Sunday, November 30, 2014

CENSUS SUNDAY–WHO WAS LIVING NEXT TO WHOM? AND WHAT DOES THIS RECORD TELL ME?


I know you’ve all seen it.  You find a census record for someone you are researching and lo and behold, on the same page is another familiar family. 
This has happened to me more than once during my research.  Sometimes, I don’t see it the first time I view the census. 
  • Maybe because I didn’t know about the other family?
  • Maybe I learned later on who that one daughter married?
  • Maybe because I was careless and didn’t take the time to look at other entries?
Whatever the reason, it’s fun when you do find them.  Here’s one that I found early in my research.

1860 census – Armada, Macomb, Michigan
 
1860_GOULD_John C and Sarah_Image_next door to Harts_ArmadaMich

Here is a close up of my two families.  Henry Hart and John Gould

1860_GOULD_John C and Sarah_Image_next door to Harts_ArmadaMich_outlined_cropped

Who are these ancestors to me?

Henry Hart & his wife Olive are my 3rd great grandparents

John Gould and his wife Sally are my 2nd great grandparents. Sally is Henry Hart’s daughter.  She and John were married in 1858.  And now have a young son, Vivaldo.

1860 census – Town of Armada, County of Macomb, State of Michigan
Enumerated on 13 day of July 1860.
Lines 3-12, dwelling number 1111, family number 1128
  • Henry Hart, age 65, male, farmer, value of real estate $6700, personal estate $570, born in New York
  • Olive Hart, age 55, female, born in Vermont
  • Noble Hart, age 21, male, farm laborer, born in New York
  • Betsy Hart, age 20, female, domestic, born in New York
  • Arminda Hart, age 18, female, born in New York
  • Simeon Hart, age 16, male, farm laborer, born in New York
  • Olive Hart, age 14, female, born in New York
  • Leonard Hart, age 12, male, born in New York
  • Monroe Knapp, age 2, male, born in ?
  • Hannah Burrell, age 69, female, born in Massachusetts
QUESTIONS:  Who are Monroe Knapp and Hannah Burrell?  Are they family?  Are they boarders?  I have yet to figure this out and I’ve tried many times over the past 10 years.

Lines 13-15, dwelling number 1111, family number 1129
  • John Gool [should be Gould], age 28, male, day laborer, value of real estate $500, personal estate $100, born in Michigan
  • Sally Gould, age 23, female, born in New York
  • Vivaldo Gould, age 8 months, male, born in Michigan
OBSERVATIONS: 
1.  Because the dwelling number for both families is the same, it appears they were living in the same house or on the same property. 
2.  Both Henry Hart and John Gould own real estate.  They should then be listed on the agricultural census for 1860.  Are they? 
3.  There is a family directly next door named Stone.  I know that John Gould, bought land from Hannibal Stone in 1863.  Is this Stone family related to Hannibal?
4.  The enumerator lists New York as the birthplace for Henry Hart and his children.  However, this conflicts with other records I have for this family.
5.  Can I locate the land records for the real estate owned by Henry Hart and John Gould in 1860?

Reviewing this census, that I have looked at so many times, has given me some new ideas.  It never hurts to take another look at even the most common of records, such as our wonderful census records. 

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl


Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Friday, November 28, 2014

BLACK FRIDAY SALES ARE ON NOW–DON’T MISS OUT!

Sale
There are SO many sales on right now, it’s difficult to keep track. 

Do you need an external hard drive, larger flash drive, software database, subscription to a particular genealogy site, camera or supplies?  Now is the time.

You can go to most any of the websites for any store or online site and find out what is on sale.  Many of the sales are good through December 1.

What did I buy on sale today?  A DNA test from Ancestry for my husband.  I’ve already done mine and it’s his turn.  

Here is a great post from Lynn Palermo at The Armchair Genealogist, about gifts for your genealogy friends and family members.  http://www.ancestry.com/cs/giftsub?o_iid=63223&o_lid=63223&o_sch=Web+Property

Here are a couple of the links I’ve seen today:

Legacy sale 50% off http://www.legacyfamilytreestore.com/SearchResults.asp?Cat=95

Ancestry DNA test $20 off http://dna.ancestry.com/lp/gift?cj=1&netid=cj&o_xid=0004013537&o_lid=0004013537&o_sch=Affiliate+External

New England Historic Genealogical Society 40% off memberships http://bit.ly/1vsxDLt

There are so many more sales out there.  So, go online and find yourself a treat or buy one for someone else.  

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Monday, November 24, 2014

MYSTERY MONDAY - WHO’S YOUR DADDY? MY TOP TEN GENEALOGY MYSTERIES

Green tree with question marks
We all have them.  Those people in our trees for whom we just cannot, no matter how hard we’ve tried, break down the brick wall surrounding their origins.
  • WHO ARE THEIR PARENTS?
  • DID THEY HAVE ANY SIBLINGS?
  • WHERE DID THE FAMILY ORIGINATE?
Let me first give credit for the idea of this post to Heather Wilkinson Rojo at Nutfield Genealogy.  Please click on the link to see her post and also to read about the other bloggers who have posted their own mysteries.

So, who are these brick walls in my tree?  Let’s take a look. I've used grey font right now.  Let's hope I can change that to green once I've solved the mysteries.  


1.  John C. GOULD – 2ND Great Grandfather – 1833-after 1910

2.  Robert L. BOWDEN – Great Grandfather – 1863-1906
3.  Rev. Isaac C. HUNTER – 3rd Great Grandfather – 1798-1842
4.  William GILLEN – 4th Great Grandfather – 1782-1841
5.  Catherine DORSEY – 2nd Great Grandmother – Abt 1842-1898
6.  Monson THORP – 3rd Great Grandfather – 1801-1888
7.  Lany COOPER – 3rd Great Grandmother – 1815-1886
8.  Henry HART – 3rd Great Grandfather – 1785-1879
9.  Olive DOTEN – 3rd Great Grandmother – 1805-1887
10. George A. Fink – Husband’s Great Grandfather – 1863-abt 1900 


Here’s my plan.  I’m going to begin posting information about these mysteries here on my blog.  I’ll take them one or two at a time over the next several weeks.  
 
I’ll give you the information I have on these ancestors and maybe, just maybe one of you will point out something I’ve missed or even be related.  Genealogists are, after all, a very hopeful bunch.
 
Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION












Saturday, November 22, 2014

WHAT CAN YOU LEARN FROM A PROBATE RECORD? HERE'S ONE FROM 1884 FOR MY 3RD GREAT GRANDMOTHER

BURGESS_Elizabeth_Probate and will_1884-1885_Detroit_Wayne_Michigan_Page_01_cropped   BURGESS_Elizabeth_Probate and will_1884-1885_Detroit_Wayne_Michigan_Page_02

As I mentioned in an earlier post, I have located the probate record for my 3rd great grandmother, Elizabeth BURGESS nee GADEN/GAYDON.  Here is the link to that post:  http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2014/11/want-to-find-probate-records-online.html

BACKGROUND: Elizabeth was born in Barnstaple, Devon, England on 30 Jan 1813.  Her parents were Richard GAYDON and Mary THOMAS.  She married Henry BURGESS on 14 Nov 1832 in Barnstaple, Devon, England.  To them were born 3 known children: William born 27 Nov 1835, John born about 1837 and Susan born 20 Nov 1841.  To my knowledge all children were born in Barnstaple, Devon, England.  On 23 Dec 1862 Susan came to the United States with her daughter Susan and Susan’s husband Joseph GILLESPIE and their two infant children.  There is no record of Elizabeth’s husband, Henry traveling with them, nor have I been able to locate a death date or burial location for Henry.  Elizabeth BURGESS died on 16 May 1884 in Detroit, Wayne, Michigan.
 
I was very excited to have located her probate record.  I have only ever been able to obtain probate records for a couple of my ancestors.  Not for lack of wanting to find them, but many weren’t and still are not online.  The ones I have located were found when I traveled to various locations and went to courthouses.

Having located the probate index record on familysearch.org and finding that the actual record was not online, I requested help from a contact who lives in Detroit.  I know her via the Detroit Genealogy Facebook group.  Her name is Deidre Denton and she is available if you would like her to obtain Michigan records for you. 
CLICK HERE TO GO TO DEIDRE'S WEBSITE AND CONTACT HER

I took the time to transcribe all 16 pages of this probate record.  Doing so, helped me to read it carefully, word by word.

SO EXACTLY WHAT DID I LEARN FROM THIS 16 PAGE PROBATE RECORD?
  • Conformation that Elizabeth Burgess died on Friday, 16 May 1884
  • She was a resident in the City of Detroit, County of Wayne, State of Michigan at the time of her death
  • She was possessed of real and personal estate with an estimated value of $1,000 of which $50 was her personal estate
  • That the names, relationships & residences of her heirs were: Susan Gillespie, William Burgess, John Burgess (children) and Susan Milne (grandchild), all of Detroit, Michigan. 
  • The administrator of her will was Edwin F. Culver
  • That there were two notices of the pending probate published in the newspaper (a copy of those articles is even shown in the probate papers)
  • That Elizabeth Burgess left several pieces of real estate and a house to her daughter, Susan Gillespie
  • That she left $50 to each of her sons, William & John Burgess
  • That she left a watch to her granddaughter, Susan Milne
  • The names of the two witnesses to her will
  • That Elizabeth Burgess probably couldn’t write, as she left “her mark” on the will (later confirmed by an 1870 census)
  • The various amounts of money paid from the estate for rent, tax and other items
  • That the record was final & filed on 11 Nov 1885
That is quite a bit of information.  

WERE THERE ANY EARTH SHATTERING, JUMP UP AND DOWN DISCOVERIES IN THIS PROBATE RECORD?

I’d have to say no to that.  However, what I did learn was that she owned some property and that her two sons, according to this record, were living in Detroit, Michigan.  I had no idea if they had ever traveled over from England.
 
This also, of course, gives confirmation of relationships, which we are always looking for in our research.

MY NEXT STEPS
  • Try to locate where her property was in Detroit
  • Find records for her sons, John & William in the U.S.
  • Attach the probate record to Elizabeth in my Legacy database & cite my source
  • Share this record with my brother, John, who is the other genealogist in our family
  • AND, go back to Family Search and find more probate records (I’m already in the process & have found others)
Probate records can be very helpful in your research.  Some are more revealing than others.  But, all of them give us a little bit more insight into our ancestor’s lives.  Isn’t that what our research is all about?

Here are a few more pictures of the actual pages of the probate & will.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)
BURGESS_Elizabeth_Probate and will_1884-1885_Detroit_Wayne_Michigan_Page_11_cropped   BURGESS_Elizabeth_Probate and will_1884-1885_Detroit_Wayne_Michigan_Page_12
   BURGESS_Elizabeth_Probate and will_1884-1885_Detroit_Wayne_Michigan_Page_16  BURGESS_Elizabeth_Probate and will_1884-1885_Detroit_Wayne_Michigan_Page_07

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST 
EVALUATING YOUR RECORDS ON AN INDIVIDUAL - WHAT YOU WILL LEARN 

WHAT ABOUT THOSE RECORDS WITH COMPLETELY INCORRECT NAMES? HOW I FOUND MY GRANDMOTHER'S BIRTH RECORD 

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl


Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Friday, November 21, 2014

PHOTO DUPLICATION SERVICE TO BE DISCONTINUED ON DEC 5, 2014

PHOTO DUPLICATION SERVICES AT FAMILY SEARCH WILL BE DISCONTINUED ON DECEMBER 5, 2014
 
This is indeed sad news for those of us who have used and gotten our records via this service.

Here is the link to the family search page explaining it:
https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Serviceshttps://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Photoduplication_Services 

I've copied this from their page:

Photoduplication Services

Editcopy.png
________________________________________________________________________ Photo duplication Services will be discontinued as of December 5, 2014.  As of this date, existing orders will be completed, but new orders will not be accepted.

As more microfilm and books are digitized and added to FamilySearch.org, and more links are made available to partner sites that already have this information digitized, the need for photoduplication will decrease.  FamilySearch is attempting to digitize as many resources as possible and make these available online.  If the film or book has been digitized, you can print your own copies directly from the web site, if printing the image is not restricted by the copyright holder. 


To find the resources that are digitzed, please visit the FamilySearch Catalog at: https://familysearch.org/catalog-search(You can also go to familysearch.org, select Search, then Catalog.)  Also available on the Catalog page is a link to OCLC WorldCat.  WorldCat can help you find books and other resources in over 10,000 local libraries.


If the film or book you are seeking is not digitized yet, and is available on microfiche or microfilm, it can usually be ordered and sent to a local family history center, where you can view the resource.  You can find a local family history center by going to:

https://familysearch.org/learn/wiki/en/Introduction_to_LDS_Family_History_Centers  Staff at the family history center can assist you with the process of ordering the film, and can help you view it when it arrives.

I know that I still have a list of requests I wanted to submit. I guess if we get them in before Dec 5th they will honor them.
Good luck everyone.



Michigan Girl


Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Sunday, November 16, 2014

WHAT DOES MY DNA TEST FROM ANCESTRY.COM TELL ME?


Ancestry DNA home screen

WOOHOO!  I received the results of my Ancestry.com DNA test.

This is the first DNA test I have ever taken.  Both my brother and my half brother have done DNA tests. Recently, I decided I wanted to have my own results.  Next on the list will be my husband.  To my knowledge, no members of his family have been tested yet.

NOW WHAT?

The first thing I wanted to see was the ethnicity chart.  I have enough information on my maternal side and a portion of my paternal side, to believe that it would indicate a lot of Scottish, Irish and English bloodlines.  

BUT, would there be any surprises?

It doesn’t look like it.  Here is the initial breakdown with the map.

(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)
Ancestry DNA ethnicity with map

I was surprised to see the greatest percentage was for Ireland.  I know I have some direct ancestry from Ireland.  However, I believed the majority were from Scotland.  

Then, in looking at the circles on the map I can see the big overlap for that dark blue circle, which includes Scotland.  Alright then, that makes sense.  So, I’m 98% European.  No big surprise there.  Which breaks down to the percentages you can see on the map below. 

What areas are indicated in those Trace Regions listed at 11%?

Ancestry DNA trace amounts

Although it’s a little difficult to see all the different colored circles on the map, if I hover over them while on the Ancestry site, they become shaded in.
 
Here is a breakdown of those other areas of my ethnicity.

EUROPE EAST – 4%
SCANDINAVIA – 3%
EUROPE WEST – 2%
IBERIAN PENINSULA – 2%
WEST ASIA – CAUCASUS – 1%

HERE ARE THE MAPS FOR THOSE TRACE AREAS THAT COMPOSE 12% OF MY ETHNIC ORIGINS.  

Ancestry DNA EUROPE EASTmap
EUROPE EAST
Ancestry DNA SCANDINAVIAmap
                    SCANDINAVIA
  

Ancestry DNA EUROPE WESTmap
EUROPE WEST
Ancestry DNA IBERIANmap
IBERIAN PENINSULA
Ancestry DNA CAUCASUSmap
WEST ASIA - CAUCASUS
     









NEXT, I went to the “Matches” list to see what gems I could find there.

There are 263 matches.  Those matches range from 3rd-4th Cousin (1 match at 98% confidence) to 4th-6th Cousins at 95-96% confidence ( 51 matches ), to Distant Cousins, possible range, 5th-8th Cousins at moderate to low confidence.

I have already sent a message to the one match that could be a 3rd or 4th cousin.  I have also taken a look at some of the 51 other matches that could be 4th-6th cousins.  I expect I will also contact some of those people.

It will be very interesting to see if more close matches show up as other people participate in testing.
 
This is a learning process for me and I’m certainly hoping it will pay off in finding some lines of the family that I have yet to discover.

Have you participated in DNA testing?
If so, what was your experience and did you think is was worthwhile?

I’ll certainly let you know if I break down any brick walls or find a connection.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
DNA TESTING - TIME FOR ME TO SEND IN A SAMPLE
FOLLOWING LEADS ON ANCESTRY - ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl


Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

Saturday, November 15, 2014

I’M PUBLISHED–WELL….SELF PUBLISHED ANYWAY


Michigan Family Trails 2010-2012_cover
THIS IS THE COVER OF MY 32 PAGE BOOK. MORE LIKE A BOOKLET

After reading other blogger’s comments about self publishing content from their blogs, I decided I would try it.
 
Just to experiment, I used content from the first couple of years of my blog, when I wasn’t very active.  I used a company called Blurb, which had been used by other bloggers who’s content I read.  It wasn’t very expensive (under $30) and it was easy to do.  There are many publishing companies out there.  Find the one that fits your needs.

When I decided to start a blog, back in January of 2010, I had no idea what I was doing, where it would lead, or if it would be read by anyone but me.
 
Here is my very first blog post.

Tuesday, January 12, 2010
Blogging about family research - Day 1
I have just created this blog as a way to try and connect with more family members. I have been researching my family, including my husband's family, for over 5 years. I've never had a blog before so this will be a learning experience. 
 
Here are some of the surnames that I am researching. This is not a complete list, but includes some of the primary names: Boggs, Bowen, Bowden, Bright, Fink, Frampton, Gillen, Goodbody, Gould, Hall, Hart, Hunter, Lindsay, Milne & Thorp.
 
I hope that this will be a way to share this incredible journey. I currently live in southern California, although I was born in Michigan. My parents and grandparents and many other family members were born in Michigan and many still live there. There are also family connections in many other states. 
 
Stay tuned and let's see how this blog thing works.
 
Til next time,
Michigan Girl
 
If you ask most bloggers, they will tell you they began with doubts.  The biggest one usually being “who is going to read what I write?”

I stopped and started several times between 2010 & 2013.  It was in October of 2013 that I decided I was just going to write regularly and see what happened.  I learned from other bloggers and got excited about sharing my experiences.

Now, I can’t imagine not writing.  Having a blog about researching my family has enriched my life and helped me in my research, along with helping others in theirs.

THANK YOU to all the readers who take time out of their day to read my posts.  I respond to all comments and appreciate every one of you.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl


Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION





Friday, November 14, 2014

EVER HAD ONE OF THOSE “SLAP YOUR FOREHEAD” MOMENTS IN YOUR RESEARCH?

clip_image002

Here are a couple of examples of those “DUH” moments we all have.  And maybe wish we didn’t.  The idea for this post came from a fellow genealogist who shared her moment.

EXAMPLE #1
 
Several years ago I was trying desperately to locate the death record and/or burial location of my 2nd great grandmother, Susan Caroline BOGGS.  She was born in 1842 in Lawrence Co., Ohio (daughter of William Allen BOGGS and Nancy Delilah LUNSFORD) and died in 1913.  Along the way she married James Gillen HUNTER with whom she had 9 children and after his death she married William CRESSE.  

At least that’s the information I had.  Some of that information was found in my research, other information was from the journal of names & dates kept by her granddaughter (my maternal grandmother).  Other information was taken from a handwritten obituary found among my grandmother’s effects.

Here is that record.
(CLICK ON ANY IMAGE TO ENLARGE IT)
BOGGS_Susan C_handwritten_Obit_Page 1 & 2
BOGGS_Susan C_handwritten_Obit_Page 3

So why couldn’t I locate a death record for her?

I have notes of my various research strategies beginning in 2006.  I even sent a death certificate request to the State of Ohio, based on the information I had.  NO RECORD FOUND.

THE BREAK THROUGH….SLAP MY FOREHEAD  MOMENT

I had placed the obituary document in page protectors back in 2006.  One day in 2008, I realized I had never scanned the document.  

I take it out of the page protectors to scan it and…………….DRUM ROLL……….when I turned over page 3 there on the back was the following:

        “OBITUARY OF S. C. HANKINS”

BOGGS_Susan C_handwritten_Obit_Back of Page 3

WHAT?  She married a third time?  Is that what this means?
 
Yes, that’s exactly what that meant.  My next steps were:
  • Check the Ohio Historical Society Death Index – Found her listed in Volume 1017, cert #13435 and the date of death listed exactly as my grandmother had it in her journal.  I sent for her death certificate immediately.
  • Sent an email to the Service Director for Miamiville, Ohio, where the death index had indicated she died.  I received an email in return verifying she was buried at Evergreen Cemetery, Section B, Lots 128.  The email from the very kind Director included photos of her headstone and the headstone next to her which was her oldest son.  Surprise!  I didn’t know where Clyde was buried until I received this information.
Here is her death certificate, verifying all I had learned.

BOGGS_SusanCHunterCresseHankins_deathcertOH_1913

EXAMPLE #2
I was given permission to share this situation by a fellow genealogist in a group I belong to on Facebook called The Lawrence Register.  We are a group of people with ancestors from Lawrence County, Ohio.
 
Here is the exact entry she shared with us.
 
“Sometimes you just want to smack yourself up side the head, kick yourself in the butt and yell stupid!!! My gr-grandfathers 2nd marriage was recorded in the family bible so I never bothered sending for the original certificate. I have been trying to 20 years to find his mothers maiden name. 20 years. It is on the original certificate. Don't know whether to jump for joy or bang my head against the wall. Maybe I'll do both.”
 
LESSONS WE LEARNED
  • Just because we have names & dates in our family Bible, doesn’t mean we shouldn’t still seek records to give further proof.  What if the person making those Bible entries was wrong?
  • Scan ALL documents BEFORE you put them safely away in binders, page protectors or files.
  • Look at every document you receive from anyone or any place.  Look at it again and then look at it a third or fourth time. 
  • For gosh sakes – turn pages over and look on the back. 
  • Maybe it’s time to take another look at your documents or Bibles?
Thanks for letting me share this with you.  If you’ve had similar “moments” I would love to hear about them.  We can all laugh and shake our heads together, knowing we aren’t alone.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST
FOLLOWING LEADS ON ANCESTRY - ONE THING LEADS TO ANOTHER

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

EVERNOTE - A VERY USEFUL AND FREE TOOL TO HELP YOU ORGANIZE GENEALOGY AND EVERYTHING ELSE

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl


Copyright ©  2014   Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION