Don't Miss My New Website Lost Faces!

Sarah (Page) Simpson 1840-1920

When I was about 11 years old, my grandmother gave me this photo of her grandmother (my great-great-grandmother), Sarah Simpson. Grandma told me it was taken in Ramsgate England sometime in the 1890s.

I was fascinated - she wore such a beautiful ornate hair piece! The gorgeous blouse or dress thrilled me with its ruffles and high collar. I couldn't stop thinking about the fact that I had part of this fine lady in me, in my blood and my genes.

I learned a lot about Sarah - widowed at the young age of 34, and pregnant with her 5th child, she was forced to work as a charwoman to feed her children. 

Not only did that spur me on to delving deeper into my British side of my family, it also sparked an immediate love of antique photos of ancestors. I thought about their lives - were they happy? Did they enjoy the same things I enjoyed? Did they get angry, or cry at the loss of a family pet. Yes those are the odd things I thought about as a youngster.

This early fascination with ancestors and photographs that captured one brief moment in their lives led to my determination to rescue and preserve as many old photos as possible. Several years ago I began purchasing entire albums of named photographs (Cartes de Visite and tintypes mostly) from the Civil War era, and offering scans of the photos to interested descendants. My dream was to one day publish them all online for genealogists to freely copy for their own personal use.

A few of my rescued Ambrotypes & Daguerreotypes

I am excited to announce my dream has come to fruition. Several years ago I was able to purchase the domain name "Lost Faces" from a woman who no longer wanted it.

This year I completed scanning and uploading approximately half of the precious albums I have rescued over the years. Every album is online with a description, a list of names, and at least a few photos from the album.

 There are 81 albums online at this point, and approximately half are complete, meaning all the photos in the albums are online for visitors to enjoy. Most albums have 50 photographs so you can see that is a lot of photos for visitors to enjoy and hopefully find an ancestor or two!

1916 Ramsgate England

As well as these wonderful album photographic treasures, Lost Faces contains dozens of single photos of groups - sports teams, class photos, and more. I also have vintage postcards for your enjoyment, and explanations of various early photograph types such as Cartes de Visite, Cabinet Cards, Tintypes, Ambrotypes, and Daguerreotypes. To top it all off I've added some brief tutorials on dating photographs through fashion, hairstyles, photographer marks and more.

Enjoy your visit to Lost Faces and feel free to download any photos for your own personal use. The only thing you cannot do is publish the photos anywhere else offline or online. Perhaps you'll find an ancestor in my rescues!

Postcard to Ruth Vessey from Elizabeth Finger 1910

Annette P. has kindly donated ephemera items to Olive Tree Genealogy for sharing with other genealogists. This is an early postcard, perhaps 1910 (date is hard to read) sent to Miss Ruth Vessey in Pennsylvania. It is from Miss Elizabeth Finger in New Jersey

 

 

Nursing Sister Philips WW1 Photo Album 42 V

This Photo Archive consists of a small autograph album (6.5" by 5.25") kept by Constance (Connie) Philips as a memento of her time serving as a nurse during World War One.

The majority of the photos and items are from 1915, when she served as a nurse in France and Britain.

The album and all photographs, postcards, and other ephemera contained in the album belong to Karin Armstrong and may not be copied or republished without her written permission. The images will be published on Olive Tree Genealogy with permission.

Each image has been designated an "R" for Recto or a "V" for Verso plus an album page number. Recto is the right-hand side page of a bound book while Verso is the left-hand side page.

I will be posting the entire album and my additional research on the individuals identified in Connie's album over the coming months so please check back frequently to view these historic photos. The easiest way to see what has been published is to click on the topic "Nursing Sister WW1 Photos"

Pic Scanner Gold - a Treat to Use!

Recently I was offered a free copy of a new app called Pic Scanner Gold. Since I'm all about rescuing, scanning, and preserving photographs, I jumped at the chance to try it out. Long story short, I love it! If you're a genealogist this app is for you. I have other scanners but what I like about this app is that if I don't have my mobile scanner with me, I can just pull my phone out of my purse and bingo - I'm set to grab scans of documents or family photos at auntie's house.

The Details

There is so much this scanner app has to offer - blemish control, crop, rotate, blur, focus, and more. The tools are a lot of fun to play with but make sure you have lots of time to try various things!

Easy Instructions
 
When you first start the app you are at the Home page. Select your photo, choose Scanner, and the app detects the photo. Snap it and the photo pops into Gallery where you can select it and start playing with the tools. Here are a few screenshots I took as I played with my first photo:

My scan was crooked because I held the camera incorrectly

The crooked scan can be easily fixed using the Rotate tool

Photo scan rotated

Photo scan sharpened

Add a free frame for fun

Maybe you prefer Vignette

You can create albums to keep your scans organized - and that's a real boon for genealogists! You can even create slide shows. You can add notes to your scans. All in all there are many goodies with this scanner, and they're easy to use with great results.

One piece of advice - don't use your iPad to scan as it is a bit more challenging to hold steady. I used my iPhone with no trouble.

Pic Scanner Gold has a FAQ online which has more information. The app is available in the App store

Finding Ancestors: A Beautiful 1862 Cartes de Visite

This beautiful photo is labelled "Mrs. Joseph Curtis ​1862". It is one of the Cartes de Visite in my Civil War Era Photo Album which is now online at my new Lost Faces website.

Her full sleeves and full skirt are typical of the Civil War era fashions for women, as is her center-parted hair. 

Mrs. Curtis' husband's photo is also in the album and I suspect it was taken the same day as hers - July 2, 1862.

As many of my readers know, I rescue antique photo albums that have the names of the people in the photos. My dream of one day putting them all online to be freely viewed has finally come true and I now have over 80 albums published on my new Lost Faces site.

I've also added vintage postcards, and individual group photos of sports teams, school classes, and military. There's much more to come but I wanted to share this photo today since it is one of my favourites.  Below you can see the front and back of the Cartes de Visite of Joseph Curtis.

  
Surnames in the album include: Fobes, Tucker, Curtis, Gilbert, Peabody, Spear, Blake, Mansfield, Bassett, Botton, Williston, Nilliston, Kimbal, Daniels, Sutherland, Schaffner, Keith, Towne, Low, Wilder, Holden, and Whitemore. Locations of photographers include Massachusetts, New York, Illinois

Could one of your ancestors be featured? 

The Peer Family in North America: V.4 Philip Peer & his two Wives Ester Dunn and Susan Griniaus and their Descendants to 3 Generations

The Peer family, loyal to the British Crown, suffered from persecution in New Jersey throughout the American Revolution. Philip Peer and his family left Sussex County New Jersey for Upper Canada in the summer of 1796.

After his first wife Ester Dunn died Philip married Susan Griniaus. This book discusses the lives of Philip, his two wives, and their children and grandchildren in those early years. Descendants will enjoy seeing early documents such as land petitions, family photographs, newspaper clippings, and wills.

The Peer Family in North America: V.4 Philip Peer & his two Wives Ester Dunn and Susan Griniaus and their Descendants to 3 Generations 

Available at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Note for the book on his parents you also need to purchase V. 1 Jacob & Anne Peer available at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

My Wall of Ancestors

This is my wall of ancestors. One of many. Each of the photos you see is of an ancestor - either mine or my husband's.

We intersperse them with antique paintings or prints, or wall clocks for a display that, as you can see, almost fills every inch of space!

They didn't come to us in frames (except one or two). I buy antique frames which my husband repairs if he needs to, then we have the original photos enlarged to fit. We choose a mat from the local framing shop and have it put together. Then I write on the back the details of the person, or family group, in the photo. It's our way of cherishing our ancestors, preserving family photographs, and ensuring that information on them carries on to the next generation who will welcome the photos into their protection.

Here are a few closeups of some of our ancestor photos on the wall. It was challenging to take photos due to glare from windows and height of some. I hope you are preserving and enjoying your family treasures.

 

Don't Overlook Tokens if Your Ancestor was a Storekeeper

Henry Noldred Token 1650s

Last summer I found out that my 9th great-grandfather Henry Noldred of Ramsgate Kent England, was a grocer who had his own tokens created to spend in his store in place of official money.

Apparently that was often done in the 17th century when storekeepers would make their own money substitute.

I was so intrigued by this new-found information that I started researching to see if I could find any of his tokens and I found that one of his existed created circa 1650!. I also learned that Ramsgate was spelled Romansgate back then.

Once I found that one of Henry's tokens had been sold on an auction site a few months before, I became determined to find another and purchase it. I'm excited to say I succeeded! A rare coin and token dealer  in England found two for me, and I bought them both. The one is in the image above and the second one I bought is below. I plan on having a small plaque made with Henry's birth, death and location. Then I'll have the tokens and the plaque framed and it will have a place of honour on my wall.

This is the description of the tokens: (rosette)HEN.NOLDRED.IN.ROMANS , around beaded inner circle, three tobacco rolls / logs of wood.
Rev: (rosette)GET.IN.YE.ISLE.OF.TENNET , around beaded inner circle, HIS HALF PENY in three lines. M. Dickinson 454. Neither obverse or reverse dies represented in Norweb.

You never know what you might find on an ancestor if you look in unusual places! The Rare Coins and Tokens site I used has a very nice search engine if you want to start your own hunt for ancestor tokens.

Ephemera Postcard to Leora Aultman

Annette P. has generously donated several ephemera items to Olive Tree Genealogy for publication. This postcard is to Mrs. Leora Aultman in Rhode Island. It is from Cape Cod Massachusetts

The Peer Family in North America: V.3 Edward Peer & His Two Wives and their Descendants to 3 Generations

V3. Edward Peer & His Two Wives and their Descendants to 3 Generations. The Peer family, loyal to the British Crown, suffered from persecution in New Jersey throughout the American Revolution. Edward Peer, son of Jacob, came from New Jersey to the wilds of Upper Canada (present day Ontario) in 1786 with his first wife Anna.

By 1820 he and his second wife Sarah left Ontario for Pennsylvania. He died in 1834 in Erie County Pennsylvania.

This book discusses the lives of Edward, his two wives, and their children and grandchildren in those early years. Descendants will enjoy seeing early documents such as land petitions, family photographs, newspaper clippings, and wills. 

The Peer Family in North America: V.3 Edward Peer & His Two Wives and their Descendants to 3 Generations

Available at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Note for the book on his parents you also need to purchase V. 1 Jacob & Anne Peer available at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Richter Family Ephemera to Phoebe Rockwell

Annette P. has generously donated several ephemera items from the Richter Family in Virginia to Olive Tree Genealogy for publication.

This postcard is to Miss Phoebe J. Rockwell c/o Mrs. M. Brown, Camp Star Acres, Eaton Center, [--]

It is signed "Grombie" in Falls Church Virginia. I suspect this is the original Richter Family writing to a granddaughter.

Book on Levi Peer & Elizabeth Marical New Jersey to Illinois and Canada

The Peer family, loyal to the British Crown, suffered from persecution in New Jersey throughout the American Revolution. Levi and his family left Sussex County New Jersey in 1801 to join his parents and siblings in Upper Canada (Ontario). Shortly after the War of 1812, Levi and family left Canada for New York, then Pennsylvania, and eventually Illinois. One son returned to Canada.

This book discusses the lives of Levi, his wife Elizabeth Marical and their children and grandchildren in those early years. Descendants will enjoy seeing early documents such as land petitions, family photographs, newspaper clippings, and wills.

The Peer Family in North America: V.2 Levi Peer & Elizabeth Marical and their Descendants to 3 Generations is now available at or Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

Note for the book on Levi Peer's parents you also need to purchase V. 1 Jacob & Anne Peer which is available at Amazon.com or Amazon.ca

How to Find Ancestors in Upper Canada (Ontario) Land Records

Recently Olive Tree Genealogy received an intriguing email query from Jennifer.

I have tried on my own to access deed/land record information on an ancestor.William Lamoure bought Thomas Talbot land on a contract in 1804.   He received the deed in 1826....I have those records.   What I am searching for is when he sold it....what year and to whom???   He was in London Township. I believe that he sold his land and moved to Michigan....but I have NO record proof. I hired a researcher previously and they found nothing.

Lorine's Answer: I don't always undertake research when I receive such a query; instead I often offer suggestions as to where the genealogist could look next. But in this case, due to my interest in Ontario land records, the question intrigued me. I am pleased to say I found what Jennifer wanted in less than an hour. Because I think my process may help others searching for such records, I'm outlining my steps here.

Step One: I first searched the online Upper Canada Land Petitions at LAC (Library and Archives Canada) to find out exactly where William's land was. I also sent Jennifer an email asking her for the Concession and Lot if she knew it. Meantime I found William's petition in the online index. This gave me the Volume, Bundle, Petition Number, and Film Number I needed: 240A, L14, Petition 156 on film C 2128.

For more details on searching the UCLP (Upper Canada Land Petitions) see my article Searching Ontario Canada Land Records, eh?


Step Two: Next I went to the online digitized microfilm, also at LAC (Library and Archives Canada), searched for C 2128 and opened it. It didn't take long to find the section of film needed (Images 731-734 if anyone wants to see the petition) The envelope of the petition provided the detail I needed. William was granted land on Concession B, Lot 6, London Township. The date it was granted was July 1826. I also noted the Land Book Reference from the envelope so I could check there too. That was recorded as Land Book "M" page 650.

For help with understanding what is on these Upper Canada Land Petitions, see my article Understanding Notations on the Envelope of an Upper Canada Land Petition


Step Three: To search for the Land Book Reference I needed to find out what film held July 1826. So I went to the online conversion table at Heritage Canadiana and saw that I needed to consult film C-104. The films are online  and it was then a matter of scrolling through to July 1826. William was found on image 424. The record did not reveal much more than was already in the petition but it is always a good idea to check there too just in case.

C-104 Land Book "M"

For more help with finding a record in the Upper Canada Land Books see Finding an Ancestor in the Challenging Upper Canada Land Books

 
Step Four: Next I went to the onine OnLand.com site to search the Abstract Indexes to Deeds. This set of records provides the names of all owners of every piece of Crown Land in Ontario. So finding the abstracts for Lot 6, Concession B in London Township should provide me with dates and details of William obtaining the land in 1826 and when he left it. It was a bit of work to figure out what Book I needed but I did find it (MIDDLESEX COUNTY (33), LONDON, Book 3. ABSTRACT INDEX 1 UP TO 1866; CONCESSION A, B, C; CONCESSION 1 TO 2; PAGE 1 TO 114). I scrolled through many pages of other books before figuring out it was in this specific book.

 

Learn how to use the information in the Abstract Indexes to Deeds at The Overlooked Abstract Indexes to Deeds - a Useful Genealogy Research Tool

William is noted a few times over the years 1826 to 1849. The last entry is November 1849 so we might assume he left the area that year. Obtaining each of the instruments for each transaction will provide details that may give further clues. The instrument numbers are noted with each transaction. For those interested, the images for William are 31 and 32. It seems this was a 2-sided ledger so look at the left side on one image and the right side on the next.

Other Places to Search

CLRI

I also had a look in the CLRI (Ontario Land Record Index) which is an alphabetical listing of first time land owners of Crown land. William was found as William Lamoure of London Township obtaining Lot 6, Concession ID under Date ID of 8 which is an OIC (Order in Council). It was a Free Grant but he paid Full Fees. The Archival Reference is RG01 Series C13 Volume 033 page 046. It is not likely that much more would be found using the Archival Reference.

Other places one might search are:

Township Papers

Township Papers deal mostly with the original locatees, but may contain other pre-patent records.  These are miscellaneous land-related records, arranged by township name, then by concession and lot or by town name and lot number.These are available on microfilm. See Archives of Ontario.

Heir & Devisee Commission Records

The first Heir and Devisee Commission heard claims to land made by original nominees, their heirs devisees or assignees, the second Commission was confined to claims made solely by heirs, devisees or assignees. 

The First Heir and Devisee records are available on microfilm and have been digitized and placed online at Canadiana.org

 *Note: Researches are advised to consult my corrected Finding Aid for the First Heir and Devisee records at Peristence Pays Off: My Finding Aid is linked to from Library and Archives Canada


The Second Heir and Devisee records can be searched online at Archives of Ontario. Their database consists of an index to 5184 case files

As I explained to Jennifer, I no longer accept payment for research projects. If a query appeals to me, I do the work pro bono. I was happy to do this for Jennifer but I mentioned that if someone I have assisted is happy with the results they might consider buying me a cup of coffee (if they choose to) by using this link PayPal.Me/OliveTreeGenealogy

She very kindly bought me several cups of coffee and I appreciate it! 

Ephemera Schulze & Richter

Annette P. has generously donated several ephemera items from the Richter Family in Virginia to Olive Tree Genealogy for publication. This postcard is addressed to Miss Connie Schulze in Georgia and is signed "Mother"

Coffin Plate of Patrick Dalton died 1879

Olive Tree Genealogy is sharing this coffin plate with permission of my Facebook friend Dan Lynch:

Hoping to return a found family treasure to the right descendants. 

Silver cross engraved Patrick Dalton, Died Aug 4. 1879, Aged 67 Yrs 5 Mos (Estimated birth March 1812). 

Measures approx 8x6 inches.

Dan has given me permission to add this to the collection of coffin plates on AncestorsAtRest.com

 

 

 

Find Ancestors in Free United Kingdom Genealogy

Free UK Genealogy is the parent organization for FreeBMD, FreeReg and FreeCEN. Volunteers make transcriptions of the England and Wales Index of Births, Marriages and Deaths (FreeBMD), historic Parish Registers (FreeReg) and 19th Century Censuses (FreeCEN).

Each of the projects is a significant undertaking and in total, more than ten thousand volunteers have contributed over 350,000,000 records.

The three databases - FreeBMD, FreeReg, and FreeCen are completely free to access online.

If you are searching your UK ancestors, you might want to give these sites a try.

Happy 15th Blog Birthday to Olive Tree Genealogy Blog

On February 9, 2003 Olive Tree Genealogy Blog was born. Today is its 15th birthday!

In the last 15 years, from February 9, 2003 to January 17, 2018 I've written 3,413 articles and published them here on my blog.

It's interesting to see how I started out slowly, and gradually increased my yearly publications. Then I decreased my output. This was a deliberate move on my part as, to be honest, I felt I was suffering burnout! Decreasing my blog posts to approximately 3 per week has helped and I hope has improved the quality of my offerings to my readers.

    ►  2017 (264)

    ►  2016 (309)

    ►  2015 (379)

    ►  2014 (366)

    ►  2013 (379)

    ►  2012 (355)

    ►  2011 (371)

    ►  2010 (269)

    ►  2009 (259)

    ►  2008 (192)

    ►  2007 (114)

    ►  2006 (17)

    ►  2005 (86)

    ►  2004 (26)

    ►  2003 (12)

I plan on continuing for as many years as possible, so please keep dropping by Olive Tree Genealogy blog and leave your comments. I love hearing from you!