I love the phrase, "Teach what you love." I have used that phrase through the years often with wonderful and surprising results. But did you know that teaching genealogy can help you find clues for your own research? It does happens to me...
I was giving a presentation recently and was using the rule of thumb for documents: that most documents we use in genealogy are standard after 1900. Using that I showed my grandparents' marriage record and that of my ancestors' in 1829 for comparison. Staring right at me is the name of the person who married them, Levi Meech. Funny how you can look at document over and over again and miss a little clue that that!
Sure enough, there he was in Baptist Missionary Magazine donating money at the convention in 1849 thus confirming yet another connection with my Browns to the Caswells.
https://books.google.com/books?id=1APPAAAAMAAJ&pg=PA64&lpg=PA64&dq=levi+meech&source=bl&ots=6WDMHgb1ra&sig=nOlif0s7BlzRX07nZYy6-LKlcFc&hl=en&sa=X&ei=W_CTVY2XBsjGsAXl173gCA&sqi=2&ved=0CEIQ6AEwCA#v=onepage&q=levi%20meech&f=false
Isn't genealogy fun?!
Arches
Arches at Glendalough 2009
Wednesday, July 1, 2015
Sunday, May 24, 2015
When the genealogy bites-HARD!
My sisters were never really interested in genealogy. My youngest sister would drive around with me and send me things as she found them, she didn't have the time to look for me. Our middle sister could care even less... until last summer. What a gem to have her help! She has even taken pictures of cows for me!
So what does a cow have to with genealogy? She spent an entire day driving around looking for a small cemetery on a back road. She went by the same area three times before the said cow, mooed, and ran towards the cemetery she was looking for. It gives a new meaning to cow tipping.
Then she has made friends at the local historical societies that I have been trying to get to visit. The result? Two books on the local history and a stack of records.
Have faith that one your siblings/cousins/relatives get bitten by the genealogy bug. And let's hope they get it bitten hard. :)
So what does a cow have to with genealogy? She spent an entire day driving around looking for a small cemetery on a back road. She went by the same area three times before the said cow, mooed, and ran towards the cemetery she was looking for. It gives a new meaning to cow tipping.
Then she has made friends at the local historical societies that I have been trying to get to visit. The result? Two books on the local history and a stack of records.
Have faith that one your siblings/cousins/relatives get bitten by the genealogy bug. And let's hope they get it bitten hard. :)
Sunday, May 17, 2015
Browns of eastern Connecticut
I am inspired! Every time I attend the NERGC conference (This year it was Providence, RI!) I come back home ready to sort through my dropped keys aka brick walls.
And of course the biggest "dropped key" are my Browns. It wouldn't be bad if there was one Brown or two, but the last count I had was five-three direct line; two relatives of the other three who married Browns. I have been focusing my research to see if the five are connected. Separating them has helped too. But they keep returning to the same families.
I am getting closer to my answers. I just need to go back to the local location or to the Connecticut State Library to research.
The biggest clue is the Baptist church connection. I separated all the Browns married by Simeon and Ebenezer Brown including my Sabra/Sabrina and have been focusing on the families. Most of them are showing up in the Chad Brown Genealogy except for my Sabrina. By creating a chart showing which Brown was married by Ebenezer and Simeon I have been able to place everyone but my Sabrina and another person, Lucy Brown. (I have my fingers crossed that the two may be related!)
I am also focusing on Amos Brown who married Eunice Turner. They had a daughter Sabra who married and moved to upstate NY. the reason why I am focusing on them is that their naming patterns of children matches my Sabrina's children. Even the use of Sabra and Sabrina in their family records makes my genealogy antennae stand straight up. My theory is to focus Amos's brothers and see if my Sabrina pops in their records.
Of course I need to look at the church records too! (Fortunately they are on microfilm at the Connecticut State Library!)
My second line of Browns is my Zeruiah/Zerviah Buttolph who married Squire Richard Brown. The family Bible states his father is Silvanus/Sylvanus. I do find a Squire Richard Brown in the Brown genealogy with no other information. And remarkably these two do show up in -of all genealogies-the Cleveland Genealogy.
Bug eyed? Yes! But I have a feeling that the more I sort the Browns, the closer I am to getting an answer.
(BTW-next NERGC conference is in Springfield MA in 2017.)
And of course the biggest "dropped key" are my Browns. It wouldn't be bad if there was one Brown or two, but the last count I had was five-three direct line; two relatives of the other three who married Browns. I have been focusing my research to see if the five are connected. Separating them has helped too. But they keep returning to the same families.
I am getting closer to my answers. I just need to go back to the local location or to the Connecticut State Library to research.
The biggest clue is the Baptist church connection. I separated all the Browns married by Simeon and Ebenezer Brown including my Sabra/Sabrina and have been focusing on the families. Most of them are showing up in the Chad Brown Genealogy except for my Sabrina. By creating a chart showing which Brown was married by Ebenezer and Simeon I have been able to place everyone but my Sabrina and another person, Lucy Brown. (I have my fingers crossed that the two may be related!)
I am also focusing on Amos Brown who married Eunice Turner. They had a daughter Sabra who married and moved to upstate NY. the reason why I am focusing on them is that their naming patterns of children matches my Sabrina's children. Even the use of Sabra and Sabrina in their family records makes my genealogy antennae stand straight up. My theory is to focus Amos's brothers and see if my Sabrina pops in their records.
Of course I need to look at the church records too! (Fortunately they are on microfilm at the Connecticut State Library!)
My second line of Browns is my Zeruiah/Zerviah Buttolph who married Squire Richard Brown. The family Bible states his father is Silvanus/Sylvanus. I do find a Squire Richard Brown in the Brown genealogy with no other information. And remarkably these two do show up in -of all genealogies-the Cleveland Genealogy.
Bug eyed? Yes! But I have a feeling that the more I sort the Browns, the closer I am to getting an answer.
(BTW-next NERGC conference is in Springfield MA in 2017.)
Friday, February 20, 2015
Little star
A quick tip of the day: Use the * when conducting a search on any database or search engine.
I couldn't find a family member in NJ -even though I knew he was living in Paterson. (The city directories showed him there!) By using the first three letters of his name followed by an asterisk, I found him!
Amazing what a cute little star can do for a genealogist!
I couldn't find a family member in NJ -even though I knew he was living in Paterson. (The city directories showed him there!) By using the first three letters of his name followed by an asterisk, I found him!
Amazing what a cute little star can do for a genealogist!
Wednesday, February 11, 2015
The genealogy future
I may have posted something similar a few years ago. But since then some things have happened to make me rethink my genealogical research. Between 1860 (give or take a few years) and 2000 we have had the luxury of looking for our ancestors in traditional resources-census records, church records, obituaries, and city directories-just to name a few. But think for a second. How will the future genealogists find us?
Would they look for us in the city directory or phone book? Think about it...when was the last time you saw a phone book let alone find yourself in it?
Ok, you are thinking perhaps in a newspaper or obituary. True. But think about how many people are bypassing newspapers and going for online newspapers. Perhaps if future genealogists are very lucky, they may find an online article about you. But I know quite a few people-including family members- who have chosen not to have an obituary published. (The good news is that funeral homes have been publishing them online. There is that one constant source still available!)
Church records? More and more people are not following the traditional routes of church memberships. Churches are not seeing the memberships they had in the 1960s and 1970s.
Social security records? You have to wait 3 years before you can see someone who passed in 2015. Could a future Congress close all of these records?
School records? My district keeps those private.
Census records? I am wondering what we will see when the 1950 and 1960 census are released.. And the last census form I filled out in 2010 had very little of information for the genealogist.
Land records are still a good source-if you purchased property. And of course tax records will be available. I wonder if the IRS records would one day place these records in the National Archives?
It is very hopeful that the future genealogists will be able to type a name and find something online. But what if the unthinkable happens? How will the future genealogist find you?
Would they look for us in the city directory or phone book? Think about it...when was the last time you saw a phone book let alone find yourself in it?
Ok, you are thinking perhaps in a newspaper or obituary. True. But think about how many people are bypassing newspapers and going for online newspapers. Perhaps if future genealogists are very lucky, they may find an online article about you. But I know quite a few people-including family members- who have chosen not to have an obituary published. (The good news is that funeral homes have been publishing them online. There is that one constant source still available!)
Church records? More and more people are not following the traditional routes of church memberships. Churches are not seeing the memberships they had in the 1960s and 1970s.
Social security records? You have to wait 3 years before you can see someone who passed in 2015. Could a future Congress close all of these records?
School records? My district keeps those private.
Census records? I am wondering what we will see when the 1950 and 1960 census are released.. And the last census form I filled out in 2010 had very little of information for the genealogist.
Land records are still a good source-if you purchased property. And of course tax records will be available. I wonder if the IRS records would one day place these records in the National Archives?
It is very hopeful that the future genealogists will be able to type a name and find something online. But what if the unthinkable happens? How will the future genealogist find you?
Tuesday, January 20, 2015
The Genealogy Roadshow on PBS is back. I watched the first episode on demand and still have that the feeling that I had when I first saw it last year. "More, please!" I loved the first episode of the year and can't wait until Tuesday night to see "more" of the show.
The stories from the first show were fabulous. I enjoyed each and everyone of them. My favorite was the Mardi Gras queen seeking out her family history and her involvement with the Mardi Gras parade. I felt and understood her anger and wanted to hug and cry with her. But I also want her to know that her ancestor would be proud of the fact that she would remember and honor him and was loved by her family today. I hope they will do a "follow-up" showing her costume honoring his life.
I loved the story of the couple with the Italian ancestors from the same town. When host Mary Tedesco told the couple that their families probably knew each, the ornery side of me shouted, "More!" I know that with just a little more research they probably would be related to each other. And after having the pleasure to hearing Mary speak last March, I'm certain she knew that too.
I am looking forward to seeing the Philadelphia show. I am certain that I will be shouting, "More, please!" before this episode is over.
The stories from the first show were fabulous. I enjoyed each and everyone of them. My favorite was the Mardi Gras queen seeking out her family history and her involvement with the Mardi Gras parade. I felt and understood her anger and wanted to hug and cry with her. But I also want her to know that her ancestor would be proud of the fact that she would remember and honor him and was loved by her family today. I hope they will do a "follow-up" showing her costume honoring his life.
I loved the story of the couple with the Italian ancestors from the same town. When host Mary Tedesco told the couple that their families probably knew each, the ornery side of me shouted, "More!" I know that with just a little more research they probably would be related to each other. And after having the pleasure to hearing Mary speak last March, I'm certain she knew that too.
I am looking forward to seeing the Philadelphia show. I am certain that I will be shouting, "More, please!" before this episode is over.
Sunday, January 18, 2015
Buttolphs of New England
Happy 2015! 2014 slipped by me too quickly. A wedding and many talks later I finally have had a few minutes to blog.
My genealogy focus of 2014 was to further and enrich my research. Years ago I had a cousin send me notes from her grandmother's Bible. The best part was that my second and third great-grandmothers were included in these notes. They showed information about our common ancestors including our other third great-grandmother and her parents' names: Richard Brown and Zeruiah Buttolph. I attempted a search for Richard Brown...especially in New England. And the genealogy goddess was hysterical.
For years I cringed whenever I thought about trying to search the Brown name and will gladly admit that I was a genealogy ostrich-I put my head in the sand and pushed it off.
In my mind I could hear my second great-grandmother answering my question: What was your mother's mother's maiden name? Brown.
What was your father's mother's maiden name? Brown
Where they related? No answer because I couldn't find a connection. And that was the reason I put my head in the sand.
In some ways it was probably better that I waited. I gained knowledge and skills for my genealogy repertoire and finally felt I was genealogically strong to attempt to find my Browns. It wasn't easy because we have three Browns married into our Caswells/Wilkinsons families- two at the same generation.
But I did have a juicy, awesome clue on the one line...Richard Brown married Zeruiah Buttolph. Buttolph-now that was a name to sink my genealogy choppers into. And it wasn't long before I was yearning to stick my head in the sand again.
Through research done by previous generations I was able to trace the name from John Buttolph of Boston through Wethersfield and down into eastern CT. But added to the confusion was that there was a string of George Buttolphs. And misinformation galore.
First, the name had numerous spellings-Buttolph, Buttolf, Buttles, Bertles to name a few. Then there were all those Georges. Someone had connected them but with no source documents. The knot seemed to become tighter with George, the Revolutionary soldier. Unless there was a father and son who served, the George I found died and was buried in Preston, CT. Even his pension records show his residence in eastern CT. But some sources have Chester, MA. I looked and didn't find him there.
A check of genealogies and histories found Revolutionary George listed in the Ancient Families of Wethersfield and in the Cleveland Genealogy. But no references to actual sources...very frustrating! I looked at NEHGS and CT State Library and found Revolutionary George's burial in Preston church records. Finally- a real source!
What perplexes me is why would people continue mistakes when there are great articles in TAG that have addressed mistakes others have made. Even the late Dr. George McCracken attempted to sort the Buttolphs and used the Cleveland Genealogy and Ancient Families of Wethersfield as sources.
Sigh...
My genealogy focus of 2014 was to further and enrich my research. Years ago I had a cousin send me notes from her grandmother's Bible. The best part was that my second and third great-grandmothers were included in these notes. They showed information about our common ancestors including our other third great-grandmother and her parents' names: Richard Brown and Zeruiah Buttolph. I attempted a search for Richard Brown...especially in New England. And the genealogy goddess was hysterical.
For years I cringed whenever I thought about trying to search the Brown name and will gladly admit that I was a genealogy ostrich-I put my head in the sand and pushed it off.
In my mind I could hear my second great-grandmother answering my question: What was your mother's mother's maiden name? Brown.
What was your father's mother's maiden name? Brown
Where they related? No answer because I couldn't find a connection. And that was the reason I put my head in the sand.
In some ways it was probably better that I waited. I gained knowledge and skills for my genealogy repertoire and finally felt I was genealogically strong to attempt to find my Browns. It wasn't easy because we have three Browns married into our Caswells/Wilkinsons families- two at the same generation.
But I did have a juicy, awesome clue on the one line...Richard Brown married Zeruiah Buttolph. Buttolph-now that was a name to sink my genealogy choppers into. And it wasn't long before I was yearning to stick my head in the sand again.
Through research done by previous generations I was able to trace the name from John Buttolph of Boston through Wethersfield and down into eastern CT. But added to the confusion was that there was a string of George Buttolphs. And misinformation galore.
First, the name had numerous spellings-Buttolph, Buttolf, Buttles, Bertles to name a few. Then there were all those Georges. Someone had connected them but with no source documents. The knot seemed to become tighter with George, the Revolutionary soldier. Unless there was a father and son who served, the George I found died and was buried in Preston, CT. Even his pension records show his residence in eastern CT. But some sources have Chester, MA. I looked and didn't find him there.
A check of genealogies and histories found Revolutionary George listed in the Ancient Families of Wethersfield and in the Cleveland Genealogy. But no references to actual sources...very frustrating! I looked at NEHGS and CT State Library and found Revolutionary George's burial in Preston church records. Finally- a real source!
What perplexes me is why would people continue mistakes when there are great articles in TAG that have addressed mistakes others have made. Even the late Dr. George McCracken attempted to sort the Buttolphs and used the Cleveland Genealogy and Ancient Families of Wethersfield as sources.
Sigh...
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