THIS MONTH IN OUR FAMILY ~ Who had a birthday in December before 1700?

Many times on my blog I’ve published posts that highlight a particular day.  Who among my ancestors were born, died or were married on a certain day.  Generally I’ll get 5-20 people.

Today I decided to run a search in Legacy for the people in my tree of 7,444 who have birthdays in December.

To conduct this search in Legacy. Go to Search>Find>Detailed Search>Individual>Birth date>Contains>Dec (or however you enter the months in your program)>Create list

Much to my surprise, my list contains 282 individuals.  I’m not going to list them all here.  But, I thought I’d conduct a second search and see who was born prior to 1700.

To do that in Legacy you add a second condition, using the tip I gave above plus Second condition>and>Individual>Birth Date>Before>1700>Create list.

This list contains only 8 individuals.  Let’s see who they are and how they are connected to either me or my husband, Ron.

CLARK, Ephraim, 4 Dec 1645 in Dedham, Colonial Massachusetts – Ron’s paternal 2^nd great granduncle

CLARKE, Rachel, 13 Dec 1692 in Medfield, Colonial Massachusetts – Ron’s paternal 5^th great grandaunt

CLARKE, Tabitha, 10 Dec 1672 in Massachusetts – Ron’s paternal 6^th great grandaunt

CLARKE, Timothy, 19 Dec 1674 in Massachusetts -  Ron’s paternal 6^th great granduncle (sibling of Tabitha)

CRITCHFIELD, Sarah, 7 Dec 1688 in Boston, Colonial Massachusetts – my maternal 7^th great grandaunt

FAUNCE, Martha, 16 Dec 1680 – my 7^th great grandmother and one of my Mayflower links – she married Isaac Doty a descendant of Mayflower passenger Edward Doty

FISHER, Nathaniel, 26 Dec 1649 in England – Ron’s paternal 7^th great granduncle

WOODCOCK, John, 16 Dec 1674 in Yorkshire, England – husband of my paternal 7^th great grandaunt

Five of the eight individuals are connected to my husband.  This is no big surprise as I’ve been able to conduct and prove a lot of his ancestors, going back many generations.

This was a fun and quick exercise.  Have you ever run such a query?  I’d love to hear about it.  What program did you use?  Did the results surprise you?

If you are related to or connected to anyone in this blog post, please get in touch.  Let’s exchange information.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2022   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

 

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ BIRTH RECORDS (twins) and others on one register page

What is one thing we always tell others and remind ourselves?  Be sure to look at other entries on any record you find.  Whether it’s a birth, death or marriage register or census records.  You never know what else you will find.

Today I was working on my Lunsford line.  It’s an extensive line on my maternal side with LOTS of children born to many of the couples.

I noted that I had found a birth record for a set of twins born to Basil Lunsford and Mahala Taylor Lunsford.  In fact, these twin girls appear to be the first of 11 children born to this couple.  In 2011 I have recorded the index record of the birth, but no image.  I wondered if that image had since been put online. I returned to familysearch.org to look for it.

Sure enough, it had.  And not only are the twins on this page, but another Lunsford cousin is listed as well.

I’ve marked Ada & Ida in red and circled the word “twins.”  And, marked Charles in green.



For any of my fellow genealogist in Lawrence County, Ohio, there are quite a few Massie & Vermillion births on this register as well.  None of those particular Massie or Vermillion’s link to my family, but they may link to yours.

Here is the family of Basil & Mahala Lunsford as they appear in my Legacy database.

(You can click on the image to enlarge it)



This is what I like to see when I look at a family view in my database.  A robust family with lots of names and dates and other critical information like causes of death.

I know that Ida Lunsford went on to marry Dr. Charles E. Stewart and have four known children; Hobart (murdered in 1936-see link below), Charles, Mark & Thelma. She died on 15 Nov 1958.  I am not able to ascertain yet, if Ada married and to whom.  The names Ada & Ida are mixed up and cross referenced on many of the records.  I’m still working on Ada.

Do you know of any twins in you family?  If so, did they live to adulthood?  I’d love to hear about them.

If you think you have additional information about the ancestors mentioned in this post, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

THRILLER THURSDAY - Hobart Stewart Murdered in 1936

FOLLOW UP ON HOBART B. STEWART - Murder Victim

Happy hunting,
Michigan Girl
Copyright ©  2010-2017 Diane Gould Hall
ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

TREASURE CHEST THURSDAY ~ Birth record for my 7th great grandfather–William Critchfield 1686, Boston, British Colony Massachusetts

Today’s find are several references to the birth record of my 7th great grandfather, William Critchfield.

What the above record appears to be is someone’s hand written, alphabetical copy of births that occured in Boston, Massachusetts in 1686.  This is not to be confused with an “original” birth record.  But, it certainly gives us an idea where we might find an original record.

I also located this record on Ancestry.com in the record collection Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988.



Here is another reference to this birth.  Also located on Ancestry.com in the record collection Massachusetts, Town and Vital Records, 1620-1988, Boston, Births, 1630-1799; Vol 2,3,4,5,7.



I have attempted to find the original record of this birth, online, by using both ancestry, family search and NEHGS/American Ancestors websites.  I haven’t located the record.  Perhaps it can be found in a courthouse or historical society in Boston?

In the meantime, I will be able to reference William’s birth with the 3 records above. This puts him in a place and time that is appropriate to other records I have.

Here is how I am descended from William Critchfield and his wife Susannah:

8th great grandparents

William Critchfield & Susannah (MNU) maiden name unknown

7th great grandparents

William Critchfield (1686-1773) & Agnes Trynte Opdyke (abt 1690-1754)

6th great grandparents

Elizabeth Opdyke Critchfield (abt 1727-after 1786) & John Frampton, Sr. (abt 1714-abt 1784)

5th great grandparents

John Frampton, Jr. (1743-1808) & Anna Barbara Martin (1746-1822)

4th great grandparents

Rachel Frampton (1781-1855) & William Gillen (1782-1841)

3rd great grandparents

Emily Gillen (1810-1887) & Rev. Isaac C. Hunter (1798-1842)

2nd great grandparents

James Gillen Hunter (1832-1884) & Susan Caroline Boggs (1842-1913)

Great grandparents

Florence Hunter (1869-1946) & Robert Lee Bowden (1863-1906)

Grandparents

Florence Lee Nora Bowden (1888-1986) & Joseph Albert Milne (1883-1957)

My Mother (this is her side of the family)

Me

If you think you might be related to anyone mentioned in this blog post, please contact me.

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

FRIDAY FINDS - David Frampton, Rebel Prisoner - Dec 1861

MYSTERY MONDAY - Who's Your Daddy? Brick Wall Post #5 - William Gillen 1782-1841

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl

Copyright ©  2010-2016   Diane Gould Hall

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.  NO USE WITHOUT PERMISSION

BIRTH RECORDS WITH INCORRECT NAMES–WHAT WOULD YOU THINK?

As genealogists we all know that not every record we find will match “exactly” what we have or know about a particular person.  

We gather as much evidence as we can and compile a record of someone’s life. 
I’ve been searching for about 8-9 years now for the birth record of my paternal grandmother, Marie Lindsay, born 1888 and her sister, Ellen Lindsay, born 1887, both in Detroit, Michigan.  

I’ve found their two siblings, Bessie Lindsay, born 1892 and William Lindsay, born 1894 in Detroit, Michigan.

Since family search has the Michigan Births, 1867-1902, you would think the births would be there.  That’s where I located the birth records for their siblings, Bessie & William.

How many ways can you conduct a search?

• All information filled in
• Last name only
• Last name with first initial
• Last name with full first name
• Last name with parents first names
• Last name with only one parent’s first name
• Last name with year of birth or range of years and state or country of birth
• First name only with parent’s first names
• First name only with year of birth and parent’s names

Well, you get the idea.  There are so many ways for us to search.  I had tried all of those listed and several more.

So, what was it today that allowed me to find, what I believe, are the records for my grandmother, Marie and her sister Ellen?

NOTE:  My grandmother, Marie, lived with us when I was in my late teens.  We had always lived close to her, so I spent a lot of time talking to her.  I know that she always told me she was given the name Mary at birth and later changed it to Marie because that wasn’t as common as the name Mary.

Today I decided to conduct a search on familysearch.org and really try to find this birth record.

I used just the first name “Mary” and the year 1888, plus Michigan as the place of birth.

(Click on any image to enlarge it)



I certainly thought I was going to get so many hits that I’d never find anything.  But here is what came up in the search, right on the first page:



This was exciting as that is her EXACT date of birth and her parent’s names are William & Bessie.  

But wait!!!  That last name is OLENDOSEY, not LINDSAY.  Yes, I know.

I looked at all 316 hits on this search.  The ONLY other Mary born on 8 October 1888 had parents named William & Alice who were born in Canada & Michigan.  So we know that’s not my grandmother, Marie.  

Let’s click on the image of the birth record and look at the actual entry in the birth record.

Page 1                                                                        Page 2
       

Page 1 – Birthdate of Oct. 8, 1888, female.  I see the name Mary and then I see Olendosey, which is exactly how the indexer transcribed it.  I compare another capital “L” on this page in an entry for Lillie Ficher and then for Hazel Lamb.  Certainly not the same.  Now let’s look at the next page of the record.

Page 2 –  Parent’s names are William Olendosey and Bessie Olendosey, both living in Detroit and both born in Scotland.  He is a Laborer.  The first names of the parents are correct and the birthplace and residence are a match.  My great grandfather did work as a Laborer and later as a Machinist.

CONCLUSION:  I have a social security application (SS-5) that gives my grandmother’s birthdate as Oct. 8, 1888 (signed by her), as well as her death certificate, California Death Index and the Social Security Death Index.  Plus, I know that’s the day we celebrated her birthday.  My great grandparents immigrated from Scotland to the United States between 1882 and 1886.  They married in Detroit, Michigan on 21 May 1886.  Having recently (just this past May) traveled to Scotland, I do know that the Scottish brogue of some people we spoke to was so thick that, even though they were speaking English, we were unable to understand what they were saying.  Is this what happened with this record?  Did they give their names when they filed the report and the person taking down the names, just misinterpreted them?  I honestly don’t know.  

However, other than the last name this record is a perfect match.  And coincidentally the last name on the record ends with “sey” which is another common ending to Lindsay.  I believe this is my grandmother’s birth record.  

Tell me what you would think?

A quick look at her sister, Ellen Lindsay’s birth record.

Page 1                                                                           Page 2
    

For this record I don’t have as many pieces of evidence as for my grandmother.  Her sister, Ellen Lindsay Pickard, died in 1927.  I don’t have the death certificate.  There is no Social Security Death Index record for her and no SS-5.  I do have a record from Michigan, but not image.  On this birth record, her father & mother’s names are correct as is their place of birth.  And, it lists his occupation as Laborer, which matches the birth record for her sister, Mary/Marie the following year.  I also know that Nellie and Ellen are names commonly used for each other, like Bessie and Elizabeth.

Michigan, Death Certificates, 1921-1952Name: Ellen PickardEvent Type:Death
Event Date: 31 Mar 1927
Event Place: Detroit, Wayne, Michigan, United States
Gender: Female
Age: 39
Marital Status: Married
Birth Date: 01 Apr 1887
Birthplace: Detroit, Michigan
Birth Year (Estimated): 1888
Father's Name: Wm Lindsay
Mother's Name:    
GS Film number: 001972982
Digital Folder Number: 005362579
Image Number: 02341

I’m still going to be looking for other evidence of the birth of Mary/Marie & Ellen.  But, given the years of their birth, there probably won’t be other birth records available.  Maybe a baptismal record?  In the meantime, I will put these records with the other records I have that provide evidence of their birth.  This is just another piece of the puzzle.

What do you think?  What conclusion would you come to?  Have you found records like this?

OTHER POSTS THAT MAY BE OF INTEREST

AMANUENSIS MONDAY - BIRTH RECORDS - WHAT INFORMATION DO THEY REVEAL? 

VITAL RECORDS - HOW TO REQUEST THEM & KEEP TRACK OF THOSE REQUESTS 

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

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

TODAY OUR SEARCH TAKES US TO KENTUCKY & WEST VIRGINIA

Today I was looking….again, for some information on my great grandfather, Robert Lee Bowden.  He is one of the many brick walls in our family tree. 

He is the father of my maternal grandmother.  She is my source for a lot of family information.  She’s the one who kept the journal from which I take various recipes from the early 1900’s for, not only food, but how to curl hair and how to make shampoo.  I’ve posted some of these treasured, handwritten items and you can view them here:

http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2013/10/family-recipe-friday-my-grandmother_4.html  HOW TO MAKE COMPLEXION CREAM

http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2013/11/family-recipe-friday.html   HOW TO MAKE CHOCOLATE FUDGE

http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2013/11/family-recipe-friday-how-to-make-shampoo.html  HOW TO MAKE SHAMPOO

http://www.michiganfamilytrails.com/2013/11/family-recipe-friday-how-to-keep-hair.html  HOW TO KEEP YOUR HAIR CURLED

Here are things I know about Robert Lee BOWDEN.  He was reported to have been born 8 Feb 1863 in White Sulphur Springs, Greenbrier, West Virginia.  He married my great grandmother, Florence HUNTER on 10 Mar 1887 in Cincinnati, Hamilton, Ohio.  I have their marriage record. They had two daughters: my grandmother, Florence Lenora born 31 Jan 1888 and Edna Mabel born 1 Jan 1890.  He worked for a railroad company, possibly as a brakeman.  He and my great grandmother divorced in 1899.  I have those records.  He may have married again in 1900 to Bertie KEARNEY.  According to my grandmother (his daughter), he died on 9 Oct 1906.

Between myself and my brother, John, we have not been able to locate any record of his death or burial.  We have been looking for about 7 years.  As experienced genealogists we have explored many sources to try and locate a record.

TIP:  One thing we do all the time is revisit records we have previously viewed.  You never know when a new record will be added, so keep going back.

Today I decided to look for a birth record for Robert Lee Bowden.  I’ve done this many times, but I never give up.  As I was looking through West Virginia birth records in familysearch.org I suddenly came across a record for FLORENCE L. BOWDEN.  That is my grandmother, daughter of Robert L. Bowden.  BUT, she was born in Kentucky.  

Why would there be a birth record in West Virginia?

Up to this point, I didn’t have a birth record for her.  What I did have was an Affidavit of Birth that was filed in 1940.  She must have needed proof of her birth and wasn’t able to provide it.  So, she filed the affidavit with the help of her Aunt, who states that she can verify the facts of the birth. 

This affidavit was filed in KENTUCKY. 

             

As you can see the affidavit gives her date of birth, her parents names, their places of birth, ages at her birth etc.  A LOT of great genealogical information. 

However, no where on this form do I see an actual place of birth for my grandmother, Florence L. Bowden.











Click on any image to enlarge it.

 I had always heard that my grandmother was born in Covington, Kenton, Kentucky.

I clicked on the record I saw in the index on Family Search and this is what I saw:

West Virginia Births, 1853-1930
Name: Florence L. BowdenTitles and Terms:    
Event Type: Birth
Event Date: 01 Jan 1888
Event Place: Ashland, Kentucky, United States
Gender: Female
Race:    
Father's Name: R. L. Bowden
Father's Titles and Terms:    
Father's Birthplace:    
Father's Age:    
Mother's Name: Florence Bowden
Mother's Titles and Terms:    
Mother's Birthplace:    
Mother's Age:    
Note:    
Additional Relatives:    
Registration Date:    
Registration Place:    
Reference ID:     v 1 p 169
GS Film number: 559300
Digital Folder Number: 004014156
Image Number:     00185

That is definitely my grandmother.  I believe the transcriber made an error and listed the date of birth as the 1st of January instead of the 31st.  But, otherwise the information for her year of birth and her parent’s names are correct.  The birthplace is Kentucky, but instead of Covington, it’s Ashland. 

Let’s take a look at the actual image. 



Admittedly this record is difficult to read.  Thank goodness for our computers and their ability to zoom in.  She is listed on line 16.  Here is a close up of that line (best as I could zoom in on it).



Based on this record I am changing my grandmother’s place of birth to Ashland, Boyd, Kentucky.

However, I can certainly see why, if she was looking for her birth record in Kentucky, she didn’t find it.   It was listed with West Virginia births.  I wonder why, don’t you?

The parents, according to her birth affidavit, lived in Ashland, Kentucky. 

• Was the doctor from West Virginia? 
• Were there no county offices in Ashland and the nearest courthouse was in West Virginia?

Kentucky and West Virginia are located next to one another.  There is a river that runs along the border of Kentucky, Ohio and West Virginia.  I’ve actually been to the counties in Ohio and West Virginia that border the river.  To get from one state to another you just drive across a bridge.



Back in the late 1800’s you would have had to take a ferry to cross the river.  But, I know that people did this all the time. 

I may never know how it came to be that my grandmother was born in Ashland, Kentucky but her birth record was recorded in West Virginia.  The important thing was that I found that record today.

REMEMBER:  Always go back to records you have searched before and look again.  Never assume you know everything about your ancestors. 

I feel very good about this day of research.  I may not have located what I set out to find, but I found something very important and that’s good enough for me.

Happy hunting,

Michigan Girl


Copyright © 2014 Diane Gould Hall