Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Daily Deal Today

The Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Spring Daily Deals! You all know how much I love my Flip-Pal. Well here's your chance to get a deal. Every day this week Flip-Pal is offering a Daily Deal. Be sure to come back to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for tomorrow's deal

Just use the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner link and the Promotion Code given here for your Daily Deal.

All promotion codes are active 12:00 a.m.–11:59 p.m. MDT (-6 UTC) on their respective dates.

Use Promotion Code: sdd414
Saturday, April 14
Save $5 on the purchase of Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner accessories! ($25 minimum order)

Here's a preview of the other daily deals that you'll find here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog each day:

Sunday, April 15 - Come back Sunday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
Save $20 when you purchase a Flip-Pal mobile scanner plus a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Monday, April 16 -Come back on Monday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
Save $30 when you purchase a Flip-Pal mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD plus a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Tuesday, April 17 - Come back on Tuesday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
The grand slam—Save $30 on the purchase of a Flip-Pal mobile scanner when you also purchase all of the following items (all 4 items—including the scanner—must be in your shopping cart!):
•       A Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket
•       A Flip-Pal mobile scanner Sketch Kit
•       An Eneloop AA 4 Pack with AC Charger

Flip-Pal Deal for Friday 13th.

The Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Spring Daily Deals! You all know how much I love my Flip-Pal. Well here's your chance to get a deal. Friday 13th isn't always bad luck! Every day this week Flip-Pal is offering a Daily Deal. Be sure to come back to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for tomorrow's deal

Just use the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner link and the Promotion Code given here for your Daily Deal.

All promotion codes are active 12:00 a.m.–11:59 p.m. MDT (-6 UTC) on their respective dates.

Use Promotion Code: sdd413
Friday, April 13
Save $20 on the purchase of a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD!

Here's a preview of the other daily deals that you'll find here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog each day for the next 6 days:

Saturday, April 14 - Come back to Olive Tree Genealogy blog on Saturday for the Promotion Code
Save $5 on the purchase of Flip-Pal mobile scanner accessories! ($25 minimum order)

Sunday, April 15 - Come back Sunday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
Save $20 when you purchase a Flip-Pal mobile scanner plus a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Monday, April 16 -Come back on Monday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
Save $30 when you purchase a Flip-Pal mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD plus a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Tuesday, April 17 - Come back on Tuesday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
The grand slam—Save $30 on the purchase of a Flip-Pal mobile scanner when you also purchase all of the following items (all 4 items—including the scanner—must be in your shopping cart!):
•       A Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket
•       A Flip-Pal mobile scanner Sketch Kit
•       An Eneloop AA 4 Pack with AC Charger

A Big Genealogy Re-Organization Starts Today!

Today's the start of an exciting project. Because my husband received so much antique furniture, china and collectibles from his grandmother Kak's home, we need more room. We already have a house full of furniture and our own antique collections. An addition is out of the question so I'm giving up my 16x20 office.

I'm downsizing from that big room that I've used for the past 15 years to our much smaller 12x15 loft room. That's not a sad decision, it's an opportunity to make big changes and purge and organize my paper files! That's always been a hard thing for me to do. I'm a paper saver. Yes. I love paper files. I've digitized about 50%, but I always want my paper backups.

Downsizing is Tricky

Some of my current filing cabinets

But not only is the loft smaller, it has slanted ceilings and only 3 walls. Because one wall is railing where the loft overlooks our cathedral living room. So I don't have room for the tall credenza and two tall bookcases that I currently use.

Because the loft is chopped up with a dormer at one end and a small powder room at the other, I don't have a lot of wall space. And there is only one full height wall. So no room for my two lateral 3' long filing cabinets, and my rolling antique dentist unit that I use for office materials, or my pine harvest table that currently holds my hanging files or.... well you get the picture!

I am going to have to weed down to 3/4 of my current desk (hubs has to figure out how to make an l-shaped desk out of a u-shaped one), my credenza and one lateral filing cabinet. Oh yeah and one bookcase.

So all my files have to fit into the credenza or one filing cabinet. A challenge to be sure! I am going to have to purge like crazy. The one bonus is that I can put my second lateral filing cabinet in the basement for overflow. Phew. 

Hanging File folders on harvest table and one bookcase

Today's the day I begin sorting and organizing and purging. I'm anxious about it but a big part of me is looking forward to it. It's spring. It's a new beginning. And the pot of gold at the end is an entertainment/family room full of Kak's bequests mixed in with our own furniture that we've been cramming into whatever space we could find elsewhere in the house.

Figuring Out a Working System

I've got a bit of an idea for a working system to start the process. I figure I'll sort first into business vs genealogy vs personal. Three basic "piles". Business vs personal is easy - anything older than 7 years gets shredded. The rest gets organized into categories, labelled if needed and only the current year stays in my files. Older years go into a large envelope, labelled by year and taken to basement storage.

This will be a flexible system, and I'll change it as needed. 

Sorting Genealogy Papers

Genealogy is the hard one for me!  I'll start by sorting papers by the following criteria and then decide what goes to the loft and what has to go to the basement:

1. my personal genealogy
2. client work
3. research for family history books I'm writing or planning/hoping to write

That means I finally have to steel myself to toss the photocopies of French documents I used to write my first Van Slyke history book. That's a pile of papers at least 3 feet high. Maybe higher.

That means I have to throw out the copies I've keep of documents about various family lines that aren't mine. You know, the ones you keep "in case". In case some other genealogist ever asks you about that family. In case you one day find out you are related. I'm taking the plunge, after 25 years with me I don't think I need them taking up space in my home anymore. That's going to be tough to do.

But perhaps I'll finally be able to proudly proclaim that I have indeed organized my genealogy!

One Day Only Spring Deal on Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner

The Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner Spring Daily Deals! You all know how much I love my Flip-Pal. Well here's your chance to get a deal. Every day this week Flip-Pal is offering a Daily Deal. Be sure to come back to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for tomorrow's deal

Just use the Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner link and the Promotion Code given here for your Daily Deal.

All promotion codes are active 12:00 a.m.–11:59 p.m. MDT (-6 UTC) on their respective dates.

Use Promotion Code: sdd412
Thursday, April 12
Purchase a Flip-Pal Mobile Scanner and receive a grey Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case FREE! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Here's a preview of the other daily deals that you'll find here on Olive Tree Genealogy blog each day for the next 6 days:

Friday, April 13 - Come back to Olive Tree Genealogy blog tomorrow for the Promotion Code
Save $20 on the purchase of a Flip-Pal mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD!

Saturday, April 14 - Come back to Olive Tree Genealogy blog on Saturday for the Promotion Code
Save $5 on the purchase of Flip-Pal mobile scanner accessories! ($25 minimum order)

Sunday, April 15 - Come back Sunday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
Save $20 when you purchase a Flip-Pal mobile scanner plus a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Monday, April 16 -Come back on Monday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
Save $30 when you purchase a Flip-Pal mobile scanner with Creative Suite Craft Edition DVD plus a Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket! (Both items must be in your shopping cart!)

Tuesday, April 17 - Come back on Tuesday to Olive Tree Genealogy blog for the Promotion Code
The grand slam—Save $30 on the purchase of a Flip-Pal mobile scanner when you also purchase all of the following items (all 4 items—including the scanner—must be in your shopping cart!):
•       A Deluxe Flip-Pal mobile scanner Carry Case with Pocket
•       A Flip-Pal mobile scanner Sketch Kit
•       An Eneloop AA 4 Pack with AC Charger

Kak's Antique Hutch: A Cool Genealogy Story

Kak's Antique Hutch in our home

One of the antique items that my husband's grandmother, Kak, left him was the antique hutch on the left. This hutch sat in her big farmhouse kitchen for the past 20 years.

Kak always kept her fancy china and dishes in the top. The bottom was full of her favourite candies (Hershey Kisses and Hugs) and other snack food.

Her stereo was in there too and every morning at 5 a.m when she got up, the stereo went on.

But the hutch has a convoluted family history! It was locally made in or near the small town of St. Mary's but we are not sure of its age. It appears to be a unique piece of work, not factory produced.

Its journey began with the Mercer family of St. Mary's, who co-incidentally married into my husband's Purdue family through his 2nd great grand aunt Caroline Purdue (born 1877)

Caroline Purdue Mercer

The hutch was in the Mercer home for many years until it was purchased by one of two sisters Lena Tovell and Elsie Hyde sometime after 1930. The sisters moved in together after their husbands died. The hutch ended up in their back kitchen.

In the 1980s Kak ended up working for the elderly sisters as a housekeeper.  Since it was a small town they knew Kak was connected to the Mercer family and they told her the story of the hutch's history.  When the last sister passed away Kak attended their estate auction and bought the hutch.

Hutch Ready to be stripped

 The hutch was in very bad shape, and had many layers of paint with white being the top layer.  There were several layers of wallpaper glued to the inside. It was such a mess that Kak asked her grandson (my husband) to refinish it for her.


 

Bits & Pieces

He tore the hutch apart, stripped the paint and wallpaper off, then refinished it and put it back together. Then it went to his grandmother's house in St. Mary's. It was her intention that the hutch be given to my husband on her passing.

And so here it sits in our home. As you can see we've started putting a few of our own treasures in it for display. 

Below is a photo of the hutch when Kak had it in her home. Two other things of interest - see the dishes in the bottom left of the hutch when Kak had it in her kitchen? Those are 4 antique soup bowls, double handled. Kak loved soup and had it every day for lunch.

Kak's Hutch in her home

Those were the bowls she ate her soup out of. And when the dishes were removed from the hutch after Kak's passing, it was discovered that those bowls had my name on tape on the bottom.

Kak taught me to make soup and she knew I made it all the time. How wonderful that she thought of me, her grandson's wife. I eat my soup from those bowls now too.

The last thing that we love about this is the red tray you can see in the photo of the hutch as it stands now in our home. You can't see it very well but it's on the bottom shelf, middle.

The tray was one that Kak used when she worked as a waitress at the Royal Edward Hotel in St. Mary's in the late 1930s. The Hotel was owned by Mr. & Mrs. Pinney and because Kak was a young bride with very little money they often gave her items and furniture from their own home. My husband and I have some of those items in our home now but that's a story for another day.

Kak working at Royal Edward Hotel

And here is Kak as a young woman working at the Royal Edward Hotel, sitting on the beer delivery wagon. She didn't drive the wagon, she just jumped on to have her picture taken.

Great-Grandpa's Trunk

Great-Grandpa DeMeulenaere's Trunk

A few days ago my husband went to help clear out his grandmother's house. She passed away in January this year but the family wanted to wait for nicer weather to tackle such a sad but necessary task.

Kak as the family called her, lived in an older yellow brick farmhouse which was full of her beloved antiques. She had family treasures from ancestors on all sides of her family as well as her husband's. She also bought her own antiques and had a good eye for beautiful and unusual pieces.

One of the family heirlooms Kak had was this trunk on the left which her father Archie made by hand. It's quite large and has a slightly curved top. It sat in a spare bedroom covered with antique quilts.

Kak spent the last 20 years making lists of where each family heirloom or prized antique was to go. She remembered the history of every piece she bought and every item passed down in the families. And she knew what grandchild or great grandchild was to be given the privilege of caring for each heirloom when she was gone.

Many of the items had names written on tape attached to the back or the bottom of the piece. Other smaller items were listed and described, with the name of the person who was to have it on her death.

This trunk had my husband's name on the bottom on a piece of green tape. It was his great-grandfather's and we know it was built by Archie (aka Achille DeMeulenaere) after he arrived in Canada from Belgium, so after 1900. Kak couldn't remember when her father made it but we are hoping to find out more information from Archie's grand-daughter who we co-incidentally "met" online yesterday!

Meantime the trunk sits in our sunroom where it can be enjoyed and treasured for many years to come.

Finding Your Roots - Two Thumbs Down

I finally managed to watch an episode of Finding Your Roots on PBS last night. It featured Kevin Bacon and Kyra Sedgewick. The host, if you haven't seen this series, is Henry Louis Gates Jr.

I thought I'd love this show. Especially this episode. I expected to be glued to the television while it was on. But the truth is it didn't grab me. I was bored. It didn't show any of the research behind the scenes. It didn't walk me, the viewer, through any steps that showed me how they got to Ancestor "A" or "B" or whoever they were focused on.

It also seemed to be a celebrity love fest - with a whole lot of buttering up of Kevin and Kyra. Don't get me wrong I like both of them as actors, very much. They seem like great people. But the show is called "Finding Your Roots" and that's what I want to hear about.

There was also an awful lot about the host himself.  Certainly more than I was interested in. That confused me. I didn't expect to be seeing photos of Professor Gates as a student and hearing his stories about his own life.

I'll watch one more episode to be fair. I'll try to be open-minded. But in comparison to Who Do You Think You Are? on NBC it fell short.  By a lot.  At least for me. I wanted to like it. I tried to find something good about it. But I couldn't.

I expect I'm in the minority and in fact I'll probably get a lot of criticism from my readers but I have to call it like I see it.

Case #13: American Soldier Steven Gibbs Dog ID Tag

Gary left this as a comment on my Olive Tree Genealogy blog. Unfortunately there was no return email. Usually requests are submitted to my email and I can then ask questions and request a photo of the ID Tag so if Gary is reading this, I hope he will contact me at olivetreegenealogy AT gmail.com

Meantime here is Gary's submission, copied and pasted so it is as he wrote it.  Since he hasn't used any capital letters in the submission it may be safe to assume that Steven's middle initial is "L" and not "I"

hello ive found a american dog tag inthe forest of dean , gloucestershire england the name is steven l gibbs the number is 32265500 t42-43 A bottom right cofner is a p . i would like it reunited with the family if possible

If the middle initial is "L" the soldier may be this one found on Ancestry's US World War II Army Enlistment Records 1938-1946

Name:	Steven L Gibbs
Birth Year:	1918
Race:	Negro, citizen (Black)
Nativity State or Country:	Pennsylvania
State of Residence:	Delaware
Enlistment Date:	15 Apr 1942
Enlistment State:	New Jersey
Enlistment City:	Fort Dix
Branch:	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Branch Code:	Branch Immaterial - Warrant Officers, USA
Grade:	Private
Grade Code:	Private
Term of Enlistment:	Enlistment for the duration of the War or other emergency, plus six months, subject to the discretion of the President or otherwise according to law
Component:	Selectees (Enlisted Men)
Source:	Civil Life
Education:	4 years of high school
Civil Occupation:	Carpenters
Marital Status:	Single, with dependents
Height:	65
Weight:	130

 Please see our other Soldier's Dog Tag Cases as several are still open and we could still use help to solve them

New App from MyHeritage for Searching Records including 1940 U.S. Census

  The following announcement was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy by MyHeritage. MyHeritage was the first to put up indexes of the newly released 1940 U.S. Census and they continue to lead the field in their endeavors

World’s largest family network unveils new mobile experience for searching historical records, including the 1940 U.S. Census, on iPhone, iPad and Android 

PROVO, Utah & LONDON & TEL AVIV, Israel – April 5, 2012: MyHeritage, the most popular family network on the web, today announced the ability to search billions of historical records, including the 1940 U.S. Census, on-the-go via a new version of the free MyHeritage Mobile App for iPhone, Android and iPad. The new version 1.2 of the MyHeritage App also searches more than 22 million family trees, helping users with their family history research. The move further extends MyHeritage’s leadership by offering an intuitive and exciting experience for families to discover more about the lives of their American relatives in 1940 and to trace their roots around the world, all on-the-go.

The MyHeritage Mobile App was first introduced in December 15, 2011 and has since amassed an install base of more than 500,000. In addition to searching historical content, it allows users to take their family tree on-the-go with an attractive display specially suited for mobile devices, capture family moments for future generations and stay in touch with family anytime, anywhere.

As millions of people rush to satisfy their curiosity and access the 1940 US census - one of the most significant sets of historical records ever to be released - MyHeritage is currently the only commercial player offering both a complete set of images from all US states and a preliminary searchable index, available via the new MyHeritage App and on www.myheritage.com/1940census. Access is completely free and no registration is required.

All 3.8 million images of the 1940 U.S. Census, and the initial collection of indexed records searchable by names, facts and other criteria, are now available to explore for free on the MyHeritage App, downloadable from the App Store or Google Play (formerly Android Market). The app can search the entire MyHeritage data collection of more than four billion records, many exclusive to MyHeritage, including birth, marriage, death, immigration and military records, census records, newspapers, yearbooks and much more. Available in more than 20 languages, the app enables family history lovers all over the world to explore their family’s history.

Update re 1940 US Census from Ancestry

Ancestry has informed Olive Tree Genealogy that they should have every page, all 3.8 million of them, of the 1940 U.S. Census online on Ancestry.com sometime tomorrow (latest ETA is by 2 p.m. Eastern by this Friday – maybe sooner). At the same time, they’ll be launching a handful of tools that can help you find answers in those images.

Once all images are uploaded, Ancestry.com tells me they will move the focus to creating a searchable index for all 132 million records. Apparently this process has been underway since they picked up the images at 12:01 a.m. Monday.

Keep checking this blog for updates as I hear them from Ancestry and other sites with the census.

Take It With a Genealogy Grain of Salt

I've been sorting through old papers for the past two days. Tucked away in a folder in a filing cabinet in the basement was a magazine dated 1988. It's a  Financial magazine, all about making money, investing wisely and so on. This particular issue featured stories of people who had invested wisely and retired early, or were successfully juggling a career with pursuing a dream.

I was puzzled as to why I'd saved it but figured there had to be an article featuring someone I knew. Sure enough there was. The article was a glowing report of a man, we'll call him Sam. Let me preface this with the fact that I knew, and still know, Sam very well.

The article revealed that Sam had a  high-paying career and was also a rather successful emerging artist (I use the word artist to describe actors, writers, poets, painters, sculptors). Sam worked part-time to support his art and his yearly wages which were given in the article were extremely good.

The article portrayed Sam as a very successful person pursuing his dream while earning a more than decent living. A descendant finding this article 50 or 100 or more years from now would be thrilled to think their ancestor was such an amazing person!

But the author of the article only knew Sam for a brief moment in Sam's life. I've known him for a very long time and also know what has happened to Sam over the past 24 years since the article was written. 

The truth is that Sam has made bad choices in his life. The details are personal so I will simply say that his path in life was a downhill one, not the successful one portrayed in the magazine. He is not a successful artist. He no longer has a high-paying career.

He's a very different person from the person portrayed in the magazine article. Reading it made me realize that as genealogists we should not rely on one article or one obituary to paint the full picture of an ancestor's life. These are all subjective views written at a specific moment in time. Take it with a grain of salt. Or at least recognize that it's only one small piece of a person's entire life.

Searching the 1940 U.S. Census - Who Has What

Lots has been happening since the 1940 U.S. Census went live yesterday morning. As most of you know, it's not indexed yet so you have to search by location. The good news is that the census is free to search

And there have been problems. NARA's site went down within the first few hours of use. Over 22 million hits in 3 hours tends to do that to servers! They've now had over 37 million hits since 9:00 a.m. yesterday. Wow.

Other sites uploading the census images also had problems which they are working to correct. But let's talk about what sites have census images online.

NARA has all states uploaded and they also have an E.D. finder to help you narrow your search. If you use Steve Morse's One Step Unified 1940 Census ED Finder you will be provided with an automatic link to the correct images on NARA. I've been using Steve's site and so far have only had to search through less than 30 images in each group.

Ancestry.com has this chart online which is updated frequently

State	Image Status
Alabama	Coming Soon!*
Alaska
American Samoa	Completed 4/2/2012
Arizona
Arkansas
California	In Process*
Colorado	Coming Soon!*
Connecticut
Delaware	Completed 4/2/2012
District of Columbia	Completed 4/2/2012
Florida
Georgia	Coming Soon!*
Guam	Completed 4/2/2012
Hawaii
Idaho
Illinois
Indiana	Completed 4/2/2012
Iowa
Kansas	Coming Soon!*
Kentucky	Coming Soon!*
Louisiana
Maine	Completed 4/2/2012
Maryland
Massachusetts
Michigan
Minnesota
Mississippi
Missouri
Montana
Nebraska	Coming Soon!*
Nevada	Completed 4/2/2012
New Hampshire
New Jersey
New Mexico
New York	In Process*
North Carolina	Coming Soon!*
North Dakota
Ohio	In Process*
Oklahoma
Oregon	Coming Soon!*
Panama Canal Zone	Completed 4/2/2012
Pennsylvania	In Process*
Puerto Rico
Rhode Island	Completed 4/2/2012
South Carolina
South Dakota
Tennessee	In Process*
Texas	In Process*
Utah
Vermont	Coming Soon!*
Virgin Islands	Completed 4/2/2012
Virginia	In Process*
Washington	In Process*
West Virginia
Wisconsin
Wyoming

*Imaging status was updated at 9:20 am MDT, 03 Apr 2012

FamilySearch.org  had the following states online as of 2 p.m. EDT: Alabama | Colorado | Delaware | Florida | Kansas | Oregon | Virginia

MyHeritage has images and their blog states that the following States are ready for searching: California, Illinois, Massachusetts, Maine, Michigan, New Jersey, New York, Nevada, Pennsylvania, Texas, Virginia, Missouri Wyoming and Rhode Island.

It's Here! The 1940 U.S. Census Arrives. And it's FREE

The following announcement was sent to Olive Tree Genealogy from Ancestry.com

The National Archives and Records Administration will open the 1940 U.S. Federal Census on April 2, 2012—the first time this collection will be made available to the public. Once we receive the census, Ancestry.com will begin uploading census images to our site so the public can browse them.  (Update from Lorine: Several states and their images are already online this morning)

 Initially, this collection will be what we call a browse-only collection. This means a person can scroll through the pages of the census districts much like you would look at a microfilm or a book. At the same time, we will be working behind the scenes to create an index of the census that will eventually allow people to search for their family members by name as they currently can with all other censuses on Ancestry.com.

Note also that the 1940 U.S. Federal Census will be accessible free of charge throughout 2012 on Ancestry.com.

By the way, two key questions people have are how long will the upload process take? and when will my state be ready. Unfortunately, until we start the process we have no idea exactly how long it will be before all images or a specific state will be uploaded.

We like to use this analogy: think about how long it takes to upload all of the images on a memory card onto a home computer. Now imagine that memory card holds 3.8 million, very-high-definition images. You get the picture.

Finding Your Roots - Every Sunday

PBS has a new genealogy series called Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates Jr. The series runs on Sundays, March 25 – May 20 at 8/7c  

Finding Your Roots examines the histories and family genealogies of a number of well-known personalities.  I wish I could watch it!


I have a personal request to make. If anyone is on Shaw Direct in Ontario, and knows what package is needed to get this PBS series, please let me know.

Understanding Patronymics in the New World

DUTCH PATRONYMICS OF THE 1600s

by Lorine McGinnis Schulze 


 Author Note: A longer version of this article was originally published on my website at http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/nn/pat.shtml


The Dutch were much slower than the English in adopting surnames as we know them. The most common Dutch naming custom was that of patronymics, or identification of an individual based on the father's name.

For example, Jan Albertszen is named after his father, Albert.   His patronymic Albertszen is formed from his father's first name. Albertszen means son of a man named Albert. The patronymic was formed by adding -se, -sen, or -szen. 

Daughters would very often have the ending -x or -dr. added. For example, Geesjie Barentsdr. (Barentsdochter) is named after her father Barent.

An individual could also be known by his place of origin. For example, Cornelis Antoniszen Van Slyke, my 9th great- grandfather, was known in some records as 'van Breuckelen', meaning 'from Breuckelen' (Breuckelen being a town in the Netherlands).   
 

The place-origin name could be a nationality, as in the case of Albert Andriessen from Norway and my 9th great-grandpa, originator of the Bradt and Vanderzee families - he is entered in many records as Albert Andriessen de Noorman, meaning the Norseman.

In New Netherland (present day New York state) patronymics ended theoretically in 1687 under the new English rule. The English found the Dutch system of patronymics confusing and ordered that every family choose a surname, but not everyone followed the new guidelines. The English wanted one family to have one common surname, but the Dutch decided that each individual should establish his own. Thus members of one family often ended up with more than one surname in use.

We often see naming differences over the generations: Albert's sons and daughters took the surname BRADT except for his son Storm, born on the Atlantic Ocean during the family's sailing to the New World. Storm adopted the surname Van Der Zee (from the sea) and this is the name his descendants carry. 

An individual might be known by a personal characteristic: e.g. Vrooman means a pious or wise man;Krom means bent or crippled; De Witt means the white one. The most fascinating one I've seen is that of Pieter Adrianszen (Peter, s/o Adrian) who was given the nickname of Soo Gemackelyck (so easy-going) but was also known as Pieter Van Waggelen/Van Woggelum - his children adopted the surnames Mackelyck and Woglom. 

Sometimes an occupation became the surname. Smit=Smith; Schenck= cupbearer, Metsalaer= mason. An individual might be known by many different 'surnames' and entered in official records under these different names, making research difficult unless you're aware of the names in use. For example, my ancestor Cornelis Antoniszen Van Slyke mentioned above, was known and written of under the following names:

• Cornelis Antoniszen
• Cornelis Teuniszen (Teunis being the diminuitive of Antony)
• Cornelis Antoniszen/Teuniszen van Breuckelen
• Cornelis Antoniszen/Teuniszen Van Slicht (this is how he signed his name and might have been a hereditary family name based on an old place of origin)
• Broer Cornelis (name given him by Mohawks)

Remember that there were tremendous variations in spelling of these names, and changes from Dutch to to English record keeping in the New World affected the spelling even more. If you are searching for an ancestor in early New Netherland you will need to keep this in mind and note variations carefully for they can be clues to further research.

Who Do You Think You Are? With Rita Wilson

Season 3 of Who Do You Think You Are? sponsored by Ancestry.com take you all over the world and inside the fascinating family histories of 12 celebrities.

On Friday March 30th we can all join Rita Wilson as she goes on her journey of discovery.   Rita's search into her father's past uncovers a secret life she never knew existed.

The celebrities that WDYTYA will take on a journey to find their ancestors are Martin Sheen, Marisa Tomei, Blair Underwood, Reba McEntire, Rob Lowe, Helen Hunt, Rita Wilson, Edie Falco, Rashida Jones, Jerome Bettis, Jason Sudeikis and Paula Deen.

Searching for an Ancestor's Siblings - How to Start

Greg sent an email to Olive Tree Genealogy asking for advice on finding his great-great-great grandfather's siblings. Because it's a genealogy question that many of us might face, I thought I'd share my suggestions with readers. Here is Greg's email and a scan he provided of their names and birth details from an old book.

My 3rd great grandfather William Johnson (16 Jun 1823 Holme On Spalding Moor, Yorkshire, England - 10 Oct 1905 Huron, Ontario, Canada) and his spouse Charlotte Colton (16 Feb 1822 [Bardney Lincolnshire?] England - 4 Oct 1888 Huron, Ontario, Canada) immigrated to Canada from Yorkshire, England about 1850.  By the census in 1861 and for the rest of their lives, they lived and farmed in or around Morris or East Wawanosh, Huron county, Ontario.

Among my grandmother Olive's family history records is the back cover of a leather-bound volume on which is recorded the birth dates of William and his 13 siblings.  (If only I were able to "Ask Olive!")  The ex-volume is probably from the mid-19th century.  I base this on the stamp "Watkins Binder" on the cover itself.  Watkins was a bindery in London from the late 18th century to at least 1850.

Family groups often migrate together.  Based on that, my question is this:  Might have any of William's siblings also immigrated to Canada and can they be traced through government or church records?

The first part of this question is fairly easy - the short answer is "Yes" William's siblings could have stayed in England or emigrated to another country. Canada and Australia were often favourite locations for English emigrants.

As for finding William's siblings, I wouldn't advise you start on a random hunt in Canadian records. That would be hit and miss and you're working with some fairly common names.

My advice is to follow the standard genealogy method which is to start with an individual and trace that person. Usually you are searching backwards, finding ancestors of an individual. In your case you want to research forward.

What I mean by this is, you would take each of William's siblings in turn and track their lives in England. Find them in every census year you can. Look for deaths and marriages. Basically you are trying to prove or disprove that they lived and died in England.

So if you are searching them in census and they disappear and you can't find a death record, there's a possibility that they left the country. You might then have a hunt in ships passenger lists for a record of travel.

There is another challenge with a ships passenger lists search. Ships passenger lists arriving in Canada did not have to be kept until 1865.  For help and links to online projects of Ships Passenger Lists before 1865 you may want to refer to Filling in The Gaps.

Other countries like Australia had other regulations and you would have to investigate to find out what ships passenger lists exist and where they can be found.

Another more obscure search would be in local newspapers in England. Let's say for example that a sibling or two disappear from English census records after 1851.  If you could find a local newspaper for the area you might find reference to a family group leaving the community to settle elsewhere. That's a long shot but it is another avenue of research.

The bottom line is that you have a lot of slogging and digging into records ahead of you but it should be a very interesting journey!

The Overlooked Abstract Indexes to Deeds - a Useful Genealogy Research Tool

Please note that the following article was written by me (Lorine McGinnis Schulze) and published on my Olive Tree Genealogy website several years ago


Land records are very useful. Originally all land in Ontario belonged to the Crown. Although there were small areas of settlement in 1763 after the British took over, major settlement of Upper Canada began in 1783 and utilized Crown Grants. Many early settlers, both military and civilian, submitted land petitions to the Governor in order to obtain Crown land.
 
Abstract Indexes to Deeds
The Abstract Indexes to Deeds are the indexed record of every transaction on a plot of land from Crown ownership to the present day. Abstract Indexes were created 1865-1866 according to new legislation and were retroactive to the patent on a property, meaning they went back to when the land was first owned by the Crown before it was sold or granted to individuals.

Using the Abstract Indexes to Deeds you can check for every instance of your name of interest on that parcel of land. By referring to the date and Instrument Number found with each transaction, you can look up the complete record. You may find a will (Many wills are filed in the Land Records Offices) or other important genealogical information or document.

See the example and explanation of the Abstract Indexes to Deeds for Concession 4, Lot 12, Puslinch Township, Wellington County Ontario. You may click on image for a larger graphic.

Looking at the second from the bottom entry dated 1904 you can see a list of the children of Frederick Broeckel and a notation that he is deceased. If you did not know when Frederick Broeckel died, or the names of his children, this would be a very nice genealogy find. 

After you have found that enty in the Abstract Index to Deeds, you can order the full record to see what other genealogy details might be found. Simply refer to the Book Number, Instrument Number and date to order the full record.

 In this case it is Book I16, Instrument #8243, 1 May 1904. Notice that there is an earlier entry dated 13 Jan. 1903 for Frederick Broeckel and it is called Probate to Will. Sending for the full record would no doubt include Frederick's will.

Where to Find Abstract Indexes to Deeds

Please refer to http://www.olivetreegenealogy.com/can/ont/abstract-indexes.shtml for a complete list of where you can obtain these Abstract Indexes to Deeds

 

Cemetery Walk Through St. Mary's Cemetery in Bluffton Alberta

Burial Record Page

Today's Cemetery Walk is St. Mary's Cemetery in Bluffton Alberta. It is online on Olive Tree Genealogy YouTube Channel

You can also see more cemetery photos online at AncestorsAtRest.com

You may also view scans of the Burial Records from this cemetery

A Lot of Chatter About Helen Hunt Episode on Who Do You Think You Are?

Season 3 of Who Do You Think You Are? sponsored by Ancestry.com aired an Episode last night featuring Helen Hunt on her journey of discovery.  

There's been a lot of chatter on Facebook and Twitter about this episode and in general the reaction is pretty negative. It seems many viewers didn't feel engaged by Helen's ancestors or by Helen.

Most comments that I read last night focused on Helen's lack of emotion, on her seemingly cool reaction to seeing photographs of her ancestors, and on the fact that she didn't gush or seem excited about the finds.

Remember Sarah Jessica Parker? Talk about gushing! Watching that episode I quickly grew weary of her constant "Wow" and other expressions of amazement. Thank you Helen Hunt for not subjecting me to that again!

I do admit that Helen's episode was not my favourite but not because of Helen's reserve. For me it was because I didn't get a good sense of her ancestors and I felt the show rather quickly glossed over each one and moved on to the next.

But Helen's reserve is not something any of us should judge with criticism. I got the impression that she was very pleased at what was found. She mentioned her daughter several times and how she wanted to share the stories with her in order to help her daughter grow and become aware of the foundations of their family.

Helen was alert and focused on what each researcher told her. She asked appropriate questions which indicated she was listening and interested.  My perception was that Ms. Hunt is a very reserved woman who does not like to show emotion in public. Why would we judge her for that? 

Just sayin'.......