Anyone searching for ancestors in Carleton Ontario may want to see the new transcription just put online at OliveTreeGenealogy.com
It is the 1828 Nominal Return of Militia - Men of the First Carleton Regiment between the ages of 19 & 39 - a list of 502 names
Details include ages, place of residence and former service
It is easiest to get to it from February's list of free transcriptions and uploads
Enjoy and please feel free to pass this information on to others who might be interested
Updates about Olive Tree Genealogy website and other FREE genealogy records. Bringing you tutorials, genealogy book and app reviews, genealogy news, genealogy specials and more. Helping you find your family tree and ancestors.
February 20, 2008
February 17, 2008
Age of Consent vs Age of Majority Explained
author J. Brian Gilchrist,
gilchrists@idirect.com
Published with permission of author
There is confusion over two totally distinct terms: "age of consent" is not the same as "age of majority" (often known as "full age"). These terms are also affected by different types of laws: Canon Law, Common Law, Civil Law and Criminal Law (noting that the last three are now very much connected and often thought of in the public mindset as one, though still distinct).
Some of my comments below also do not necessarily apply to the United States of America following the War for Independence - although the section of Wills does.
When you reached the "age of majority" this would be when the person become of "full age" to own or lease land, sign contracts, etc.
Under English Common Law, the age of consent to marry was 14 for males and 12 for females - but this required permission from an individual of authority (parental consent is usually thought of as being required but that is not the case, for if it was withheld or unavailable - there were other options).
Under English Civil Law, the age of majority is usually considered to be 21 for males, and 18 for females.
Exception: unless the person was married previous to those ages. Example, in England, after 1754, if either the bride and or groom had been married as teenagers (with consent? remembering they could also have eloped to a big city and lied about ages and even their names to hide the event) and was soon widowed (by child birth, a farming / labour accident, disease, military action - or whatever) the surviving partner could be listed as "full age" (or "widowed") when they marry again.
Yet another aspect which is a subject unto itself, is that in England the age of consent for (heterosexual) sex was raised to 13 (from 12!) in 1875, and to 16 in 1885. This was due to the Victorian changes in the Criminal laws regarding operating a brothel, seduction, abduction and the changing rape and carnal knowledge laws, etc.
As to inheritances left in a Will, people were absolutely free to make their own "rules" regarding who should and could inherit, one major example being the difference between "fee entail" (aka "fee tail") and "fee simple". Fee tail can also be further subdivided into "fee tail male" and "fee tail female". This is another topic, and further whether any stipulation made in a Will or Codicil was legal or not, that too is also another topic.
However the Rules of Court at the time and place where the Will was being settled had to be followed.
An example of an estate situation could be where single uncle Angus Macdonald "entailed" his estate to his namesake nephew Angus Sheepway (son of his sister) so long as Sheepway changes his name to "Macdonald" when he "comes of full age", etc.
It was, and is not, illegal to use any name so long as it not for fraudulent purposes, and gaining an inheritance by changing one's name was not only legal, it happened more than we think. It is difficult to prove until one becomes involved in "whole family" genealogy and a general study of all the families of the area where your ancestors lived.
Another aspect of the age of "consent" and the "age of majority" can also be applied to being "indentured" and or "apprenticed" - again this is another subject. For example, Benjamin Franklin was apprenticed (with the consent of his father) to Ben's brother - James Franklin - at the age of 12.
So try to remember what my friend, Donald J. Steel, the eminent English genealogist and family historian and myself have been teaching for years - the term "Environmental Genealogy" - place your ancestor in the context of the location, the time period and the society in which they lived in - not ours.
It is often difficult of younger people of today to comprehend but may I remind everyone that it has been less than 80 years since "The Famous Five" did their thing in Canada in 1929 to help make women "people". Try and read about "The Peoples Case" of 1929.
So in summary - there are indeed differences to the terminology "age of consent", "age of majority" and "full age" in different places, in different times, for different reasons.
gilchrists@idirect.com
Published with permission of author
There is confusion over two totally distinct terms: "age of consent" is not the same as "age of majority" (often known as "full age"). These terms are also affected by different types of laws: Canon Law, Common Law, Civil Law and Criminal Law (noting that the last three are now very much connected and often thought of in the public mindset as one, though still distinct).
Some of my comments below also do not necessarily apply to the United States of America following the War for Independence - although the section of Wills does.
When you reached the "age of majority" this would be when the person become of "full age" to own or lease land, sign contracts, etc.
Under English Common Law, the age of consent to marry was 14 for males and 12 for females - but this required permission from an individual of authority (parental consent is usually thought of as being required but that is not the case, for if it was withheld or unavailable - there were other options).
Under English Civil Law, the age of majority is usually considered to be 21 for males, and 18 for females.
Exception: unless the person was married previous to those ages. Example, in England, after 1754, if either the bride and or groom had been married as teenagers (with consent? remembering they could also have eloped to a big city and lied about ages and even their names to hide the event) and was soon widowed (by child birth, a farming / labour accident, disease, military action - or whatever) the surviving partner could be listed as "full age" (or "widowed") when they marry again.
Yet another aspect which is a subject unto itself, is that in England the age of consent for (heterosexual) sex was raised to 13 (from 12!) in 1875, and to 16 in 1885. This was due to the Victorian changes in the Criminal laws regarding operating a brothel, seduction, abduction and the changing rape and carnal knowledge laws, etc.
As to inheritances left in a Will, people were absolutely free to make their own "rules" regarding who should and could inherit, one major example being the difference between "fee entail" (aka "fee tail") and "fee simple". Fee tail can also be further subdivided into "fee tail male" and "fee tail female". This is another topic, and further whether any stipulation made in a Will or Codicil was legal or not, that too is also another topic.
However the Rules of Court at the time and place where the Will was being settled had to be followed.
An example of an estate situation could be where single uncle Angus Macdonald "entailed" his estate to his namesake nephew Angus Sheepway (son of his sister) so long as Sheepway changes his name to "Macdonald" when he "comes of full age", etc.
It was, and is not, illegal to use any name so long as it not for fraudulent purposes, and gaining an inheritance by changing one's name was not only legal, it happened more than we think. It is difficult to prove until one becomes involved in "whole family" genealogy and a general study of all the families of the area where your ancestors lived.
Another aspect of the age of "consent" and the "age of majority" can also be applied to being "indentured" and or "apprenticed" - again this is another subject. For example, Benjamin Franklin was apprenticed (with the consent of his father) to Ben's brother - James Franklin - at the age of 12.
So try to remember what my friend, Donald J. Steel, the eminent English genealogist and family historian and myself have been teaching for years - the term "Environmental Genealogy" - place your ancestor in the context of the location, the time period and the society in which they lived in - not ours.
It is often difficult of younger people of today to comprehend but may I remind everyone that it has been less than 80 years since "The Famous Five" did their thing in Canada in 1929 to help make women "people". Try and read about "The Peoples Case" of 1929.
So in summary - there are indeed differences to the terminology "age of consent", "age of majority" and "full age" in different places, in different times, for different reasons.
February 16, 2008
PEER Genealogy Puzzler for February
This ia Genealogy Puzzle for February. I'm hopeful a reader can point me in the right direction to find answers to any of my unknowns below, OR knows of a researcher for hire.
Here are the facts around the puzzle:
* circa 1817/1818 Edward PEER and family (wife Anna) settled in Northeast Twp Erie Co. Pennsylvania.
Edward and son John are found in 1820 census for Northeast (1820 Census for NorthEast Twp. Erie Co. PA lists Edward PIER and John PIER)
* Levi Peer born circa 1760 in New Jersey, settled across the border in Ripley, Chautauga Co NY circa 1817/1818. Sometime between 1825 and 1830, Levi PEER sold his New York land and settled with Edward Peer in Erie Pennsylvania.
Levi and family - wife Elizabeth and children - are found in the 1830 census for Northeast PA. This Levi Peer is NOT the Levi Peer (Pier) born 1754 who married Ann Dewey and settled in Busti New York
* In August 1831 Levi and family bought land in Illinois and prepared to settle there. Levi Sr. died before the family arrived in Illinois, perhaps before they left.
What I am looking for is:
1. Will for Edward PEER (Pier, Pear) who is buried in Philips Cemetery, Northeast Twp with a death date of 9 Nov.1834. His wife Sarah died 16 march 1833 and is buried in the same cemetery.
Edward's known children were John L. Peer b ca 1792 Canada; Mercy aka Phoebe Peer b ca 1800 Ontario married Mr. Averill (Stephen?) in Northeast PA date uknown and Lewis A. Peer b 1802 Ontario married Charlotte unk. in Northeast PA. Lewis is buried in Philips cemetery, death date 8 Nov. 1891
2. Will and/or grave record for Levi PEER (Pier, Pear) who died circa 1831, perhaps August in Northeast PA. Levi was married to Elizabeth. His known children (Levi, William,Abraham, Rachel, Hiram and Eliza Jane) all left PA for IL in 1831 along with their mother. It is assumed that Levi died in Northeast PA shortly before they left.
3. Land Records for both Levi and Edward. (or other Peer individuals) in Northeast PA. I have one land record, (but I'm sure there are more as both men owned extensive land holdings everywhere they lived) for 28 April 1825. It is an Indenture between Edward Peer and Sarah, his wife of the town of Northeast, Erie Co. PA, and Elizabeth Peer, wife of Levi Peer, town of Ripley, Chautauqua Co. NY, parties of the first part, and James McClung of the second part. The parties of the first part sell for 1400.00 50 acres of land in the town of Ripley - Township #3, 15th Range.
4. Tax or Assessment records for 1817-1834
So, that is my February challenge. Can anyone offer ideas, suggestions or even answers to this PEER puzzle?
Here are the facts around the puzzle:
* circa 1817/1818 Edward PEER and family (wife Anna) settled in Northeast Twp Erie Co. Pennsylvania.
Edward and son John are found in 1820 census for Northeast (1820 Census for NorthEast Twp. Erie Co. PA lists Edward PIER and John PIER)
* Levi Peer born circa 1760 in New Jersey, settled across the border in Ripley, Chautauga Co NY circa 1817/1818. Sometime between 1825 and 1830, Levi PEER sold his New York land and settled with Edward Peer in Erie Pennsylvania.
Levi and family - wife Elizabeth and children - are found in the 1830 census for Northeast PA. This Levi Peer is NOT the Levi Peer (Pier) born 1754 who married Ann Dewey and settled in Busti New York
* In August 1831 Levi and family bought land in Illinois and prepared to settle there. Levi Sr. died before the family arrived in Illinois, perhaps before they left.
What I am looking for is:
1. Will for Edward PEER (Pier, Pear) who is buried in Philips Cemetery, Northeast Twp with a death date of 9 Nov.1834. His wife Sarah died 16 march 1833 and is buried in the same cemetery.
Edward's known children were John L. Peer b ca 1792 Canada; Mercy aka Phoebe Peer b ca 1800 Ontario married Mr. Averill (Stephen?) in Northeast PA date uknown and Lewis A. Peer b 1802 Ontario married Charlotte unk. in Northeast PA. Lewis is buried in Philips cemetery, death date 8 Nov. 1891
2. Will and/or grave record for Levi PEER (Pier, Pear) who died circa 1831, perhaps August in Northeast PA. Levi was married to Elizabeth. His known children (Levi, William,Abraham, Rachel, Hiram and Eliza Jane) all left PA for IL in 1831 along with their mother. It is assumed that Levi died in Northeast PA shortly before they left.
3. Land Records for both Levi and Edward. (or other Peer individuals) in Northeast PA. I have one land record, (but I'm sure there are more as both men owned extensive land holdings everywhere they lived) for 28 April 1825. It is an Indenture between Edward Peer and Sarah, his wife of the town of Northeast, Erie Co. PA, and Elizabeth Peer, wife of Levi Peer, town of Ripley, Chautauqua Co. NY, parties of the first part, and James McClung of the second part. The parties of the first part sell for 1400.00 50 acres of land in the town of Ripley - Township #3, 15th Range.
4. Tax or Assessment records for 1817-1834
So, that is my February challenge. Can anyone offer ideas, suggestions or even answers to this PEER puzzle?
February 12, 2008
Palatines to America National Conference in June 2008
Palatines to America German Genealogy Society National Conference
Sponsored by the Ohio Chapter June 19 - 21, 2008
Ramada Plaza Hotel & Conference Center Columbus, Ohio
"Tune Up Your German Speaking Research"
MARION WOLFERT: A professional genealogist and German specialist with the Family History Library in Salt Lake City Ms Wolfert will give 3 presentations: the keynote address "How Do I Interest My Grandchildren in Genealogy?," "Records in the Various Provinces and Regions of Germany," and "Border Changes in Germany."
MARALYN WELLAUER: A well-known genealogist specializing in Swiss research, Ms Wellauer will have returned from a research trip to Switzerland just prior to the conference. She will give 2 presentations: "Sources and Strategies for Successful Pre-19th century Swiss Genealogical Research," and "18th and 19th Century Swiss Emigrants and the Records They Left Behind."
MELDON WOLFGANG: A noted genealogy speaker and owner of Jonathan Sheppard Books Mr. Wolfgang will talk about "When to Hire a Professional," "Tracking Cultures Lost in Translation: German and German-Americans in the 19th and early 20th Century," and "Newspaper Research Tips for the Family Historian."
ROBERTA ESTES: A scientist knowledgeable on DNA and how it relates to genealogy Ms. Estes will present "DNA, Genealogy and You: An Introduction" and "Using DNA to Breakdown Brick Walls."
KEN SMITH: An author of numerous German genealogy books and teacher of German script Mr. Smith will discuss "Reading German Church Records" and "Confirming your Ancestors Place of Origin."
ANN MILLER SCOTT: The librarian at the Palatines to America National Library will speak on "German Ancestral Research and the Pal Am Library."
BARBARA NUEHRING: A speaker new to Pal Am Conferences Ms. Nuehring will present interesting information on the importance of "Timelines."
For Registration Information go the Pal Am home page and click on 2008 National Conference Information, or write to Palatines to America, 611 E. Weber Rd., Columbus, OH 43211
Click for a handout that you can print and post
View Palatine Genealogy information and history
Sponsored by the Ohio Chapter June 19 - 21, 2008
Ramada Plaza Hotel & Conference Center Columbus, Ohio
"Tune Up Your German Speaking Research"
MARION WOLFERT: A professional genealogist and German specialist with the Family History Library in Salt Lake City Ms Wolfert will give 3 presentations: the keynote address "How Do I Interest My Grandchildren in Genealogy?," "Records in the Various Provinces and Regions of Germany," and "Border Changes in Germany."
MARALYN WELLAUER: A well-known genealogist specializing in Swiss research, Ms Wellauer will have returned from a research trip to Switzerland just prior to the conference. She will give 2 presentations: "Sources and Strategies for Successful Pre-19th century Swiss Genealogical Research," and "18th and 19th Century Swiss Emigrants and the Records They Left Behind."
MELDON WOLFGANG: A noted genealogy speaker and owner of Jonathan Sheppard Books Mr. Wolfgang will talk about "When to Hire a Professional," "Tracking Cultures Lost in Translation: German and German-Americans in the 19th and early 20th Century," and "Newspaper Research Tips for the Family Historian."
ROBERTA ESTES: A scientist knowledgeable on DNA and how it relates to genealogy Ms. Estes will present "DNA, Genealogy and You: An Introduction" and "Using DNA to Breakdown Brick Walls."
KEN SMITH: An author of numerous German genealogy books and teacher of German script Mr. Smith will discuss "Reading German Church Records" and "Confirming your Ancestors Place of Origin."
ANN MILLER SCOTT: The librarian at the Palatines to America National Library will speak on "German Ancestral Research and the Pal Am Library."
BARBARA NUEHRING: A speaker new to Pal Am Conferences Ms. Nuehring will present interesting information on the importance of "Timelines."
For Registration Information go the Pal Am home page and click on 2008 National Conference Information, or write to Palatines to America, 611 E. Weber Rd., Columbus, OH 43211
Click for a handout that you can print and post
View Palatine Genealogy information and history
February 8, 2008
Serendipity in Genealogy
Last week I decided to play around with FamilySearch and their new Labs, in particular Record Search.
It's easy and free to register, so after filling out the form, I logged in and began my search. I was not looking for anything or anyone specifically, I simply wanted to try it out.
Imagine my surprise when typing in my family surname (McGINNIS) from Ontario, up popped a 1920s death record in Ohio.
A closer look revealed it was my great-grandfather's brother, an individual in my McGinnis Family Tree I'd lost after the 1881 census, and a man I'd almost given up hope of ever finding! I had no idea he'd gone to Ohio, in fact family lore swore he had left Guelph Ontario for Hamilton Ontario. I'd searched Ontario for him without success.
And now, here he was dying in Ohio. His wife's name and her residence were given on the dath record. A note stated the body was being sent to Ontario for burial. With those clues I was able to find his wife and their children and a whole new branch of research has opened for me.
Serendipity at its best. So don't overlook taking the time to play with new genealogy records you find online. It can pay off!
It's easy and free to register, so after filling out the form, I logged in and began my search. I was not looking for anything or anyone specifically, I simply wanted to try it out.
Imagine my surprise when typing in my family surname (McGINNIS) from Ontario, up popped a 1920s death record in Ohio.
A closer look revealed it was my great-grandfather's brother, an individual in my McGinnis Family Tree I'd lost after the 1881 census, and a man I'd almost given up hope of ever finding! I had no idea he'd gone to Ohio, in fact family lore swore he had left Guelph Ontario for Hamilton Ontario. I'd searched Ontario for him without success.
And now, here he was dying in Ohio. His wife's name and her residence were given on the dath record. A note stated the body was being sent to Ontario for burial. With those clues I was able to find his wife and their children and a whole new branch of research has opened for me.
Serendipity at its best. So don't overlook taking the time to play with new genealogy records you find online. It can pay off!
February 6, 2008
What is a Loyalist?
In Upper Canada (now the province of Ontario, individuals had to qualify as Loyalists. They had to be recognized by the Government as Loyalists. If recognized, they and their descendants are entitled to use the designation UE (Unity of Empire) after their names.
If the courts did not approve their claim, or did not agree that the person met the qualifications, then they are not Loyalists
I have Loyalist ancestors who were approved. I have ancestors from New Jersey who remained loyal to England and left New Jersey for Ontario but who were NOT approved. They are not qualified Loyalists.
So while an ancestor might be loyal to the British Crown, they might not meet all the criteria and hence not be Loyalists.
The criteria basically for qualification was three-fold:
* a person had to reside in the American Colonies before the war with Britain
* had to join the British Forces in some capacity before 1783
* had to experience some loss of property, life or goods.
So in the case of my loyal, but non-Loyalist ancestors, because no one took up arms (i.e., joined the British forces) they did not qualify as Loyalists.
Being a Loyalist gave many rights to an individual, including free grants of Crown land and being exempt from administration fees for land processes.
There is no one list of approved Loyalists! Finding a Loyalist ancestor means looking in many different sources, including the following
CLRI (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants from sales of Crown Land, from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants. Also includes Loyalist grants (as UEL, DUE and SUE)
UCLP are the actual Petitions for land which were submitted in Upper Canada . They frequently contain
information about the petitioner and his or her family. Loyalists and discharged soldiers often mentioned the regiment in which they served. A land grant will provide you with the information as to under what conditions the land was granted. This will confirm Loyalist status if qualified.
If the courts did not approve their claim, or did not agree that the person met the qualifications, then they are not Loyalists
I have Loyalist ancestors who were approved. I have ancestors from New Jersey who remained loyal to England and left New Jersey for Ontario but who were NOT approved. They are not qualified Loyalists.
So while an ancestor might be loyal to the British Crown, they might not meet all the criteria and hence not be Loyalists.
The criteria basically for qualification was three-fold:
* a person had to reside in the American Colonies before the war with Britain
* had to join the British Forces in some capacity before 1783
* had to experience some loss of property, life or goods.
So in the case of my loyal, but non-Loyalist ancestors, because no one took up arms (i.e., joined the British forces) they did not qualify as Loyalists.
Being a Loyalist gave many rights to an individual, including free grants of Crown land and being exempt from administration fees for land processes.
There is no one list of approved Loyalists! Finding a Loyalist ancestor means looking in many different sources, including the following
CLRI (aka Ontario Land Record Index) summarizes land grants from sales of Crown Land, from Canada Company sales or leases and from Peter Robinson settlers' grants. Also includes Loyalist grants (as UEL, DUE and SUE)
UCLP are the actual Petitions for land which were submitted in Upper Canada . They frequently contain
information about the petitioner and his or her family. Loyalists and discharged soldiers often mentioned the regiment in which they served. A land grant will provide you with the information as to under what conditions the land was granted. This will confirm Loyalist status if qualified.
January 16, 2008
Finding Ancestors on Ships Passenger Lists
Many genealogists have trouble finding their ancestor's records. The internet is a vast complex of websites and it can be confusing and difficult to narrow down your search for your family tree.
Since I spend a lot of time on various Rootsweb.com mailing lists trying to help researchers with their genealogy queries, I thought it might be helpful to post some of the Questions and my Answers here on OliveTreeGenealogy Blog.
The answers here have been edited for this Blog
Q:
> Grandfather, _name removed_, born in Bavaria
> has stated he came to America on October 15, 1880. leaving
> from Havre on the ship Wieland.
>
> I have been unable to find his name on any Ship Lists for
> that period. Nor have I been able to locate a ship list
> for the Wieland for any time in 1880 or 1881.
>
A:
I don't know where you looked as you didn't tell us. It's helpful to give a brief list of sources you have checked. This helps others to guide you or do lookups on your behalf. You gave us a lot of good information but if you would like to learn more on writing queries on mailing lists
please see Good Query, Bad Query
Searching Ancestry.com
I found the ship WIELAND sailing into New York on several voyages in 1880. Some of the dates were 19 March, 15 Sept,4 Aug, 29 Jan, 15 June, etc.
Don't be misled by the date of immigration given by your grandfather. (Oct 15/80) You must allow a year or even two, on either side of the given year, as immigration and naturalization years are very often mis-remembered.
A search just of the ship name and the immigration year given (no passenger name) brings up 4,842 hits on ancestry.com
Many have NOTHING for the name, meaning it could not be read on the film. However you may be able to see the names, you will have to look at the original images either on microfilm or online
Many have only a first name. Or initials. It seems these particular ships lists were difficult for the indexers to read.
You could also narrow the hits down by using your grandfather's dob and place of origin. Don't overlook wildcards if using search engines.
For more help with ships to New York in the time period you need see Ships To New York 1875 - 1899
Since I spend a lot of time on various Rootsweb.com mailing lists trying to help researchers with their genealogy queries, I thought it might be helpful to post some of the Questions and my Answers here on OliveTreeGenealogy Blog.
The answers here have been edited for this Blog
Q:
> Grandfather, _name removed_, born in Bavaria
> has stated he came to America on October 15, 1880. leaving
> from Havre on the ship Wieland.
>
> I have been unable to find his name on any Ship Lists for
> that period. Nor have I been able to locate a ship list
> for the Wieland for any time in 1880 or 1881.
>
A:
I don't know where you looked as you didn't tell us. It's helpful to give a brief list of sources you have checked. This helps others to guide you or do lookups on your behalf. You gave us a lot of good information but if you would like to learn more on writing queries on mailing lists
Searching Ancestry.com
Don't be misled by the date of immigration given by your grandfather. (Oct 15/80) You must allow a year or even two, on either side of the given year, as immigration and naturalization years are very often mis-remembered.
A search just of the ship name and the immigration year given (no passenger name) brings up 4,842 hits on ancestry.com
Many have NOTHING for the name, meaning it could not be read on the film. However you may be able to see the names, you will have to look at the original images either on microfilm or online
Many have only a first name. Or initials. It seems these particular ships lists were difficult for the indexers to read.
You could also narrow the hits down by using your grandfather's dob and place of origin. Don't overlook wildcards if using search engines.
For more help with ships to New York in the time period you need see Ships To New York 1875 - 1899
December 12, 2007
World War II Photos & Documents online
Footnote.com launches the largest collection of World War II photos on the web
-Tens of thousands of photos and documents are made available for the first time on the web for historians, genealogists and the general public-
Lindon, UT - December 6, 2007 – Footnote.com today announced the addition of thousands of US Air Force photos to their digital World War II collection. This release coincides with the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, and contains tens of thousands of original World War II photos and documents from the National Archives. Among this collection are missing air crew reports, documents from allied military conferences and photos of Japanese air targets.
“They say that a picture is worth a thousand words,” says Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “What’s exciting about this collection of photos is they also include captions that tell stories of the people and events in the photos.”
Footnote.com has added these new pictures and documents as part of a much larger, ongoing effort to preserve the heroic memories and stories of the brave men and women that served in World War II and other wars.
“We are providing priceless content from our archives and libraries that is only a part of a much larger picture,” continued Wilding, “While this is an extensive collection of history, we understand that many people out there have valuable pieces of history in their personal record collections within their own homes. We encourage everyone to upload their own photos, letters and documents contained in their old shoeboxes.”
Footnote.com is leading the movement to preserve the documents and stories about World War II and invites everyone to join in this effort. Uploading photos and documents and creating memorial pages is completely free on Footnote.com. To view samples of these photos and other World War II documents, visit Footnote.com
-Tens of thousands of photos and documents are made available for the first time on the web for historians, genealogists and the general public-
Lindon, UT - December 6, 2007 – Footnote.com today announced the addition of thousands of US Air Force photos to their digital World War II collection. This release coincides with the anniversary of the Pearl Harbor bombing, and contains tens of thousands of original World War II photos and documents from the National Archives. Among this collection are missing air crew reports, documents from allied military conferences and photos of Japanese air targets.
“They say that a picture is worth a thousand words,” says Russell Wilding, CEO of Footnote.com. “What’s exciting about this collection of photos is they also include captions that tell stories of the people and events in the photos.”
Footnote.com has added these new pictures and documents as part of a much larger, ongoing effort to preserve the heroic memories and stories of the brave men and women that served in World War II and other wars.
“We are providing priceless content from our archives and libraries that is only a part of a much larger picture,” continued Wilding, “While this is an extensive collection of history, we understand that many people out there have valuable pieces of history in their personal record collections within their own homes. We encourage everyone to upload their own photos, letters and documents contained in their old shoeboxes.”
Footnote.com is leading the movement to preserve the documents and stories about World War II and invites everyone to join in this effort. Uploading photos and documents and creating memorial pages is completely free on Footnote.com. To view samples of these photos and other World War II documents, visit Footnote.com
December 5, 2007
More great Christmas Gift Ideas!
Readers have been suggesting other Christmas gift ideas to me and I like them! Here's a few I think are real winners:
Buy a subscription to Footnote.com for that special someone. Includes NARA records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War Records, Naturalization and much much more
Wallet Pix Digital Photo Album
Kodak Easyshare SV-710 7-Inch Digital Picture Frame
Digital Photo Frame Keychain
Buy a subscription to Footnote.com for that special someone. Includes NARA records, Civil War records, Revolutionary War Records, Naturalization and much much more
Wallet Pix Digital Photo Album
Kodak Easyshare SV-710 7-Inch Digital Picture Frame
Digital Photo Frame Keychain
December 4, 2007
Digitization of Irish 1901 and 1911 census records
The censuses of Ireland of 1901 and 1911, which are in the custody of the National Archives of Ireland, represent an extremely valuable part of the Irish national heritage, and a resource for genealogists, local historians and other scholars which has not as yet been developed to its fullest potential.
The digitisation of the equivalent records for England, Wales and Scotland has proved hugely popular with users, as has the digitisation of Canadian and United States census records.
The National Archives of Ireland has established a research partnership with Library and Archives Canada to facilitate digitisation, indexing and contextualisation of Irish 1901 and 1911 census records. .
LAC will digitize the 1901 and 1911 census records and two indexes will be created, linked to the digital images: a topographical index based on townland/street within District Electoral Division, and a nominal index to every individual listed in both censuses.
The total number of nominal entries will be approximately 9 million.
Digitisation, indexing and e-linking for both censuses is expected to be complete by mid-2009. [Source: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/about/index.html]
Dublin Census is now online for 1911 and is freely searchable.
For help with other census for USA, Canada and United Kingdom see AllCensusRecords.com
The digitisation of the equivalent records for England, Wales and Scotland has proved hugely popular with users, as has the digitisation of Canadian and United States census records.
The National Archives of Ireland has established a research partnership with Library and Archives Canada to facilitate digitisation, indexing and contextualisation of Irish 1901 and 1911 census records. .
LAC will digitize the 1901 and 1911 census records and two indexes will be created, linked to the digital images: a topographical index based on townland/street within District Electoral Division, and a nominal index to every individual listed in both censuses.
The total number of nominal entries will be approximately 9 million.
Digitisation, indexing and e-linking for both censuses is expected to be complete by mid-2009. [Source: http://www.census.nationalarchives.ie/about/index.html]
Dublin Census is now online for 1911 and is freely searchable.
For help with other census for USA, Canada and United Kingdom see AllCensusRecords.com
November 29, 2007
Genealogy Christmas Idea
My husband and I were trying to figure out what to give his elderly grandmother for Christmas. It occurred to us that she might love seeing the old family photos. So hubby scanned them and we transferred them to a digital photo frame
If you haven't seen those, check them out. You can get one that takes your camera memory stick or one that allows you to transfer photos using a flash drive
There are even some that allow you to upload photos to a website, then the frame automatically dials in nightly using a phone line to download new photos that you have put there.
We chose the simpler and less pricey frame, simply because it has fewer buttons and gadgets. We didn't want Gramma to be confused by any technology. With this one we leave our camera memory stick in, and the frame rotates through the photos. We'll be able to switch out memory sticks by sending a new one which can be switched for the first one. Then the first one can be sent back to us for new photos. That way she will have new photos every so often.
It's also a great way to preserve your family photos from the 1800s or early 1900s if you have any. We're even thinking about scanning some of the documents we have found in our research and adding those to the photo display.
If you haven't seen those, check them out. You can get one that takes your camera memory stick or one that allows you to transfer photos using a flash drive
There are even some that allow you to upload photos to a website, then the frame automatically dials in nightly using a phone line to download new photos that you have put there.
We chose the simpler and less pricey frame, simply because it has fewer buttons and gadgets. We didn't want Gramma to be confused by any technology. With this one we leave our camera memory stick in, and the frame rotates through the photos. We'll be able to switch out memory sticks by sending a new one which can be switched for the first one. Then the first one can be sent back to us for new photos. That way she will have new photos every so often.
It's also a great way to preserve your family photos from the 1800s or early 1900s if you have any. We're even thinking about scanning some of the documents we have found in our research and adding those to the photo display.
November 13, 2007
Military Naturalization Records - Finding a Soldier Ancestor
An 1862 law allowed honorably discharged Army veterans of any war to petition for naturalization, without having filed a declaration of intent, after only 1 year of residence in the United States. Variations of this special treatment continued throughout the years.
The wording of the 1862 Act stated that any alien, age 21 or up "...who has enlisted, or may enlist in the armies of the United States...."
It was designed to encourage enlistment during the Civil War. Aliens serving in the US military did not gain citizenship through service alone.
The naturalization of soldiers was performed under certain provisions of nationality law facilitating the naturalization of members of the US armed forces. These provisions waived the Declaration of Intention requirement and waived or reduced the residency requirement. Many soldiers filed petitions and were naturalized the same day.
See SPECIAL CASES: Military for more details
Instead of naturalization "first papers", some courts filed military discharges. Sometimes you will have to consult separate military indexes but you should start looking in the usual places first. Military naturalizations were included in the WPA Project indexes (You can read about the WPA Project and naturalization indexes, and view an online one for all of Arkansas for 1809-1906
If the naturalization took place in a Federal court, naturalization indexes, declarations of intent, and petitions will usually be in the NARA regional facility serving the State in which the Federal court is located. Some of these indexes and records have been microfilmed.
Naturalization records from county courts may be at the county court, in a county or State archives, or at a regional archives serving several counties within a State.
Some county court naturalization records have been donated to the National Archives and are available as National Archives microfilm publications. These are listed under the state in which they occurred, at NaturalizationRecords.com
Scroll down to the state list at the bottom of the page.
November 3, 2007
What Genealogy Records Does Footnote Have?
After my announcement yesterday about the special 20% off discount for visitors who go to Footnote.com from OliveTreeGenealogy.com, readers wrote with questions. I goofed in assuming that readers would know exactly what Footnote has!
Footnote has NARA documents that no other site has online. Footnote has Civil War Records including Confederate Soldiers. They have Navy Widows Certificates. They have so much I can't list all the databases here but to start, on Footnote you can search
« Naturalization Documents &
Naturalization Indexes
« Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
« War of 1812
« Newspapers & Town Records
« Civil War Documents
Another thing I really like about Footnote.com is their Spotlights section. Spotlights are an easy way for visitors to highlight interesting images that you find on Footnote and share them with other people. I see that subscribers to Footnote are starting to Spotlight their own ancestors' records that they find. That's an intriguing way to use the Spotlight feature.
You can also add a Story Page where you become and author, and tell the rest of us something about a topic you find interesting. Free Masonry, Naturalization, Immigration Records, you name it, you can create a Story Page for it.
I hope this helps answer the questions I had about Footnote but there is lots more to discover on the site than what I've listed here
Footnote has NARA documents that no other site has online. Footnote has Civil War Records including Confederate Soldiers. They have Navy Widows Certificates. They have so much I can't list all the databases here but to start, on Footnote you can search
« Naturalization Documents &
Naturalization Indexes
« Revolutionary War Rolls, 1775-1783
« War of 1812
« Newspapers & Town Records
« Civil War Documents
Another thing I really like about Footnote.com is their Spotlights section. Spotlights are an easy way for visitors to highlight interesting images that you find on Footnote and share them with other people. I see that subscribers to Footnote are starting to Spotlight their own ancestors' records that they find. That's an intriguing way to use the Spotlight feature.
You can also add a Story Page where you become and author, and tell the rest of us something about a topic you find interesting. Free Masonry, Naturalization, Immigration Records, you name it, you can create a Story Page for it.
I hope this helps answer the questions I had about Footnote but there is lots more to discover on the site than what I've listed here
November 2, 2007
20% off on Footnote.com!
Most of you know how much I like the website Footnote.com. It has NARA records that no one else has, plus much much more.
OliveTreeGenealogy.com has been given the okay to offer its visitors Footnote memberships for 20% off for a limited time! I've got links up for this special deal so if you are interested,now's the time to jump in and search for ancestors.
This offer is exclusive to Olive Tree Genealogy and one other site only. You can enjoy what Footnote has to offer by clicking on the banner for the special price at Genealogy Specials
OliveTreeGenealogy.com has been given the okay to offer its visitors Footnote memberships for 20% off for a limited time! I've got links up for this special deal so if you are interested,now's the time to jump in and search for ancestors.
This offer is exclusive to Olive Tree Genealogy and one other site only. You can enjoy what Footnote has to offer by clicking on the banner for the special price at Genealogy Specials
October 29, 2007
Primary Records are NOT always Accurate
We all want our genealogy to be accurate.
We search and search for that primary record, the one that we've been told is "THE" record to find -- a death certificate, a church baptismal record, marriage record....
But - beware! Not all primary records are accurate. As good genealogists we must consider that there can be errors. The informant (person giving the information) may not know the answers and may thus provide incorrect details. The clerk recording the information may not hear the response correctly and may enter it incorrectly. The person giving the information may lie, especially about their age.
In my own family tree, my great-grandmother's official government death registration is incorrect. Her parents' names are wrong. Since I already knew who her parents were (Isaac Vollick & Lydia Jamieson) from other genealogy sources, I was completely bewildered at first by seeing her parents given as Stephen Vollick and Mary.
Then it dawned on me - Stephen was my great grandmother's husband's first name (Stephen Peer). Mary was my great grandmother's own name. (Mary Vollick)
So I looked at the informant's name. AHA! The informant was Mary's 17 year old son. Her husband having died long before Mary, and her older children married and gone, the task of answering the official questions fell to her 17 year old son who had cared for her in her final days.
It is easy to see how the young boy, when asked by a government clerk "Father's name?" (meaning father of the deceased), would have replied "Stephen", for in fact Stephen WAS his own father's name.
The question "Mother's name?" referring to the mother of the deceased, would be answered by the boy "Mary" which was HIS mother's name.
And thus the official death registration for parents of Mary (Peer) Vollick daughter of Isaac and Lydia Vollick, is forever rendered as Stephen and Mary Vollick.
So be cautious when you encounter a primary source that simply doesn't match other reliable sources. Investigate! Think! Don't just accept the new "facts" without further legwork to prove or disprove them.
We search and search for that primary record, the one that we've been told is "THE" record to find -- a death certificate, a church baptismal record, marriage record....
But - beware! Not all primary records are accurate. As good genealogists we must consider that there can be errors. The informant (person giving the information) may not know the answers and may thus provide incorrect details. The clerk recording the information may not hear the response correctly and may enter it incorrectly. The person giving the information may lie, especially about their age.
In my own family tree, my great-grandmother's official government death registration is incorrect. Her parents' names are wrong. Since I already knew who her parents were (Isaac Vollick & Lydia Jamieson) from other genealogy sources, I was completely bewildered at first by seeing her parents given as Stephen Vollick and Mary.
Then it dawned on me - Stephen was my great grandmother's husband's first name (Stephen Peer). Mary was my great grandmother's own name. (Mary Vollick)
So I looked at the informant's name. AHA! The informant was Mary's 17 year old son. Her husband having died long before Mary, and her older children married and gone, the task of answering the official questions fell to her 17 year old son who had cared for her in her final days.
It is easy to see how the young boy, when asked by a government clerk "Father's name?" (meaning father of the deceased), would have replied "Stephen", for in fact Stephen WAS his own father's name.
The question "Mother's name?" referring to the mother of the deceased, would be answered by the boy "Mary" which was HIS mother's name.
And thus the official death registration for parents of Mary (Peer) Vollick daughter of Isaac and Lydia Vollick, is forever rendered as Stephen and Mary Vollick.
So be cautious when you encounter a primary source that simply doesn't match other reliable sources. Investigate! Think! Don't just accept the new "facts" without further legwork to prove or disprove them.
October 28, 2007
Searching Siblings in Family Tree Research
Why search siblings? You're only interested in YOUR ancestor, right? WRONG!
Researching and tracking siblings, finding their marriages, children, deaths etc can provide you with answers to questions about your own ancestor.
Let's assume you have not been able to find your great great grandfather's mother's surname before marriage. You know her first name is Mary but that's it. You find great great grandpa's death record and view it in anticipation. But sadly the informant (great great grandpa's second wife) didn't provide a surname for her mother-in-law.
You can't find great great grandpa's marriage record so no help there. But - what about a sibling? Hunt for great great grandpa's youngest sister's marriage record. Look for one of his brothers' death records. Don't overlook turning any stone available to you in your hunt for your own ancestor - remember your ancestor and his siblings shared the same parents, and those parents are your next generation back.
Researching and tracking siblings, finding their marriages, children, deaths etc can provide you with answers to questions about your own ancestor.
Let's assume you have not been able to find your great great grandfather's mother's surname before marriage. You know her first name is Mary but that's it. You find great great grandpa's death record and view it in anticipation. But sadly the informant (great great grandpa's second wife) didn't provide a surname for her mother-in-law.
You can't find great great grandpa's marriage record so no help there. But - what about a sibling? Hunt for great great grandpa's youngest sister's marriage record. Look for one of his brothers' death records. Don't overlook turning any stone available to you in your hunt for your own ancestor - remember your ancestor and his siblings shared the same parents, and those parents are your next generation back.
October 27, 2007
Why Review Old Genealogy Research?
I've been working hard lately on a McGinnis Family book. McGinnis is my maiden name and for more than 30 years I've researched the 7 sons of the immigrant McGinnis line I am interested in. I've followed the sons (and one daughter) down through the generations, tracking their children and grandchildren. All in hopes of finding out where in Ireland my great-great-grandfather was born.
This past month I've been busy entering data I had found and filed away in my overflowing McGinnis filing drawer. Yes that's right - an entire drawer is devoted to this family. I could have sworn I had covered all my bases, found every scrap of evidence there was to be found on each of those 7 sons. Census? Done. I'd sent for death records, church records, looked for obituaries, and thought about where else I might find a record of an origin in Ireland.
But as I looked over my old research (which I hadn't really looked at in almost 10 years) something jumped out at me - several years ago I had found the names of 3 of the sons in Michigan Naturalization records indexes. But I had never sent for the full record! What an oversight - although the records are not apt to provide an exact location of birth, there is a small chance they might give a county in Ireland. We don't even know that much so anything would be a bonus.
I also realized I hadn't put a few clues together - that one of the grand-daughters of the original immigrant had been living (at the age of 6) with an unknown couple and a teenage girl in 1851 Waterloo County Ontario. Re-reading the teenager's surname I saw that it was the same as the granddaughter's mother (Cokely) - and the teen was likely granddaughter's aunt. A great clue that I had not seen first time around because I had not known her mother's surname at the time. This little clue led me to research the couple the granddaughter was living with and sure enough the wife was another aunt.
Reviewing my old material gave me fresh insight into the family and another path to follow. Now I am working on a chart to show where every son (and the daughter) lived at every land record, census record and assessment record I have already found. Hopefully that chart when complete will give me better insight into the family's movements and migration patterns. This in turn might help me find my missing great-great grandpa after 1871.
This past month I've been busy entering data I had found and filed away in my overflowing McGinnis filing drawer. Yes that's right - an entire drawer is devoted to this family. I could have sworn I had covered all my bases, found every scrap of evidence there was to be found on each of those 7 sons. Census? Done. I'd sent for death records, church records, looked for obituaries, and thought about where else I might find a record of an origin in Ireland.
But as I looked over my old research (which I hadn't really looked at in almost 10 years) something jumped out at me - several years ago I had found the names of 3 of the sons in Michigan Naturalization records indexes. But I had never sent for the full record! What an oversight - although the records are not apt to provide an exact location of birth, there is a small chance they might give a county in Ireland. We don't even know that much so anything would be a bonus.
I also realized I hadn't put a few clues together - that one of the grand-daughters of the original immigrant had been living (at the age of 6) with an unknown couple and a teenage girl in 1851 Waterloo County Ontario. Re-reading the teenager's surname I saw that it was the same as the granddaughter's mother (Cokely) - and the teen was likely granddaughter's aunt. A great clue that I had not seen first time around because I had not known her mother's surname at the time. This little clue led me to research the couple the granddaughter was living with and sure enough the wife was another aunt.
Reviewing my old material gave me fresh insight into the family and another path to follow. Now I am working on a chart to show where every son (and the daughter) lived at every land record, census record and assessment record I have already found. Hopefully that chart when complete will give me better insight into the family's movements and migration patterns. This in turn might help me find my missing great-great grandpa after 1871.
October 26, 2007
Taking the plunge with Scanfest
What's Scanfest? It's something I stumbled on last month, created by Miriam Midkiff of AnceStories: The Stories of My Ancestors (and other blogs and websites).
Miriam organized a group of people (genealogists, family historians, archivists etc) to join her every month in scanning their family research or other important documents. That's right - everyone gets together in virtual space and scans for a few hours once a month while chatting online.
What a great way to pass the time while scanning - a task that I always put off as long as possible. With Miriam's group you get a chance to organize and preserve your documents while meeting and chatting with others who quite likely share your interests. It sounded like a terrific idea so I contacted Miriam and said I'd like to join in.
The next Scanfest will be held Sunday, October 28th from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. In the wake of the terrible fires recently, it seems a good time to take stock of genealogy research and get those all-important documents scanned and preserved, make duplicate copies and store them safely away from home - just in case.
I'll let you know how I made out and how many documents I managed to get scanned after Sunday's meeting. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting some work done at the same time.
Miriam organized a group of people (genealogists, family historians, archivists etc) to join her every month in scanning their family research or other important documents. That's right - everyone gets together in virtual space and scans for a few hours once a month while chatting online.
What a great way to pass the time while scanning - a task that I always put off as long as possible. With Miriam's group you get a chance to organize and preserve your documents while meeting and chatting with others who quite likely share your interests. It sounded like a terrific idea so I contacted Miriam and said I'd like to join in.
The next Scanfest will be held Sunday, October 28th from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM, Pacific Daylight Time. In the wake of the terrible fires recently, it seems a good time to take stock of genealogy research and get those all-important documents scanned and preserved, make duplicate copies and store them safely away from home - just in case.
I'll let you know how I made out and how many documents I managed to get scanned after Sunday's meeting. I'm looking forward to meeting new people and getting some work done at the same time.
October 16, 2007
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) NEW Search Tools
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) today [Oct 15] announced three new online products to assist genealogists and family historians to access information on their ancestors in both LAC and other Canadian collections.
Chief among these is the newly redesigned Canadian Genealogy Centre website. The website makes available Canadian collections of immigration, military, public service, land and census records and provides advice and guidance to researchers. It was voted one of the world's 100-best genealogy websites by Family Tree magazine.
Two new powerful search tools are now available on the Canadian Genealogy Centre website:
Ancestors Search, developed by LAC, combines 18 genealogical databases into one search
That's My Family, developed by Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec, in partnership with LAC and supported by the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists of Canada.
The latter search tool accesses various federal, provincial and territorial genealogy and family history databases.
Chief among these is the newly redesigned Canadian Genealogy Centre website. The website makes available Canadian collections of immigration, military, public service, land and census records and provides advice and guidance to researchers. It was voted one of the world's 100-best genealogy websites by Family Tree magazine.
Two new powerful search tools are now available on the Canadian Genealogy Centre website:
Ancestors Search, developed by LAC, combines 18 genealogical databases into one search
That's My Family, developed by Bibliotheque et Archives nationales du Quebec, in partnership with LAC and supported by the Council of Provincial and Territorial Archivists of Canada.
The latter search tool accesses various federal, provincial and territorial genealogy and family history databases.
October 12, 2007
Medieval Cemetery Yields 1,300 Skeletons
A large medieval cemetery containing around 1,300 skeletons has been discovered in the central English city of Leicester, the find promises to shed new light on the way people lived and died in the Middle Ages.
The graveyard was probably used from the 12th century until the demolition of a church at the site in 1573.
"We think, probably outside London, this must be one of the largest parish graveyards ever excavated,'' said Richard Buckley, director of University of Leicester Archaeology Services.
Continue reading Medieval Cemetery Yields 1,300 Skeletons
The graveyard was probably used from the 12th century until the demolition of a church at the site in 1573.
"We think, probably outside London, this must be one of the largest parish graveyards ever excavated,'' said Richard Buckley, director of University of Leicester Archaeology Services.
Continue reading Medieval Cemetery Yields 1,300 Skeletons
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