Olive Tree Genealogy Blog: Church Records

Showing posts with label Church Records. Show all posts

October 11, 2020

Curious About Ancestor Effigies or Busts?

Hertfordshire churches contain numerous effigies and busts of people whose images were not recorded elsewhere.

Inside All Saint’s church in Willian, Thomas and Lucy Wilson are remembered with these colourful carvings on their memorial

February 22, 2020

Finding Burial or Death Records Before 1869 in Ontario

Norma asked Olive Tree Genealogy about her 2nd great-grandfather who died in Ontario Canada in 1855.

I have not been able to find death record and/or obituaries for my 2nd great-grandfather and his eldest son, John Bergey.

Henry S Bergey, wife Elizabeth Clemmer, and their first three children moved to Waterloo County around 1848. Three daughters were born between 1849 and 1854 in Waterloo.

My curiosity is about cause of death of both father, Henry S. Bergey, d. 17 Feb. 1855 and eldest son, John Bergey, d. 21 February 1855.

Olive Tree Genealogy answer:

Norma, vital records were not registered in Ontario before 1869. That means that deaths in 1855 should be sought in local church burial records and cemetery records. However, even if found, the cause of death is unlikely to be recorded.

You might check local newspapers of the time (if there are any to be found) to see if you can find a death notice.

Here is an example of a death notice published Feb 7, 1855 Globe & Mail

But don't overlook finding out what diseases might have been happening in February 1855. Perhaps there was a cholera or diptheria outbreak, and this would likely have been noted in a newspaper.

Family Bibles or letters might hold clues. Check with older relatives or on E-Bay just in case. You never know what you might find!

AncestorsAtRest.com has many death records online, including coffin plates and funeral cards. You may want to take a look there.

January 25, 2020

Online Search Engines are a Genealogist's Friend

Diane wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with this question

These 2 ancestors [William and Martha Medcalf] emigrated from Ireland to Ontario Canada in 1819 with 10 children we think. They are from Delgany, Country Wicklow but have not been able to access any information about them before coming to Canada. Much appreciated for any suggestions.

Diane - this is where Google is your friend (or any other search engine you prefer). A quick search using search terms "delgany ireland church records" brought several results indicating that these records are online.

I downloaded the PDF files for the transcribed records of THE PARISH REGISTERS OF CHRIST CHURCH, DELGANY VOLUME 2 BAPTISMS 1777-1819, MARRIAGES 1777-1819 & BURIALS 1777-1819, I found the following baptisms for children of William and Martha:

23 Nov 1809 Eliz’th MEDCALF Will’m/Martha, Downs
27 Jun 1805 John MEDCALF Wm/Martha, Downs
9 Feb 1812 Henry MEDCALF Wm/Martha, Downs
16 Oct 1813 Will’m MEDCALF Wm/Martha, Downs

"Downs" is their residence. I am sure you can find much more by downloading and searching more records.

You should also search the Upper Canada Land Petitions to see if the family applied for land once in Canada. Their petitions may reveal more about their lives in Ireland. You may wish to read my tutorials on searching those petitions and finding the actual images onlline once you have completed your search in the index.

Using Land Petitions to Learn about an Ancestor

Finding an Ancestor in the Challenging Upper Canada Land Books

Searching Ontario Canada Land Records, eh?

In fact I did a quick search and here are the results for MEDCALF. Using my tutorials to guide you, you can now find the actual petitions online using the index information for any names below that are of interest.

It appears that one of William and Martha's sons (Francis Henry Medcalf) became a mayor in Toronto Ontario. There may be quite a bit of biographical information about him in Toronto archives or libraries.

December 5, 2019

A Challenging Upper Canada (Ontario) Puzzle

Bob S. asked about a challenging ancestor named John Smith. Since Bob's query was very long, I took bits and pieces to respond to.

I have hit a brick wall with with my 2nd great-grandfather John Smith. Based on information that I have been able to find he was born between 1817 and 1826. Most information said that he was born in Canada, but his sons death registration said that he was English. He was a widower when he married my 2nd great-grandmother, Susannah Powles(s), on Jan. 13, 1856 at Christ Church, Tyendinaga, Hastings

Bob - First let me say what terrific research you have done already on this elusive ancestor. I am sorry I can't include everything you sent me here in this blog post.

Searching Land Records

I found a property owned by John M Smith but it said it was Lot 37 in Concession III. Think that it is the same Lot/person because of proximity but am not familiar with these records.. I also tried looking for property that John Smith indicated on 1851Census. I think that this is my John Smith but am not positive. He listed in column "Residence if out of Limits" as "4th Con Richm" which I interpreted as IV Concession in Richmond, Lennox County which is adjacent to Tyendinaga. Searching the map for Richmond, Lennox at http://digital.library.mcgill.ca/.../fro-m-richmond.jpg. I found a J Smith listed as owning property in Concession III Lots 13 and 14 on the 1880 map. I am not sure if we would have retained that property (if it was his).

The first thing I want to suggest re this land confusion is that you consult land records. I have written extensively about searching for land records in Ontario and you may wish to familiarize yourself with what is available for Ontario Land Records. I suggest you start with the CLRI and also the Abstract Indexes to Deeds for all these properties you have found.

The Computerized Land Record Index (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants of Crown Land, sales of land from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants. If your ancestor settled anywhere in Ontario and he was the first time owner of Crown Land, he should be on these lists.

The Abstract Indexes to Deeds are the indexed record of every transaction on a plot of land from Crown ownership to the present day. Using the Abstract Indexes to Deeds you can check for every instance of your name of interest on that parcel of land.

There was a property dispute between Susannah's children and grandmother and Indian Department has file that mentions the property description (part of Lot 38 Con 2). I think that I have found this on the maps linked to the OliveTree website but the location appears to be off somewhat (lot 37 Con III). Are these the same lots just different descriptions?

No those are not the same lot but they were close, perhaps even bordering on each other. Each farm could be quite large so conceivably the lots could touch even though they are on different concessions.

Formulate a Working Theory

Next - I took a look at that 1851/52 census for John who was visiting other Smiths. I suggest you formulate a theory (which you will work to prove or disprove) that they are his relatives, and quite possibly close relatives such as a father (or mother) and siblings. Research each of the Smith individuals found there and try to find something that links them to John. The following articles may be of help to you.

From Theory to Fact: 30 Years in the Making

Turn a Genealogy Guess Into a Working Theory

Assumptions vs Working Theories - The Good and the Bad

Also, you no doubt noticed the "F" in the column for Place of Birth for those Smith individuals in that 1851/52 census. You didn't ask what it meant so you may already know this, but for those who do not know, here is the official explanation in instructions to census takers in 1851:

"The BIRTH PLACE of each person: you will here note that those born of Canadian Parents are to be marked with an F." [Source: http://www.prdh.umontreal.ca/census/en/uguide/enum_1852.aspx]

Coffin Plates & Other Death Records

[I] have what appears to be a plate from a casket or box that indicated he died on Dec. 16th, 1888, aged 71 yrs 5 months.

This is a coffin plate. These were engraved with the deceased's name and death date and sometimes with more information, then placed on top of the coffin during the funeral. After the funeral, the plate was given to the family as a memento. You can read more about coffin plates on the AncestorsAtRest website where over 450 are shown with photos. It is very possible that John's death was not registered. Even though it was mandatory to register a death, many people did not comply as it cost money and sometimes the trip to the Registry office was too difficult to make in the winter.

I suggest you try church records for the burial information. Check the census records to find out what religion John was, then look to see what church he might have used. Then check Ontario Archives to find out if that church has any surviving records.

Summary

I feel that your best bet is to trace those other Smiths John is visiting in 1851. It will be a lot of work but I believe well worth it. Check and compare every record you can find for them, including John. Are their similarities in the names of their children? In their places of birth? These are just a few of the questions you might ask yourself.

The land records should also help - often sons received land from fathers.

Best of luck!

January 9, 2019

Be Cautious Even When Your Ancestor Has an Unusual Name

Olive Tree Genealogy did some research to try to help a researcher who posted the following query on Facebook:

I am researching Wilsons of Irish descent in Goulboum , Torbolton, and Fitzroy Townships in Carleton County and Wilsons of English/Scotch descent in the same three townships. I am especially interested to find someone who might know the father of Charles Broughton Wilson who came to Canada about 1834 . He possibly came on the ship "John Stamp". Samuel Sumner Tripp and his wife, Sarah Storey may have been on the same ship. He married Mary Ann Tripp in Bytown in Feb. 1839 and purchased a homestead in Fitzroy Township in 1841. Information from the 1851 census indicates C. Broughton (pronounced Broten) was born in London about 1817. There is fairly substantial evidence that Charles' father was Henry Wilson,

The first thing I can tell this researcher is that ship John Stamp sailed from London and arrived in Quebec on June 17, 1835. Unfortunately no passenger list survives but we do know that "Mr and Mrs Newman and family, Mr Johnston, and Mr Marshall and 170 settlers" were on board. (Source: http://www.theshipslist.com/ships/Arrivals/1835a.shtml)

Census Records

The second thing I did was look for Charles in census records on Ancestry.com. I wanted to confirm that he was indeed born in England. I found him in 1851 under the name Brougton Wilson. He is recorded as being born in London England but of course we do not know who gave that birth information the census taker, so we should still treat it as not definite.

Church Records

A search online brought up the baptism of Broughton Wilson in Lambeth, Surrey, England (Source: England Births & Baptisms 1538-1975) That sounds exciting except .... further searching finds a Broughton Wilson dying in 1846 in London England. Is it the same man? We do not know and more research would need to be done to try to prove or disprove that the baby baptised in Surrey is the same man who died in London.

Hopefully the descendant who is seeking information will be cautious and do more checking on what I found, and not assume this is the right ancestor.

June 2, 2017

Search Baptisms 1756-1822 THE OLD DUTCH CHURCH AT TOTOWA New Jersey

Olive Tree Genealogy has been online since February 1996 and in those 20 plus years, I've published many free genealogy records for visitors to use.

The Baptismal Register 1756-1822 from THE OLD DUTCH CHURCH AT TOTOWA New Jersey is just one of many free databases that can be found on my site.

If you have ancestors in New Jersey in this time period, please enjoy looking through the free records on Olive Tree Genealogy. For other New Jersey records see my New Jersey section.

May 17, 2017

Got New Jersey Ancestors?

New Jersey Coffin Plates

Henry Wesp 1875~1904

John Frederick Seugling 1831~1894 Little Falls, New Jersey

New Jersey Family Bibles

Pridaux & Greville Family Bible (New Jersey)

Woodhull Family Bible 1793 - New Jersey

New Jersey Funeral Cards

FuneralCard for President James A. Garfield Died at Elberon, New Jersey 1881

Memorial Card for Henry K. Garrison, died 1924 Centerton, New Jersey

Funeral & Mourning Card of August M. Schimpff 1877 - 1892 found in Dover NJ

New Jersey Family Trees

* New Jersey Pier Family
* New Jersey Post Family

Image credit: FamilySearch.org

June 22, 2016

Burials, St. Paul's Church, Chester, Delaware Pennsylvania

Burials, St. Paul's Church, Chester, Delaware Pennsylvania

A recent bout of housecleaning, mainly purging and sorting my overstuffed filing cabinets brought these two images to light. Unfortunately I don't recall where I originally spotted them, so cannot give a source for the information. But I hope they will help you with an ancestor.

1822
Sept. 20. Maria Bond
Sept. 27. Isaac Bond
1823
Jan. 13 Charles McGee
May 8 Elizabeth Crosby
June 3 Elizabeth Fuller
Aug 3 John Noble
1825
Aug 30 Margaret Kerlin
Dec. 4 Edward Minshall, Sr.

1826
April 12. Matthias Richards Sayres
May 28. Henry G. Kerlin, service by Rev. J. M. Douglas
Sept. 23 Edward Hinshall
Sept. 12 Eliza Smith
1827
Feb. 28 Ann Eliza Crosby
Dec. 11. Joseph Piper
Dec. 25. Peter Deshong
1828
Feb. 12 John P. Crosby
July 6. Pierce Crosby Jr
July 14. John Liddons/Siddons
July 28. John Downes/Lownes
Sept. 21. Thomas Lyons
Sept. 28. David Veidy?
1829
Mar 4. John Hart of -- -- Graveyard
April 10 Elizabeth Davis
Dec. 17 Capt. William Anderson
1830
May 17. John Pierce, Snr, at the grounds of St. John Concord
July 19 Rebeccah Lownes

January 2, 2016

Finding an Ancestor in Canada West

Fred wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with quite a few questions about his ancestors who were in "Canada West" between 1856 and 1863.

I have traced my Winslow family from Dublin, Ireland to the ship "Constantine" on which they sailed and landed in the Port of NY in 1856. The entire family, which consisted of John, his wife Eliza and their children William Thomas, John, Oliva and Jane, were destined for "Canada West" according to the ship's manifest. Only a few other passengers on that voyage stated their destination as Canada West. I believe I was able to trace one of those other passengers (not related to me) to Perth in 1860.

The elder John was a carpet cutter and upholsterer and I presume he was seeking a better job in his field. However, there is no trace of John or any member of his family in the Canadian or US census for 1860. Also I have reason to believe that Eliza Winslow died in Canada not too long after immigrating there but I can find no trace of her death record.

By 1863, the family moved to Connecticut and took up work in the spinning mills there and from that year I have been able to trace them without much difficulty. Are there large gaps in the Canadian census that are listed on Ancestry.com and FamilySearch? Presuming they were in Canada in 1860, why am I unable to find any trace of them?

My Answers: Fred, first things first. Hopefully you discovered that "Canada West" is present day Ontario. So you need to find early Ontario records for your family. Before being called Canada West it was called Upper Canada.

Example of 1861 Census

CENSUS RECORDS
There is no 1860 census for Canada. Canada did not exist as a country until Confederation in 1867 and thus the first census for Canada is 1871. The census prior to 1871 was 1861 (not 1860) and consists of records for the 5 provinces that existed that year.

Unfortunately not all of the 1861 returns survived. For a list of the missing returns, see Ontario GenWeb Census Project. As well, many surviving records are badly faded and could not be indexed, so a search on Ancestry.com might not find a name even though a record survived. You would have to do a page by page search of the images in hopes of spotting your ancestors' names.

In the Ontario 1851 and 1861 Census, there are agricultural returns as well as personal returns. These are listed by the name of the head-of-household. Agricultural Census returns are often overlooked by genealogists. Agricultural returns provide information such as lot and concession number, acreage, livestock and agricultural products.

Ancestry.com has the 1861 Agricultural portion of the census online. That's the good news! You can search for an ancestor in it by including the keyword "AGRICULTURAL" in the search fields.

The bad news is that only half of each page has been scanned.

DEATH RECORDS
You say you cannot find a death record for Eliza "in Canada". Again, you are looking in Ontario and a look at the explanation for Ontario Vital Records on Ancestry.com or the Archives of Ontario or other websites (such as Olive Tree Genealogy Ontario section) will reveal that registration did not begin until 1869, well past the date your Winslow family left for USA. A search of surviving church records would be your next step provided you can narrow the location of your family.

You could also check OCFA (Ontario Cemetery Finding Aid) in case Eliza's grave is recorded there. If you get a result you will need to read the website instructions for details on how to obtain the burial information.

DON'T OVERLOOK THE IMPORTANT DESCRIPTION OF RECORDS
This brings me to an important reminder - don't overlook the explanation or description of record sets online. This is where you will learn what the records consist of (what is missing and what is available) and what years the records cover. When you are searching for an ancestor in a place where you are not familiar with the records, you should always consult the local archives or genweb site to find out when records were kept, where they are kept, and what has survived.

SETTLEMENT OF ONTARIO
It is also important to remember that Ontario was not settled until the time of the American Revolution so these are relatively early records you are seeking. Any hope of finding a death record for Eliza rests on knowing a more precise location where they settled in Ontario. If they owned land you might find them in land records, or petitions. If you know their religion you could search church records. But there are few Ontario-wide databases to search, and that is why you must have a more precise location of a county or preferably a township where your family lived.

July 15, 2015

10 Important Characteristics of a Good Genealogist

We all want to be good genealogists, don't we. We want to know that we did our best to find our ancestors and that what we found is accurate. We don't want to spend time searching an individual's ancestors and adding them to our family tree only to find out it was the wrong person!

That means we need to be thorough and methodical and very very cautious about accepting documents and individuals without verifying and double-checking every fact we find.

I've come up with a list of the 10 most important characteristics that will tell you if you're on the right track to being a good genealogist.

A good genealogist

1. Finds every document possible on an ancestor. He/she does not stop at census and vital registrations but looks beyond to records such as land records, court records, military records, church records, immigration records, education records, newspaper articles, tax and assessment records, etc. Checks for more obscure records such as coffin plates, funeral cards, and other miscellaneous records pertaining to the time and location of his/her search.

2. Learns what records have survived for the location and time period for each ancestor's life.

3. Copies documents exactly as found, not as he/she thinks it should be. Example: You know your Grandmother's name to be Mary but in one census she is record as Marie. A good genealogist copies her name exactly as found in the original record, not as he/she knows it. A good genealogist notes the discrepancy in names but does not alter what was found in the original document.

4. Cites sources for all facts found.

5. Never relies blindly on family stories or online family trees but searches out a source for each. Verify, verify, verify! Example: If great aunt Harriet told you Great-Grandpa was a trapeze artist who deserted his wife and children, make note of this in your notes with the source and date you were given this information, then hunt for proof of her statement.

6. Makes an accurate copy of all records found. Carefully notes spelling of names while copying and does not make changes. Example: my name (Lorine) is often carelessly copied from my websites, blogs or emai by genealogists who write to me and address me as Lorrine, Lorraine or Lori.This makes me wonder how good a genealogist they are if they are unable to copy a name correctly.

7. Keeps a research log of all sources checked, and notes if the search was successful or not.

8. Analyzes each record and document carefully in order to spot clues that may lead to other areas of research and to accurately understand what the record is and is not. Example: A woman who asked me for help told me she knew when her grandfather arrived in N. America and had his immigration record. She provided a complete date - day, month and year. But when I looked at the original document it was not an immigration record but rather his naturalization paper.

9. Searches siblings of a challenging ancestor in order to find more documents that may hold clues pertaining to his/her ancestor.

10. Leaves no stone (record) unturned. Extends his/her search to records not found online such as in local courthouses or archives.

There are more characteristics of a good genealogist and the list could be extended. But these may be the 10 most important and if we make sure we are following these characteristics, we are definitely on the way to being a good genealogist.

What would you add to the list?

May 30, 2014

Reading 16th Century English Records

Call me a geeky nerd but I love the challenge of old handwriting. This image on the left is the baptism record of my 11th great-grandmother Martha Barrett.

It took me awhile to find her on the page but by scrutinizing the handwriting of all entries I was eventually able to recognize her first name and the surname. This entry reads:

28 of October was baptised Martha
daughter of Henry Barrett

Isn't the handwriting beautiful??!

I used to decipher 16th and 17th century Dutch handwriting - at first I struggled but after a few years I was sort of getting the hang of it. In fact I have some tutorials on my blog in case any of my readers are researching in the same time frame and country. If you think it will help, please see How to Read 16th & 17th Century Handwriting

By the way I was pretty thrilled to find this baptism for Martha. Next I'm going to look for the marriage of her parents. Wish me luck!

March 29, 2014

Featured Database Brixham Devon Church Records

This is a very location specific database but if, like me, you have ancestors from Brixham Devon, you will be thrilled that it's online and free. My Brixham ancestors go way back to the late 1500s so this free set of records for St. Mary's Church in Brixham is a wonderful asset.

In case anyone else has Brixham Devonshire ancestors, here is my list of surnames from this area:

Moses, Hooper, Petherbridge/Pethebridge, Helling, Martin, Lelton, Downing, Moxey, Skynner/Skinner, Cundett, Lucas, Nowell, Harvey, Joll, Prowse, Norman, Williams, Doust, Cole, Burd, Lambshead/Lamsed, Pearse/Pierce. My ancestors were living there before 1850.

Follow the links below to search for ancestors in transcriptions of the Parish registers by Judith Smith and Marie Simkus, provided by the Brixham Heritage Museum:

Baptisms 1575-1631
Baptisms 1587-1646
Baptisms 1651-1698
Baptisms 1698-1739
Baptisms 1739-1765

Marriage Banns 1653-1662
Marriages 1556-1631
Marriages 1631-1646
Marriages 1653-1669
Marriages 1699-1742

Burials 1560-1631
Burials 1631-1647
Burials 1654-1697
Burials 1698-1738
Burials in Wool 1692-1730

December 8, 2013

Update FamilySearch Collections: Bolivia, Germany, USA, Billion Graves

Sample Page from N.C. Civil Action Court Papers

Here is the December update from FamilySearch.org

FamilySearch has added more than 1.2 million indexed records and images to collections from BillionGraves, Bolivia, Germany, and the United States.

Notable collection updates include the 512, 388 indexed records and images from the BillionGraves Index, the 230,873 images from the U.S., North Carolina, Civil Action Court Papers, 1712–1970, collection, and the 79,078 indexed records from the Germany, Prussia, Pomerania Church Records, 1544–1945, collection.

Search these diverse collections and more than 3.5 billion other records for free at FamilySearch.org.

Searchable historic records are made available on FamilySearch.org through the help of thousands of volunteers from around the world. These volunteers transcribe (index) information from digital copies of handwritten records to make them easily searchable online. More volunteers are needed (particularly those who can read foreign languages) to keep pace with the large number of digital images being published online at FamilySearch.org.

Learn more about volunteering to help provide free access to the world’s historic genealogical records online at FamilySearch.org.

December 14, 2011

Featured Database: Historical Records Survey NY City Church Records

Jim M. recently wrote to me about his website. If you haven't found it yet, and you have New York ancestors, you're in for a treat. Jim has been uploading the Historical Records Survey of New York City church records published in part by the W.P.A. (Works Projects Administration).

So far he has completed 3 volumes in the series including those for the Roman Catholic Church, the Reformed Church of America (DRC), and the Protestant Episcopal Church.

This looks like a great website to bookmark! For other New York church records see New Netherland Church Records on Olive Tree Genealogy website

October 15, 2011

Co. Waterford Church Baptismal Records Now Available

The Irish Family History Foundation's Online Research Service (ORS) are pleased to announce the availability of an additional 535,000 church baptismal records from the Waterford Genealogy Centre for Roman Catholic parishes in Co. Waterford.

Just go to the following site and login using your existing IFHF login details.
http://waterford.rootsireland.ie

September 1, 2011

Why Connecting With Other Genealogists is Important

A few days ago a correspondent who I've not chatted with for several years wrote to me. He'd been searching for our ancestors, John Greenlees and Elizabeth Johnston and had exciting news to share. Bill found their marriage in Ireland. This is a huge deal.

None of the descendants knew anything except that John and Elizabeth were born in Ireland. No county, no town, no parish, no townland... nothing had been found on any records other than "Ireland". I knew from census records and death registrations that John was born circa 1791 and Elizabeth circa 1783-1787.

Census records for early Ontario (Upper Canada and Canada West) are often missing. Many have not survived. The earliest census which records all persons in the household is 1851 although there is an 1841 which shows heads of household and numbers of family members. John died in 1868 and Elizabeth in 1872 so there are not many records to be found for them. The surviving 1851 census records do not exist for their location and thus the earliest record found is the 1861 census.

I knew from the approximate years and places of birth of their children that they arrived in what is now the province of Ontario circa 1820. But ships passenger lists to Canada before 1865 did not have to be archived and thus they are few and far between. No record of John and Elizabeth's passage has been found.

Searching for death records and obituaries of both John and Elizabeth and their children proved fruitless in providing a more exact location for their origins in Ireland. I even have a copy of a letter written in 1841 by their son-in-law (my 2nd great grandfather) which mentioned that his wife Jane (their daughter) was "Irish to the bone" but sadly gave no indication of her place of birth. The search has been frustrating over the years.

Then Bill found the following church record online:

From the parish register of Galloon in the diocese of Clogher, County Fermanagh: John Greenlees of the parish of Aghalurcher and Elizabeth Johnston of Drumy were married 1st September 1814.

This was pretty exciting and I spent a few hours learning more about Co. Fermanagh, Aghalurcher and Drumy (which I could not find). I also looked for other Greenlees names in the vicinity and found a few which I copied down in case they later prove to be part of John Greenlees' family.

My John Greenlees and Elizabeth Johnston had the following children, the first 3 born in Ireland, the last 4 in Upper Canada (Ontario):

George b 1815
Thomas b ca 1815-1816 (there has been some speculation that George & Thomas were twins)
Jane b ca 1819 (my ancestor)
Margaret b ca 1821
Catherine b 1825
John b ca 1825 (John and Catherine might also be twins)
James b ca 1827

I found a Sally (aka Sarah) Greenlees married to Thomas Liddle of Kilturk baptising children in the Galloon church records. Notice the naming pattern and the twin births:

Thomas b 1807
Margaret b 1809
Elinor b 1813
Elizabeth b 1815
John & Robert (twins) b 1817

If naming patterns were followed that honoured parents, we can see that there's a possibility that Sally and John were siblings and that Thomas and Margaret were their Greenlees parents. Sally gives her first son and first daughter those names, while John gives his second son and second daughter those names.

IF my speculation proves eventually to be correct then it's also a good possibility that Elizabeth Johnston's parents were George and Jane (the names given to her first son and first daughter).

At this stage it's only speculation but it's a working theory and I'll try to prove or disprove it as I continue researching my elusive Greenlees ancestors. Thanks to Bill, I have a wonderful new lead to follow!

August 10, 2011

Records of the Old Dutch Church Totowa New Jersey 1756-1822

Today's featured database includes the records of the Old Dutch Church in Totowa New Jersey, baptisms 1756-1822 online in the New Jersey section of Olive Tree Genealogy.

These early church records include Father, mother; child, birthdate, baptism date; Wits: male witness, female witness, additional witnesses. Sometimes more information is provided.

The 1958 bulletin of the Passaic County Historical Society provides information on the history of this church:

From 1755 until about the year 1762, the Reverend David Marinus served as minister and pastor. After Dominie Marinus left about 1762, the church was supplied by the pastor of the Fairfield Reformed Church for about five years; then until 1772, it appears that there was no one to minister to the congregation. But in November 1772, the Rev. Dr. Hermanus Meyer came and remained the pastor until his death in 1791. The Totowa Church now severed its connections with the Pompton Church but remained in close relations with the Church at Acquackanonk and shared in the pastorate of the Rev. Henricus Schoonmaker who gave one-third of his time to Totowa. He preached at Totowa from 1791 until his retirement in 1816 and for a time lived in Paterson. After March 1816, services were held every other Sunday and they were conducted by the Rev. William Eltinge, the Pastor at Paramus from 1816 until 1827 when on March 26 a fire on the roof completely consumed the building.

December 11, 2010

Featured Database: New Netherland (New York) Church Records

Were your ancestors early settlers in New Netherland (present day New York)? If yes, you will not want to miss this free data on Olive Tree Genealogy New Netherland section

Today we are featuring the Church Records. The first churches established in New York during the 17th century were Dutch Reformed, French Protestant, and Lutheran churches. As New Englanders migrated to New York, the Congregational Church (Puritans) and Society of Friends (Quakers) grew. Many New Yorkers joined both the Baptists and Presbyterians. By 1775 the Presbyterian Church was the largest denomination in New York.

If your ancestors were in New Amsterdam (New York City) then these are a must in your genealogy research!
Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam/New York Baptisms 1639 to 1801
Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam/New York Marriages 1639 to 1801

Reformed Dutch Church of New Amsterdam/New York Membership Lists 1649-1701

December 4, 2010

Canadian Church Records online at LAC

New on Library & Archives Canada: Canadian Families

Library and Archives Canada holds a small collection of church records of baptisms, marriages and burials, some of which are indexed by name.

To provide better access to those indexes, the information they contain has been entered in a database that will expand slowly over the next few years.

October 29, 2010

Featured Database: Grace Church, Jamaica New York Records

Today's featured database are the online (free) records for Grace Church in Jamaica New York. The following genealogy records have been published on Olive Tree Genealogy website.

Just visit the New York Church Records section and click on the links for each of the following set of Baptisms, Burials and Marriages.

* Grace Church, Jamaica (Queens) Baptisms 1710-1731
* Grace Church, Jamaica New York Baptisms 1780-1810
* Grace Church, Jamaica (Queens) Burials 1710-1731
* Grace Church, Jamaica New York Tombstone Recordings
* Grace Church, Jamaica (Queens) Marriages 1710-1731
* Grace Church, Jamaica New York Marriage Records 1769 to 1810