type into Google “historical societies in Europe.”  This brought up 13,800,00 results.  Here is a screenshot of a portion of the first page.
(Apologies for the blurry screenshots)



I selected the very first entry which took me to a Wikipedia site.  As I scrolled through the site and selected various items, some were relevant and some were not.  However, when I got to the very bottom of the screen I noticed this:



Doesn’t that first entry look interesting?  I selected it and up came a list of various genealogical & family history societies.  The list is not complete as wikipedia is always a work in progress.  However, what I did was to keep on selecting various links, which then led me to other links.  In doing that I have now learned of many organizations that are new to me. 

You get the general idea.  I don’t know about you, but sometimes I get tunnel vision in my research.  I use the same sites day in and day out.  I mean after all, I have a huge list of bookmarked sites that I’ve saved over the years. Those sites are very useful, but sometimes we need to step back, stop and THINK.   

Where else might I look for information?

Writing this post has given me new ideas and I’m anxious to see what else I can find today.

OTHER POSTS THAT YOU MAY FIND HELPFUL
SEMINARS, WEBINARS, SOCIETIES - WILL THEY HELP YOUR RESEARCH?
FACEBOOK - HOW IT CAN BE VERY USEFUL IN YOUR RESEARCH

Happy hunting,

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - BIRTH & DEATH DATES FROM MY GRANDMOTHER'S JOURNAL - APRIL

What does Amanuensis mean anyway?

To put it simply, it means a “person employed to write what another dictates or copy what has been written by another.”

As many of you know from reading previous posts on my blog, my maternal grandmother left a spiral notebook, which I call her journal.  In it she left recipes, a list of 183 family members and their birth dates and some death dates, a list of anniversaries and other various lists or things that were important to her.  It’s a treasure that I cherish. 

Today I’m going to be transcribing her list of names & dates from April.

For the previous posts transcribing January, February and March please click on these links.

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - January

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal – February

Amanuensis Monday - Transcribing my grandmother's journal - March

Here is the page from her journal.  This journal was begun when my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden, married my grandfather, Joseph A. Milne, in 1906.  She was just 18 years old at the time.  This journal is very old and falling apart.  I have digitized all the pages and have the original stored in a safe, archival box.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)

Here is my transcription of this page, with some annotations.  I have indicated the family connection in brackets, even thought it’s not part of the document.  I though you’d like to know who these people are to me.  And, for any cousins out there reading this, maybe you’ll find it helpful.


I’ve added whatever photos I have of the family members named in this list. (See below)


ADDITIONAL NOTE:  I HAVE REDACTED THE BIRTH DATES OF PEOPLE WHO ARE STILL LIVING, FOR THEIR PROTECTION.

April 

Bernice Elaine Seigel  April 3 [2nd cousin once removed]
* Eleanor Titus   April 9  
* Jean Hern    April 10 ‘22
Joseph Gillespie   Apr 11 ‘37  died May 26, 1908  [2nd great grandfather]
* Aubrey Hastings Robson  April 11  ‘06   (See note below)
* Robert W. Gillespie   April 4  ‘93
* Helen Cole   April 15  13
died April 9  Jacob Seigel   April 20  ‘49  [husband of great grand aunt]
* Wilson Westervelt  April 28  ‘07  (See note below)
* boy Frederick Hibberlin   April 2  41
* Florence Platz  April 13
Baby Boy Morrison   April 11  42  3:58 – 6:20  [1st cousin who died as infant]
* Linda Jean Wolford   April 18  ‘42 
* Lee Harold Jones  April 19  ‘44  7:30 a.m.
* Aunt Ada’s gr. gr. twins  (Billkings) Joanne April 12  ‘46
                                                         * Carol Anne  April 12  ‘46

That’s a total of 16 names.  I am very fortunate to have this kind of list from my grandmother.

I have placed an asterisk * next to the names I have not yet connected to our family.  
Twelve of the names are still waiting for me to find their connections.  I have them in my Legacy database as unlinked individuals.  That’s quite a lot of unknown names for this month, compared to the previous 3 months I posted about.

In the lists from the other 11 months of the year, there are also names that aren’t yet connected.  I keep looking from time to time and link them as I identify them.

I think that right now before I post this, I’m going to go online and see if I can find anything about those names for whom I have no connection.  I’ll be back in a bit.  

Here are the two people I learned more about:

Aubrey Hastings Robson - I called my 89 year old mother and began asking her questions about the unknown names on the list.  She said that she thinks Aubrey Hastings Robson was the son of one of her mother’s close friends.  It is my mother’s Mom who wrote this journal.

Wilson Westervelt -  I located an SSDI record for Wilson Westervelt and the date of birth is an exact match to what my grandmother has written and he was living in the Detroit area in the 1930 and 1940 census.  And, his last residence was Livonia, Wayne, Michigan (a suburb of Detroit).  How or if he ties into our family I don’t know yet.

        
          Bernice Elaine Seigle sitting in her mother’s lap                                                                  Joseph Gillespie

Photo of Bernice Elaine Seigle and her parents is courtesy of a descendant who graciously shared it with me.  In the photo is Arthur George Seigle, his wife Lida M. Tufts and their daughters Rosemary & Bernice.  I place the photo late 1920’s.

Please contact me if you recognize any of the names with asterisks or if you are related to any of these family members.  I’d love to hear from you.

Until next the next posting.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION