FInding a Loyalist Ancestor

 
Have you discovered you have a Loyalist ancestor? A Loyalist is any person who is loyal to their allegiance (especially in times of revolt). During the American Revolution in what was to become the United States of America, a Loyalist (also called UEL - United Empire Loyalist) was anyone who remained loyal to the King of England. They were called Tories in their own country but Loyalists elsewhere. Most fled to Canada and helped settle that country, particularly Ontario and Nova Scotia

Guide to Finding a Loyalist Ancestor in Upper Canada (Ontario) is available in paperback or as an e-book on Amazon.com and on Amazon.ca

Here are some Loyalist resources to help you in your hunt: 

• Haldimand, Sir Frederick : The Haldimand Papers - his papers and correspondence from 1758-1784.
• United Empire Loyalist Lists [NA RG 1, L7 vol 52a] on C-2222 from the Ontario Archives
• District Loyalist Rolls - transcript on MS803 at the Ontario Archives
• Early Ontario Settlers
• The Old UEL List
• Burning of the Valleys : Daring Raids from Canada... by Gavin Watt
• Reid, W.D.:The Loyalists in Ontario: The Sons & Daughters of the American Loyalists
• New York, U.S., Sales of Loyalist Land, 1762-1830
• Upper Canada Land Petitions and Land Boards 1793-1826
• Land Boards 1765-1804 [NA RG 1, L3 and RG1, E1] or indexes on C-10810 to C10836 on microfilm at the Ontario Archives or NAC.
• Upper Canada Land Books
• Loyalist Claims and Conversion List [NA MG14] 1790-1837 - Audit Office 12 and 13 compensation claims for land and goods lost during the American Revolution - 178 reels of microfilm
• Fryer, Mary Beacock: King's Men: the soldier founders of Ontario
• Watt, Gavin: The King's Royal Regiment of New York
• Watt, Gavin: Rebellion in the Mohawk Valley: The St. Leger Expedition of 1777
• Research Guide To Loyalist Ancestors: : A Directory To Archives, Manuscripts, Published and Electronic Sources (Updated and Revised) by Paul J. Bunnell
• Fraser, J.: Looking For A Loyalist, in Families, Vol. 23, #1, 1984
• Allen, Robert S.: Loyalist Literature
• A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in Canada. Proceedings of the American Antiquarian Society, Index, Vol. 82, 1972
• A Bibliography of Loyalist Source Material in the United States, Canada and Great Britain ed by Gregory Palmer
• The Mohawk Valley in the Revolution: Committee of Safety Papers..... ed by Maryly B. Penrose 

More resources can be found at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/loy/

Find Ancestors in Arkansas Naturalization Records 1809-1906

 

 Naturalization is the process by which an alien from one country becomes a citizen of another country. The naturalization process did not have to happen in one court, or in one location. It was not mandatory and not all aliens became citizens, and not all completed the process once they started it. 

Naturalization Records are very important to your genealogical research but are often overlooked.

Looking for naturalization records for an ancestor in Arkansas? Try the free Index to Arkansas Naturalization Records 1809 to 1906 on NaturalizationRecords.com

Search Ships Passenger Lists leaving USA

Neither U.S. A. nor Canada maintained outbound ships passenger lists. The Genealogy Spot is pleased to announce a new project to transcribe ships passenger lists leaving USA, bound for Europe and United Kingdom.

The Genealogy Spot has started publishing  Outbound Ships Sailing from USA ports 1851 to 1906 This is a small database but will be added to as records are found. 

Be sure to check out the List of Passengers in the New York Times submitted by volunteer Diane McClay

If you are looking for ships arriving in USA please see Olive Tree Genealogy’s Ships Passenger Lists beginning in 1492 with Columbus’ ships and ending with a passenger list for 1952  

 

Finding Meaning in Alphabet Soup

Kevin asked for help reading and understanding a record

My wife's grandfather Carl Gastone Casattas was born 26 Oct 1894 in San Francisco, California, and died 9 Sept 1970 in Santa Cruz, California.  In between he resided for a long time in Oakland, Alameda, California.

Imagine the surprise when we found the attached Index Card in the Civil War Pension file at NARA.  NARA was surprised too!  They said it did not belong and had no idea what it was doing there.

Can you tell us what is says and what it means?  We can find no record of him having military service.

Kevin - All I could find was this reference to C.A.C. being a Common Access Card, the standard identification for active duty uniformed service personnel, Selected Reserve, DoD civilian employees, and eligible contractor personnel.

I see in the 1930 census that Carl was employed by the US Army as a clerk so I suspect the record above has something to do with that. He no doubt needed an Employee ID Card and that may have been the C.A.C. mentioned in the top record. In 1920 he is listed as clerk working for the Government in the Navy Yard in San Francisco.

I think we've solved your mystery. Carl was a civilian employee in a Government/Military organization and as such needed an ID Card. 

Understanding the Border Crossings Canada-USA

Many genealogists have asked me about the online border crossings on Ancestry. Some are confused about when the border crossing records begin. Others are bewildered at finding an ancestor who they know lived in border towns such as Windsor Ontario or neighbouring Detroit Michigan, in the set called St. Alban's (Vermont) Border Crossing Records. Why, they ask, would their ancestor cross at Vermont which would lead directly to Quebec!

These two questions are easily answered.

1. Border crossing records were not kept until 1895.


 ALWAYS READ THE DESCRIPTION OF AN ONLINE DATABASE

2. To find out what a database consists of, it is wise to read the description of the database before searching. 

For example one border crossing database on Ancestry is called St. Albans (Vermont) but by reading the description of the database, we see that it contains an index of aliens and citizens crossing into the U.S. from Canada via various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border between 1895 and 1960. 

St. Albans Vermont set of border crossings - note the port of entry of Detroit

 From this we learn that it does not mean that everyone found in the database crossed at St. Albans. Researchers should scrutinize the image carefully as it will indicate the port of entry.


BORDER CROSSINGS CANADA TO USA

Ancestry has U.S., Border Crossings from Canada to U.S., 1895-1960 online. This database covers crossing into the U.S. from Canada via various ports of entry along the U.S.-Canadian border between 1895 and 1960. Specifically, this database covers the following ports and years:

Idaho

• Eastport, 1924-1954
• Porthill, 1923-1954

Maine

• Bangor, 1924-1952
• Calais, 1906-1952 (also includes a few arrivals from 1877 to 1905)
• Eastport, Fort Kent, Lubec, and Madawaska, 1906-1952 (also includes some departure records of U.S. citizens)
• Fort Fairfield, 1909-1953 (also includes a few arrivals at Easton, ME, Houlton, ME, Boston, MA, and Buffalo, NY and a few alien departures)
• Houlton, 1906-1952 (also includes some Indian admissions, ca. 1941-ca. 1953; “Records of Registry” documenting aliens’ previous arrivals for which no records could be found; Re-entry permits; persons admitted under the “Rule of Presumption” ; Land border departure records; War brides and their children)
• Jackman, 1909-1953
• Van Buren, 1906-1952
• Vanceboro, 1906-1952 (also includes a few arrivals from 1888 to 1905 and a few arrivals at Halifax, Nova Scotia and St. John, New Brunswick)

Minnesota

• International Falls, Baudette, Duluth, Mineral Center, Pigeon River, Pine Creek, Roseau, and Warroad, 1907-1952 (also includes some departure records of U.S. citizens)
• Noyes, 1917-1929

Montana

• Babb, 1928-1956
• Chief Mountain, Cut Bank, Del Bonita, Gateway, Great Falls, and Roosville, 1923-1956
• Sweet Grass, 1917-1954

New York

• Buffalo, Lewiston, Niagara Falls, and Rochester, 1902-1954
• Hogansburg, Malone, Morristown, Nyando, Ogdensburg, Rooseveltown, Waddington, Alexandria Bay, Cape Vincent, Champlain, Clayton, Fort Covington, Moers, Rouses Point, Thousands Island Bridge, and Trout River, 1929-1956

North Dakota

• Northgate and St. John, 1910-1921
• Pembina and Walhalla, 1917-1929
• Portal, 1915-1921

Vermont

• Newport, 1906-1924
• St. Albans, 1895-1954

Washington

• Anacortes, 1924-1953
• Blaine, 1905-1956
• Danville, 1931-1956
• Ferry, 1917-1956
• Laurier and Marcus, 1923-1951
• Lynden, 1923-1952
• Metaline Falls, 1924-1954
• Northport, May 1923-1951
• Oroville, 1918-1954
• Port Angeles, 1929-1952
• Sumas, 1924-1956

BORDER CROSSINGS USA TO CANADA

Ancestry also has Border Crossings: From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 online. These records consist of border entry lists and Form 30 (individual entry forms).

Canadian Border Entry Ports:
Alberta

Coutts

Pinhorn

Twin Lakes

British Columbia

Aldergrove	Kereemeos	Osoyoos	Rossland
Anyox	Kingsgate	Pacific Highway	Rykerts
Bamfield	Ladner	Paterson	Similkameen
Bridesville	Ladysmith	Peardonville	Stewart
Carson	Midway	Penticton	Union Bay
Cascade	Mission	Phillips	Upper Sumas
Chilliwack	Myncaster	Port Simpson	Victoria
Douglas	Nanaimo	Powell River	Waneta
Grand Forks	Newgate	Prince Rupert	White Pass
Gateway	Ocean Falls	Roosville	White Rock
Huntingdon

Manitoba

Bannerman	Morden
Emerson	Mowbray
Haskett	Snowflake
Gretna	Sprague

Ontario

Amhertsburg	Cutler	Niagara Falls	Prescott
Aultsville	Depot Harbour	Ojibwa	Rainy River
Bath	Deseronto	Parry Sound	Rockport
Belleville	Erie Beach	Picton	Sarnia
Blind River	Fort Erie	Pigeon River Bridge	Sault Ste Marie
Bridgeburg	Fort Frances	Point Edward	Sombra
Brighton	Fort William	Port Arthur	Thessalon
Brockville	Gananoque	Port Burwell	Toronto
Bruce Mines	Goderich	Port Colborne	Trenton
Cobourg	Gore Bay	Port Dalhousie	Walkerville
Collingwood	Iroquois	Port Dover	Wallaceburg
Cornwall	Kingston	Port Hope	Walpole Island
Courtright	Little Current	Port Lambton	Windmill Point
Crystal Beach	Morrisburg	Port Stanley	Windsor
			Wolf Island

New Brunswick

Andover	Debec Junction	Grand Manan	North Head	St Stephen
Aroostook Junction	Edmundston	Green River	Richmond Road/Corner	Upper Mills
Centreville	Fair Haven	Letete	St Andrews	Welshpool
Connors	Fosterville	McAdam Junction	St Hilaire	Wilsons Beach
Clair	Grand Falls	Milltown	St Léonard	Woodstock

Nova Scotia

Clements Port

Liverpool

Port Hawkesbury

Sydney

Yarmouth

Quebec

Armstrong	Frelighsburg	Lacolle Junction	Stanhope
Athelstan	Georgeville	Magog	Stanstead Junction
Beebe Junction	Hemmingford	Mansonville	St Armand
Coaticook	Hereford	Megantic	St Johns
Comins Mills	Highwater	Noyan Junction	St Regis
Dundee	Huntingdon/St Agnes	Paquetteville

Saskatchewan

Big Muddy	North Portal	West Poplar River
East Poplar River	Northgate	Willow Creek
Marienthal	Radville	Wood Mountain

Yukon

Dawson

Forty Mile

Maine

Portland

Massachusetts

Boston

New York

Charlotte

Lewiston

Malone

Rochester

Rouses Point

Vermont

Alburg

St Albans

Border Crossings From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935

Border Crossings From U.S. to Canada, 1908-1935 at Ancestry.com are often overlooked as a valuable genealogical database. 

This database contains records of immigrants crossing into Canada from the United States between 1908 and 1935. These records consist of border entry lists and Form 30 (individual entry forms). Information recorded in these records may include: name of immigratn, port of arrival, date of arrival, age, gender, country of citizenship, birthplace, marital status, and last permanent address.

On average, the border entry lists recorded 10-20 people per page. Form 30 was an individual form and therefore was able to record more significant genealogical information about each individual. Although the use of Form 30 officially ended in 1924, there are some records of this form that date to later years.

The amount of information recorded in these records varies according to form type and year. Form 30 consists of two images – a front and a back side. The majority of the information is recorded on the front side, but there is also important information recorded on the back. Use the previous and next buttons in the image viewer to navigate between these images. The back side may sometimes appear before, instead of after, the front.

This is a terrific addition to their existing Border Crossings: Canadian Border Crossings, 1895-1956 and Detroit Border Crossings and Passenger and Crew Lists, 1905-1957


Form 30A

Between 1919 and 1924 the Department of Immigration and Colonization introduced the use of the Form 30A as the official record of immigration.
Form 30A usually included the following details:

• name of ship;
• date of sailing;
• port and date of arrival;
• name;
• age;
• occupation;
• birthplace;
• race;
• citizenship;
• religion;
• destination; and
• name of the nearest relative in the country from which the immigrant came.

Form 30A, Border Entry Records, 1919-1924 are not indexed at the LAC. To use these records more efficiently, view the list of microfilm numbers and what each one contains

You can also search the INDEX to these records on Ancestry.com

FOUND WW2 Dog Tag James J. Bell of Idaho

Mick B. wrote to Olive Tree Genealogy with this request to help return a WW2 dog tag to its owner or descendants:

Found at Seething Airfield England a dog tag marked James J Bell

Number 0-742831  T4243.

It would be great to return it to the family - is this something you could help with.

As my readers can see from the image on the left, the dog tag contains more clues. The name Emma E. Bell is there, as is a location of Harrison, Idaho

Hopefully some of my wonderful readers will jump in to help Mick find James, Emma, or descendants.

Lorine's Research

I found information showing James was a pilot and a 2nd Lieutenant during WW2. Source http://www.americanairmuseum.com/person/109318

There is also a pdf file which indicates 2nd Lieutenant James J. Bell was the pilot of REPLACEMENT CREW #21 - Aircraft #41-28595 in the 713th BOMBARDMENT SQUADRON ordered to England.

This photo is of James and his crew in front of their airplane. According to the names on the verso (back) of the photo, James is the third man from the left in the front row.

Photo: The James Bell crew, from the 2^nd Air Division Digital Archive http://www.2ndair.org.uk/digitalarchive, catalogue reference MC 371/349, USF PH 7/1. Published on Olive Tree Genealogy blog with permission of 2nd Air Division Memorial Library

If you choose the third photo at this photo link you will see another great image of James. He is the third man from the left in the front row.

James' obituary was found online:

OBITUARIES DR. JAMES J. BELL

Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) - Saturday, November 8, 2003

A memorial service will be at 2 p.m., Monday, Nov. 10, 2003, in Sunnyside Little Chapel of the Chimes for Dr. James J. Bell, who died Nov. 5 at age 82.

Dr. Bell was born Jan. 16, 1921, in Spokane. He served in the Army Air Corps during World War II and graduated from the University of Oregon Dental School. He was a dentist who lived in the Portland area most of his life and practiced in Lake Oswego. In 1948, he married Euretta "Peggy" Field.

Survivors include his wife; daughter, Kit; son, Jeff; and four grandchildren.

Remembrances to Friends of Tryon Creek State Park.

Oregonian, The (Portland, OR) - Saturday, November 8, 2003

Oregonian, The () , obit for OBITUARIES DR. JAMES J. BELL, GenealogyBank.com (https://www.genealogybank.com/doc/obituaries/obit/10064B9D95E0558F-10064B9D95E0558F : accessed 28 March 2018)

Veterans' Week, November 5 to 11, 2017

Today is the start of Veterans' Week, November 5 to 11, 2017. Today I am honouring my father who was a Lieutenant in the Canadian Military in WW2.

Rescued Dairy Farmers' Union Card 1938

Feb. 5, 1938
No. of Milch Cows: 10
The Dairy Farmers Union of the State of New York
No. 34494

This card, together with a receipt covering current dues, certifies that

HENRY MICHEL

is a member in good standing in this Union and as such is entitled to all rights and courtesies of membership.

General Organization Committee
By Delegate No. 554

With thanks to Annette P. for saving these documents and sending them to Olive Tree Genealogy for publication

Find Your Ancestors in Alien Registration Records USA

Alien Registrations are a valuable genealogy resource for finding ancestors. An alien was any individual who had not naturalized.

From November 1917 to April 1918 all those considered alien enemies were ordered to register with the U. S. Marshal in the county where they lived.



World War I Alien Registrations in the United States
All states were required to complete alien registrations but not all records were kept.

Alien Registration Records 1940-1944
The Alien Registration Program began 1 July 1940. Every alien resident of the USA had to register at a local post office. Aliens entering USA had to register when they applied for admission. All aliens over 14 fell under this law. Forms filled out by aliens were sent to INS (now BCIS), along with a registration number. They are known as "AR-2" files

Registrations from 1940-1944 are on microfilm at INS. To obtain copies of AR-2 Files, you must submit a request identifying the immigrant by name, date of birth, and place of birth to the INS (now BCIS), Freedom of Information Act program.

The following Alien Registrations can be found on NaturalizationRecords.com

* Index to Alien Registration Affidavits: U.S. District Court, Phoenix Division, February 6, 1918-June 28, 1918

* Index to Enemy Alien Registration Affidavits 6,000 affidavits created by U.S. Marshals, Kansas Judicial District, 1917-1921 [NaturalizationRecords.com]

* McKeesport, Alleghany County, Pennsylvania Alien Identification Card for Elizabeth Koval 1940 includes her immigration date and port of entry

Links to the following registration for Aliens are also found at NaturalizationRecords.com

St. Paul, Minnesota Alien Registrations, 1918

Alien Personal History and Statements, Iowa 1942-1946

Alien Applications for Permission to Depart from USA, 1919-1920, U.S. District Court, District of Kansas

Alien's Personal History and Statement (DSS Form 304), 1942-1945, for Michigan

Alien Personal History and Statements, Minnesota 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements, Missouri 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements, Nebraska 1942-1946

Alien Personal History and Statements North Dakota, 1942-1946

Find Ancestors in WW1 Red Cross Military Files

If you are searching for an ancestor who fought in World War One, the Red Cross Military Files are a valuable resource. During the war the Red Cross provided vital services for prisoners of war, and wounded or missing soldiers.

Hundreds of thousands of volunteers were engaged in the war effort under the Red Cross supervision and often this resulted in records being kept of the volunteers and soldiers. Not all Red Cross records in all countries have survived and in some countries the records were never made. However some countries’ files have been digitized and are available online.

My February article for Legacy Family News will no doubt interest many genealogists. I have compiled a brief history of the Red Cross Military Files and provided links to any that survive for United States, Canada, Australia and Great Britain.

Continue reading  Find Your Ancestor in WW1 Red Cross Military Files

Looking for Ancestor Naturalization Records?

Are you looking for Naturalization records for an ancestor? Those records can provide so many clues and so much information on an ancestor - such as place of birth, name of ship they arrived on, date of birth and more. That's where my NaturalizationRecords.com website can help you!

Naturalization Certificate for Robert Taylor

I spent all of last week updating and adding links to online Naturalization records, Passport records and Oaths of Allegiance for USA and Canada. I also added a section for United Kingdom Naturalizations and Passports

If you do happen to find a bad link that I missed, please take a moment and let me know. All I need is the URL of the page where the bad link is found, and the name of the link. I'll do the rest!

A few of the online databases that I have transcribed and published on NaturalizationRecords.com for all genealogists to use freely are:

• Arkansas Naturalization Index 1809-1906 
• Naturalization Petitions for the Eastern (Savannah) Division of the Southern District of Georgia, 1789 - ?
• Minnesota Naturalizations 337 individuals naturalized between 1943-1972
• New Jersey Supreme Court & Burlington County Court, Clerks Office for Naturalization records 1818-1898 P Surnames
• Naturalization Petitions Indexes for New York 1834-1850 Index to Books 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9
• Naturalization Petitions Indexes for New York 1834-1850 Index to Books 10, 11, 12  
• Naturalization Petitions Indexes for New York 1850-1860 Index to Books 13-21  
• Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Book 2 & 3 (1832-1836)
• Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Book 4, 5 & 6 (1837-1843)
• Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Book 7 & 8 (1843-1850)
• Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Books 9-12 (1850-1856)
• Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895, Justice's Court, Albany, New York, Index to Books 13 -15 (1856 - 1897)
• Denization (Naturalization) of Palatines German refugees in England waiting to come to New York 1708
• Naturalization Declarations Rensselaer County New York    
• Register of Passports from 14 November 1834 to 1843 an Index for all states in USA
• Index to Special Passports 1829-1887 an Index for all states in USA
• Index to Special Passports 1887-1894 an Index for all states in USA 
Register of Passport Applications 1809-1817  
• Index to Emergency & Special Passport Applications 1830-1831 

Building a Backup to Internet Archive's Digital Collections

The Internet Archive needs our help. According to their blog:

You may not know this, but your support for the Internet Archive makes more than 3 million e-books available for free to millions of Open Library patrons around the world.

Your support has fueled the work of journalists who used our Political TV Ad Archive in their fact-checking of candidates’ claims.

It keeps the Wayback Machine going, saving 300 million Web pages each week, so no one will ever be able to change the past just because there is no digital record of it. The Web needs a memory, the ability to look back.

Throughout history, libraries have fought against terrible violations of privacy—where people have been rounded up simply for what they read.  At the Internet Archive, we are fighting to protect our readers’ privacy in the digital world.

So this year, we have set a new goal: to create a copy of Internet Archive’s digital collections in another country. We are building the Internet Archive of Canada because, to quote our friends at LOCKSS, “lots of copies keep stuff safe.” [November 29, 2016 by Brewster Kahle]

Find out how you can help on the Internet Archives Blog:  Help Us Keep the Archive Free, Accessible, and Reader Private

New York Naturalization Records online 1827-1897

NaturalizationRecords.com has the following New Yorrk naturalization records online. These records are FREE for all to view.

Index to Declarations of Intent, New York 1827-1895

Note that this is an ongoing project and is the work of several dedicated volunteers. The files go online as they are transcribed, so check back often to see what is new. NOTE: If a surname letter is not linked, it has not been transcribed yet.

Declarations of Intent, New York May 1832-Apr. 1837

Volumes (Books) 2 - 3. Surnames Starting with [A][B][C][D][E][F][G][H][I,J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U][W] [Y]

Declarations of Intent, New York Apr. 1837-Apr. 1843

Volumes (Books) 4 - 6. Surnames Starting with [A][C][D][E][F][G][H][J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U, V][W] [Y, Z]

Declarations of Intent, New York Apr. 1843-May 1850

Volumes (Books) 7 - 8. Surnames Starting with [A][B][C] [D][E][F][G][H][I][J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U][V] [W] [Y] [Z] [Miscellaneous Surnames]

Declarations of Intent, New York 1850-1856

Volumes (Books) 9 - 12. Surnames Starting with [A][B Book 9[B Book 10][B Book 11][B Book 12] [C][D][E][F][G][H][I, J] [K Book 9] [K Book 10] [K Book 11] [K Book 12] [L Book 9] [L Book 10] [L Book 11] [ L Book 12] [M Book 9] [M Book 9, 10] [M Book 10, 11] [N] [O] [P] [Q] [R Book 9] [R Book 10] [R Book 11][R Book 12] [S Book 9] [S Book 10][S Book 11][S Book 12][T][U][V][W][Y][Z]

Declarations of Intent, New York 1856-1897

Volumes (Books) 13-15. [A][B][C] [D][E][F][G][H][I][J][K][L][M][N][O][P][Q][R][S][T][U][V][W][Y] [Z] 

Woman Meets Sister After 65 Years of Searching

NBC news posted this story a few days ago. Lucille "Venus" Love spent most of her life searching for her family and was finally reunited with her sister in Arizona. This is such a heart-warming video. I really can't add anything to it except please go and watch it.

Ancestor Letters on Past Voices: Letters Home

Several years ago I started a site called Past Voices: Letters Home. It is chock full of letters from long ago. The letters are so wonderful to read -- they speak of illness in the family, deaths, births, crops, weather, family, and friends. The site now holds many Canadian and American letters.

Here's a few:

Letter to James A. McChesney, Esq., Port Ontario, New York, from A. C. Dickinson, Smith Town, July 13, 1844; postmarked Peterboro, U. C., July 22, 1844, and Kingston, U. C., July 24, 1844

Letter from Albert Bertram Mudge during WW1 to his mother in Guelph Ontario, 1915

Letter to William Robertson McGillivray in Ontatio, Canada from his brother James McGillivray in Egilsay, Orkney Islands, Scotland, 1857

Search the index to all Canadian letters

Letter to Alvah Bush, Albany New York, from her sister, M.M. Bush, Cooperstown, New York 1843

1915 Letter in French

Letter to Mrs. S. C. Hoskins, Sheffield, Massachusetts, from her daughter Helen, Hampton, Virginia 1849

Letter to Mr. John H. and Anna Northrop, Hebron, Washington County, New York, from Lydia Wells, Lisbon 1829

Letter to Jacob Sharpless, care of Dr. Parrish, Philadelphia Pennsylvania from Blakey Sharpless, Weston

Letter from John McCoy, Captain of the Augusta Co. Militia during the Revolutionary War from Staunton, Augusta Co.Virginia to Thomas Jefferson, 1781 (yes, THE Thomas
Jefferson!)

Letter to unidentified person from Simeon Baldwin, New Haven, [Connecticut], January 4, 1808

Letter to Mrs. Mary Bradford and sister Sarah Jane, Northumberland,Pennsylvania, from Louisa, York Pennsylvania, 1839

1810 letter from Washington DC

Letter to Miss Charlotte H. Ladd, Boston Massachusetts, from her mother, Portsmouth, New Hampshire, 1830

Letter to Miss Mary C. Cook, Great Falls, New Hampshire,from Fanny, Concord, New Hampshire, 1847

Mr. S. Newton Dexter, Whitesborough, New York, from Miss Mary Dexter, Providence, Rhode Island, 1823

Letter to Mr. Franklin Hoskins, Sheffield, Berkshire County,Massachusetts, from Wm. Gleason, Jr., Moresville, New York 1840

Letter to Mr. Samuel V. King, China Grove, Georgetown, South Carolina, from M. L. Wilkins, Springfield, 1842

Search the index to all USA letters

Join Me on a Cemetery Walk Through Panna Maria, Texas

Panna Maria (meaning Virgin Mary) is the oldest Polish settlement in the United States. It is located in Karnes County, Texas, United States. 

Thanks to  Sonja Nishimoto who sent me 262 photographs of tombstones taken by her in 2008, I now have the Panna Maria Cemetery Walk online on Olive Tree Genealogy  YouTube Channel.

FREE 170 Million Wills & Probate Records on Ancestry!

Wow! Ancestry.com just published over 100 million wills written in the United States in the last 300 years for genealogists to search. More than 170 million pages from the largest collection of wills and probate records in the United States is now available online exclusively on Ancestry. 

With searchable records included from all 50 states spread over 337 years (1668-2005), this unprecedented collection launches a new category of records for family history research never before available online at this scale the United States.   

Until now, these records have only been available offline. Ancestry spent more than two years bringing this collection online, working with hundreds of different archives from individual state and local courts across the country and making a $10M investment to license and digitize the records. The documents cover well over 100 million people, including the deceased as well as their family, friends and others involved in the probate process. Ancestry expects to continue to grow the collection, with additional records available over the next several years.

To celebrate the launch of the new U.S. Wills and Probates collection on Ancestry,, the collection along with all U.S. birth, marriage and death records, will be available to explore for FREE, September 2 (12pm MT) through September 7 (10pm MT). 


Here are the records available as of today:

• Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1727-2008
• North Dakota and South Dakota, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985
• Rhode Island, Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932
• New Mexico, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1993
• Nevada, Wills and Probate Records, 1906-1925
• Nebraska, Wills and Probate Records, 1806-1989
• Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1604-1878
• Kentucky, Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989
• New York County, New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1658-1880 (NYSA) 
• New York, Wills and Probate Records, 1659-1999
• Alabama, Wills and Probate Records, 1753-1999
• Alaska, Wills and Probate Records, 1883-1978
• Arizona, Wills and Probate Records, 1803-1995
• Arkansas, Wills and Probate Records, 1783-1998
• California, Wills and Probate Records, 1782-1999
• Colorado, Wills and Probate Records, 1875-1974
• Connecticut, Wills and Probate Records, 1609-1999 
• Delaware, Wills and Probate Records, 1676-1971  
• Florida, Wills and Probate Records, 1810-1974
• Georgia, Wills and Probate Records, 1742-1992  
• Hawaii, Wills and Probate Records, 1822-1962  
• Idaho, Wills and Probate Records, 1857-1989
• Illinois, Wills and Probate Records, 1772-1999
• Indiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1798-1999
• Iowa, Wills and Probate Records, 1758-1997
• Kansas, Wills and Probate Records, 1803-1987
• Kentucky, Wills and Probate Records, 1774-1989
• Louisiana, Wills and Probate Records, 1756-1984
• Maine, Wills and Probate Records, 1584-1999
• Maryland, Wills and Probate Records, 1604-1878
• Massachusetts, Wills and Probate Records, 1635-1991
• Michigan, Wills and Probate Records, 1784-1980
• Minnesota, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1999
• Mississippi, Wills and Probate Records, 1780-1982
• Missouri, Wills and Probate Records, 1766-1988
• Montana, Wills and Probate Records, 1831-1952
• Nebraska, Wills and Probate Records, 1806-1989
• Nevada, Wills and Probate Records, 1906-1925
• New Hampshire, Wills and Probate Records, 1643-1982
• New Jersey, Wills and Probate Records, 1656-1999
• New Mexico, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-1993
• North Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1665-1998
• North Dakota and South Dakota, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985
• Oklahoma, Wills and Probate Records, 1801-2008
• Oregon, Wills and Probate Records, 1833-1963
• Pennsylvania, Wills and Probate Records, 1683-1993
• Rhode Island, Wills and Probate Records, 1582-1932
• South Carolina, Wills and Probate Records, 1670-1980
• Tennessee, Wills and Probate Records, 1727-2008
• Texas, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-2000
• Utah, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1985
• Vermont, Wills and Probate Records, 1749-1999
• Washington, D.C., Wills and Probate Records, 1737-1952
• Washington, Wills and Probate Records, 1807-1997
• West Virginia, Wills and Probate Records, 1724-1978
• Wisconsin, Wills and Probate Records, 1800-1987

Got Blacksheep Ancestors? Join the PhD Study

A Criminal Record is a compilation of historical legal and crime resources for genealogists, historians and students

The site owner tells visitors that a Criminal Record exits to bring together resources for the study of the history of crime in Britain and Ireland. There are also links to Canada and USA resources. Historians and genealogists are being called upon to participate in a survey if they have an ancestor who was involved in some way with criminal records, either as a victim or an instigator.

"I am interested in hearing from anyone who has utilised online resources to further their understanding of the history of crime: genealogists, student, teachers, authors, playwrights, historians etc.   If your ancestor or the subject of your research was recorded as part of a court, prison or other record relating to crime please do get in touch."

Why not take a few minutes to fill out the surveys?

I have completed one ancestor for this survey but between my husband and myself we have dozens who were were involved in court proceedings! I will be creating a list of all our blacksheep ancestors for another blog post so please do watch for it in the next couple of days. I'll be hoping to see my readers list their blacksheep ancestors.

And if you have not visited my son's website Blacksheep Ancestors please take a peek!