Free e-book for Father's Day! Help Dad Preserve His Stories

Why not gift your dad this free e-book for Father's Day? Ask him to follow the prompts and jot down his own memories of his childhood.

Writing Your Memoirs For Descendants: Prompts for Recording & Preserving Your Family Stories and Memories is free today only 

Choose either on Amazon.com at Writing Your Memoirs For Descendants: Prompts for Recording & Preserving Your Family Stories and Memories

or on Amazon.ca at Writing Your Memoirs For Descendants Prompts for Recording & Preserving Your Family Stories and Memories



Anybody can read Kindle books even without a Kindle device with the free Kindle app for smartphones, tablets, and computers.

Featured Database: Ticehurst House Hospital Insane Asylum Records

The archives of the Ticehurst House Hospital, which are part of the Wellcome collection, have been preserved and its records from 1787 to 1925 have now been digitized and put online. These records provide a glimpse into life in an Insane Asylum.

Ticehurst House Hospital was opened as a private lunatic asylum at Ticehurst, East Sussex, in 1792. At first the hospital admitted a number of pauper patients as well as its more numerous private clients. However no pauper patients were admitted after 1838, and the clientèle became increasingly upper class as the century progressed. 

In the 19th century and earlier, people were often committed to Insane Asylums by a family member who had grown tired of them. Aging parents could be sent away by resentful adult children; wives discarded by a husband who wanted a change, a well-off auntie whose scheming nephew wanted money - these were often patients.

The horror stories abound. Treatment was often cruel and neglectful. Little was understood about true mental illness so even those truly suffering from some type of illness were not helped by the treatments of the time.

Male doctors were in charge and women suffered terribly in this male dominated world. Patients could be chained to the walls, they could be dipped in icy water. Straightjackets and solitary confinement were commonplace for those who could not or would not keep quiet.

My Experiences in a Lunatic Asylum written by Herman Charles Merivale and published in 1879 was written by a former inmate of an Insane Asylum. It is free to read on Project Gutenberg.

Digging up Bodies of Those Buried in Bedlam

The Bedlam mental health hospital was established in 1247. A burial site, called Bethlehem and the New Churchyard, was opened after graveyards around London started to overflow.

The poor from London and inmates from the asylum were buried there and recent excavations have uncovered bits and pieces of skeletal remains. Over 20,000 bodies are estimated to be buried. 

There are many amazing photographs and more details at
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-3094990/What-did-die-Grim-job-continues-excavate-bodies-20-000-corpses-buried-Bedlam-uncovered-Crossrail-work.html#ixzz3dWBw4zjf

Twists and Turns Can Lead to Great Genealogy Surprises

 Unraveling Samuel Butler & Anna Jane Maria Peer

1861 Census Samuel Butler

“Sadie Butler Pue's Marriage Certificate lists her mother as Anna Jane Peer, Carolyn Hubbard (granddaughter) speaks of her grandmother as Jane Peer but Sadie Pue's death certificate lists her mother as Jean Duff” [source: http://person.ancestry.com/tree/35937585/person/18920073378/facts]

Those simple words caused what I call the light bulb effect in my head. A quiet “Bingo!” escaped my lips. I was positive I now had the answer to what has long been an extremely convoluted genealogy puzzle.

As any genealogist knows, a new clue can spark great excitement. I could hardly wait to open my genealogy program and check my notes for the woman I now believed was Sadie Butler’s mother. If I was correct, the woman found in the 1861 and 1871 census for Nassagewaya Township, Halton County Ontario as wife to Samuel Butler and mother to six children, was the daughter of my great-great-grand uncle Alphaeus Peer. Since we believe that this Samuel Butler may be the missing brother of my husband’s 3rd great-grandfather, that would link our two families together. 

The Butler children were:

Angeline Butler 
Henrietta A. Butler
Caroline Helen aka Carrie Lena Butler
Elizabeth Victoria aka Sadie Butler
Samuel F. Butler
Margaret Ellen Butler 

I knew who Jean (aka Jane) Duff was! Anna Jane/Maria Peer born circa 1833, daughter of Alpheaus Peer and Mary Young, had been a challenge to find in my original research of the Peer family of Nassagewaya. Anna was born in Stratford Ontario according to a Chatham Kent County marriage record dated November 1881. 49 year old Anna was listed as the Mrs. Jane Baker and her father’s name was given as Alphaeus Peer. Her spouse was Robert Duff.

I had previously found another marriage record for Anna in November 1911 to Robert McDonald. Here she was recorded as Anna Jane Duff age 57 with parents Alphaeus Peer and Mary Young. Her residence was Bothwell Ontario.

I’d never found a marriage to this mysterious “Mr. Baker” nor found them on any pre-1881 census record. But I did find Anna Jane in 1881 with her husband Robert Duff. There were several children listed with them, all born before 1881 and all with the surname Duff so I’d assumed that they were all children of Robert by his first marriage. But I was wrong.

A check of my genealogy program showed that in the 1881 census Anna Jane was recorded as Anna Jane M. Duff with these children in the family:

Angeline Duff,  Caroline Duff, Elizabeth V. Duff, Jennie Duff, Christina Duff ,  Robert A W Duff, Richard Christofer Duff. Those first three names were Anna’s Butler children using their step-father’s surname! The last four would be children by Robert Duff’s previous marriage. That explained Sadie Butler’s death certificate statement that her mother was Jane Duff.

There is a great deal more to this story of Samuel Butler and Anna Jane Maria Peer (and many more sources found to substantiate my findings) and I am still searching and putting more pieces of the genealogy puzzle together.Thanks to a tiny clue found in an online tree, I was able to take a huge step.

Find Your Ancestor in Ships Passenger Lists or Naturalization Records

Visitors to my website Olive Tree Genealogy often ask me for a list of all the free ships passenger lists I have published online. Since my site is quite large and can take time to navigate to find the records, here is the list of free passenger lists and naturalization records on my site. I hope this will help those looking for an ancestor!

 Missing Friends The Missing Friends Project is abstracting the names of those who immigrated from UK to America or Canada and who were inquired about by family in various 19th Century newspapers.
 Passenger Books of J & J Cooke, Shipping Agents sailings from Londonderry Ireland to Quebec, St. John New Brunswick, New Orleans Louisiana and Pennsylvania from 1847 to 1871
 Pennsylvania Baggage Lists 1809
 New York Almshouse Records 1819 to 1840 contain the names of the ship each person sailed on, plus dates of arrival. Includes arrivals in Canadian ports
  Emigrants from England in New York City Almshouse 1818-1830 - 254 names of English immigrants to Canada & USA including the name of the ship they sailed on.
 New York Almshouse Records 1855 to 1858 contain the name of the ship and the arrival date and port for each person.
 List of those who died while in Staten Island Quarantine May 1849 - Dec. 1850
 Names of Emigrants from 1845-1847 from the Records of James Allison, Emigrant Agent at Montreal Quebec Canada
 Return of Emigrants Landed at the Port of Kingston Ontario, Canada (1861-1882)
 Peter Robinson Settlers sailing 1823 & 1825 Ireland to Canada
 English to America 1617-1778 Child Apprentices in America from Christ's Hospital, London England
 English Immigrants to USA 1773-1776
 Poor Irish to England Includes Ports of Departure & Arrival plus number of years in England or Scotland. Over 1,600 names
 Irish Emigration Lists, 1833-1839 Lists of Emigrants Extracted from the Ordnance Survey Memoirs from Counties Londonderry and Antrim
 Passenger Lists from the New York Times (Arrivals & Departures)1851-1929
 New Netherland Ships Passenger Lists Project Lists of those sailing from The Netherlands to New Netherland (now New York) 1654-1664 came from the West India Company Account Book and consist only of names of those who owed for their passage. There is no published record of those who paid for passage before leaving. Olive Tree Genealogy has reconstructed several passenger lists for these ships using other primary sources.

Naturalization & Citizenship Records

 Naturalization Records Naturalization Records in the USA & Canada. Includes searchable Naturalization Records, Declarations of Intent, Certificates of Citizenship
 USA Passport Applications
 USA Alien Registrations
 USA Oaths of Allegiance
 USA Voters Registrations
 Canadian Passport Records

Fully Dressed 350 Year Old Body found in France

Screenshot from The Guardian

The body of Louise de Quengo, a widow who died in 1656, was found fully dressed along with the preserved heart of her dead husband. The City of Rennes France was her final resting place.

She "was dressed in simple religious vestments: a cape, chasuble, a brown habit in coarse wool, a plain linen shirt, woollen leg warmers, and leather shoes with cork soles. A devotional scapular was wrapped around her right arm and her hands were joined and holding a crucifix. Her face was covered with a shroud, two bonnets and a hood." [Source: The Guardian]

Four other lead coffins dating from the 17th century were also found at the site of the Saint-Joseph chapel, as well as 800 other graves containing skeletons.

Continue reading The Guardian's story: Fully dressed and preserved 350-year-old corpse of French noblewoman found

Finding an Ancestor in WW1 RAF Service Records Online

The Royal Air Force (RAF) was the world's first independent military air arm and by the end of the First World War it had become the largest.

Now you can search and download First World War service records of RAF officers. This database is of interest to Canadians whose ancestor may have enlisted in WW1 as a pilot. Canada did not have its own Air Force and any individual wishing to join the Air Force had to join the RAF. 

Approximately one-quarter of the aircrew in British Royal Air Force (RAF) squadrons were Canadian. A large RAF training establishment operated in Canada to produce new aircrew.

The collection contains records for over 99,000 individuals and is searchable by first name, last name and date of birth.

Searching the indexes is free but to obtain full details a small fee is charged by the National Archives UK. I tried this database with a generic search for my PEER ancestors. Because I search for all PEER individuals in North America, it's always of interest to me to see if one of them can be found in any new database online.

My search gave me two results for PEER. In order to view the scans of their service records I saw that it would cost me 3.50L for each man (that converts to $11.00 Canadian) The website stated each man's records consisted of 3 pages. I added both to my Shopping Cart and then made the purchase. This is what I love about ordering from the National Archives UK website - after entering my Credit Card details, I was given an immediate link to download the service records. The link is good for 28 days.

As is common with Military Service Records you never know what you're going to get. Some are full of information, others are not.

The Service Record I downloaded for Walter James Peer gave his name, date of birth, next-of-kin in Canada, address in Canada and place of employment. There wasn't much recorded in the section for his whereabouts throughout the War.


The second record for Harold Emerson Peer had a full page of entries for his movements throughout his time in the RAF but no date of birth, no next of kin and no location in Canada. For me that $11.00 was well worth it as I pursue my genealogy with the goal of obtaining as much detail as possible about every individual in my database.

One caveat - when the National Archives UK website states there are x number of pages in a set of records, be aware that the first page is a Title Page with no information on the person involved.

Nursing Sister Phillips WW1 Album: 13 V Landscaping

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" in the vertical menu bar on the right side of your screen. You can also click on that phrase at the bottom of this post.

Father's Day Sale on AncestryDNA Kits!

Great news! AncestryDNA is now on sale on Ancestry.com, so grab a kit or two while this deal is in effect.

I've tested my DNA and my brother's and my son's and have had amazing results. I've found new cousins and revealed family secrets. I've added DNA evidence to the paper trail to my Native American lineage.

It's a win-win situation with this special deal good until June 21st. 

 

100 Year Old Hidden Blackboard Drawings Discovered

This is a fascinating glimpse into school blackboard writings from 100 years ago.

Read more at Haunting chalkboard drawings, frozen in time for 100 years, discovered in Oklahoma school

Ancestry DNA Now Available in Canada!

Two pieces of great news! AncestryDNA is now on sale on Ancestry.com, so grab your kit while this deal is in effect.

Second piece of good news is that AncestryDNA is now available in Canada. At last, we Canadians can buy a DNA kit and discover new cousins. 

I've tested with other DNA companies and have had amazing results. I've found new cousins and revealed family secrets. I've added DNA evidence to the paper trail to my Native American lineage.

The more companies you test with, the better, and now I can test with AncestryDNA. 

Introducing Jennifer Holik, Guest Genealogist

Today's interview is with Jennifer Holik of Woodridge, Illinois. I first "met" Jennifer on Facebook and have been continually impressed with her passion for telling the stories of WW2 military personnel.  I'll let Jennifer fill you in on what else she does, and why.

1.    How and when did you become involved in the field of genealogy?
I began research about 20 years ago when I was completing some history courses for my degree. We had a project for class and once I spoke to some family members and heard some stories……I was hooked.

2.    What is your main genealogical focus?
My business focuses on several things. Primarily – World War II US research. I speak a lot on this topic and just published WWII Research books for all branches to teach people how to conduct research. Nothing like this has ever been done.

My World War II work revolves around writing stories of soldiers so they and their service are remembered. I write guides and books on conducting research and writing the stories. I am on the staff of the World War II History Network (http://wwiihistorynetwork.com) where I join in discussions on WWII topics and genealogy. My lectures focus on how to conduct research and write the stories.

The other part of my business focuses on genealogy. I have a lot of Chicago Italian clients so specialize in that and kids genealogy. I also published books for kids to learn how to do genealogical research.

3.     What are your website(s) and blogs? 
Website: http://jenniferholik.com
Blog: http://blog.generationsbiz.com

4.    Do you have a Social Media presence? 
Twitter @Jennifer_Holik
FaceBook Jennifer Holik-Author https://www.facebook.com/jenniferholikauthor
LinkedIn http://linkedin.com/in/jenholik/en
Pinterest https://www.pinterest.com/jencoffeelover/

5.    Do you believe a Social Media presence is important?
Yes. I am active primarily on Facebook and LinkedIn, sometimes Twitter and Pinterest. I join genealogy and WWII groups to discuss research and help others with their questions.

6.    Are you a member of any genealogical societies or organizations?
APG
Military Writers Society of America
Chicago Writers Association
World War II History Network
Pritzker Military Museum and Library

7.    What does genealogy mean to you? Why do you believe it is important?

I believe genealogy is important because we can learn from the past to create a better present and future. Look at the lives of our ancestors and see how they lived, mistakes they made, lessons they learned and passed down. What can we learn from that? I think this especially important where military service is part of the family story. It seems history continues to repeat itself where war is concerned and we never learn our lessons. Examining our soldiers and their stories related to the war in which they fought – what do the soldiers have to teach us?

8.    Do you have a prediction or hope for the field of genealogy in the future?

I hope the genealogy field becomes more open to allowing more education and inclusion of teachers of topics collaterally related to genealogical research. Look at the military history, social history, economic history, and even the psychological history of the times. Let’s go outside the genealogy box of names, dates, and places, and explore the real lives and lessons of our ancestors.

Access Canadian WW2 Military Service Files in a Few Easy Steps

Uncle Clare

A few months ago I sent for the military records of my father's brother, Clarence E. McGinnis. I knew Uncle Clare had been in WW2 as I have several photos of him in uniform. But I never knew where he served, what unit he was in, or what he did during the War.
World War 2 Canadian records are restricted. But they can be accessed and they can include documentation about enlistment, discharge, military units served with, and may also include other documents concerning medical history, medals awarded, personal evaluation reports and dental charts.

Library and Archives Canada holds military service files for those who served after 1918. Their website explanation of who can access what files and how to obtain them is a bit confusing, so I'll share  with you what I did. It was simple.

I wrote a one page letter requesting the complete military service files for [individual's name] who was born [individual's full birth date or estimated year] in [name of city/town plus county and province in Ontario] to parents [names of father and mother].

I included my uncle's death date and a photograph of his tombstone as proof of death. Interestingly enough they actually returned the photo to me!

That was it. I mailed the letter and photo to

ATIP and Personnel Records Division
Library and Archives Canada
395 Wellington Street
Ottawa, ON  K1A 0N4

You can also fax your request to them at this number: 613-947-8456

Your request can be written as a letter or you can print off a blank copy of the Application for Military Service Information form [PDF 663 KB] also available in Rich Text Format [RTF 44,516 KB], which should be filled in, signed and sent by mail or fax.

Huge envelope arrives

After a wait of about 5 months a very large package arrived with Uncle Clare's complete military file. I estimate there are about 80 or more pages.  The wait was not unexpected as it is made clear on the Library & Archives Canada website that they are backlogged and requests can take up to 6 months to fill.
There was a lot of interesting information in the military file for Uncle Clare - such as details of his work history prior to enlisting. It include what he was paid! I wish my dad's files had been as complete.

Lots of pages to read!

I am really pleased to have some more details to add to my knowledge of my uncle. I knew him quite well but he never spoke of his military service or his early years. I suppose I was too young for him to think I'd be interested.
Plus he was quite old-fashioned regarding males vs females and since I was a female he'd be less likely to talk to me about what he would consider "man stuff"  
But I'm really enjoying reading through his files to find out where he went during the war (to England and France) and what he saw and did during that difficult time.
For more information on finding ancestors who were in the Canadian Military during other years you might want to check out The Canadian Military Project

For WW1 personnel files you will be able to view these online very soon. Library and Archives Canada is busy scanning and uploading the full files to the online CEF Searchable database. There are currently 190,000 digitized and freely available.

Nursing Sister Phillips WW1 Album: 9 V Postcard front

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" in the vertical menu bar on the right side of your screen. You can also click on that phrase at the bottom of this post.

What Would You Do With a Haunted House?

What would you do with a haunted house? There's one for sale in New York if you are brave enough.  This Queen Anne-style mansion in Camden New York has an asking price of just $105,000.

I actually lived in a house that appeared to be haunted. There were many unexplained events during the few years we lived there. Was it a ghost? I don't know. Do I believe in ghosts? I believe in what I heard and saw but whether that was a ghostly apparition I cannot say. 

Here's a few of the things we experienced in that house:

My 3 year old son complained that a man often came into his bedroom and talked to him about his own son. We smelled cigarette smoke frequently in one upstairs room but no one in our house smoked.  We heard footsteps on the stairs at odd hours. Furniture was rearranged when we were out of the house. Windows suddenly flew open (not shut but open). 

A phone call to the woman who owned the house before us revealed that she too had experienced the same odd (and sometimes frightening) things in the house. 

During a seance at our home, we learned that our "ghost" had the initials S.C. and that he had lived there in the early 1900s. Further real life investigation revealed a previous owner of the home was one Samuel Corley and that he owned the house circa 1910. Was this our ghost?

Eventually we sold this house and the new owner also had these experiences.  She  converted the house to a Bread and Breakfast and one bedroom (originally my young son's) was featured as the room that was haunted. Guests paid extra to sleep in that room - talk about turning a disadvantage into a great business opportunity!

Ghosts? Or a phenomenon that can be explained scientifically? I don't have the answer.

Credit: Google Street View Image of the Haunted House

How to Get Past Your Brick Wall with Legacy Tree

Recently I used Legacy Tree's research services. I was very impressed! The researcher assigned to my query was very speedy with her response and very professional. She showed a thorough understanding of what I knew and what I wanted to find out.

Within the week I received a detailed report which contained new information on my ancestor. The report also provided me with recommendations of more research that could be conducted. 

My particular search is in Germany which is an area of research unfamiliar to me and where I do not have access to the records. I will definitely use their services again to pursue this ancestor. If you're stuck on a brick wall ancestor you may want to give Legacy Tree a try!  Learn more

Wallet with ID from 1956 Found in Ceiling of Home

K. P. wrote this note

"While taking down the ceiling in our house, C. found a wallet full of treasures. Anyone know a William Mollon, born June 19th, 1933, from Sydney, Nova Scotia? He took the train from Sydney to Port Credit in June of 1956."

Can anyone help K.P. find William or his descendants?

Medieval Burials and Facial Reconstructions

I love history and archaeology. Eerie reconstructions show faces and diets of medieval men and women in Edinburgh graveyard is a fascinating glimpse into 3 individuals buried in medieval times. One man, one woman and a teenage boy have been reconstructed and images of their faces are online. 

Mind you, I doubt these people looked so clean and fresh-complexioned in real life! I also suspect their hair would have been much more unkempt, longer and quite dirty.